The other two nodded and got to work. The square-faced police officer said to me, "Sorry, but we have to cuff you. After all, you're still a prime suspect." "Yeah, I understand, officer. I'll take you to Number 44. If the evidence checks out, can you let me go right away? I have something urgent to take care of." I said as I walked, my pace even quicker than the officers'. The square-faced officer said, "You're still a minor. Even if what you're saying is true, you'll need to come back with us to give a statement, and then we'll have your guardian come pick you up." "I don't have a guardian. My only relative passed away not long ago," I said flatly. As we spoke, we arrived at a police car. In the driver's seat sat a sharp-looking female officer—presumably the Fang Lin the square-faced officer had mentioned. "Captain Liu, what's the situation? This kid's the killer?" she asked as soon as we got in. The square-faced officer said, "Heh, based on my years of experience, probably not. But he's holding onto some important leads. Let's follow this lead first. Fang Lin, head to Number 44, Qianhun Lu." "Number 44, Qianhunlu? Heh, that's the legendary forbidden zone!" Fang Lin floored the gas pedal, and the car shot off like an arrow from a bow. Despite her words, her tone carried a hint of mockery. "Zhao Lianfan, you've been living on Qianhunlu?" Officer Liu asked. I was silent for a moment, then shook my head and said, "I only arrived two days ago. After my grandfather passed away, I came to stay with my third uncle, Zhuge Wu." "What kind of person is Zhuge Wu? Is he not treating you well?" Officer Liu continued. I let out a cold snort and said, "He's nothing but an animal." "Captain Liu, look…!" Fang Lin was indeed fast—we arrived after just a few exchanges. But the scene before me left me dumbfounded, because the old, shabby villa at Number 44, Qianhunlu had already collapsed into a pile of rubble. "How could this happen? It was perfectly fine just an hour ago…" I stared blankly at the ruins. "Hmm, the dust hasn't fully settled yet, and there's still a faint smell of gunpowder in the air. It must have been blown up just recently. The Zhuge Wu you mentioned probably destroyed all the evidence," Officer Liu said. I nodded, thought for a moment, and said, "Officer Liu, I have another lead that should help us find Zhuge Wu." Officer Liu looked at me seriously and asked, "Where?" I said directly, "Is there a hotel in the city where the beds have blue canopies?" "Fang Lin, have someone look into that. Also, call a few colleagues over to seal off Number 44. Zhao Lianfan, why are you asking about this?" Officer Liu asked. I recounted the three chat records in full, but I didn't mention that Zhao Yixian was my snake wife, nor did I bring up any of those esoteric matters. Instead, I simply said she was a close friend of mine, and that she was the reason I was chasing after Zhuge Wu. Officer Liu and Fang Lin nodded after hearing my story—I couldn't tell if they believed me, but given their style, even if they didn't, they'd still go check it out. As long as they went, my goal would be achieved. Just as I finished speaking, Fang Lin's phone rang again. She answered it, then gave Officer Liu a playful smile and said, "Captain Liu, you know what? There really is a hotel with that kind of setup in its executive suites." "Which hotel? Let's hurry over there," Officer Liu said directly.
Fang Lin pressed the accelerator again, and the police car roared forward. Fang Lin chuckled and said, "The best hotel in this city—the Xuanmeng Hotel." "Xuanmeng Hotel?" Officer Liu frowned and muttered, "This wouldn't have anything to do with Yu Zhen, would it?" The Xuanmeng Hotel is Yu Zhen's property? My heart skipped a beat. Yu Zhen's daughter is named Yu Mengxuan, and this hotel is called Xuanmeng Hotel. If Yu Zhen is involved in this matter, things could get tricky. Yu Zhen would definitely side with Zhuge Wu, and I knew very well how much influence Yu Zhen wielded. I instinctively gripped the gray cloth bag in my hand and felt a square, hard object. Zhuge Wu's phone? I froze for a moment. How could Zhuge Wu have left his phone in the bag? I didn't take the phone out—there were too many secrets in it. With Officer Liu sitting right beside me, if I took the phone away, I'd never find anything. "The Xuanmeng Hotel is Yu Zhen's property?" I asked casually. "You know about Yu Zhen? Hah, well, that makes sense. Yu Zhen is notorious—how could someone living on Qianhun Lu not know of him?" Officer Liu said with a smile. Fang Lin, who was driving, explained, "Yu Zhen has a daughter named Yu Mengxuan. The legal representative of this hotel is Yu Mengxuan herself. I heard this hotel is meant to be her dowry in the future—nearly a hundred million yuan invested in it." "They're really loaded," I chimed in casually, but my mind was fixed on how Zhuge Wu could have forgotten to take his phone. On the way, they asked me many more questions, all about minor details. At one point, someone called Officer Liu to say the body had been brought back to the station, and that the nearby surveillance cameras had no footage for some unknown reason, so they couldn't confirm whether the case was truly unrelated to me. This made me even more nervous and further convinced me that Zhuge Wu had covered his tracks flawlessly. If even the cameras couldn't see us, then even if they determined the exact time of the girl's death, they couldn't rule me out as a suspect. At the same time, I wondered—if Zhuge Wu had set up such an elaborate scheme, how could he have been so careless as to let me see his QQ chat history on the computer? The more I thought about it, the more uneasy I became. I even suspected that Zhuge Wu knew I had followed him out, and that even if we went to the Xuanmeng Hotel now, we'd be unlikely to run into him. "We're almost there, Captain Liu. Has the search warrant been approved?" Fang Lin's question interrupted my thoughts. Officer Liu shook his head and said, "Not that fast. How many suites like that does the Xuanmeng Hotel have?" "All eight rooms on the top floor. Yu Zhen has never gotten along with you, Captain Liu. Without a search warrant, they won't let us in," Fang Lin said. Officer Liu grunted in acknowledgment. "Let's go there first. Even without a warrant, we have the right to request surveillance footage. Zhao Lianfan, how tall is Zhuge Wu? What was he wearing?" "Today he was wearing a gray T-shirt and black pants. He's about 175 cm tall with a crew cut. But I'm worried he might have already fled, because I always seem to be one step behind," I replied. Rather than walking into an empty trap, it was better to voice my concerns proactively—that would earn me some trust from them. Officer Liu nodded in agreement. The car soon arrived at the base of the Xuanmeng Hotel. Seeing the police car, the hotel's security guards came over one after another. Just as Fang Lin had said, it wasn't only Yu Zhen who had issues with Officer Liu and his team—even these security guards didn't seem to show much respect for the police.