"Detective Cao, I'm staying at the Pin Wei Inn, which is not far from Taifu Village. Just pinpoint my location and come over!"
"Alright!" I checked my phone and found that the inn wasn't far from my current location. I slipped away from the sight of the two policemen and drove my company car there.
Upon arriving at the designated spot, I found Liang Jingchu. Compared to before, he seemed much more mature. He must have gone through a lot these past few years. However, I couldn't call him "cousin" now. Even if I did, he wouldn't believe I was He Sheng.
"Hello, I'm Detective Cao, here to investigate your father's case."
"Hello, Detective Cao. I didn't expect a detective in real life to be like this. But you look a bit like..."
"Oh, you must be influenced by movies and TV shows. Detectives are just ordinary people. Now, Mr. Liang, let's get to the point!"
After I spoke in a very official tone, Liang Jingchu nodded and immediately looked sad. "I never expected such a dramatic event to happen to our family. You know, my cousin is in the public security bureau. We've had some cases in the past, but they weren't related to our family back then. Now, misfortune has finally befallen us. Could this be revenge against our family by the criminals?"
"There's a possibility, but don't be too upset. We can't give up on supporting criminal investigation just because of revenge. If we do, criminals will only become more rampant, and the world will descend into utter wickedness."
"Yes, I understand, Detective Cao. I hope you can help the police find the murderer of my parents and also the whereabouts of my cousin. By the way, why did he suddenly disappear?"
"This..." Liang Jingchu probably already knew about my disappearance. But I hadn't thought about how to answer his question before coming. I am He Sheng himself, so I felt a little caught off guard at this moment.
Fortunately, my ability to react was quite good. "He's encountered some trouble recently, but he'll be fine. Don't worry, Mr. Liang."
"Oh, is this a secret between you two? Are you investigating some criminal organization!" Liang Jingchu, whether he knew something or was deliberately saying this, his tone felt a bit strange. So I deliberately retorted, "Who told you that?"
"No, isn't that how it's portrayed on TV? And in many novels, detectives cooperate with the police, just like Conan and Sherlock Holmes!"
"That's overseas. In China, we don't have that. Oh well, cousin... ahem, Mr. Liang, tell me, when was the last time you saw your father? Did anything special happen? And when exactly was it?"
"That was during the Chinese New Year, almost a year ago. I never thought my father and mother would... I'm sorry, I repeated myself. Back then, my father just told me to study hard and not to let them down. But recently, I don't know why, he told me he wasn't feeling well. I suspect he might have caught the flu, but everyone goes through that. It was about two days ago, and then I received a call from the police asking me to come back."
My uncle was unwell before the incident? Was this related to his death?
I continued to ask, "Besides that, did he mention anything else to you?"
"Let me think. It seems like he was feeling a bit unwell at night, and when he got up to use the restroom, he saw strange people outside the house peeping at his family. He immediately sent me a message, but the text was a bit jumbled. You can see it yourself!"
Liang Jingchu handed me his phone. I took it and looked at the message, which was indeed very messy: "I should have known... should have been targeted by those people. No wonder it got bigger. Be careful, but I didn't have time (He Jianquan) told me..."
Liang Jingchu couldn't understand it, but I analyzed it immediately. The meaning was probably that my grandfather had told my uncle that there would be danger soon, but he hadn't reacted yet before he was murdered, and my aunt was also implicated.
I explained it, and Liang Jingchu suddenly realized, "How could I be so stupid? But I'm curious, he could have typed so many words, why make it so messy? Was it intentional?"
Liang Jingchu actually reminded me. That's right, he could have typed so many words, why deliberately mess it up? Unless, unless he was very scared at the time, his fingers were trembling. I didn't find my uncle's used phone. The police had taken it away. If I found it, I couldn't take it, otherwise, they would say I was harboring evidence. I thought for a moment and continued, "Don't worry, no matter what the situation is, we have some clues now. Since many people were watching, this case should not be a simple revenge killing. It should be..." I didn't explicitly say the latter part, because all of this was still confidential to our police team. Liang Jingchu didn't press further. He just seemed confused, "It seems my parents were indeed seeking revenge. Cousin, are these all your fault..."
Although I knew Liang Jingchu was just angry for a moment, it still hurt to hear him say that. I am He Sheng, after all...
I didn't say much, just, "Don't blame anyone, Mr. Liang. Well, since this is all you have to offer, I'll be going back now!"
"Don't rush, I have something else to tell you!" I thought Liang Jingchu was finished, but he had more to say. I had to say, "Please elaborate."
"Then listen patiently. My guess is that my parents must have had the incident that night, because after that jumbled message, my father didn't reply."
"What about your mother?"
"She doesn't use her phone much, so I rarely contact her, unless I call."
"So, specifically, when was that?"
"The day before the incident, weren't you investigating?"
"Alright, anything else?"
"Actually, on the night of the incident, I also felt like I was being watched. I was at school, but there seemed to be figures moving outside the dormitory. I was quite curious at the time. My father had mentioned the situation before, so why was it happening to me? I rubbed my eyes to make sure I wasn't seeing things, but I saw several figures, though I couldn't see their faces clearly."
Being watched again. It seems like everyone around me is being targeted by Cang Xuesong's people. What is Grandpa doing now? Does he know about my uncle's situation? I dare not imagine. I am in a precarious situation myself. Seeing me lost in thought, Liang Jingchu said, "Detective Cao, do you think I'm in danger?"
"I think you should seek police protection. I'll take you there now!"