Chapter 6

Xiao Haiyang's face tightened even more as he instinctively tugged at the hem of his shirt: "I... I always feel that the mysterious person who sent the deceased the phone is somewhat suspicious. Now to conclude that Ma Xiaowei is the murderer, there are still many doubts... I have also mentioned this situation to our captain... He told me not to always be so self-righteous and to look for trouble when there is none."

He initially said it was a gift from a fellow townsman, which struck me as odd because he had never mentioned any acquaintances from the area before. I worried that he might be naive and could encounter some bad people. After all, why would someone give you such an expensive gift for no reason? Isn't that just an attempt to curry favor? Zhao Yulong flicked the ash from his cigarette and said, "I pressed him persistently with questions, and only then did he tell me that one day while delivering goods, he had a minor conflict with someone who hit him a few times. He didn't retaliate, and later, I don't know if the other party regretted it or what, but they came to apologize to him."

In the afternoon, the originally clear sky unexpectedly changed its demeanor, as the arrogant sunlight was enveloped by dark clouds that seemed to have appeared from nowhere, surrounded on all sides. The oppressive sound of the wind carried a hint of humidity, signaling an imminent sudden downpour.

Fei Du has an excellent sense of direction and almost did not take any detours before locating the position of the surveillance camera.

Xiao Haiyang's face was taut as if he had just undergone a facelift. He wiped the sweat from his palms onto his pants and adjusted his struggling glasses. Then he cleared his throat and took out his phone's memo: "Deputy Captain Tao, I have a situation I would like to report to you"

Taoran nodded at him with a hint of encouragement: "Hmm"

Does the handsome man take a car

This place is rarely visited by people, and the trash can is clean, as almost no one throws anything into it. The cleaners come to empty it approximately once every ten to fifteen days. Feidu took out a silk handkerchief from his pocket and carefully picked up the few cigarette butts.

Several groups of images flashed rapidly backward on the screen, and he leaned lazily against the back of the chair, as if all his energy and spirit were concentrated in his eyes, staring motionlessly at the screen

He gently pressed a finger against his forehead, while on the notebook screen of the adjacent desk was a brief and unremarkable biography of He Zhongyi. Fei Du retrieved a contact number from the address book and dialed it.

As Tao Ran turned around, he saw the exceptionally good-looking little glasses-wearing Xiao Haiyang from the sub-bureau running towards him at full speed

It is cheaper and faster than a taxi

At that moment, his mobile phone suddenly rang

Luo Wenzhou remained silent and sat down sideways.

Tao Ran made a decisive decision: "I will go with you, let's go!"

Zhao Yulong shook his head: "I didn't say anything. I asked, and that child has a very clear mind and keeps his mouth shut."

In less than half an hour, Feidu successfully obtained what he wanted—the surveillance footage from all cameras in the vicinity on the night of the opening of the Chengguang Mansion.

Forty minutes later, Fei Du arrived at the central business district of the Flower Market area

Xiao Haiyang suddenly sat up straight: "Chengguang Mansion"

The humidity in the air had become so thick that it was about to descend. He carefully observed the position of the surveillance camera, recalling the direction in which the person in the footage had been gazing. As he turned around, he could just make out the faint outline of the Chengguang Mansion at the end of the path.

What happened at the expense of a meal?

Feidu calmly wrapped up the cigarette butt before taking out his phone. Upon seeing the caller ID, he smiled before speaking: "What, have you suddenly felt that one day apart is like three autumns?"

From the lens, one can only see that person dressed in a rough and mismatched suit, of short stature and somewhat thin, standing in place while smoking several cigarettes in succession. He tightly clutches a brown paper bag in his hand, occasionally looking up to gaze in one direction for a moment. After a while, it seems he received a phone call and spoke a few words to the person on the other end, before hurriedly walking out of the frame.

He Zhengyi lived with so many people, yet no one noticed that he had been beaten, indicating that the physical conflict was not serious at the time. So why did the other party feel the need to not only "apologize" but also to present valuable gifts?

Oh," Xiao Haiyang glanced at his watch, "if the long-distance bus is not delayed, it will arrive in one hour.

At this moment, Luo Wenzhou, carrying a briefcase and wearing his flashy sunglasses, was strolling near a transportation hub in the flower market district, occasionally waving at passing taxis on the road. Unfortunately, none of them were empty. Upon seeing this, a group of black taxi drivers, who were parked by the roadside, collectively extended an invitation to him.

Ah, there is one, Zhao Yulong said, "That white one, right? He usually is reluctant to use it, still using that old one from before. Sometimes he takes out the new phone to have a look, and he has already put several layers of screen protector on it."

Luo Wenzhou cast a deep glance at him, then turned and walked towards the subway station. Just after passing through the security check, his phone rang.

Tao Ran patiently waited for him to catch his breath: "Don't rush, take your time to speak."

That is a very peripheral camera, almost no longer within the scope of Chengguang Mansion, capturing a gravel path.

Where are you going, handsome

Tao Ran's expression darkened upon hearing this, and the gentle smile vanished: "What time did you arrange?"

I have here an anonymous report. After walking for a while, Luo Wenzhou calmly opened his briefcase, took out a copy, and casually flipped through it. The driver's expression immediately changed, nearly causing a collision with a car next to them, resulting in a long honk. Luo Wenzhou remained unfazed, saying, "I am not from your sub-bureau, so don't panic. Just keep driving forward; I have a few questions to ask you."

"Yes, this pair of shoes is very crucial," Tao Ran said, "Do you know why he wants to borrow this pair of shoes?"

Tao Ran and Xiao Haiyang successfully met He Zhongyi's fellow townsman Zhao Yulong, and the three of them went together to a small noodle shop

What is there to hide when a conflict occurs with someone and the other party subsequently offers an apology?

Xiao Haiyang: "Do you know who gave that phone?"

Luo Wenzhou slightly bent down, leaning close to the driver's ear through the half-open window: "Someone is watching you, be careful. If anything happens, feel free to contact me at any time"

Are you together with someone named Zhang Donglai

Feidu's gaze fell on the nearby trash can—extinguished cigarette butts lay there, lonely and scattered.

Hello, Brother Chang, it's me," Fei Du listened to what was said on the other end of the phone, lowered his head and smiled, "Well, I feel a bit embarrassed to say this, but I do have something I would like to ask for your help with.

Due to the proximity of the water system, even in early summer, there are still many mosquitoes. After dark, there are few passersby, and even when someone does appear, they hurry along—yet a hesitant shadow lingers under the streetlight for a long time

Luo Wenzhou got off near a subway entrance but did not leave. He reached out to press the car door, glanced around, and suddenly, a van that had been parked at the intersection began to move slowly as his gaze passed over it, as if it were trying to sneak away.

During the lunch break, Feidu heated a can of sweet milk in the microwave in the pantry, casually complimented the secretary's figure, advised her to eat well and not to diet anymore, then locked the door to his office, put on his headphones, and played that song from his car on repeat, pulling out a sheet of A4 paper

Zhao Yulong was unaware of the exact origin of the mysterious phone, but he provided a rough timeframe of when the conflict occurred. Tao Ran and Xiao Haiyang had no choice but to follow this lead, eventually locating the delivery company where He Zhongyi worked, in search of any clues.

In the small noodle shop, no one enforced the smoking ban, and everywhere was filled with the smoke of old gentlemen. Zhao Yunlong took a couple of deep puffs and rubbed his face: "Zhongyi is a principled child. Many people, having nothing to do, sneak into the billiard hall and game room, but he never goes. He works diligently to save money, saying he wants to take it home to pay for his mother's medical treatment. He neither steals nor robs, does not gamble, and certainly does not cause trouble. So why is it that he is the one who got into trouble?—You two can ask whatever you want; as long as I know, I will definitely not conceal anything."

Tao Ran asked: "How?"

Tao Ran and Xiao Haiyang exchanged a glance—this situation had never been mentioned during the previous visits

"Just drive ahead casually," Luo Wenzhou said as he took off his sunglasses. His sharp gaze met the driver's through the rearview mirror, causing the driver to suddenly freeze, feeling inexplicably uneasy

"Taoran, how are you?" As he spoke, he swiped his card to enter the station, but then his footsteps suddenly halted. "What? Please repeat that name again."

The young man with a flat top turned on the air conditioning for him and steadily drove the car out of the convoy: "Handsome, you haven't mentioned where you want to go yet"

Tao Ran looked at him thoughtfully and said, "I thought the current focus of the district bureau's investigation was on Ma Xiaowei."

Who are you going to see? What is the matter?

The window in the Feidu office slammed shut with a "bang" as the wind blew it closed, causing several sheets of paper to flutter down to the ground. At that moment, his hand, which was loosely gripping the mouse, suddenly moved.

Xiao Haiyang: "Last night, I found the person in charge of the delivery point for that coffee chain and obtained the contact information for Zhao Yulong. Upon hearing this, he agreed to take the last long-distance bus back to Yancheng urgently last night. I have arranged to meet him today."

He sketched a simple topographic map on paper using an abstract style that only he could understand. Then, twirling his pen and pondering for a moment, he gently drew a few circles on it and wrote down "20:00 - 21:30". Immediately, he paused the tip of his pen and changed "20:00" to "20:30".

"Yes," Zhao Yulong said, "this is the name."

However, among those who lived with He Zhongyi, there was one person from the same province as him, this person is called ... ... '' Xiao Haiyang flipped through his notes, `` His name is Zhao Yulong, and he had a very good relationship with the deceased. It is said that He Zhongyi's job as a delivery man was introduced by him. Ma Xiaowei said he had to return to his hometown for some matters in the past two days ''

Feidu selected a few from a large pile of surveillance records, pieced them together, and chose the time frame from 8:30 to 9:30, watching it in fast forward

Xiao Haiyang quickly asked: "Mr. Zhao, He Zhongyi has a new mobile phone, doesn't he?"

It is like this: while visiting the western district yesterday, I discovered that the residents in that area are quite diverse, with a strong degree of mobility and seasonality. It is common for tenants to change jobs and move out. Rather than being a group rental housing, it is more akin to a poorly conditioned medium- to long-term inn. As a result, the relationships between people are not very close, unless they are fellow townsfolk looking out for each other. Yesterday, my colleagues were busy all day, and there was not much useful information.

Feidu was taken aback for a moment, before he could respond, a thunderclap suddenly erupted, and the heavy rain poured down in a rush.

Luo Wenzhou scrutinized the fleet of unlicensed taxis with discernment, ultimately stopping in front of a young man with a crew cut

The young man was very attentive and immediately opened the car door for him, saying, "Please get in, where to?"

Tao Ran took out a photo from his wallet, which showed the very pair of shoes worn by the deceased: "May I ask, are these shoes the ones you lent to He Zhongyi?"

Taoran's voice was quite serious: "Were you at the Chengguang Mansion the night before last?"

Zhao Yulong felt a bit confused and thought to himself: "They said they were going to a rather upscale place to meet someone, called... what was it... Chengguang Building or Villa?"

Zhao Yulong lowered his head to take a look, his eyes nearly reddening, and he absentmindedly nodded: "It is mine, did he... did he walk in these shoes?"

Zhao Yulong, having reached middle age, has struggled in Yancheng for many years. Although he still finds it difficult to establish himself, he appears much more respectable compared to the young people who are facing numerous setbacks. The man bears the weary expression of someone who has spent over ten hours on a long-distance bus, blinking hard a few times, his prominent eye bags hanging precariously: "I really didn't expect him to get into trouble—Officer, may I have a cigarette?"

Feidu watched this segment of the video several times, uncertain whether it was indeed the deceased person he had met once. He grabbed the car keys, closed the laptop, and left the room

While the grassroots criminal police were walking through the streets under the sun, Mr. Fei was leaning back in his leather swivel chair in his office

He looked up at the increasingly gloomy sky, retrieved an umbrella from the trunk of the car, and walked towards the scenic area near Chengguang Mansion.

Tao ... ... Deputy Team Tao Tao !

If it is true, why does He Zhongyi speak vaguely and falsely claim that it was given by an acquaintance

Feidu captured one of the surveillance images, and upon magnifying and reviewing it, it was discovered that the time was approximately 8:50 PM

Suddenly, this murder case, which seemed solvable by merely investigating the deceased's personal relationships to identify the murderer, became inexplicably complex and confusing

Tao Ran raised his eyebrows in surprise; he was indeed thinking of contacting this person

Xiao Haiyang's glasses broke yesterday, and he didn't have time to get a new pair. They hung crookedly below his cheekbone. He stood in front of Tao Ran, gasping for breath, his expression unusually severe, which made Tao Ran feel a bit breathless as well

Zhao Yulong slowly furrowed his brow

Tao Ran observed Zhao Yulong and noticed that although he used his right hand to eat with chopsticks, he held the cigarette and oriented the teacup handle to the left. In the past, parents were afraid that their children would "fight" at the table while eating, and would forcibly "correct" left-handedness, a situation that was quite common.

The unlicensed taxi driver, despite the cold air conditioning blowing, was still sweating profusely and nodding rapidly.