If the earlier analysis of these victims focused on the level of their lies, then because they were victims, those lies could be categorized as self-protection. Even if they knew each other, it was still hard to call it evil.
But when Zhen Wuyu suddenly said they were not clean, wasn’t that too arbitrary?
“Because Chen Qing killed Luo Hong? They knew each other, and Chen Qing suddenly killed Luo Hong. Is that related to what their group was planning?”
One officer reasoned backward from the result and had already started connecting the dots. “Actually, something was already off when Chen Qing chose Luo Hong. He didn’t choose Su Li. She clearly looks rich. He could have chosen Su Li in exchange for money. But someone who acted so money-hungry earlier gave it up at a critical moment and chose to take Luo Hong instead.”
“Was it because he never planned to let Luo Hong live?”
“Or rather, from the moment the four of them let Luo Hong get on the van, they had already planned to kill him.”
Xiao Li, a complete rookie, was terrified by these senior officers’ speculations and stood there stunned.
Zhen Wuyu was quite satisfied to see them fully engaged. “Luo Hong’s identity as a timber merchant was shouted out when he got on the van. It’s in the statements, and nearby drivers heard it too. So when he raised the price to get on… it wasn’t really because of the price increase, but because he told Huang Xiuling he was going to Baimu Town to buy goods.”
“That means he must have money.”
“So they let him get on the van, but the four of them never planned to let him get off alive. The question now is——did they fail to act in time and get black-eaten by the masked man instead, or was the masked man also part of their group.”
Chen Liao took a deep breath. “This is getting complicated.”
“It can get even more complicated,” a voice suddenly came from behind.
Everyone turned around to see Liu Duan coming out, standing with the chief of the Baimu Town police station.
They had also watched the footage and heard the analysis just now. There wasn’t much to refute, and they agreed with this line of reasoning.
But Liu Duan and the chief had further guesses, and they were certain Zhen Wuyu had already thought of them too.
They looked at Zhen Wuyu. He, meanwhile, was staring at the end of the footage.
He said, “Scattered in different places, pretending not to know each other at first, then gathering in Changlin and heading for Baimu Town. For the sake of an unknown amount of money, they were willing to kill someone. The pasts of these four must be extremely filthy. They are all ruthless criminals, possibly even experienced ones. They wouldn’t stand up to investigation. The reason they were willing to risk gathering in Baimu Town must outweigh their own safety. Either the danger was great enough, or the profit was great enough.”
Several officers exchanged looks.
This time, Xiao Li muttered, “So… they knew from the start that she was in Baimu Town.”
She who?
“They came for Su Li from the very beginning.”
For money?
That reason alone was sufficient.
Luo Hong looked rich on the surface but didn’t actually have much. From the fact that he instinctively asked for money and only dared to shout five or ten thousand, his upper limit was obvious.
But Su Li was different. That girl was a dazzling, golden lucky cat.
These four were vicious. If they dared to take the risk of killing Luo Hong, killing Su Li would be nothing to them.
Chen Liao still didn’t quite understand. “Then why not let Chen Qing take Su Li out directly, kill her or control her and extort her? Forget ten thousand. Even a million probably wouldn’t be an issue. She must already have enough money in her own accounts, not to mention her family.”
Casually giving a temple one hundred thousand was no small matter.
“Because they weren’t sure.”
Zhen Wuyu said, “This actually helps confirm the earlier either-or suspicion. They were not in league with the masked man. Chen Qing wasn’t sure whether the masked man would really let them out, nor whether he’d have the chance to kill Su Li. It was safer to leave her in the cell. That was the conservative choice. As for Luo Hong, if there really was no chance to kill him, as long as he wasn’t exposed, he wouldn’t affect them.”
“They could even, after escaping, join forces and come back to rescue Lin Zong and the others.”
This logic held up. That was why, in the footage, Chen Qing seemed hesitant. The direction he was looking toward was clearly him seeking the opinions of Lin Zong and the others. And from the angle of his gaze at the time…
“He was looking at Lin Zong.”
“Lin Zong telling him to choose Luo Hong means that among the four, Lin Zong had more authority than Chen Qing. He should be the leader.”
The four were not in league with the masked man. Was that good news?
In any case, what was the difference between Su Li and a lamb waiting for slaughter now?
On one side were four demons, watching her like tigers, skilled at disguises. On the other side was an unidentified, terrifying Saw Grandpa…
“She’s in real danger now. She doesn’t know the truth and still has to unite with them…” Xiao Li looked at Su Li and felt more and more that she was a lamb.
Too miserable. More miserable than that bag of mala tang.
Zhen Wuyu said, “You’re overthinking it. She knows.”
Huh?
This time, even Liu Duan and the chief were shocked.
Zhen Wuyu stood up and dragged the footage to a specific point.
“With this many flaws, she could tell.”
Not close to her, yet he seemed to admire her.
At the very least, he acknowledged her intelligence.
“Compared to these country bumpkins who have evil intentions but have never touched high technology, she noticed long ago that there was a camera inside the broadcast system. During filming, it may emit a faint red light. That’s a feature most current camera models have.”
“The masked man is physically disabled and can’t freely control every area. He can only do it remotely. Combined with the fact that the circuits there are connected, there must be a central computer controlling the electric locks, iron doors, and all equipment.”
“She knew this. That’s why, when she pretended to ask Chen Qing and the others to save her, the way she twisted her body was actually forming two characters.”
“Factory.”
Liu Duan stepped forward and looked carefully. It really was.
Those two characters were simple and easy to express. She deliberately showed weakness and begged for help… but she already knew Chen Qing wouldn’t save her.
She was using the camera to leave clues for the police, in case the recorded footage ended up in their hands.
A pervert who didn’t kill them directly, but instead played games with them and wasn’t stingy with money, was very likely to provoke the police. In that case, the footage could come into play.
She was leaving herself a backup as early as possible.
And now it has proven useful. Who else could have filmed two videos and mailed them to the police except that perverted Saw Grandpa?
This man was truly a pervert, and his real purpose was impossible to grasp. It was like he was playing a kidnapper’s game with no rules and no goal.
Those being toyed with weren’t just the captives, but also these police officers.
It was infuriating.
Zhen Wuyu was especially insistent on the idea that Su Li had left them a hint.
“I think that in places the camera couldn’t capture, she must have noticed environmental elements characteristic of a factory.”
“In weather like this, Changlin and Baimu Town aren’t far apart. But even using a car or a boat, it would be impossible to transport several people very far.”
Zhen Wuyu had someone bring a map, and he stood in front of it with Liu Duan and the others, selecting locations.
“Based on driving speed or water transport, combined with the weather over these two days, after considering everything, this circle is the largest possible area where the masked man could be hiding them.”
A thick black marker circled an area between Changlin and Baimu Town.
It wasn’t small at all. It was basically impossible for police manpower to search it thoroughly within a few days. Adding stormy weather into the mix made it even harder.
Zhen Wuyu wasn’t anxious. He asked calmly, “How many factories are here? What kinds of factories are they?”
Before the local chief could answer, Liu Duan listed several names.
The others were surprised.
“Shifu, you know Baimu Town this well?”
Liu Duan’s expression was strange. He spoke vaguely. “I learned about them handling a case many years ago…”
The chief deliberately changed the subject and pushed him aside. “That was so many years ago. Those factories shut down long ago. How would you know about the current ones? I know some. Most of them here are timber processing plants, furniture workshops, and raw material yards where timber merchants who contract forest land stockpile wood. There are also medicinal herb buyers and vehicle repair shops. To be honest, many of the factories from both sides are concentrated in this area. This won’t be easy to search. I’ll contact people right away to check the industrial and commercial registration records. They might have more complete information.”
“What about ones abandoned for over fifteen years?”
The chief and Liu Duan both froze.
Then the old factories Liu Duan mentioned were actually more likely to be places where someone could hide people?
Zhen Wuyu said, “The wall behind their cell was mottled and covered in moss, but there was one section that could still be seen clearly. That section was rubbed a bit clean by Su Li’s clothes. It looked like glazed tiles. This type of tile was popular in the 1980s and was generally used in bathrooms or large bathhouses. So much moss had grown that it had corroded the material. That means that even after being abandoned, there was still a lot of moisture there. Either there are underground pipes that aren’t well sealed, seeping into the foundation and producing moss over a long period, or there’s a long-term water source nearby, making the area very damp.”
That was true.
Chen Liao and the others were stunned. As they recalled scene after scene from the footage, things they hadn’t noticed before now stood out. Because her outward temperament matched her behavior at the time, they hadn’t questioned it. Looking again now, they had to admit that Su Li overturned their earlier impressions formed from the hotel owner and others.
At the very least, there was a 20% contrast—
She really was sharp, and she really did have some acting skill.
“Even a conservative estimate would be factories abandoned at least fifteen years ago.”
It was already 2007. Going back to the 1980s, it was probably more than fifteen years.
“And it must have been very profitable for a period, with a decent scale. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have been willing to tile the factory bathrooms.”
“And in recent years, there must have been electrical renovations, as well as welding and passage construction.”
“Are there any factories that meet these conditions?”