The incandescent lamps in the abandoned factory flickered on and off amid the sound of electric current. Chen Mo's fingers brushed over the familiar faces in the group photo. The edge of the photo is yellowish, and in the corner, the words "Anniversary Celebration of Jiangcheng Entrepreneurs Association" are printed. Standing in the center is Lin Guodong, who has long been ousted from his position. The middle-aged man beside him, wearing gold-rimmed glasses and with a refined smile, is actually Xu Mingyuan, the current executive vice mayor of Jiangcheng City.
Vice Mayor Xu just delivered a speech at the integrity meeting last month, demanding a strict investigation into corruption... Chen Mo muttered to himself. The person in the photo was dressed in a suit and tie, clinking glasses with Lin Guodong. The red wine in the glass was like congealed blood. He turned on his tablet computer and pulled up Xu Mingyuan's performance reports in recent years. On the surface, this vice mayor led many projects benefiting the people, such as the renovation of the old city and the reform of education and healthcare. However, behind these impressive figures, Chen Mo found that many of these projects were closely related to the Jinxiu Group.
Just as Chen Mo was concentrating on analyzing the data, a shrill sound of tires rubbing against the ground suddenly came from outside the factory. He quickly turned off the lights and looked through the crack in the wall. Three black business cars surrounded the factory in a fan shape, and the flashing police lights on the car roofs were particularly dazzling in the rain. "Chen Mo!" You are suspected of obstructing the judicial investigation. Come out immediately for examination! The sound of the loudspeaker made the wall dust fall rustling.
Cold sweat slid down Chen Mo's back. He realized that his "play hard to get" strategy had been exposed. His gaze swept over the clue board on the wall. He resolutely tore down the group photo and tucked it into his arms, then stuffed all the materials into the shredder. As the rumbling sound rang out and the metal door was pushed open, Chen Mo raised his hands and stepped out of the shadow: "I'll cooperate with the investigation."
In the interrogation room, the strong light was so dazzling that one couldn't open their eyes. Sitting opposite was not a familiar colleague but a stranger from the provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection's investigation team. "Chen Mo, someone has reported that you illegally detained witnesses and forged evidence to slander government officials." The leading investigator threw a stack of documents onto the table. In the top photo, the girl who had provided video evidence for Chen Mo was curled up in the dim room, her face full of terror.
"This is framing!" Chen Mo suddenly stood up, and the handcuffs clinked the iron table with a crisp sound. The investigator sneered and pulled up the surveillance video: The footage showed that Chen Mo's car had appeared in the suburbs on the night the girl went missing. The evidence is conclusive. What else do you have to say?
Late at night, Chen Mo was put into detention center. Across the iron bar, he saw an old hunched man sitting in the cell opposite, carving strange symbols on the wall with his nails. When the old man raised his head, Chen Mo's pupils suddenly constricted - that was the former legal advisor of Jinxiu Group, who was said to have vanished without a trace after Zhou Hongru was arrested.
Young man, do you want to know the truth? The old man's voice was like sandpaper rubbing against the wall. He took out half a yellowed piece of paper from his tattered cotton-padded jacket, on which was written in tiny regular script, "Xu Mingyuan's Transaction Record with Foreign Drug lords". Before Chen Mo could take a closer look, footsteps were suddenly heard in the corridor. The old man quickly slipped the note into his hand and then retreated into the shadow.
Early the next morning, when Chen Mo was interrogated, he found the detention center in chaos. The prison guards ran back and forth in panic. Someone shouted, "Dead!" That old man committed suicide! Chen Mo clutched the note in his pocket, his palms already soaked through with cold sweat. He understood that this was by no means suicide. Instead, someone was trying to silence him and was also warning him that the other party's hand had reached the detention center.
Back in the cell, Chen Mo carefully unfolded the note. It records a time and place: late at night three days later, Warehouse No. 17 at Jiangcheng Wharf. Chen Mo looked up at the iron window above his head, thinking in his mind how to get out. He decided to adopt the strategy of "shedding the shell of a cicada", taking advantage of the chaos in the detention center to create the illusion that he was afraid of punishment and committed suicide.
As night fell, Chen Mo deliberately clashed with the prisoners in the adjacent cell. In the chaos, he knocked over the washbasin and water seeped into the circuit, causing a short circuit. While the prison guards were busily repairing the circuits, Chen Mo changed into the prisoner's clothes and escaped from the detention center by blending in with the crowd.
The rain was getting heavier and heavier. Chen Mo hid in the shadow of the abandoned factory, looking at the address on the note. The distant Jiangcheng Wharf was brightly lit, and Warehouse No. 17 was like a hibernating giant beast, waiting for its arrival. He took a deep breath, held the voice recorder in his pocket tightly and walked towards the darkness. This enigmatic game has only just begun.