Chapter 372: Zhang Zijun’s Actions

2022-05-20

“This Optimus Prime Transformer?” Gu Chen spoke up. “Li Feiyan already told us that Zhang Zijun owns two of these, so finding one here makes sense.”

“Sure, that does seem normal,” I replied. “But look closely—this is the exact same one we saw before.”

Hearing this, Gu Chen frowned and examined the Transformer carefully. After a while, he finally asked, “Is this the very same Optimus Prime we saw at Guo Li’s place?”

I nodded seriously. “Yes, I remember it clearly. This is definitely the one. Its left hand has a small chip. Even if he has two that look the same, that kind of flaw couldn’t possibly be duplicated.”

Gu Chen realized it too. “So how did this Transformer end up here?”

“That’s our problem,” I answered.

“The killer seems to know our moves. From the first time we saw this Transformer to now, it’s just been one afternoon. That means everything happened during that short window. So here’s the real puzzle—how did the killer know we’d come here?”

Gu Chen looked at me. “Zhang Zijun shouldn’t have been able to pull it off. After we left Guo Li’s house, we went straight to his place. He didn’t have a chance, and we kept an eye on him the whole time. So he’s probably not the culprit. He simply couldn’t have done it, right?”

I tapped my forehead thoughtfully. “This is odd. There’s no way Zhang Zijun managed this alone, which means the killer isn’t acting solo. There must be someone else involved. So, who fits the bill?”

After a moment, Gu Chen and I both said at the same time, “Guo Limin.”

I nodded firmly. “Exactly. She’s the only one acting suspicious right now, though we have no idea where she is. If two people are working together, that explains a lot.”

“But they’re divorced,” Gu Chen pointed out.

“People split up for all sorts of reasons,” I said, “not just because feelings go sour.”

Gu Chen eyed me. “Ever since that Liu Yinyan case, your profiling has been off. Are you really sure you’re seeing things clearly now? Could Guo Limin alone be the killer—not Zhang Zijun?”

I let out a breath. He had a point. My profiling had been thrown off again and again, especially with Wu Zui always tripping me up with subtle misdirections, making me picture the killer all wrong. That’s how Wu Zui kept beating me—and he knew it, too. It shook my confidence in my skills.

Now I couldn’t help but wonder—is Wu Zui involved in all this again?

“Let’s play a game.”

That’s Wu Zui’s classic catchphrase, and the moment I saw the note, he was the first person to come to mind. But looking at things now, it’s still possible Zhang Zijun could’ve said it too. So did Wu Zui meddle with this case or not?

Both Gu Hui’s and Teacher Gao’s deaths were mysterious. Gu Hui drowned in that puddle, while Teacher Gao said some cryptic things to us before taking her own life. Their deaths don’t seem to connect to those who were bullied afterward—it’s a tangled mess with no obvious links.

This case just keeps twisting and turning. The more we pull, the worse the headache.

We still don’t know what’s happened to Guan Zengbin. Since Zhao Mingkun left, I haven’t heard from him at all—no idea what he’s found or what leads he’s chasing. We’re limited in what we can do without more people or better equipment.

I sighed and looked at Gu Chen. “I’m not certain, but there’s at least a fifty-fifty chance. Either way, we can’t take our eyes off Zhang Zijun. I’m sure he’ll make a move soon. We also have to watch Yang Ting—the last known kid in the group who bullied others. Someone should keep tabs on him.”

Gu Chen nodded. “We’ve got eyes on Zhang Zijun, which means the only wild card is Guo Limin. But where would she go?”

I shrugged. “No clue. Anyway, let’s check on Zhang Zijun. The surveilling officer hasn’t eaten dinner yet; let’s take over for him.”

Gu Chen agreed.

We stepped out of the courtyard together. By then only Mary was left in the alley.

“Where’d that older woman go?” I asked.

Mary explained, “She was in a hurry to get to her dancing group. Couldn’t wait.”

I smiled helplessly. “Is square dancing really that irresistible?”

Mary asked, “Find anything?”

I spoke slowly. “Remember that Optimus Prime we saw at Guo Li’s place? We just found it tucked into the corner in the apartment.”

Mary looked at me like she couldn’t believe her ears. “You mean the toy showed up in a place that’s been empty for half a year?”

“It is the same toy,” I said. “But this place isn’t totally deserted. Thieves have broken in plenty of times. Still, that makes it weirder—who brought the Transformer here, and why? I can’t shake the feeling the killer knew we’d come, so they staged this on purpose.”

Mary pouted. “So what’s your theory?”

“They’re clearly hinting that Zhang Zijun isn’t the killer. But the more they try to steer us that way, the more suspicious he becomes. We can’t rule out the possibility that he got someone else to plant the toy. So the suspicion on him isn’t going anywhere.”

“Plus…” I snapped my fingers for effect. “It’s been ages now—Hu Ningning is still alive, and we don’t even know where Guo Li is. The killer will probably act tonight. If Zhang Zijun is the culprit, he’ll have to do something instead of just sitting around.”

I continued, “If he realizes he’s being watched and avoids contacting Hu Ningning, then there’s no way to ensure she can talk to us. That would mean he’s involved. But if he isn’t the killer, it’ll show in his actions.”

“Whatever he tries, we’ll know soon enough. I just hope we get to the truth quickly—Hu Ningning hasn’t eaten all day, and if this drags on, she might not last much longer.”

Gu Chen nodded. “So, should we keep tailing Zhang Zijun?”

I nodded too.

Night had fully settled over the city, the skies gloomy and oppressive after so many clear days. Storm clouds loomed like weights on my back. The car was stifling—we couldn’t run the AC or even switch on the lights. We just had to sweat it out inside.

By the time Gu Chen twisted out the third towel’s worth of sweat, we saw someone step out of the building. It was none other than Zhang Zijun. Dressed all in black on a sweltering night, he clearly didn’t want to be noticed.

Oddly, he hadn’t brought a car back, so where was he headed?

The three of us exchanged glances. Gu Chen asked, “Now what do we do?”

“Follow him,” I said quietly to Gu Chen. “Let’s see what he’s up to.”

Zhang Zijun glanced around, making sure nobody was near, then set off at a brisk pace.

After he’d gone a bit, we slipped out of the car and melted into the night, trailing him at a safe distance. He never looked back, just kept moving along the road—though he seemed directionless, almost like he was wandering in circles for a full ten minutes.

I frowned, puzzled by what exactly he was planning.

Just as we were getting nowhere, Zhang Zijun suddenly broke into a run. Caught off guard, we scrambled after him.

The instant he started running, I felt a hot gust as someone darted past me—Gu Chen, leading the chase like a wild horse off its reins. Zhang Zijun was in decent shape but couldn’t hope to outrun him.

Sure enough, just minutes later, Gu Chen was right on his tail.

With his skills, few people in Dongxing City could compete. In the blink of an eye—before Mary or I could see what happened—both men tumbled to the ground. By the time we caught up, Gu Chen was hauling a subdued Zhang Zijun to his feet.

Gu Chen ordered, “Don’t move. Be still.”

Zhang Zijun stood, hands pinned in Gu Chen’s grip, his arms locked tight like iron pincers—he couldn’t break free.

I stared at Zhang Zijun, and he stared right back.

“Why’d you run?” Gu Chen pressed.

Zhang Zijun didn’t answer, just kept watching me with a dazed look.

In the dead of night with nowhere to hide and no car in sight, what on earth was Zhang Zijun doing, running around out here?

“Let’s go,” I finally said. “We’re taking him back.”