If I hadn't opened the door with my bound hands, who knows what would have happened. My colleagues in the technical department told me that my information had been leaked. Although the information has been cleaned up, I don't know how many people have saved it.
Xu Tuo also encountered trouble - in order to save me, he climbed down from the upstairs window. There were police officers monitoring the four sides outside the residential building, and the process of him climbing in was seen clearly. The police officers who were monitoring almost thought it was an on-site rescue operation.
Uncle Zhou came over, fuming. "It's good that they've rescued the person, but what if someone is hurt?! Have you ever considered the consequences?! Even if you step back and say you entered the scene without permission and disrupted the rescue, you can be imprisoned and sentenced! Xueming! How could your friend—how could he—do the same thing last time! Beat someone up in the parking lot! Even hot-bloodedness has its limits!"
Xu Tuo lowered his head and acted like a grandson, nodding twice.
"No, he needs to be taught a lesson." Uncle Zhou pointed at Xu Tuo and signaled the people around him to take him away, "Otherwise, he will cause bigger trouble sooner or later."
His colleague, who also knew me, smiled wryly and tried to smooth things over: "Forget it, Captain Zhou. We're also trying to save Xueming. The situation in our room is very tense."
Fortunately, the anger went away quickly. Uncle Zhou calmed down, waved his hand, and warned Xu Tuo not to do it again. But just as they were about to leave, Xu Tuo suddenly stopped him.
"Mr. Zhou," he said, "please lock me up for a few days."
Uncle Zhou and the others were stunned.
"My name is Xu Tuo." Then he said this very strange sentence.
Xu Tuo was taken away. He was only given a lesson, not handcuffed.
I watched the police car leave. The two officers who stayed behind to protect me were both my father's former apprentices. They patted my shoulder and told me not to worry: "We'll be taking turns on duty this month to prevent anyone from coming here again. But I don't think the other two brats who participated in the robbery and murder would dare to..."
But I didn't listen. I wasn't worried about an attack on myself.
——Why did Xu Tuo want to follow Uncle Zhou?
Even though it was just a lesson and he wouldn't really be sent to jail, at most he would be locked up in his own cell in the police station for a few days... But his fingerprints, identity, handwriting... And, was Xu Tuo's fake identity fabricated or stolen from someone else?
I spent two days feeling anxious, but finally couldn't stay home any longer and went to work early. A document was placed on my desk.
"Whose?" I asked.
"You've been asking about the female suicide by hanging case, the kind with rope marks that are rare," the colleague said. "But this case has doubts, so it hasn't been closed as a suicide."
I cleared my desk and prepared to look over the documents when my supervisor came over and handed me a form to sign.
"This is the record of this quarter's application. Please check and sign if there are any problems."
My name was prominent on the form. It was only then that I realized what was happening and called out to my colleague, "When you applied to transfer the suicide case information, you applied under my name?"
"Of course. The information you requested must be applied for in your name. What's the matter?"
"...Nothing." I signed. On the form, my name appeared primarily in two categories of cases: one was the suicides I'd been following, and the other was the robbery and murder case Uncle Zhou had asked me to help with.
Xu Tuo would stay for three more days. That afternoon, I received a call from Jackman—the number was unfamiliar, but as soon as he spoke, I knew it was him; his voice was so recognizable.
"After you finish your own affairs, let's meet at the restaurant," he said.
"I can bring the album that Teacher Xia asked me to bring over for you to sign..."
He hung up the phone.
Xia Mo and Jackman both knew that Xu Tuo had been taken away. Mr. Xia surprisingly didn't say anything and told me not to worry about Xu Tuo.
I didn't tell him that Xu Tuo asked to be taken away.
The day I went to meet Jackman, I took the subway instead of driving. I was concerned about the possibility of getting beaten up, and the likelihood of being able to drive back was slim. I changed lines on Line 9 and passed by that platform.
A few days later, things have returned to normal.
No one cares if a few unrelated people die in some corner of the city.
The lighting in the middle of the waiting area was being repaired, and workers were sitting on ladders, removing the wiring from the light tubes. I watched for a moment and suddenly burst out laughing.
--I see.
All they had to do was choose a location in advance and send someone to do the "preparatory work." What "they didn't investigate me in depth," what "harmless"... Xia Mo was just like Xu Tuo, not a word of truth in his mouth.
He is investigating me, and has been investigating me for a long time.
He knew everything about everyone around me: my mother, my grandmother, Uncle Zhou, Qianqian... He knew Qianqian was being bullied at school long ago—because he had to have a tool enter the subway under the guise of maintenance beforehand, so he could fine-tune the camera angle while inspecting the area.
Don't adjust too much at once, otherwise it will attract other people's attention. Adjust 10 degrees each time, and do this about 3 or 4 times. The camera area that originally had no blind spots will now have a blind spot of about half a square meter.
A tool man can come in as a worker, or even pretend to be a worker. As long as he carries a folding ladder and wears work clothes, most people will not be suspicious.
However, the frequency of maintenance should not be too high, the fastest is once every half a month, which means that preparations should be started at least one and a half months in advance.
A month and a half ago, Xia Mo had already arranged everything. The child who liked to skip classes would sneak out almost every day, and he would only go to two or three places, so his itinerary was easy to predict.
But what I care about isn't his lies. Such deception is even to be expected. How else could he explain it? Should he just tell me he's investigated everything about me?
What I care about is why he did it in front of me and deliberately left me with the suspense of the surveillance camera?
Was it accidental? No, since this was a pre-planned murder display, there was no way it could have been left unchecked.
Is he expecting me to uncover the secret of the surveillance camera? Should I go along with him, or pretend I don't know?
At least three subway trains whizzed past me. When the fourth arrived, a nearby attendant finally noticed me and looked at me suspiciously. I quickly boarded.
Jackman's restaurant is still doing good business today, with people waiting for a seat lined up at the intersection.
Thankfully, I wasn't asked to take a number this time—someone was waiting for me at the door and took me directly to the elevator at the back. A few minutes later, the elevator stopped on the second floor below ground, and the familiar, glaring fluorescent light hit me.
As soon as I walked out, I heard a quarrel coming from the end of the corridor. Both voices were familiar, one was Jackman and the other was Qi Mengzhu.
"You guys get along well," I said.
A silver cigarette case flew out from the door and brushed past my ear.
"Just wait, I'll deal with you after I deal with this bitch." Jackman kicked the door shut and the quarrel was heard again from inside.
The content of the quarrel was that Qi Mengzhu used a lighter in front of him.
As much as I hate to admit it, I've been a fan of Jackman for a while.
He had a very special trait: he didn't use a lighter. At events where he was present, no staff dared to use a lighter anywhere within sight.
The last time we had a fight on stage during a private show, it was because of this.
"Are you childish? Can you act like two adults?" I knocked on the door. "I'm here to talk about Xu..."
The door was opened in front of me, and the next second, Jackman's body, like a white snake, twisted me like lightning and hit my cheek hard with his elbow; I screamed in pain, but my joints were twisted back by him and I couldn't move.
"...You just watched him being taken away?" His voice was very soft, like the strings of a guitar before being plucked.
"He... wanted to go with the police..." I spat out a mouthful of blood after feeling a sweet and fishy smell in my mouth. "I didn't tell Xia Mo about this."
Qi Mengzhu tried to pull Jackman away from behind, but ended up getting elbowed in the chin. I was finally released, and Jackman grabbed my collar and pulled me into the room.
"You've already killed him, Dai Xueming," he said. "You don't understand what this means—the identity 'Xu Tuo' has been recorded, and that identity is effectively locked. Fingerprints, saliva, photos, handwriting... He can no longer change identities at will. He can only live as Xu Tuo."
"He decided on his own."
"Yes! He decided it himself!" Jackman turned around abruptly, his expression furious. "For you, he decided to become the real 'Xu Tuo'! Being real means that from now on, this person can be tracked down and caught!"
There was blood on my lips, and I smiled slowly: "From now on, he can't leave me."
Xu Tuo once tried to silence me because I wanted to keep him. Now he has cut off all his escape routes and is forever frozen in the identity of Xu Tuo.
"I've accomplished what you've spent all these years trying to accomplish." Despite the pain on my face, I still felt the elation of a child who had snatched a friend from me as I faced Jackman. I smiled happily. "I heard you two grew up together? How come you can't meet openly until now?"
"Dai Xueming, I don't really want to go to that factory with the incinerator again." Qi Mengzhu reminded me to pay attention to Jackman's condition. "—You are in the state of being packed in the suitcase."
"Don't worry, he didn't call me here just to beat me up." I waved my hand to dispel the smell of leaves in the room. "Let's get down to business."
As soon as I finished speaking, I was punched hard in the face, and I was knocked to the ground with the chair. Jackman was riding on me, and his fists rained down on my head.
I was beaten until I lost consciousness. Later, according to Qi Mengzhu, I was unconscious for about fifteen minutes.
When he woke up again, he was still in that fluorescent room. Jackman was dressed in a black suit, looking very smart. This was his classic image in the public's mind - a tight black suit and short silver hair.
"Let's get down to business," he said, turning to me with a smile. "The teacher asked me to take over from Xu Tuo and deal with You Zili. He said you have some information about You Zili?"
You Zili failed this time.
Another woman was suspected of hanging herself, with the same rope marks. However, there were signs of a struggle at the scene, and the suspect's skin flakes were found under her fingernails, indicating physical contact between the two.
"Oh, I remember now. Your profession..." He adjusted his tie in the mirror. "Then could you please give me all the information?"
"These materials cannot be taken out of the office, let alone disclosed."
He pulled me close, hugged me tightly, and whispered in my ear in that low, magnetic, and amusing voice, "Dai Xueming, do you think that just because Xu Tuo and you are so good at teaching good manners and beauties, everyone else in Class L is a model of civility? I can guarantee that you'll be in a wood chipper somewhere in the forest before dawn, and no one will be able to put you back in ten years."
"...There are four suspects, three of them have been screened out, and one should be in another city based on the train ticket purchase record. We are applying for remote assistance." I felt a little aggrieved, but Xu Tuo couldn't get out yet, and no one supported me.
Jackman pinched my bruised face with satisfaction: "Xu Tuo spoiled you, and now he needs to correct his behavior. Mr. Qi, arrange two seats on the private jet."
Qi Mengzhu said: "Two?"
"Dai Xueming and I will go."
"Mr. Xia asked you to take me with you."
"—You have nothing to do every day?! Don't you have to attend meetings?! Don't you have to monitor the stock price?!" He cursed, "I'm warning you—"
"—I'll cover the budget for all your concerts next year," he said. "There's no upper limit on the budget, and you have full choreography and directing rights for all your concerts. Even if you want to sing on Mars, I can arrange a space trip for you."
The three passenger seats on the private plane were quickly arranged and we drove to the airport.
The man we're looking for is called Wang Chen. If you shout "Wang Chen" on the street, at least three men will turn around.
He is just like his name, with no special features. After graduating from vocational high school, he worked as an electrician. He was fired from the after-sales department because of a fight. Later, he worked in his parents' small supermarket. He has a criminal record of provoking trouble.
But we still don't know what his relationship with You Zili is.
"Speaking of You Zili... I've heard of him." Jackman wore a wig and sunglasses, the exaggerated red ones covering most of his face. "Even though I'm halfway out of Class L now, he once caused some serious trouble."
"Mr. Xia said that he had been here for two months and killed his teacher."
"That's bullshit. The big thing I'm talking about is that he posted a murder notice and the process of the murder online."
I was stunned.
"It's like something out of a mystery novel." Qi Mengzhu pressed the bell and asked the stewardess to bring some wine. "Would you allow such a frivolous style?"
"Of course not. Even in the criminal records of society, this is rare."
After being warned, You Zili became much more restrained. The reason it was just a warning was because he was using ordinary people to kill people, and that person didn't even realize that he was being used.
Not many people had seen You Zili. This young man was skilled in hacking, hiding behind the internet and erasing all traces of himself.
We have to find him before the police find Wang Chen and get clues about You Zili.
According to our current intelligence, Wang Chen was out of town, staying at a friend's house, and usually went to internet cafes to chat and play games. The location was easy to pinpoint: there were only two internet cafes in the area. It took us half an hour to find him, seated somewhere in the second shabby cafe.
Wang Chen was about to light a cigarette and just as he took out the lighter, Jackman pressed his head down from behind and smashed it down. The sound of his head hitting the table made a creepy sound.
A fight in an internet cafe was a natural scene. The people around just glanced at it and pretended not to see it, continuing to stare at their computers.
"Take him away." Jackman clapped his hands and asked Qi Mengzhu to carry the man.
Qi Mengzhu stared at the stains on the man's body with disgust: "Why me?"
"Dai Xueming."
I had no choice but to lift this slimy man, who reeked of a mixture of cheap cigarettes and sweat. Jackman turned and smiled at me, "Are you thinking about how to complain to Xu Tuo? Your expression is adorable."