Snail Senior Brother

Chapter 144 This is My Scheme

Chang Dachun fell silent for a long time before answering my question: "Brother, I was once a man of the martial world. I've been to prison and have lived a life on the edge of a knife. You don't need to test me with these things. If you want revenge for your sister, just say the word. Forget whether this Wen Liang Yu Gui is real or fake; if you want a real one, we brothers will steal it from the national treasury."

"The national treasury? Are the real artifacts not kept in museums, and museums only have replicas?"

"That's right!"

"My memory is messed up, but some common knowledge just comes out like learned skills. I think Lin Han must have told me these things."

Chang Dachun's face lit up with joy: "Did your sister say anything else?"

"I don't remember."

"You're really killing me with worry."

Chang Dachun was anxious, but I was even more so. There was nothing we could do but fret. With no leads, Chang Dachun volunteered to go look for the national treasury, while I stayed home alone, staring blankly at the items.

There was one coin left, two keys, condoms, two packets of instant coffee, a single-ear Bluetooth earphone, a phone battery, used tape, and a bottle of Lu Shen Shui. There was also a piece of paper, a sticky note, with nothing written on it. I looked at it several times, still unsure of the use of these items. Finally, I picked up the coin. After being hypnotized, I had a memory of this coin spinning in front of me and landing vertically in a floor crack.

I held the coin in my hand, flipped it, it fell, flipped it again, it fell... it was always heads or tails, never landing vertically on the ground. Was this coin really mine? I couldn't remember, and it gave me a headache! The moment I closed my eyes, Luo Bo pushed the door open.

"Tang Nan, don't mess around. Just behave. I'm about to make some progress."

Yu Xiaoluo went to discuss transferring me to another hospital with Luo Bo. Luo Bo said he would go to the crematorium one more time before deciding. This was Luo Bo's first visit to the crematorium. The other side patted their chests and assured him that no irregular bodies had been cremated recently. The leaders there also guaranteed that such things wouldn't happen and that an investigation could be conducted. Afterward, Luo Bo sought help from the local police, but they were all busy with the case of the missing foreign visitor.

Luo Bo found nothing and came to the hospital to complain. However, he had a conversation with Chang Dachun. After arriving in Tai'an, Chang Dachun found Lin Han's urn. Chang Dachun took the urn to inquire, and a staff member said Lin Han died accidentally and recognized the urn.

Because of this, Luo Bo personally went with Yu Xiaoluo to ask. About thirty days ago, there was a human error at the crematorium, which was still being handled. Here's the situation: the crematorium had a job of carrying bodies, which used to be done by young men, as the old saying goes, young people have strong yang energy. Carrying bodies was a profitable job, earning over ten thousand yuan a month. Even so, many young men would resign after a while because they couldn't find partners. Besides that, some claimed to be possessed by spirits, and various other excuses, making it difficult for the crematorium management.

After multiple meetings, the crematorium decided to outsource this difficult task. The outsourcing manager was fully responsible and hired temporary workers, charging per person. Economic benefits improved, and there were those who weren't afraid of death. However, because the people carrying the bodies were more proactive, there was some disconnect with the crematorium's registration work. In registration, the deceased was female, and her registered name was Lin Han. The family's registered name was Tang Nan. Since there was no death certificate, the crematorium refused to cremate the body. Even though Tang Nan kept explaining that Lin Han died accidentally, hit by a car, the staff did not approve.

Unexpectedly, the temporary worker carrying the body that day was an elderly person who worked efficiently and didn't check documents. He briskly carried all the bodies in, one by one. During cremation, a family member discovered that a woman was being cremated, while they were there to cremate their elderly father. This family then frantically sought out the crematorium staff. It was then that the staff realized the temporary worker had made a mistake. They made adjustments, but the girl had already been cremated. The staff then placed the ashes in an urn, waiting for Tang Nan to claim them.

Tang Nan never returned. The elderly man's family reported it to the police, and a special case team followed up on the matter. Their investigation concluded that the person who moved the bodies knew their mistake but went along with it and did not report it to their superiors. Since the person moving the bodies belonged to the outsourcing company, the responsibility ultimately fell on the outsourcing manager. Furthermore, at the time of the incident, neither the outsourcing manager nor the main负责人 of the crematorium were present, so their involvement was minor.

The elderly man's family disagreed and demanded that the ashes they provided for a second time be identified as their father's. However, cremated ashes cannot undergo DNA testing, and this matter has not yet been clarified in court.

The day before I fell, someone claiming to be Tang Nan went to the crematorium and, through registration confirmation, took the ashes. This time, a photo was taken as evidence. Luo Bo saw the photo and confirmed it was me.

I frowned: "Since I showed my ID, why take photos?"

"The staff thought you were not the same person as the first time, but it had been a month, and she couldn't be sure."

...

Yu Xiaoluo pushed me into the room. The layout was exactly as I remembered. For a moment, I felt I could still see Lin Han's back as she applied makeup in the room. Based on my fragmented memories, although Lin Han and I had two separate rooms, we lived together.

This room had been occupied and cleaned. Yu Xiaoluo pushed me around as I looked. My gaze finally landed on the hotel's paid amenities. Among them were condoms. I picked up the phone and called the lobby manager: "Please bring me the bills for the past two months."

The two-month bill was quite long, and I looked through it carefully. Apart from ordering food, there were no extra charges for either Lin Han's or my room.

"What are you looking at?" Yu Xiaoluo asked curiously.

"I'm checking if any condoms were used."

Yu Xiaoluo frowned: "With Captain Luo and me accompanying you, you're concerned about such trivial matters."

I glanced at Captain Luo, whose face also showed a hint of awkwardness. I ignored Yu Xiaoluo and stared at the condoms, muttering to myself, "The brand is wrong too."

Yu Xiaoluo got angry and pushed me forward: "Captain Luo, you stay with this boring person."

"Xiaoluo, hey, Xiao... Tang Nan, why don't you explain!"

I didn't speak, but stared at the table in front of me. In the empty space beneath the table was a stack of sticky notes, the same brand as the note in my bag.

"Captain Luo, let's go back to the hospital."

...

Upon returning to the hospital, Yu Xiaoluo was still in a bad mood. I found my bag and took out the note. It was indeed the same brand as the stack of sticky notes I had retrieved.

I squinted at the paper, still unable to make out anything. Luo Bo took the paper, held it up to the light, and said seriously, "It seems there are words on it. Someone used the sticky note, and the impression was left."

"Can you see the words that were written before?"

"Let's try!" Luo Bo said, and went to the nurse's station to find a pencil. He used the side of the pencil to lightly shade the paper. Due to the passage of time, the impression was very faint. However, a few words could still be made out: "The person who took me away is Tong Zhang Gui."

Tong Zhang Gui?

So, that's what the note said.

"I'll contact the local police to arrest this person immediately." With that, Luo Bo hurried out. Yu Xiaoluo looked at me, wanting to say something but hesitating. At this moment, I couldn't spare any attention for Yu Xiaoluo's feelings, only staring at the items.

"The person who took me away is Tong Zhang Gui." When I saw those words, I felt a sense of familiarity, and some memories began to resurface in my mind. Although I still couldn't recall the entire process, I knew now: this was my scheme, designed by me. Lin Han was a tool in the scheme, and we called it "Throwing a Stone to Ask for Directions."

I learned the "Throwing a Stone to Ask for Directions" tactic from "The Three Heroes and Five Gallants," specifically the story of the Five Rats Wreaking Havoc in Tokyo. Jin Mao Shu, wanting to steal something from Bao Zheng, deliberately told Bao Zheng that he had already succeeded. Bao Zheng didn't believe him and sent Wang Chao and Ma Han to check if the item was missing. As a result, they led Jin Mao Shu, who didn't know where the item was hidden, right to it.

Lin Han's writing of these words was unhurried, clearly indicating she was executing the plan. The person I wanted to save with "Throwing a Stone to Ask for Directions" was naturally Old Ghost. Now, it seemed Old Ghost was captured by Tong Zhang Gui. By using the "Throwing a Stone to Ask for Directions" method, I had Lin Han get captured to find Old Ghost.

The plan went wrong. I didn't save Old Ghost, and Lin Han died.

It was me. I killed Lin Han!