The accuser, however, must have understood this clearly. He used this deceptive illusion to try and frame me for murdering my colleague due to a romantic dispute. The supposed motive was rather weak, but in front of the video, if handed over to a judge, they would surely sentence me to death. No… what am I thinking…
Right now, I should be thinking about how to prove my innocence. Alas, without anyone else present in B503, how can I prove it? Sometimes, I feel the accuser's mind is even more meticulous than mine. He must have considered that I would fall into such distress when designing this overt scheme. Is there no way out?
Seeing my distressed appearance, Ling Xiaotao also became nervous. "It seems we have to go back to the crime scene. But doing so would be very dangerous for you. The place is swarming with police!"
"Do you have a way?"
"Of course. Given my status there, I should be able to get them to step aside. Fortunately, I'm with you, haha! Not as a lover! Otherwise, I would probably have been asked to recuse myself by now."
"Stop joking. If we really have to go back, it should be now, past 2 AM!"
Thirty minutes later, we returned to the abandoned hotel. I was now in B503. After using the invisible reflection tube, yellow wine, and seaweed ash for a while, I discovered that the traces left at the scene were restored. The wooden chair that Ma Biao had once sat on was still there, surrounded by white crime scene tape. The rope that had bound him was lying around carelessly. I noticed there were no spray-type bloodstains on the wall behind me, but in a corner in front, there seemed to be some blood. I didn't recall him spitting blood at the time. I took a cotton swab, dipped it in a bit, and checked my own body, thinking it definitely wasn't my blood. Could it be the killer's? But how could he have been injured?
I was a bit puzzled at the time and looked towards a nearby corner. I found that the moonlight tonight was quite dim, but this offered me a chance for camouflage. After entering, I dared not touch the curtains, as there were police officers downstairs. Ling Xiaotao was using her identity to chat with them, I don't know what excuse she gave, but in any case, I didn't have much time left.
Under my seaweed ash, I collected several sets of footprints that I couldn't find before and took photos. Of course, the phone was given to me by Ling Xiaotao. This was another phone of hers without a SIM card, still in standalone mode, but it could take photos.
After collecting these photos, I checked the windowsill again. To my surprise, the iron ladder was still there. On it, I found other footprints. This at least proved that besides me and Ma Biao, someone else had been there. There were also incomplete fingerprints on the windowsill, but the Punishment Group and the Criminal Investigation Team should have found these too… Alas!
But until someone says my suspicion has been cleared, I can't go back, or it would be like walking into a trap. I used to be in this line of work myself and understood very well that sometimes, the police would arrest someone as soon as they had a bit of a lead, and then try to force the truth out of the suspect at the station. This could greatly reduce the police's workload. After all, most criminals have weak psychological defenses, and many things are forced out of them once they're at the station. Although I knew Xiao Yuande wouldn't do this, because he knew he couldn't nail me without sufficient evidence.
Thinking of this, I felt I was still safe. However, as I left again, Ling Xiaotao found me nervously in the back alley. "I just saw a lot of police near my place. It seems my place isn't safe anymore. It's really strange, how did they find you? I just heard a few police officers say that Deputy Minister Ma issued a city-wide arrest warrant for you. I think Xiao Yuande must be very helpless. He Sheng…"
"Damn it, how could this happen? Xiaotao, it seems I can't stay with you. Don't worry, I'll leave immediately. I won't implicate you!"
"He Sheng, you must be careful. I will continue to help you in secret. And them…"
"Thank you, thank you for helping me at a time like this."
Actually, I never imagined that Ling Xiaotao, who had always held a grudge against me before, would become my greatest savior at this moment.
So, people really can't help but believe in fate.
I thought about turning to escape, otherwise, they would probably come over often soon. I even felt that those people must be tracking Ling Xiaotao's whereabouts. I knew Xiao Yuande was a very shrewd and experienced person, especially in arrests. If I didn't leave, I might really lose my chance.
Actually, when I turned to leave the hotel, I found many people had appeared nearby. They were clearly coming towards me, but Xiao Yuande deliberately paused. He didn't know what he saw, but he said to the person next to him, "Wrong, you go over there!"
I didn't dare to linger until I escaped the hotel and found a beat-up car, then drove off. Strangely, the car wasn't locked. I don't know who left it there. When I found a key tied with a chocolate wrapper hanging in front of me, I couldn't help but say, "Monkey, thank you!"
I kept driving. Now, I could only find a place with a lot of people to stay first. Why a place with many people, not a forest? Actually, a smart criminal would definitely not escape to a desolate mountain, because there, the police could search without restraint. But in a crowded city, the police generally wouldn't dare to conduct large-scale searches to avoid disturbing the normal lives of citizens. So, in fact, finding a lively place is the safest when on the run.
Of course, I'm not teaching anyone how to escape, it's just that given my situation at the time, it was the most effective self-preservation tactic. Now I have to race against the provincial police and find the real killer of Ma Biao before they catch me.
I know Dao Zhi Yong and Ling Xiaotao are definitely still helping me. Although Dao Zhi Yong is my disciple, many people in the provincial department probably don't know about this secret yet, otherwise, he would have likely been asked to recuse himself long ago.
Thinking about it, I don't know when I stopped the car. I saw a very wide road in front of me. Since it was quite late, there were no people yet. I planned to stop here and find some tenement buildings or something to rest.
I definitely can't just leave the car here. I need to find a suitable place to park it, and then walk a distance to find a hiding place.
Following this plan, I finally arrived at a very old and dilapidated courtyard. This place looked a bit like a tourist area, but there were no staff. I don't know how long it had been abandoned, but it was near the city. After I went in, I found a sign indicating construction nearby, and quickly understood.