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墨書 Inktalez
Just when we were at a loss and preparing to head back, Li Zhisheng walked into a nearby alley by himself. He glanced around and, seeing that no one was around, reached up and peeled off a piece of flesh-colored soft gel that resembled a facial mask from his face, revealing his true appearance.
"So it’s not just makeup, but this thing is actually applied to the face," I remarked. Li Zhisheng smiled wryly, "It was originally makeup, but after several attempts, Hu Fang was never satisfied. In the end, she simply used this stuff on her face and then painted over it."
I couldn't help but give him a thumbs-up, exclaiming, "Looks like Hu Fang is quite clever in some ways." At that moment, Li Zhisheng kept scratching his face. "She may be clever, but I'm the one suffering... I don’t know where she got this thing from; it’s making my face itch like crazy!"
I teased him, "Hey, you know what? Your face looks whiter than before..." Li Zhisheng shot me a glare. "You still have the mood to joke around? With so many unresolved mysteries and the fact that you might already be a wanted criminal, you’re not feeling anxious?"
"Since things have happened, being anxious won't solve the problem; it might even make things worse," I replied as we walked out of the alley together. "So what do we do now?" Li Zhisheng asked.
I thought for a moment. "I originally planned to draw out the fake Death Apostle today. Although the plan succeeded, I still don’t know who the real Death Apostle is..." Hearing this, Li Zhisheng interrupted me. "Wait a minute, doesn’t the real Death Apostle already know? Isn’t it that person we saw in the villa?"
I pondered for a moment. "I think our plan succeeded too quickly; there must be something else going on. Think about it: we currently know of two Death Apostles—one is the known fake from the exhibition hall, and the other is the one behaving oddly in the villa..."
I paused to organize my thoughts before continuing. "Finding out about this fake so quickly suggests that whoever set this up wanted us to discover it intentionally, leading us to believe that the one in the villa is real. In other words, both of these should be fakes, and the true Death Apostle is likely the person who handed me that envelope."
Li Zhisheng looked at me in shock. "If your reasoning is correct, then someone arranged for two fake Death Apostles through the Gui Tian Village incident to lure you in?"
I nodded quickly. "That seems to be the case, but this isn’t a good place to talk. Do you remember I mentioned wanting another person to investigate?"
"Are you talking about Meng Zhuang?" Li Zhisheng asked.
"Exactly," I confirmed. "Let’s go find him. We can discuss everything at the office; at least there are security guards there—it’s safer than here."
With that, I led Li Zhisheng all the way to the office.
As soon as I arrived at my office, I called Meng Zhuang on my phone. His hearty voice came through immediately. "Hello? Shen?"
"Yes, it’s me. Da Zhuang, are you busy right now?" I asked.
Meng Zhuang replied cheerfully, "Hehe, if you need anything just say it; I'm here for you."
"How about this: come to my office for a bit; I need your help with something." After hearing this, Meng Zhuang readily agreed and said he wasn't at the company right now but would definitely return within half an hour.
I hung up and poured a glass of water for Li Zhisheng, who took it curiously and asked, "What do you plan to have him help you with?"
With a serious expression, I said, "I intend to have him investigate Gu Kai..." Upon hearing this, Li Zhisheng put down the cup he had just brought to his lips and frowned. "Aren't you worried he might be more powerful than the Death Apostle? Why do you want to investigate him?"
"He might be the mastermind behind everything. If we can find any clues from him, it would make it easier to pinpoint our next steps." After saying that, I poured myself a glass of water as well and patiently waited for Meng Zhuang's arrival behind my desk.
There was a loud knock at the door. "Come in!" I called out. As soon as the door opened, Meng Zhuang walked in while scratching his head. "Shen, what instructions do you have for me?"
"Come sit down," I said. "Uh!" Meng Zhuang replied, closing the door behind him as he walked closer, but he didn't take a seat. His towering figure standing in front of the desk created an invisible sense of pressure.
I asked in confusion, "Why aren't you sitting?" Meng Zhuang awkwardly rubbed his backside and said, "I fell last night after drinking too much and cracked my tailbone. It still hurts, so I can't sit."
Seeing his embarrassed expression, I forced a smile. "Can you still help me like this?" Meng Zhuang quickly responded, "Of course! As long as I don't have to sit."
Since he was so eager, I thought for a moment and said, "Alright then, help me look for someone named Gu Kai. The last place I saw him was..." I told Meng Zhuang the location of the police station I had visited earlier.
After listening, he pondered for a moment. "Where does he live? Do you have a photo of him?" Li Zhisheng, who was nearby, covered his face and muttered, "Is this really going to work..."
I chuckled. "You don't need to know those details. Just ask around near that place of mine for someone named Gu Kai..."
Upon hearing this, Li Zhisheng seemed to understand something and raised his head. I continued with Meng Zhuang, "Also, just a reminder that it's a police station. You only need to inquire within a one-kilometer radius from there. Don't be foolish and go inside the police station to ask."
Meng Zhuang looked somewhat confused as he scratched his chin and asked, "If we're looking for someone, why not just go to the police station?" Since I felt that even if I explained it clearly, he might not understand, I helplessly replied, "There are many reasons for this; just do as I say."
Seeing that I was somewhat troubled, Meng Zhuang didn't press further. He asked, "Do you have any other instructions? If not, I'll go help you find this person." I said, "Just this matter; take care of it for me. Once it's done, I'll give you a bonus."
Upon hearing about the bonus, Meng Zhuang's eyes widened in excitement. He stood tall and gave me a standard military salute while saying, "I guarantee completion of the mission!"
I couldn't help but laugh at his enthusiasm and waved my hand. "Alright, alright, off you go. By the way, take care of your backside; don't fall again..." Hearing this made Meng Zhuang deflate immediately as he scratched the back of his head. "Shen, please don't bring that up..." With that, he left the office alone.
Once Meng Zhuang was gone, Li Zhisheng looked at me with a puzzled expression. "Are you sure you can rely on him?" I smiled and said, "When I saw your look of sudden realization earlier, I thought you understood. Actually, I'm not really asking him to find anything out; I'm trying to draw out Gu Kai..."
"And then you want to lead him to investigate Meng Zhuang?!" I nodded and continued, "Exactly. People who are scheming tend to be cautious in their actions; any slight disturbance can easily alert them. If Gu Kai discovers someone is openly investigating him, he'll definitely send someone to check into that person."
I took a sip from my cup and continued, "Afterwards, there could be two outcomes from his investigation. First, he could trace it back to me. Second, if he doesn't realize my connection with Meng Zhuang, he might conclude that Meng Zhuang is just an ordinary person. But personally, I believe there's a ninety-nine percent chance of the first outcome."
"What happens if he finds you? He already has evidence against you; aren't you afraid he'll cause trouble?" Li Zhisheng asked. I smirked slightly. "I'm actually waiting for him to come find me... Moreover, there's another purpose for sending Meng Zhuang to investigate..." With that, I pulled out the envelope I'd received at noon.
Seeing this, Li Zhisheng suddenly slapped his thigh. "So you're trying to have Meng Zhuang temporarily attract Gu Kai's attention while you go find Death Apostle! Although I'm not sure what your intentions are in having Gu Kai seek you out, if it works out we could at least locate Death Apostle and learn more..."
I smiled and said, "Only someone who knows me well like Li Zhisheng would understand!" Just as I finished speaking, my phone buzzed urgently in my pocket. Pulling it out revealed that it was Hu Fang calling.
"Hello? Hu Fang?" I answered the phone. On the other end, Hu Fang's voice was somewhat anxious. "I just took a nap, and when I woke up, I found a lot of police downstairs, blocking everything. Are they here to arrest you?"
Hearing this, I was taken aback. I wanted to ask if they had knocked on her door, but then I thought it might be related to what happened in the elevator earlier. I reassured Hu Fang, "It's okay, they probably aren't here for me. Don't go outside; stay at home. We'll be back soon."
"Please hurry back! It's chaotic downstairs right now; I can't see what's happening..." Hu Fang's voice trailed off suddenly as the call dropped.
I quickly brought my phone closer to check; it wasn't because the battery was dead. I tried calling Hu Fang back, but all I got was a cold automated message: "Hello, the user you are trying to reach is not in service area..."
After several failed attempts to reach her, panic began to set in. Li Zhisheng noticed my worried expression and asked, "What's going on with Hu Fang's phone?"
I continued dialing Hu Fang's number while explaining to Li Zhisheng, "Hu Fang just called. It seems something happened in our area; a lot of police have arrived. But just as she was speaking, the call suddenly dropped. Now when I try to call back, it says she's not in service!"
Li Zhisheng's expression turned serious as he listened. His eyes darted around nervously before he said, "Could it be related to that time you wouldn't let me take the elevator?"
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