Chapter 218: The Wrongfully Dead Sister

2022-05-20

“There are so many people in the squad, how can we not find anyone?” I frowned and turned to Gu Chen. “What’s going on?”

Gu Chen explained, “Tonight’s supposed to be the night the killer strikes. Most of our people have been led by Xiao Liu to ambush the killer. Right now, we’ve only got a few left to handle unexpected incidents. If we reassign them, we’ll be left with no backup. And if we try to pull people from other places, there’s a lot of red tape. It’ll take several hours just to get approval.”

Gu Chen’s face tensed. “I don’t know if Team Leader Shao has any solutions…”

I frowned deeper and said, “Fine, get in touch with Team Leader Shao and tell him we need reinforcements.”

“What about you?” Gu Chen asked as he dialed his phone.

“I’m calling Xiao Liu. Since the killer is here, there’s no way for them to go back and kill anybody else. That means the team Xiao Liu took might not be needed anymore. Pulling in more people from elsewhere will still take hours, and by the time they’d arrive in Xingdong Village, it would be eight in the morning. Every second counts—if we can save even one, that’s another second of hope.”

But Xiao Liu’s phone was nearly impossible to reach. When the team’s in action, every phone is kept on silent. Sometimes, during sensitive operations, they even switch them off. Xiao Liu’s phone had to be on silent now, which meant he might not even notice my calls.

Half an hour went by. I called Xiao Liu more than twenty times, and no one ever answered. Just as I was about to give up, Xiao Liu’s number suddenly showed up on my phone. I actually felt ecstatic, happier than I’d ever been. Seeing that number was like holding a winning lottery ticket.

“Xiao Liu,” I said.

His voice was cold and detached. “Wu Meng? What are you doing? Don’t you know I’m about to catch the killer? Save it for later. If your call causes me to miss this chance, someone else could die. It’s past ten, there’s only a few hours left before the killer strikes. I’m shutting my phone off now, that’s it…”

Quickly, I cut him off before he could hang up. “Wait, you need to know—the killer definitely won’t show up where you are tonight. I’m one hundred percent sure of it. We ran into the killer in Xingdong Village, and Guan Zengbin was taken.”

“What?” Xiao Liu was clearly stunned.

I pressed on, “Don’t be surprised. The killer is here, in Xingdong Village.”

There was a brief silence. Then Xiao Liu’s voice came back gruff and strained. “Wu Meng, this is life and death. If you’re just scared to leave Dongxing City, you’d better think carefully.”

I didn’t waste time. “If you trust me, listen up. Right now, lock down every major road from Xingdong Village to Dongxing City. Check every passing car. As for side streets, get the locals on patrol.”

“The killer’s about one-seventy centimeters tall, dressed in black—you know all this. You know what Guan Zengbin looks like, too. Every time the killer’s gone to Dongxing City, he’s had a vehicle. Get Guan Zengbin’s photo out to the team, understood?”

I didn’t give him a chance to reply. “Pull everyone out of ambush. Half the team blocks the roads, the other half comes here to search for the killer. You and your group need to check on Wu Xiufen’s brother—the family you’ve got a stakeout on. Dig into what really happened with the Red Mill Factory all those years ago.”

After all that, I fell silent, waiting for Xiao Liu’s answer. But he didn’t respond right away. In the distance, I could barely make out the shouts of young men, Gu Chen chatting with Team Leader Shao, and the village chief pacing, his footsteps echoing on the floor.

Yet in that moment, everything felt oddly quiet. Like an astronaut floating in the endless silence of space.

No sound at all, except the faint buzzing from the phone.

Last night, Xiao Liu had spoken so honestly, it was almost like saying goodbye. Now, would he trust me and help us?

“I’ll get right on it.” A few seconds later, Xiao Liu finally spoke.

A weight lifted off my chest. “Waiting for good news from you.”

Xiao Liu’s voice grew stronger; now that he didn’t need to be sneaky, he could speak freely. “Just like old times—I’ve got your back.”

While I was talking to Xiao Liu, Gu Chen finished his call with Team Leader Shao and came over. “How’d it go? What did Xiao Liu say?”

I laughed softly. “Whatever Xiao Liu really thinks, at least he chose to trust me. Everything’s set in motion. Now we have to get Guan Zengbin back safe and sound. Without him, our Special Investigation Team just isn’t the same.”

Suddenly, a lump formed in my throat, and my eyes filled with tears. Growing up, I never had many friends because I kept to myself. I was always alone. But after working with Gu Chen and Guan Zengbin, I started feeling something I’d never known before.

If one day this Special Investigation Team disbands, what will happen to the three of us?

I looked up at the endless gray sky, but didn’t say a thing.

Two hours later, we were still searching the mountain for the killer and Guan Zengbin, but there was no trace at all. It was as if they’d vanished into thin air. We watched as time slipped by, completely helpless.

Just then, Xiao Liu called me again.

I answered immediately.

He spoke quickly, but every word was clear. “Wu Meng, I’ve pretty much done what you asked. Half my team is blocking the main roads from Xingdong Village to Dongxing City, checking every car. Guan Zengbin’s photo and the killer’s info are in everyone’s hands. The other half of my people are already headed to the village.”

“Thanks, Xiao Liu,” I said quickly.

He replied, “Wu Meng, I know you all see me as a self-serving jerk these days, and honestly, that’s on me. I don’t argue about it. But no matter what, I’d never treat people’s lives like a joke. To me, nothing’s more precious than a life.”

I didn’t respond.

Xiao Liu continued, “I’ve worked with Guan Zengbin for nearly a year now. Don’t worry, we’ll do everything to get her out, no matter what it takes.”

I said, “I know. Back when Gu Chen was trapped in the factory by Wu Zui, you were the first to stand up. We might not always agree, but I’ve always remembered that moment. That’s why I promised you it would count as your case, no matter who catches the killer first.”

Xiao Liu was silent for a moment, then said, “Let’s talk about this later. Over the past hour, I questioned Wu Jianguo about the Red Mill, and he didn’t hold anything back. He told me about what happened there decades ago, and about his relationship with his sister.”

I asked, “Did you uncover anything useful?”

Xiao Liu replied, “Yeah, actually. The Red Mill Factory was owned by Wu Jianguo’s father. After his father died, the factory shut down not long after. The reason it closed is because a woman died there.”

“A woman died in the factory? Who was she?”

Xiao Liu said, “Wu Jianguo’s sister.”

“Wu Jianguo’s sister?”

My heart skipped a beat. Suddenly, an image flashed in my mind—the photo I’d seen at Wu Xiufen’s house. Wu Xiufen is over sixty now, and the photo was taken some thirty years back. Judging by the timing, she would’ve been around thirty then.

But the woman in the photo had a sweet, innocent look, like someone just past twenty. She didn’t look thirty at all.

That photo was on Wu Xiufen’s bedside, showing how deeply she cared about this person. And then it hit me: if Wu Xiufen truly loved her husband, why wasn’t there a photo of Zhang Qiang by her bed? Why only this woman?

We’d all assumed that was a younger photo of Wu Xiufen because the eyes and some features looked alike, suggesting there was some blood relation. Now, I finally understood why Wu Xiufen burned both yellow and black papers.

Because two people actually died. One died a natural death, but the other… was a wrongful suicide at the Red Mill Factory.

All the clues tangled in my mind like a ball of yarn, but now everything finally made sense.

“Does Wu Xiufen have a younger sister?” I asked.

“She does. Her name was Wu Xiufang.”