"Some people say I'm stuck," he mused, "I looked it over and felt it wasn't quite right. Alright, here's another chapter."
"Now, let me tell you how the killer murdered Ren Liu," Ping An said, uncharacteristically serious.
After Ren Liu was hospitalized, the killer must have followed him and devised a bizarre murder method in haste upon discovering Ren Liu's room.
First, while Ren Liu was asleep, the killer quietly removed the small nails holding the glass in the old-fashioned window. Then, he carefully took out the glass and leaned it against the wall, ensuring both sides of the glass would not touch anything.
Second, he found a long stick, like a cane or a mop handle, and tied a slipknot on one end of a nylon rope. The slipknot was sized to fit a foot. He then used the stick to hook the rope onto the iron hook directly above the bed. Finally, he slowly pulled the stick back, leaving the rope hanging from the hook.
Third, he slowly lowered the rope, which slid over the iron hook and landed near Ren Liu's feet. At this point, he proceeded to the second step: tying another slipknot on the other end of the nylon rope. He then slowly lowered this end of the rope along the wall, but not too far, as he couldn't see Ren Liu's head from outside the window.
Fourth, one end of the nylon rope now hung through the iron hook, near Ren Liu's feet, and the other end was in the killer's hand, suspended against the wall. The killer used his right hand to control the portion of the rope near Ren Liu's feet, and his left hand to pull the other end. The middle part of the rope was looped around his own neck or shoulder.
This book is first published on: Tudou Novel App—free, no ads, no pop-ups, and you can interact with other book friends.
Fifth, seizing an opportunity when Ren Liu turned over, the killer skillfully slipped the slipknot onto Ren Liu's foot. The instant the foot was ensnared, he rapidly pulled the rope with his right hand. Ren Liu woke up startled in his sleep. By the time he realized his foot was ensnared and his leg was being pulled upwards by the iron hook, he instinctively sat up and used his free hand to try and pull the rope off his foot. The moment he sat up, the killer, aiming for his exposed head, pulled the rope with his left hand, ensnaring Ren Liu's head. At this point, one nylon rope was tied to Ren Liu's foot and the other to his neck. The killer only needed to pull both ends of the rope simultaneously, perhaps even running away with the rope. As both ends of the rope tightened, Ren Liu's leg was hoisted high, leaving him without a stable support beneath his body. His other leg, also lifted by his body's ascent, could barely touch the bed. With the rope around his neck also tightening, Ren Liu would soon be hanged.
Sixth, after Ren Liu's breathing stopped, the killer used a small knife to cut the rope in two. He then ignored the rope tied to Ren Liu's foot and tightened the rope around Ren Liu's neck, tying a secure knot around the protective bars of the window frame. Ren Liu's body was thus secured.
Seventh, after Ren Liu's death, the killer began the cleanup. He taped the small knife to a long stick and, through the window, inserted the stick to slowly cut the rope tied to Ren Liu's foot. Perhaps due to insufficient force, a scar was left on Ren Liu's ankle. Finally, he retrieved the rope tied to Ren Liu's foot, held the glass by its edges, placed it back in the window frame, and nailed in the fixing nails. The glass remained intact, and the window appeared to have never been opened. Yet, Ren Liu was dead.
"What an ingenious 'locked-room murder'!" Ping An exclaimed, still brimming with excitement after his deduction. "This was likely something the killer thought of in a rush, as the success rate of such a method is quite low."
"Notify the forensic doctor to meticulously examine the wound on Ren Liu's foot. There must be nylon rope fibers inside the wound. Also, check the window glass again; the small nails used to secure the glass must show signs of being loosened," Ping An instructed. "Carefully examine the area outside the window for footprints, the wooden stick, and other clues. We'll likely find something."
"If Ren Liu hadn't been handcuffed, would he still have died?" Gao Xiaofei suddenly asked.
"Yes," Ping An replied, patting Gao Xiaofei's shoulder. "As usual, I'll deduce, and you'll gather the evidence. Now, I need to go into seclusion. Don't bother me before 9 AM tomorrow. If there's an emergency, I'll be in the warehouse; come find me there."
Watching Ping An turn and leave, Gao Xiaofei suddenly remembered something. He caught up to Ping An and whispered in his ear, "I forgot to tell you, during his interrogation, Ren Liu said Chen Nairong wanted you to look after his third uncle if anything happened to him!"
"Third uncle? Why is it always 'uncle' again? Chen Nairong is an orphan of martyrs; where would he have a third uncle?" Ping An asked, puzzled.
At that moment, a police officer quickly approached Gao Xiaofei.
"Captain Gao, we just received news from the local police station that Jia Zhen died at home from a drug overdose. He's been dead for two days," the officer reported.
"Drug overdose? Xiaofei, do you believe that?" Ping An asked, patting Gao Xiaofei's shoulder before leaving again.
This time, Gao Xiaofei did not chase after Ping An. Although he strongly wished Ping An could accompany him to Jia Zhen's house to examine the scene, he also understood that Ping An seemed to be at his limit. If more problems were added before resolving the existing ones, he might break down.
"Send a team to the 'Bu Bai' nightclub on Huajie Street and bring in a guy named 'Monk' for questioning. Assign another squad to bring in Su Xia; don't let him run around," Gao Xiaofei quickly issued a series of orders. The leadership would surely be furious about Ren Liu's death under their watch. To manage this, he and Mei Qian had divided their responsibilities: he would continue to oversee the overall case, while Mei Qian would focus specifically on investigating Ren Liu's murder.
Falling leaves dazzled the eyes; late autumn was far from peaceful.
Ping An, walking out of the hospital, didn't go directly to the warehouse. Instead, he first went to his office. He had been hospitalized for almost a month since being injured in the explosion. He hadn't intended to go to work today, but he unexpectedly received a text message from the bank – it was payday. After being away for a month, how much would he receive? Without bonuses or allowances, and with various deductions from his base salary, it wouldn't be much.
Looking at the amount in the text message, Ping An suddenly felt like visiting his office. In the month since the Niu Jian case, too many things had happened. Having been fascinated by solving cases since childhood, he had cracked several perplexing mysteries. However, the current cases were not only baffling but also incredibly complex, one leading into another, and the more he studied them, the more headaches he got.
Ren Liu's death had a significant impact on Ping An. Chen Nairong's betrayal was an absolute blow. Su Xia's ambiguous situation was even more of an ordeal for Ping An. He couldn't accurately judge right from wrong, and he didn't know if the answers he had painstakingly obtained were intentionally planted by the people behind the scenes. He thought he was getting closer to the truth, yet he vaguely felt he was drifting further away.
A journalist, a profession adept at capturing the truth, felt a deep sense of frustration. Ren Liu was dead. Jia Zhen was dead. Investigating and digging deeper only led to a new suspect, plunging him into another case. In this endless loop, he felt he was drifting further and further from his original path.
Ping An walked along the street towards the newspaper building. It was just past ten in the morning. The streets were bustling with people, and traffic flowed endlessly.
This book is first published on: Tudou Novel App—free, no ads, no pop-ups, and you can interact with other book friends.
"Sir, a copy of today's 'Hexiang Daily'!" A young man at a roadside newsstand called out enthusiastically to Ping An as he crossed the street.
Although he was a journalist, he had never bought his own newspaper before. Today, he decided to buy one and see.
With a mischievous grin, Ping An took out a dollar and bought a newspaper.
"Oh! Almost forgot, today's the social news section. I haven't been here for a few days; Lin Dang has been doing the work. I'll do a spot check today." Ping An didn't rush to the office. Instead, he found a nearby coffee shop, ordered a cappuccino, and sat by the window, leisurely reading the newspaper.
"'Renovating Upstairs, 'Fertilizing' Downstairs' — Citizen Mr. Qiu: My home is flooded, who is responsible!' Hmm, this is a good article, but not impactful enough for a front-page headline."
"'Taoist Priest Performs Ritual, Sings the Great Compassion Mantra' — Dare You Be More Professional in Deceiving? The subject matter is good, but the title and the article are too speculative. Being overly critical turns it into something other than news."
"'Street Brawl, Fierce Moves — Looks Like a Groin Kick, Actually Destroys a Phone' — 'The reporter noticed that after one man was pulled away, he provocatively yelled at the other, asking why he only kicked his lower body.' The other man's attitude was arrogant, saying he did it to destroy the phone in the other man's pocket... It is understood that before this brawl, one of the men recorded the entire process to prove it was 'self-defense'..."
"Hahaha, this news is hilarious! Kicking the groin... destroying a phone..." Ping An laughed, shaking all over as he sat in his chair.
"Ping An?" A familiar voice sounded from behind him.
Ping An suppressed his laughter and turned around. It was Fei Keqing.
This book is first published on: Tudou Novel App—free, no ads, no pop-ups, and you can interact with other book friends.
"You're quite leisurely, aren't you? You've handed your work over to a young girl without even a professional qualification, and then you've hidden away, not working. Look, I personally reviewed this issue's pages for you." Fei Keqing sat opposite Ping An and waved to the waiter for a black coffee.
"I'm still on sick leave. I wanted to come by the office today and saw this coffee shop, so I popped in for a treat." After not seeing each other for days, Ping An felt a sense of familiarity seeing Fei Keqing.
"Alright, alright, you have the leisure to sit here and drink coffee? Do you know someone has reported you by name!" Fei Keqing said indignantly.
"What? What report? Who reported me?" Ping An was a bit bewildered. He hadn't written any controversial articles recently.
"They're reporting that you colluded with Chen Nairong, saying you're the mastermind behind the drug case!" Fei Keqing said with some concern.
"Nonsense! Who reported me?" Ping An asked, knitting his brows.
"It's said to be Niu Daixing, the son of Niu Jian, the victim in the headless case. He filed a formal report with the prosecutor's office, and this morning, the prosecutor's office sent people to meet with our leadership," Fei Keqing said. "Ping An, this time it's not simple; you've gotten yourself into trouble!"
Hearing Fei Keqing's words, Ping An's initial anger gradually subsided. He thanked Fei Keqing dismissively, walked out of the coffee shop, hailed a taxi, and left with composure.
Inside the warehouse by Airport Avenue, Ping An, carrying a braised pork hock and a bag of peanuts, slowly opened the warehouse's rolling shutter. He walked into the warehouse, pulled the shutter shut from the inside, turned on the lights, and placed the food on the table.
"Alas, if the previous cases were illusions, then this report against me must be the final offensive," Ping An said, sitting on a stool. He lit a cigarette, took a deep puff, and began to seriously ponder every link in these cases.
This book is first published on: Tudou Novel App—free, no ads, no pop-ups, and you can interact with other book friends.
The mysterious Niu Jian, the ambiguous Wu An, the Ren Liu who died in the hospital – is there an inevitable connection between these deceased individuals?
The bizarre disposal of the body at the construction site was the killer's attempt to conceal the murder method or location. Was the explosion in the Jianzi Park also meant to conceal something? What did Wu An want to tell him? Why was he targeted for assassination in the hospital? Was it truly because Chen Nairong believed he already knew everything? Did Ren Liu willingly surrender to be apprehended to continue the drug business? Who would be the real threat to him? Why did he break his own fingers to go to the hospital? To ensure the killer would murder him? Given the "locked-room murder" method in the hospital, the killer was meticulous, much like the murderer of Niu Jian and Wu An. If so, how did the assassin appear in the hospital? Chen Nairong was the type to directly confront someone with a knife; he wouldn't be capable of planning such a complex murder. Who could be the real killer? Is Su Xia truly innocent? What roles do Chen Juan and Gao Min play?
Deep in thought, Ping An walked to the blackboard in the warehouse and wrote down the names of "Niu Jian," "Wu An," "Ren Liu," "Chen Nairong," "Liu Juan," "Gao Min," and "Su Xia."
Who was Niu Jian trying to report? Was it really Su Xia? Because he was discovered, was he then threatened by Chen Nairong! He died in the supermarket and his body was dumped at the construction site. Ping An pondered, cigarette in hand, this was contradictory. If Chen Nairong didn't want Su Xia to be reported, why would he report Su Xia after hosting a dinner? Was the person reporting Su Xia not Chen Nairong's subordinate? Then again, why did Niu Jian report him? His son was addicted to drugs, so Niu Jian must have known who was responsible and understood that for his son's sake, he could only go down this path. If so, shouldn't he have endured it silently and cautiously? Why the grand public report? Why?
As for Wu An, a man shrouded in mystery, who roamed the fringes of society, with no relatives, no home, not even a woman. How could such a person, living at the lowest rung of society, attract the attention of someone like Chen Nairong? Not only did he attract attention, but he was also privy to the core secrets of the drug trade, which was rather unusual. Strangely, this man was also an informant for the police. Informants have records, so Su Xia wouldn't be lying. But if he was an informant, why didn't he come forward and claim credit after Chen Nairong's downfall? What was he hiding from? Why was he murdered? Most importantly, he was a complete stranger to Ping An; what did he want to tell him?
As for Ren Liu! This person was truly interesting. Like Niu Jian, he was forced into the group. Since he was in it, he might as well go with it. Why did he willingly get caught? Who ordered him to do so? Chen Nairong? Chen Nairong was in self-preservation mode. The police knew what they needed to know, and Ren Liu being caught offered him no benefit. The strange thing was, why was he hospitalized? Was he planning to escape? Or was he preparing to… die? Who was directing him? Who was threatening him?
Finally, Chen Nairong, a man becoming increasingly difficult to understand. From Ping An's perspective, he was the kind of person who would rather sell breakfast than engage in drug trafficking, a reliable elder brother, someone who, even after removing his police uniform, was still respected. How did such a person, in just a few years, accumulate hundreds of millions in wealth through finance, and then resort to drug trafficking? Even if he changed, turned bad, did his intelligence increase? The Niu Jian case, the Wu An case, the hospital assassination – such complex crimes were beyond his capacity to plan and organize. If he was the mastermind behind all this, was Ren Liu also killed by him? How did a traffic policeman who helped an elderly tricycle driver push his cart in a storm turn into this?
And what about the "uncle"? Why did all three of them relay a message about an uncle to him? What did this uncle signify?
And Liu Juan and Gao Min, were the whistleblowers only after a bit of Chen Nairong's money? What about Su Xia's investigation into Gao Min? If Niu Jian truly reported Su Xia, then was Su Xia's investigation into Gao Min invalid? Or, did Su Xia's investigation into Gao Min trigger all of this?
As night fell, the pork hock on the table had long since cooled. The blackboard in front of Ping An was covered in dense writing. He was now crouched on the floor.
"Here it is!" With a small exclamation, Ping An picked up a slightly longer cigarette butt from the floor.
He took out his lighter, lit it, brought the cigarette to his lips, and inhaled deeply, a fragrant smoke filling his throat.
If his guess was correct, there were two forces at play in these cases. The overt one was Chen Nairong's drug trafficking case – step by step, clear and evident, with solid proof. Niu Jian reported, and was killed! Wu An sought him out, and was killed! Ren Liu was apprehended, and was killed! It all looked like an attempt to silence witnesses! But, this explanation was too plausible. Why weren't Liu Juan and his wife, who actually brought these matters to the police and made the most crucial report, killed?
Niu Jian never revealed that the report was related to drug trafficking or the person involved. Wu An, until his death, never clarified whether he was an informant or if he had betrayed Niu Jian! Ren Liu, until his death, never revealed whether Chen Nairong was the boss behind the scenes! This had to make him question if there was a second line operating behind these crimes, a line that would cause these people to die to conceal certain matters. Who, then, was pulling this line? Could the concealed matters be more important than drug trafficking?
The murder method of Niu Jian was very clear. The killer's objective of concealment remained unclear, and he didn't know the progress of the police investigation. The murder method of Wu An was also mostly understood. If he wasn't mistaken, the killer intended to blow up Wu An while also destroying the phone in Wu An's pocket, but currently, the police had no clear statement on this, requiring further investigation. The murder method of Ren Liu had also been figured out, but why did he have to die? Ping An needed to review Ren Liu's interrogation records to understand Ren Liu's intentions!
And finally, himself. While these cases outwardly pointed to the drug trafficking case, they seemed to be secretly targeting him. Niu Jian's report was directed at him, Wu An met him before he was killed, not to mention the assassination in the hospital, which was blatant! He spent the first half of the night gathering information on Ren Liu, and the next person mysteriously died in the latter half of the night…
If all this was not enough to attract his attention, then Niu Jian's son coming forward to report him officially pointed the finger at him. Perhaps, this confrontation between justice and evil had just begun.
Having stayed up all night, Ping An systematically organized the progress of the cases during this period. By dawn, he still couldn't find a breakthrough. But he was not a passive person.
Yet, it was this feeling of passivity that made him unable to take proactive action despite sensing danger.
In the early morning, in the courtyard of the Hexiang City Public Security Bureau, a young man wearing thick-rimmed glasses sincerely inquired with the gatekeeper about the location of the "Anti-Gang Office."
This book is first published on: Tudou Novel App—free, no ads, no pop-ups, and you can interact with other book friends.
"The Anti-Gang Office is on the first floor, turn left at the entrance, the first office. Kid, what's the matter? Tell Uncle first," the gatekeeper said curiously, pointing the way.
"I want to report someone by name. He harmed my father and my entire family," the young man stated resolutely.
The "Anti-Gang Office" established at the Hexiang City Public Security Bureau was a temporary institution set up during the national anti-gang operation three years ago. Its full name was the "Hexiang City Anti-Gang Action Command Office." Our old acquaintance, Yan Qing, currently served as the head of the office.
The young man entered the building with a touch of youthful shyness and knocked on the door of the "Anti-Gang Office."
"Please come in!" Inside the office, the old police officer responsible for reception, Wang Chunsheng, was watering the autumn chrysanthemums.
"Excuse me, is this the place to report bad people?" The young man opened the door but did not enter, asking politely from outside.
"Yes, what do you want to report?" Wang Chunsheng asked.
"My name is Niu Daixing, ID number 2527042002020xxxxx. I want to report Ping An, a chief reporter at the Hexiang Daily, by name." It turned out this was Niu Jian's son, Niu Daixing. He had come to the Public Security Bureau today with only one purpose: to file a formal report.
"A few days ago, I already reported to the prosecutor's office. Now, I am formally reporting him for his involvement in organized crime," Niu Daixing said earnestly. "Ping An and former traffic police officer Chen Nairong colluded, dealing drugs extensively in Hexiang City. To expand their sales channels, they forced me to take drugs and then coerced my father into compliance. They then utilized my father's decades of connections and relationships in the taxi industry to engage in their filthy drug transportation and sales business."
Outside the Anti-Gang Office, a crowd had gathered at some point. Gao Xiaofei, passing by with half a meat sandwich in hand, saw the crowd and pushed his way in.
Tudou Novel App, a completely open-source and free online novel website.
"Niu Daixing? What are you doing here?" Gao Xiaofei recognized the person in front of him as Niu Jian's son.
Earlier, after taking over Niu Jian's case, Gao Xiaofei had visited the Niu family and met Niu Daixing.
"Officer Gao?" Niu Daixing looked back at Gao Xiaofei and greeted him politely.
"Who are you reporting?" Gao Xiaofei asked directly.
"Ping An! He's the one who ordered Chen Nairong to deal drugs! He's the biggest mastermind behind all these cases," Niu Daixing declared.
"Do you have evidence?" Wang Chunsheng asked calmly.
"Yes, not only evidence but also witnesses!" Niu Daixing said righteously.
At this moment, Yan Qing appeared, looking exhausted.
"You are Niu Daixing? You say you have evidence? Alright, come with me!" Yan Qing looked at Gao Xiaofei and said to Niu Daixing.