Chapter 158: A Chance Encounter with Zhang Bin

2022-05-20

Zhang Bin! It really was Zhang Bin, the one whose right arm was slashed twice by Wang An.

At that moment Guan Zengbin spoke up. “I’ve found several fingerprints and compared them to the ones Zhang Bin left at the detention center. They’re a perfect match. But I only found a thumbprint—couldn’t find any other prints, but even so, that’s enough to prove the point.”

“Zhang Bin?” Zhao Xiaoli clearly didn’t know what had happened between Zhang Bin and her father or brother.

“That’s right,” I said. “Zhang Bin.”

I stood inside the room, one hand on my chin. This house just felt off to me, though I couldn’t put my finger on exactly what was wrong. But now that we’d found Zhang Bin’s fingerprints here, at the very least it proved he’d been in this room.

I turned to Zhao Xiaoli. “Did that man in black come here every day? How long did he stay each time?”

Zhao Xiaoli thought for a moment before she answered. “At first, he was here every day. At night, he slept outside. After a while, he stopped coming all the time—sometimes he’d leave. When he left, he’d stuff something in my mouth and tie me up tight before going.”

“How did you eat each day?” I asked.

“He fed me,” she replied. “And gave me a little time to use the bathroom.”

Zhao Xiaoli was trying to recall, and I studied her closely. Whenever she spoke her eyes glanced up to the right—a classic sign someone was thinking. She frowned and kept her hands neatly at her sides. These little details told me she was telling the truth.

Still, something about what Zhao Xiaoli described didn’t feel like Zhang Bin. Would he really act so gentlemanly?

Guan Zengbin added, “Only a thumbprint and no other traces. And from the state of the place, it looks like someone cleaned up after themselves.”

Someone wiped things down but left behind just a single thumbprint? That seemed odd, but I didn’t say anything more. Guan Zengbin must’ve felt something was off too, but he kept quiet. The others looked at me in silence. I spoke up, “Let’s start by finding the real estate agent, then we can check out Zhang Bin’s medical records.”

When we tracked down the real estate agent, they told us the person who rented the place wasn’t the man in the photo—not Zhang Bin. The renter wore all black with a hat and a mask. Since it was winter, no one thought twice about it.

Looks like Zhang Bin had been cautious renting this place—never showed his real face, and when he left, he tried to wipe away his tracks. Yet somehow, he still left behind that thumbprint. If he left like that, did he skip town?

We had the agent carefully compare the photo to his memory. Without seeing the face, he could only judge by build, and even then he wasn’t sure. After going back and forth, the agent told us a small detail.

The renter specifically asked about how the house felt. Even though the house was nice, it was a bit out of the way, but the man seemed perfectly happy with it.

The agent also overheard him mumbling, “Once this thing is done, it’s over.”

The rental contract was signed less than a month ago, right after Du Zigui disappeared, after Wang An injured Zhang Bin’s arm, after Hao Ren vanished. What had these people been up to? How do two adults just vanish in a city this small?

Sister Mary sent us Zhang Bin’s medical records. Turns out Zhang Bin went to Yumu City First People’s Hospital for a knife wound about a month ago. The doctor asked about the cause, and Zhang Bin didn’t say a school kid slashed him—it was ‘some lunatic.’

Wang An hadn’t held back—Zhang Bin’s arm wound was deep. If he hadn’t been wearing a thick down jacket, those cuts would’ve been all the way to the bone. The doctor treated and bandaged him, told him to come back on schedule for more medicine, and according to the medical records, Zhang Bin always complied.

He came back every four days to have the bandages changed. Never missed an appointment. Today was the fourth day, so there was a good chance Zhang Bin would show up.

With that in mind, we called a car for Zhao Xiaoli and sent her and her brother home—someone else would arrange where they’d stay. As for us, we drove straight to Yumu City First People’s Hospital. It was only a little over half an hour away. Soon, we found Zhang Bin’s attending doctor.

Now we were sitting face-to-face with him.

After we showed our IDs, the doctor shared another small detail.

Four people had accompanied Zhang Bin when he saw the doctor. When we showed him photos, he quickly identified two of them as Zheng Shuai and Cheng Yimin. As for the fourth, he didn’t know.

Then the doctor told us something even more surprising: Zhang Bin called that person ‘Du Zigui.’

My mind went blank.

If that was true, then this whole thing needed a much deeper investigation.

While we were talking, someone suddenly pushed open the door and walked in. The sight left everyone stunned. Because it was none other than the man we’d been searching for: Zhang Bin.

He was still dressed in that brown trench coat with a scarf around his neck.

Zhang Bin saw us and froze for a split second—then bolted for the door.

Gu Chen moved fast, leaping up and charging after him.

Before we could react, Gu Chen already had Zhang Bin by the arm. He’d grabbed his left one—the injured side. It was clear Zhang Bin was in agony, sweat pouring down his face like rain in just moments.

Zhang Bin recognized us at once. “Why is it you guys again? Let me go! That hurts, damn it—let go, you’re hurting me!”

Gu Chen kicked him behind the knee, and Zhang Bin collapsed to the floor.

I looked down at him. “You sure made us work to find you. You’ve been missing for quite a while now. Tell me, do you know why we’re looking for you?”

Zhang Bin rolled his eyes, feigning ignorance. “How would I know why you’re looking for me? I have no idea.”

Gu Chen glanced at him. “You’re a real tough nut. Once we get you back to the interrogation room, we’ll see if you’re still so stubborn.”

But Zhang Bin just put on an innocent act. “Why are you arresting me? I haven’t done anything.”

“Nothing?” I said. “Then how did you get that wound on your arm?”