【Texture】(48, 49, 50, 51)

Author: Wandering Traveler,
September 17, 2015,
Chapter 48
Hearing Wu Zhongjun's serious tone, I became nervous.
After spending some time with him, I had come to understand my old platoon leader's personality and temperament to some extent. When
I beat someone up at the hotel, he didn't think it was a big deal. But judging from his disappointed expression,
the situation he mentioned this time was probably quite serious.
"Tell me the truth, were you involved in the digging up of the Zhoujia Village cemetery and the theft of the corpses?"
Wu Zhongjun's face flushed red as he demanded sharply.
"You, you… I say, old platoon leader, don't you know what kind of person I, Yan Ping, am? How could I
do such a thing? If I wanted to make money, I might actually rob or kill. Stealing corpses? Do you think
I would do that?" Hearing Wu Zhongjun actually link me to the Zhoujia Village corpse theft,
I felt incredibly wronged! I hurriedly began to defend myself.
"You're still lying to me! Do you know that most of the evidence we have points to you
? The Criminal Investigation Team has drawn up a sketch of the suspect. I recognized you the moment I saw it! The others don't
know you, and they're preparing to search the whole city based on the sketch. I thought you were from the same unit as me
, so I came to find you privately! You couldn't have done this kind of corpse theft alone. You need to confess about your
accomplices. That way, I can speak up for you at the station." Wu Zhongjun was clearly convinced that
I was involved in the corpse theft in Zhoujia Village, and he spoke with a painstakingly earnest attitude.
I pointed upwards, then downwards. "Heaven and earth bear witness! Old Platoon Leader,
what kind of corpses have I, Yan Ping, stolen?! May I be struck by lightning! May my ancestors for eight generations be reduced to ashes and
never be reincarnated!"
Seeing how vicious I was, Wu Zhongjun was stunned. After thinking it over for a while, considering my usual character,
his suspicions finally began to waver.
"Then tell me, what were you doing at the Liziping service area yesterday evening? There
's not even a place to stay there. If there were, I could swear you were having an affair, thinking it was
quiet, and sneaking off to a hotel for a secret rendezvous. But there's nothing there! What could you possibly be doing there? You
know what? Yesterday, our men on patrol ran into some suspects. It was dark and the roads were slippery, so we couldn't catch them. Finally,
we followed their trail to the service area. We found some of the staff there to get information, and one of them
remembered that the person had bought something at the supermarket. They were then asked to go to the brigade to draw a sketch, and as soon
as the sketch came out, I recognized you. You should give me an explanation now!"
Wu Zhongjun's words were vulgar, but they hit the nail on the head. Aside from the service area staff and travelers passing through
, normally no one would specifically go to the Liziping service area. Even when going to
the villages around Huai Shu Gang, most locals would choose the old road heading due east. Now that the "suspect"
has confirmed entering the service area and then escaping from there, I, as
one of the few people present at the service area during that time, naturally became the police's prime suspect. After listening to Wu Zhongjun's explanation, I
almost cursed Wang Lie and his friends' ancestors to death in my stomach. Their escape was so unprofessional, they
got caught by the police. In the end, the police even traced it back to me.
At this moment, I couldn't care less about anything else. Wu Zhongjun said he had even drawn a sketch of the suspect's features. If
I didn't find a way to clear my name in front of Wu Zhongjun, I would probably be arrested as a suspect in a corpse theft soon
. However, I needed to carefully consider how to explain myself. On the one hand, I needed to be able to make my story coherent; on the other
hand, I needed to avoid some truths that Wu Zhongjun would never believe. After thinking for a moment, I quickly came up with
a plan.
"I was asked to go there by someone. A friend of mine
knows a Taoist priest at the Sanqing Temple in Hetang Village. He heard from that priest that a lot of livestock in Hetang Village had died. My
friend suspected that the livestock deaths were related to the illegal discharge of waste gas by the chemical plant south of the village.
He knew I used to be a reporter, so he asked me to go because he thought I was familiar with the media. If they really found out that the chemical plant was illegally
discharging toxic gases, he planned to ask me to help find someone to expose it in the media..."
Wu Zhongjun suddenly asked. "Did you also ask a foreigner to go with you?"
I realized that Jack Fred's appearance had been remembered by someone. But my eyes lit up, and I
immediately came up with an explanation. "Yes, yes. Besides me, there was another foreigner who went too. But it was
the first time I'd ever met him. My friend introduced him to me, but I didn't remember his name. Apparently
, he's... he's a member of some international environmental organization. His purpose there was the same as mine—to
investigate whether the chemical plant was illegally discharging pollutants. We met up with them at the service area because of that foreigner
; he didn't know the old road to Hetang Village, so we met at the service area! My friend is a busybody; I guess
if my exposé doesn't have much effect, he's planning to take this abroad..."
Wu Zhongjun listened with skepticism, his expression uncertain. After frowning and thinking for a moment, he asked
... "And then? You went to Hetang Village? What was the situation like during the investigation?" "
We didn't go to Hetang Village, we went directly to the chemical plant. We stayed for a while on the hillside outside the plant.
We didn't find any evidence of the on-site emissions from the plant. It was a desolate place, and we didn't want to stay too long. We thought
we'd have plenty of time to find evidence later, so we discussed it and came back to the city. Besides that, we really didn't do
anything!"
Wu Zhongjun stared intently into my eyes, seemingly trying to determine if I was lying
to him. I, on the other hand, met his gaze calmly. Although I had lied, I had indeed not committed any act of stealing a corpse
. With a clear conscience, I wasn't afraid of his gaze.
Realizing my calm expression, Wu Zhongjun's suspicions about me diminished considerably.
He frowned, sighed, and said to me, "Yan Ping, I'm very willing to believe that what you've said is true."
"Okay. But the key is I have no say in this. So, I estimate the Criminal Investigation Team will be coming for
you soon! But since you really didn't go and steal corpses, there's nothing to be afraid of. Once you're in there, just tell the truth
. You used to be a journalist, so you probably know some of our methods for dealing with criminals. I'll try to pull
some strings with my acquaintances to make sure they don't go too far during your interrogation. You don't know, but
the Deputy Director Zhao at the branch office is from Zhoujia Village. With this happening in Zhoujia Village, he has to give his fellow
villagers an explanation! So everyone in the bureau is taking this case very seriously, and the Criminal Investigation Team is
under a lot of pressure. Because of this, I'm worried they might do something outrageous."
Hearing Wu Zhongjun say this, my face turned sour. It seemed that once I was
taken in by the Criminal Investigation Team, physical suffering was inevitable. But I couldn't bring myself to hate those police officers, because
judging from Wu Zhongjun's words, they were genuinely investigating the case.
What's meant to be will be, and I had no choice but to accept it. Then I asked Wu Zhongjun... "
Do I need to go to the police station to explain?"
"No, if you go there firstly, it will reveal that I came to see you first. Secondly, it will solidify
your suspicion! Listen to me, just do what you're supposed to do! Just wait for the criminal investigation team to come and find you! The key
is, you have to hold your ground once you're in there. As long as you really didn't go to dig up those graves or steal corpses, even if they beat you to death,
don't admit it! Also, you need to give Yan Guang a heads-up about this. You should know your brother's temper. I'm
afraid that if you go in, he might do something that will make things unmanageable." Wu Zhongjun lowered
his voice and began to tell me some things I needed to be careful about...
After Wu Zhongjun left, I immediately ran back to my desk, picked up the phone, found a quiet spot in the editing room, and dialed
Wang Lie's number.
As soon as the call connected, I immediately explained to Wang Lie that Wu Zhongjun had come to tip me off.
After listening, Wang Lie fell silent. After about ten seconds, he seemed to have thought for a moment before
speaking again on the phone. "We haven't done anything to dig up graves or steal corpses! Even if the police come knocking,
we have a clear conscience. But like you said, even if we tell the police what happened yesterday,
they won't believe us. Your story is good; I think it'll work!
I understand why you called me. To solidify your story, besides you, we need to get Jack Fred and me to agree on the
same thing!"
Hearing that Wang Lie understood my true purpose for contacting him, I breathed a sigh of relief! As long as the German, Wang Lie, and I
agreed on the same story, and given that we hadn't stolen any corpses, the police wouldn't have any direct
evidence. Even if all three of us went to jail, as long as we refused to be tortured into confessing, we should be able to get through this
. Wang Lie then explained the current situation and his plans on the other end of the phone.
"Jack Fred drove straight to Nanjing after we parted ways early this morning. He's probably already on
a flight to Hong Kong. He'll let me know he's safe when he gets there, and I'll
tell him about it on the phone then. But it's not appropriate for me to act as the friend you mentioned who called you over."
"Why do you say that? Wasn't it you who called me over? And
wasn't it your responsibility that you led the police to the service area?" I felt that Wang Lie seemed to want to distance himself from the situation, and I immediately became a little uneasy.
"That's right, I didn't think it through. I didn't expect those police to be so persistent. Even after losing them, they insisted on following
the trail we left behind to the service area. But have you considered that my public identity is a loan shark? Do you think
someone in that profession would care about environmental issues like chemical plants emitting toxic waste gas?"
After Wang Lie said that, I thought about it, and it seemed to make sense. "What should we do then? To make our story coherent
, besides the German, we need at least a third person who appears to be enthusiastic about environmental issues. Whether
they knew me beforehand doesn't matter, as long as they can confirm that they were the one who brought me and the German together,
my story with Lao Wu will be plausible."
"I know what you're saying. I was actually considering suitable replacements for me. I've already decided
who to ask for help. You need to send me a few photos of yourself! Because I need to show him your photos
so he remembers what you look like. You were the one he temporarily hired to break the news, so our relationship doesn't need to be
too close, but we should at least know each other's appearance and basic information. I'll send you his photos and basic information later
. Delete them after you've looked at them and memorized them. Don't leave any room for suspicion for the police."
I sighed; now I could only follow Wang Lie's instructions. Then Wang Lie asked about
the situation he had asked me to negotiate with Zhou Jingyi. It seemed Wang Lie wasn't taking the police investigation into me
too seriously; he was more concerned about the three silk paintings in Zhou Jingyi's possession. Realizing this, I was a little annoyed,
but I still explained the situation to him.
"She thinks you didn't pay enough. That middleman she found is a bastard! He
lowered the price you offered by one million per painting, clearly trying to pocket the three million difference. I originally had a chance
to persuade her again, but besides you, there were other buyers willing to buy at the original price she asked for. Of course, she
decided to sell the paintings to that other buyer."
"What? Besides me, there are other people who want to buy those three paintings? Are you sure? The
friend who helped me make the contact has a lot of connections in this industry. When I asked him to make the contact, I also asked him to inquire about
other antique dealers in the area. The result was that I was the only one in the area truly willing to trade! Otherwise,
I wouldn't have haggled with her, trying to save some money." Wang Lie was clearly surprised.
"The other buyer is probably not a local middleman. Can you really stop outsiders
from coming here to buy things? But I've already thought of a backup plan! That buyer insists on
a face-to-face transaction with Zhou Jingyi, and Zhou Jingyi is worried about her safety, so she asked me to find someone to act as a temporary
bodyguard. I'll handle this in a bit. I plan to have one of my brother's men accompany her."
"It'll be a face-to-face transaction. They'll let you know the specific time and location later. With that information,
you should be able to handle it yourself, right?"
Wang Lie replied over the phone after hearing my explanation. "That works too. I'll wait for your arrangements then!
" After hanging up, I quickly tidied my desk and left the editorial department. I ran to the street to hail a taxi.
While waiting, I took several selfies—front, side, and from different angles. After taking them, I sent them to Wang Lie's phone
.
I took a taxi and rushed to Ranfang Street.
I noticed that there were far fewer henchmen and underlings in the entertainment venues controlled by Yan Guang than usual. Realizing that Yan
Guang and most of his men were probably still in the city searching for the missing Cao Zixuan, I went straight to the bathhouse
. After Yan Guang and most of his men went out, Yang Mengjun should still be there. After all, this was their gang's
base. With the boss out and most of his men, Yang Mengjun, as the second-in-command, would most likely stay in his
stronghold to oversee things.
Sure enough, as soon as I entered the bathhouse lobby, I saw Yang Mengjun at the front desk
talking to several so-called "foremen" who were usually responsible for security.
I didn't want to waste any time, so I went straight over. Upon seeing me, Yang Mengjun quickly
dismissed the "foremen" and came to greet me.
After exchanging greetings, Yang Mengjun pulled me into their so-called "office" next to the lobby and
began to speak, sounding both complaining and blaming. "Brother! What can I say to you? I wasn't there yesterday afternoon, and when I
came back this morning, I was shocked! More than half of the brothers were gone. I found out that you sent Second
Master out with the men to find more. You know Second Master's character. He's always so impulsive, and he didn't
even tell me before taking men out. He was the one who sent them out; you should at least have warned me beforehand
! Now we're short-handed at several shops, and I'm worried someone might take this opportunity to cause trouble." I smiled and patted Yang Mengjun on the shoulder. "I'm sorry to trouble you. But I might need you 　　to send some more men to help me
now ." 　　Yang Mengjun smiled wryly upon hearing this. "What? Big brother, you're going to pull people from me again?" 　　"Just two people are enough! And it's not free work; I'll pay you after it's done." 　　Hearing that I only needed two people, Yang Mengjun's troubled expression eased. "If it's just two brothers, 　　I can find others. What exactly is it? You're actually planning to pay? Your business is our 　　business. Is that really necessary?" 　　"If it were for my personal business, of course I wouldn't be polite. But right now I need people to act as 　　temporary bodyguards for other people! So, this job can't be done for free; I have to pay them." I 　　explained further to Yang Mengjun. 　　"Here's the thing! I know a woman who recently acquired some antiques and artifacts and wants to sell them 　　. She's already contacted a buyer. However, the buyer insists on a face-to-face transaction. You know, women are 　　often a bit timid, so she's worried about being scammed during the transaction. That's why she came to me. 　　I don't want to get directly involved in this kind of illegal activity. But as a friend, I still need to 　　consider her safety. So, I was thinking of having you arrange for two of your men to accompany her." 　　"Oh, I see! No problem then. By the way, do the men need to bring weapons?" Yang Mengjun 　　was referring to firearms. For these men, carrying knives and 　　other weapons was a habit. Only firearms were items they didn't use normally, only in critical moments 　　. 　　Thinking that Wang Lie might try to snatch the painting during the transaction, I shook my head. "I don't think it's 　　necessary. With Ah Guang's reputation, if the buyer knows that his men are accompanying him, they probably won't dare to play any tricks 　　." 　　"Hmm, that's true." Yang Mengjun nodded, 　　expressing a certain confidence in the "deterrent power" of his gang in this city. 　　After leaving the room with Yang Mengjun, he returned with two henchmen not long after. 　　"Boss, you should have met these two before. Do you think they're suitable?" 　　I looked up and smiled at the two men. Yang Mengjun was indeed very capable; 　　the two men he had found were the ones who had taken care of me at the hospital when I was hospitalized last time. I remembered that one of them shared the same 　　surname as me, Yan Xiaokang, and the other was Zhang Zhonghuai. We had even eaten together at a casserole restaurant on the back street of the hospital 　　... Seeing them, I suddenly remembered the young woman who had followed me in the alley behind the hospital. 　　However, I quickly put that matter aside and explained to them the specific reason for finding them this time. 　　"Oh, that's what it is? No problem! Brother Yan, don't worry, we'll both go with you and we'll definitely 　　ensure your girlfriend's safety." 　　Yan Xiaokang and Zhang Zhonghuai, after understanding their task, immediately patted their chests and 　　agreed. I then offered them and Yang Mengjun each a cigarette. These two 　　had previously helped me deal with a young woman following us in the back alley of the hospital; judging from the situation then, they were both clever 　　. I was relatively confident in having them protect Zhou Jingyi this time. 　　However, the task I then assigned them surprised both of them and Yang Mengjun. 　　"Ensuring that woman's safety is one aspect, but I also need you two to do something else. 　　That is, while accompanying that woman to the transaction, inform another friend of the time and place of the transaction 　　." 　　Hearing this, the two immediately looked at each other, clearly not understanding my purpose in asking them to do this 　　. Yang Mengjun, standing to the side, also looked puzzled. 　　Since I had asked them for help, I didn't intend to hide anything from them. So I then explained the specific 　　reasons. "My friend originally intended to buy what that woman had. However, they couldn't agree on a price, so the 　　deal fell through. But he's determined to get it. I'm caught in the middle between him and that woman, which is a bit of a dilemma."

"I don't want to offend either side. So, I promised my friend that you could
inform him of the specific time and place of the transaction. Let him figure out how to get what he wants."
Yang Mengjun and the other two exchanged glances, all looking troubled. Yang Mengjun spoke up
. "Brother, as his younger brother, I have to say something unpleasant! You're doing something really underhanded! You're clearly
trying to get your friend to double-cross you! In our underworld, this kind of two-faced behavior is the worst thing you can do
. To put it bluntly, you're setting that woman up! No way, we can't do this... How can you
protect someone on one hand and then team up with others to scheme against them on the other?"
Hearing Yang Mengjun say this, I secretly held him in even higher regard. I didn't expect this guy to actually have
principles. Yan Guang was really lucky to get his help!
I was actually already familiar with some of the underworld rules of Yan Guang and his gang. Now that I've made these
arrangements, I naturally have enough reasons to convince them.
"You don't understand what I mean! I have no intention of letting my friend take advantage of another friend,
a double-cross! My plan is for my friend to
get what the woman wants from the buyer after the transaction is completed. Your job is to protect the woman, ensure she completes the transaction
, and then protect her as she leaves the scene. How my friend gets what he
wants from the buyer afterward is none of your business. From beginning to end, you will not do anything to betray that woman
!"
Perhaps my explanation was a bit convoluted. The three people present thought for a long time before truly understanding
my meaning. Yang Mengjun nodded repeatedly after understanding. "I see. I understand. We protect the woman
throughout the transaction, and after she receives the money, we leave safely with her. Only after we leave
will your other friend make his move against the buyer. After that, it has nothing to do with us or the woman who needs protection
. Hmm, if you put it that way, it certainly doesn't violate our code of conduct. Because we haven't betrayed
our employer. If that's the case, then it's fine! This job is acceptable!"
After seeing Yang Mengjun and Yan and Zhang nod in agreement, I asked Yan and Zhang for their contact numbers, then edited a text message and sent their
numbers to Zhou Jingyi. I then edited a text message explaining to Zhou Jingyi, "These two numbers are
the phone numbers of the bodyguards who will be protecting you during the transaction. Contact them in advance when the transaction will take place!"
After sending the text message, I then gave Wang Lie's phone number to Yan and Zhang, instructing them to
contact Wang Lie again after Zhou Jingyi notifies them when to participate in the transaction, specifying the details of the information exchange.
After dealing with this matter, before leaving, I remembered Wu Zhongjun's instructions and gave Yang Mengjun a few
words of advice. "The police suspect me because of a case. I might be taken away to assist in the investigation
. Tell A-Guang about this! Make it clear to him that it's just assisting in the investigation, and tell him to relax and not
to make a scene. If anything happens that requires his intervention, I'll try to get a message to you."
After saying this, I left Ranfang Street.
On the street, I dialed Wang Lie's number and told him about my arrangements.
"I understand. You want me to not take the goods directly from Zhou Jingyi, but from some other buyer,
right? Heh... You've got a good plan. She takes the money, I take the goods! You don't offend either side! Fine
... Anyway, I just want the painting, so it doesn't matter who I take it from. Since you're willing to let Zhou Jingyi complete this
transaction, then so be it."
Hearing Wang Lie's agreement, I felt relieved. Although this meant the buyer might end up losing both the goods and their money
, the thought that those involved in the illegal trade of cultural relics were probably not good people made me
feel at ease. I even felt a little smug about my arrangement. Wang Lie, on the other end of the phone, was naturally unaware of my self-satisfaction. Instead, he 　　informed me of other matters
over the phone .
"I've found the person you'll be taking your statement from. I'll
send you the photo and information right away. After you've looked at it, remember it and then delete the information. Don't give the police any grounds for suspicion later. Also
, if you've finished everything else, you'd better come over and relieve me as soon as possible. She's awake, but
she's trembling all over as if she's seen a ghost when she sees me. It's making me afraid to go near her. But thankfully, you
're right about her being a glutton. I ordered several set meals from a fast food restaurant. She's completely focused on the food while she's eating
. That's why I can still be in the room with her. But I can't keep
buying food to distract her. It's only been half an hour since she woke up... and she's already finished
three set meals. You should know what those set meals are like; one is enough for a family of three. I don't know
where all that food went!"
Wang Lie said, and I couldn't help but chuckle. However, I was also glad that I had given Wang Lie some advice beforehand,
telling him to use food to deal with the woman in white. Otherwise, given the woman's fear of him,
who knew what kind of strange reaction she might have if he had been left alone?
Thinking of this, I couldn't help but tease him. "If she wants to eat, just buy it for her. You're
so rich, why are you worried she'll eat you out of house and home?"
"You know what! The way she eats... I really am worried she'll eat me out of house and home! The economy's bad these days,
even the richest families don't have surplus grain! Otherwise, why would I bother haggling with Zhou Jingyi? I could just take the painting at the original price and
be done with it. Why make things like this, creating unnecessary trouble! Okay, I've appeased her with food
. You should come over as soon as possible. Oh, right, I just spoke to Han Zhe, and asked him to come over and try
communicating with this woman in writing. Whoever gets here first, I'll hand over my shift. After that, I still need to find Ye Tong. He's
well-informed and is investigating the movements of those guys from Liziping last night! Damn it... they dared to mess with me,
even ambushing Little Ye on the way! Since they dared to cause trouble on my turf, if I don't teach them a lesson,
how can I survive in this business..."
Hearing this, my understanding of Wang Lie deepened. He usually seemed so cold and aloof, but
I hadn't expected him to actually have a bit of a sense of humor.
Less than two minutes after hanging up, I received several pictures from Wang Lie. The pictures included
a photo of the person I was going to talk to, along with a personal profile and phone number. To my surprise, it was someone I knew.
The man in the photo was Qin Pei, a private entrepreneur in the city. He was passionate about environmental protection and various charitable
causes. As a journalist, I was quite familiar with him; I had even interviewed him directly before. Seeing that
the person Wang Lie had brought was him, I couldn't help but feel somewhat satisfied with Wang Lie's thorough consideration.
This Qin Pei had always been considered a "troublemaker" by the local municipal government. He
had repeatedly and publicly opposed the local government on issues such as urban planning and people's livelihood. When the chemical plant in Liziping was to be built, he was
one of the most vehement opponents. But the government had long been somewhat helpless against him. There were two reasons for this: he
had connections, a typical third-generation revolutionary, his grandfather being a revolutionary martyr. Before liberation, he was
one of the main leaders of the underground Communist Party in the area. He was later betrayed and imprisoned, remaining steadfast in prison until his death.
He paid the ultimate price for the establishment of the current regime. Furthermore, he currently serves as a member of the Municipal People's Political Consultative Conference. Therefore, despite
his numerous public criticisms of the local Party committee and government's policies over the years, no one has dared to
retaliate against his criticisms. Of course, the most crucial factor is that his grandfather
had working relationships with another martyr named Jiang Shangqing. Based on this alone, unless it's a high-level department or institution, no one
would dare to truly cause him trouble.
And now, Wang Lie has brought him out to cover for me—he's truly found the right person. Judging from his past actions,
he's capable of interfering in exposing chemical plant pollution. Even if the police confront him, they
wouldn't dare to interrogate him like ordinary citizens. He only needs to confirm that he contacted me to try
and expose the pollution incident, and the excuse I fabricated in front of Wu Zhongjun will be valid.
Although I already knew something about Qin Pei's situation, I still carefully memorized his
appearance, information, and contact number once again. Once I confirmed I had it, I immediately deleted the pictures Wang Lie had sent, as well as
all previous call and text message records.
After finishing all this, I originally planned to rush to Sunshine Department Store to meet Wang Lie. But when I looked up,
I realized I was standing in front of a women's clothing store. I suddenly remembered that the woman in white was still wearing
the clothes she had brought out of the underground palace; that white outfit was clearly ancient clothing. If the woman in white
needed to go out, that outfit was far too conspicuous.
I immediately turned and went into the clothing store. My observation skills, honed during my time as a reporter, had improved considerably.
I could roughly estimate the woman in white's height and build. She was about 1.70 meters tall,
which was relatively tall for a woman. According to modern archaeological discoveries, the average height of ancient Han people
was generally taller than that of modern people. If the woman in white truly lived for two or three thousand years,
her height wouldn't be surprising.
Relying on my memory, I quickly selected two women's outfits, both dresses, because I worried that
the woman in white might not be comfortable wearing other types of clothing. In addition, I had to
buy women's underwear under the watchful eyes of the female shop assistant. The sizes were all quite large. Although I hadn't actually seen them, during
close contact, I felt that the woman in white had full, firm breasts and round, high hips. She had a standard
"voluptuous" figure, completely comparable to that "stunner" Zhou Jingyi.
Carrying my shopping bags, I left the clothing store and hailed a taxi towards Sunshine Department Store.
The street in front of Sunshine Department Store was busy with pedestrians, making parking difficult. I finally got off at an intersection about a hundred meters from the department store entrance
and quickly walked towards the entrance.
When I was only ten meters from the entrance, I suddenly felt someone approaching me from behind.
I turned around, and the person reached under my ribs and twisted my arm behind my back!
The other person's technique was skillful, clearly very familiar with it. Then, three or four men pushed through the crowd
and swarmed me, pinning me to the ground.
"It's the police..." my mind clearly realized. Therefore, I gave up resisting, letting several
plainclothes officers handcuff my hands behind my back and drag me up from the ground.
The policeman who directly apprehended me expressionlessly pulled out his police ID and flashed it in front of me,
identifying himself. He then said, "Yan Ping, right? Why didn't you know we were here to arrest you?"
I replied, "I didn't know!"
I had to answer like this, because if I said I knew, it would confirm the police's suspicions, and it might also
reveal that Wu Zhongjun had come to see me first.
The policeman in front of me remained noncommittal about my answer. The officer continued in a procedural tone, "We need you to go back
and assist us in investigating a case. So, come with us!" With that, I was surrounded by several police officers
and led towards a police car parked not far away, under the watchful eyes of a large crowd. My shopping bags
scattered on the ground.
I couldn't help but look up at the residential building above Sunshine Department Store. One glance, and I froze…
Since returning from Liziping, I've noticed my eyesight seems much better than before. I can
see very clearly even from a great distance. And now, I saw a floor-to-ceiling window in a room on the sixteenth floor of Sunshine Department Store.
A woman in white was pressed against the transparent glass, her bright eyes fixed on me!
Beside her, Wang Lie and Han Zhe seemed to be holding
her arms tightly from both sides, as if to prevent her from jumping directly out of the window.
When Wang Lie noticed I had seen them, he nodded slightly to me with a serious expression, the meaning of which was self-evident
. I forced a smile at him and the woman in white, then lowered my head. Looking any longer
might attract the police's attention.
In that instant, I suddenly noticed a glistening tear reflecting in the sunlight from the corner of the woman in white's eye
…
Chapter 49
Head down, I was shoved into the back of the truck by several policemen. A policeman was already sitting inside. I had barely
settled into the reclining chair when he punched me in the face. Caught off guard, I
saw stars.
"Trying to run again? Trying to run again? You son of a bitch! You made me twist my ankle on the way down the mountain..."
From his swearing, I roughly guessed that this policeman had likely participated in
the patrol last night, twisting his ankle while tracking Wang Lie and his group. His sudden attack on me was understandable
.
The policeman who had apprehended me also climbed into the truck. Seeing me being beaten, he immediately stopped
the other policeman from continuing. "Don't do it here! People outside are watching! We'll
talk about it when we get back!" He and two other plainclothes officers who had come in with him closed the truck door. After knocking on the window behind the driver's seat,
the driver immediately started the vehicle.
I sat there, calming myself down. Remembering Wu Zhongjun's instructions, I ultimately gave up
the right to protest to the police officer in front of me. Based on the information Wu Zhongjun had previously shared with me, the police were genuinely angry this time
. They would likely stop at nothing to solve the case, and if I continued to inappropriately emphasize "human rights" in front of them
, I would probably suffer even more. After all, having been a journalist for so many years,
I was well aware of some of the shady methods used within the public security system.
Seeing that I remained silent and didn't react much to the beating, the police officer who had apprehended me
seemed to look at me a little more favorably. He took out a cigarette, lit it for himself, took a puff, and then held the pack to my lips
, asking, "Want a cigarette?"
After receiving my affirmative answer, he shook his hand, releasing half of the cigarette. I lowered my head and put
the cigarette in my mouth. He took out a lighter, lit it for me, and said... "You're a smart kid.
If you cooperate, you'll suffer less. When we get there, what will they ask you? Just tell the truth. Don't try
anything funny!"
The policeman who was hitting me sounded annoyed. "Captain Tang, what are you talking to him
for! Let me deal with him when we get back. Damn it, last night, just chasing them, my leg..."
Hearing this, I had to speak up! "What are you saying? What last night? I
didn't do anything last night!"
Silence was tantamount to admitting they had been tracking me. So no matter what, even if they
beat me up immediately, I had to speak up now. Sure enough, as soon as I spoke,
the guy who was hitting me stood up and punched me hard in the face again. The cigarette I had just taken a puff of was knocked
out. The policeman called "Captain Tang" remained silent, not stopping the other man's actions.
The other two in the car also got up and joined in the beating.
Captain Tang shifted his position, sitting near the door. He didn't make a move, just leisurely exhaling
smoke...
The Municipal Public Security Bureau wasn't far from Sunshine Department Store. About ten minutes later, they drove into the Criminal Investigation Team's compound.
I was dragged out of the car by three policemen.
Fortunately, the car was cramped, so the three policemen were somewhat restrained when beating me, unable to exert too much force.
All the blows were still within my tolerance range. Therefore, I barely endured it.
After getting out of the car, several policemen immediately surrounded me in the courtyard. I vaguely saw Captain Tang signing a form
, saying as he signed, "We're lucky today. We just set up the surveillance, and this guy ran into the line of fire.
The rest of you can call it a day. Don't stay outside too long, lest you alert him! Take this guy directly to the interrogation
room. Director Zhao wants to question him personally." After saying that, he waved his hand, and new policemen surrounded me, dragging me
into the Municipal Bureau building.
Upon reaching the third floor, I was dragged into a room, where the escorting police officers forced me into a chair.
The chair back passed through my clasped hands, securing me in place. After the police left, I looked up and briefly observed
the room's furnishings. It was largely the same as when I was questioned at the police station by that officer named Huang Yue,
the only difference being that when Huang Yue questioned me, there was an open space between where I sat and where the police were sitting.
Here, however, an iron fence had been added…
A few minutes later, two uniformed officers entered the room and sat down at a table on the other side of the iron fence
. The younger one wore glasses and held a form and a pen. The other looked extremely
old, with a face full of wrinkles, but possessed an exceptionally dignified air, especially his eyes, which, though constantly squinting,
radiated a captivating light.
Noticing the rank of Third-Class Police Inspector on the older officer's shoulder, I immediately recognized him
as "Deputy Director Zhao," whom Wu Zhongjun had mentioned to me.
The local Public Security Bureau's Deputy Director in charge of criminal investigation was named Zhao Yongyi! I had already heard of him before meeting him
. If there were any capable officers in the local police force, he
was undoubtedly the only one!
He came from humble beginnings, with no connections or background! For over twenty years, he had solved numerous major cases, climbing his way up step by step with his exceptional criminal
investigation skills. Even Wu Zhongjun, a self-proclaimed
expert and arrogant man, showed genuine respect when speaking of him.
After Zhao Yongyi sat down, he didn't speak. Instead, he leaned back in his chair, arms crossed,
calmly watching me through the iron bars. I struggled to sit up, raised my head, and met his gaze defiantly. Deputy Director Zhao
's gaze was deep yet sharp, like a razor piercing my mind.
I gritted my teeth, stubbornly staring into his eyes. I hadn't dug up villagers' graves, nor stolen corpses
; I hadn't committed any crimes! My conscience was clear.
The deputy director remained silent, and the young police officer beside him, wearing glasses, also
sat quietly, waiting.
After a long while, the young officer finally couldn't resist taking out his phone, glancing at the time, and frowning.
I turned my head and glanced at Zhao Yongyi again. Seeing that Zhao Yongyi's posture and gaze hadn't changed, I could only
sigh and continue to keep him company. Meanwhile, a crowd had begun to gather around the interrogation room window,
with many police officers peering in as if watching a spectacle…
I vaguely heard their hushed conversation.
“It’s been almost two hours…”
“He’s been watching Director Zhao the whole time! That’s rare… The usual ones, they’d only last an hour at most
, then they’d have to look elsewhere…”
“That means this guy has nothing to hide… The last one, he also stared at Director Zhao for over two hours. Later
, the investigation revealed it had nothing to do with that guy!”
Zhao Yongyi seemed to have had enough and finally spoke his first words. “Name?”
“Yan Ping,” I answered calmly.
"Date of birth?"
"March 197x.
" "Occupation?" "
Deputy editor-in-chief of XX magazine..."
After the procedural Q&A, Zhao Yongyi cut to the chase: "
Where were you yesterday evening from XX o'clock to XX o'clock at night?"
"Liziping." Because there were eyewitnesses, I couldn't deny it.
"What were you doing there?" Zhao Yongyi's expression didn't change at all.
"A friend called me over to collect evidence, preparing to expose it to the media!"
Hearing this, Zhao Yongyi's expression changed slightly. Perhaps he
was surprised by my reason.
"Collect what evidence? Expose what? Who is your friend?"
"Evidence of a chemical plant illegally discharging waste gas. The person who called me over is named Qin Pei!"
Zhao Yongyi took a deep breath, seemingly reacting to the name Qin Pei
. After thinking for a moment, he leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. "Okay, now tell
me the whole story of your trip to Liziping yesterday, including the reasons, in detail..."
The sky outside the window had completely darkened.
The ashtray on the table in front of Zhao Yongyi was overflowing with cigarette butts. He was leaning
back in his chair with his eyes closed, still smoking one cigarette after another, while his other hand tapped lightly on the table.
Just a few minutes earlier, a police officer had entered the interrogation room and reported some information to him. This officer
had been called into the interrogation room earlier to be given some instructions before leaving. He seemed
to be considering something. Finally, he seemed to have made a decision and called out towards the door, "Have Xiao
Tang come over here."
Someone outside responded, and a few minutes later, the
man who had directly arrested me outside the Sunshine Department Store appeared in the interrogation room in a police uniform.
Zhao Yongyi stood up, pointed at me, and said... "Find a place to lock him up. And don't put him
with anyone else, a single cell."
Officer Tang nodded and prepared to open the iron bars to take him out. Zhao Yongyi, thinking of something, patted
him on the shoulder and said, "You and the other guys, keep it to yourselves. This guy used to be a reporter; I don't want our bureau
making the news for abusing our power. Also, ask the canteen to do them a favor and
get a few extra tables for the guys who were on duty last night and today. I'll talk to Director Wu about the expenses." He looked at
me and added, "No drinking. Also, get this guy some food. You're in charge of the arrangements!"
After Zhao Yongyi and his men left the interrogation room, Officer Tang opened the iron bars and called two more officers
in, who then escorted me out of the interrogation room. Perhaps it was because of Zhao Yongyi's parting words and my past as a reporter that
had an effect, but during the escort, the officers didn't beat me again.
The man surnamed Tang led me to a room on the second floor. The room contained a cot, a toilet
, and a makeshift washbasin in the corner. After I entered, he closed the iron gate, but
remained leaning against it. I turned to look at him; he smiled at me, then pulled a cigarette from his pocket and pointed
the filter at me. After being arrested, my wallet, keys, phone, and cigarettes were all confiscated.
My craving for a cigarette was definitely kicking in, and disregarding all pride, I opened my mouth and put the cigarette in.
Tang lit it for me through the gate and said, "Sorry about before. The brothers down there
suffered a great loss last night and were upset, so they were a bit too rough. I hope you won't take it too seriously."
In this situation, I couldn't really argue with him; I just greedily inhaled the smoke and nodded,
"Mmm, mmm," in response.
Seeing this, the man surnamed Tang nodded casually and then spoke again. "You know Wu Zhongjun?"
I was taken aback and looked up at him. Tang didn't seem surprised by my reaction and explained,
"Old Wu and I used to work at the same police station. He's a pretty straightforward guy, and he's had bad luck, so he's never been
able to get into the criminal investigation team. But I know him well. He told me you were his comrade-in-arms and asked me to look after
you. So you can basically rest assured, that kind of situation on the bus shouldn't happen again."
Hearing him say this, I felt a little more at ease. To be honest, although I survived that meal on the bus, I knew in my heart that if it happened a few more times like that, I was afraid I really wouldn't be able to bear it and 　　would spill all the secrets of what happened
last night . 　　Seeing my relieved expression, Tang smiled and pointed to the room near the stairs. " 　　The guy on duty is surnamed Tao. I'll talk to him when I get there. If you want a cigarette, you can ask him for one. But don't ask too often 　　, he'll probably get annoyed. Also, be polite to him. You seem like a smart person, you 　　should understand the rest yourself." With that, he turned and left through the door. 　　I finished my cigarette, spat the butt into the toilet, and then sat on the cot. I thought about 　　every detail of the interrogation… Only after confirming I hadn't said anything wrong did I finally relax and sit down on the bed. I don't know if Tang did it intentionally 　　or by accident, but he didn't unlock the handcuffs behind my back. Fortunately, my build is fairly standard, my upper 　　body slightly shorter than my lower body, so after wriggling around on the bed for a while, I finally managed to get my hands in front of me.

I lay down on the bed, closed my eyes, and tried to rest.
"The policeman Zhao Yongyi called out halfway through must have gone to contact Qin Pei to verify my statement!
Judging from the report that policeman returned, Qin Pei's response must be consistent with mine! After all, Qin Pei
's status is undeniable; even Zhao Yongyi wouldn't dare to arrest
someone like Qin Pei directly for questioning without sufficient evidence. But they're clearly not giving up… after all, I'm their
only lead. Without other new clues and discoveries, they won't easily let me go
…"
Having understood this, I could only force myself to wait patiently. Several hours later
, while I was lying in bed in a semi-sleep state, the sound of someone knocking on the iron gate woke me.
I looked up and saw Officer Tang standing at the iron gate, holding an enamel mug commonly used in the military for eating
. Beside him, the policeman who had first attacked me in the car, also in uniform, stood to the side.
Officer Tang placed the enamel mug on the ground, pushed it into the room, and gestured for me to come and get it. Seeing me get up, he turned
to the guy who had beaten me and said, "Ouyang, you keep an eye on things here. When he's finished eating,
return the mug to the cafeteria. Director Zhao just called me over. Remember, don't lay a hand on him again. Director Zhao already warned me."
He nodded to me and then turned and left again.
The officer called Ouyang leaned against the fence, his face stern, coldly staring at me.
I wasn't surprised by his attitude. After all, he had twisted
his ankle last night while chasing Wang Lie and the others, and in his eyes, I was one of the culprits responsible for his injury. It was only natural that he would give me a hard time
.
I picked up the enamel mug and found that the food inside was quite plentiful, with fish, meat, eggs, and vegetables of various kinds
. Wu Zhongjun's sudden arrival meant I'd only eaten a few bites of my lunchbox, and now I felt hungry again.
I smiled at Ouyang at the door, then picked up the chopsticks stuck in the food and began to gulp it down
.
My friendly smile clearly had the opposite effect on this guy named Ouyang. His
gaze towards me grew increasingly hostile. He muttered, "Eat, eat... finish quickly, reincarnate early!"
I ignored his blatant provocation. Then,
footsteps sounded from the stairs, and a woman in plainclothes, guided by a policeman, came up to the second floor. The policeman, seeing
Ouyang standing outside the gate, pointed in Ouyang's direction to the woman and called out, "Ouyang
, someone's here to see you. Please greet them; I have other things to attend to."
Ouyang turned and smiled at the woman, waving her over. "Over here."
Hearing the voice, the policeman surnamed Tao in the duty room at the stairwell poked his head out from inside.
After confirming the woman was someone Ouyang knew, he retreated back into the duty room. The woman quickly walked to Ouyang's side.
Judging from the joyful expressions on their faces, the woman seemed to be Ouyang's girlfriend.
I ate my meal with my head down, while glancing sideways at the two people's actions at the door. Ouyang first
whispered something to the woman, then pointed at me. After pointing, he reached out and
began to caress the woman's inner thighs and buttocks. I noticed this out of the corner of my eye and couldn't help but frown.
Even if they were a couple, it was highly inappropriate for them to be so intimate in front of me, a "suspect," right outside the gate.
The woman seemed unfazed by Ouyang's caresses, just giggling softly. But I
noticed that the woman's attention wasn't on Ouyang at all; instead, her gaze kept
sweeping towards me through the gaps in the gate.
I couldn't help but turn my head to look at the woman...
She was dressed in a revealing, form-fitting leather outfit that fully exposed her curves. Even I had to
admit, this woman's figure was incredibly alluring, the kind that could arouse a man's physical reaction at first glance
. Looking up at her face, although she was wearing makeup, judging from the distribution of her features and her face shape,
she was definitely a beauty. Especially her small, red lips, which involuntarily aroused
certain improper thoughts.
The woman's hand was groping Ouyang's crotch, completely ignoring my gaze. When she saw me looking at her, she
smiled at me, and at that moment, I suddenly felt a hint of green light in her eyes
...
I quickly blinked, but then I saw the woman turn her face and press it against Ouyang's, intimately embracing him.
I lowered my head, thinking that this might be some kind of illusion, and then lowered my head again to eat the food in my enamel mug.
Finally, the woman and Ouyang's intimate actions were limited to caressing and kissing, with no further action.
I finished eating the food in the enamel mug, then put it on the ground and pushed it out of the gate. Seeing that I had finished eating, Ouyang finally
stopped his intimacy with the woman, bent down to pick up the enamel mug, put his arm around the woman's waist, and left through the gate
.
I then lay down on the cot again, closed my eyes, and began to doze off...
I don't know how long I slept, but I was awakened again by the sound of knocking on the gate. I looked up and
saw Zhao Yongyi, along with a policeman surnamed Tang and Ouyang, standing outside the gate. I looked at the three of them in confusion, but
only heard Zhao Yongyi say, "Open the gate, transfer him to the detention center." After saying that, Zhao Yongyi and the policeman surnamed Tang
turned and left through the gate. Ouyang, with a mocking smile, opened the iron gate and went into
the room...
"What's going on?" I realized something was wrong when Ouyang dragged me into the police car.
The police currently have no direct evidence to prove my involvement in the grave robbing. Theoretically, I
am only a suspect! Even if staff at the Liziping service area can prove I was present in Liziping, that only
indicates I was near the crime scene; it's far from sufficient to prove my involvement.
Under these circumstances, I should be detained for a maximum of 24 hours. Even if the Municipal Public Security Bureau internally approves an extension
, it shouldn't exceed 48 hours. As for transferring me to a detention center, that's utterly absurd. Although I didn't...
I had worked in the legal field, but I was familiar with basic law enforcement procedures.
Sitting in the back of the police car, I loudly protested to Ouyang beside me, "Why are you sending me
to the detention center? I'm just a suspect! What evidence do you have to prove I'm involved in the corpse theft case?"
Before I could finish speaking, Ouyang punched me hard in the face. His punch was unusually powerful;
my vision went black, and I immediately lost consciousness…
I don't know how long I was unconscious before I slowly regained consciousness.
I struggled to sit up, looking around blankly. A cot, a toilet, a sink
…
the same furnishings as the single cell I had been held in before. Only the wall color had changed.
I remembered the walls of the single cell in the police station were painted white. This one had dark gray cement
walls.
"This is the detention center?" I looked at the room with some suspicion, sensing something eerie.
I had been to the city's detention center before, more than once. Of course, the main reason was because of Ah Guang.
Since middle school, this guy had come here many times to familiarize himself with the environment due to troublemaking and fighting
. After my aunt passed away, I, as his only direct relative, came here many times to pick him up and complete the formalities
. In my memory, the city's detention center doesn't seem to have single rooms. Each detention cell is
a large room for at least eight people, with four bunk beds. I've
never seen a single room like this, with only a cot.
Of course, although I've been to the detention center many times, I haven't actually walked through all the rooms.
This one might just be the one I haven't seen before. Just as I was thinking this, footsteps came from outside the gate
. Ouyang appeared outside the iron gate with a policeman.
I looked up at him, and Ouyang looked at me with a wicked smile. "How's the accommodation? I specially found
you a single room. Are you satisfied?"
I glared at him angrily and said, "What exactly do you want? Haven't I
already explained why I went to Liziping and the whole process? What right do you have to lock me up in the detention center?"
As I spoke, I glanced at the policeman next to Ouyang. But for some reason, or perhaps because of the lighting,
and because the policeman kept his head down, the brim of his peaked cap obscuring most of his face, I couldn't
make out his features at all…
"Rights? Screw your rights! In this place, I'm in charge! I can lock you up if I want
! What's wrong? Any objections?" Ouyang raised his chin, his arrogant attitude blatant.
"This is illegal!" I yelled at Ouyang.
"Law? Hahaha…" Ouyang laughed unrestrainedly! "I am the law! If you offend me,
you'll be stuck here for life!" After saying that, Ouyang laughed wildly, turned around, and disappeared through the iron gate, shaking his head
!
The policeman, head bowed, pushed the enamel mug used for eating through the gap under the gate into the room before turning and
leaving.
I stood there, stunned, staring at the enamel mug filled with food! "What... what happened?"
As I stared, I felt dizzy again! Then I collapsed onto the cot...
Chapter Fifty
I don't know how long I've been detained in this room. I only know that no one has ever visited
me. Nor has any other policeman come to question me. At first, I still held onto a sliver of hope. After all
, Wang Lie and Han Zhe had witnessed my arrest by the Public Security Bureau. I thought they would come to rescue me.
Even if it was inconvenient for them to come forward, they knew that my brother was Yan Guang. If they just
told Yan Guang, that guy would never allow the police to detain me indefinitely.
If he and his brothers were to cause a scene, it would definitely have a significant impact on the city.
Even with the greatest abilities, the Municipal Public Security Bureau's Criminal Investigation Division probably couldn't cover this up!
However, so much time has passed. My life in this detention cell hasn't changed at all. Because
there are no windows, I can't see the sunrise or sunset. I only feel that at fixed times, the policeman, always with his head down,
will bring me food.
Finally, one time, when this policeman, as usual, pushed the enamel mug containing food into the room from the ground,
I suddenly grabbed his hand that was reaching into the room. But unexpectedly, his hand was unusually slippery;
the moment I touched it, it slipped through my fingers again… Then, the policeman immediately hid in the
dark corner outside the gate.
I couldn't help but press my body against the gate, shouting hoarsely in the direction he was hiding. "I
haven't committed a crime, I'm innocent!"
The policeman in the darkness seemed to shake his head, then said to me in a hoarse voice. "Stop shouting, it's useless
! I'm just a guard and food deliveryman. Your business is none of my concern."
"So you can talk?" I couldn't help but feel overjoyed.
Having been here for so long, I had never tried to communicate with this policeman. I had always
hoped that Zhao Yongyi and that policeman surnamed Tang would interrogate me again, or that someone else would appear and take me
away from this room. This policeman who appeared on schedule, because he remained silent, I even doubted
whether he could speak. Plus, I had been hoping for someone else to appear, so only now did I think of trying to
communicate with him.
"My job is just to guard you and deliver your food. If you don't speak, why should I say anything to you?"
the policeman in the darkness answered calmly.
"It's good that you can talk, it's good that you can talk." I lowered my head and breathed for a while. Then I looked up
at him and asked. "Can you tell me where this is? Don't tell me this is a detention center! I've
been to detention centers before, this definitely isn't!"
The other person seemed to hesitate for a moment before answering my question. "You guessed right. This is
indeed not a detention center. This is a secret prison set up by the Public Security Bureau outside."
"A secret prison?" Hearing this answer, I could hardly believe my ears! What is this?
"This 　　era? There's even such a thing as a 'secret prison'?
" "No one can find this place! Anyone locked up here will be added to the missing persons list..." the policeman
explained slowly and methodically in the darkness. "That's impossible! In this day and age, who would dare set up a secret prison? This is 　　illegal detention! Bastard..." I angrily pounded on the iron bars, cursing aimlessly. 　　The policeman, head bowed, seemed completely used to my reaction. He slowly moved, 　　eventually disappearing into the dark corridor. 　　After this encounter, the policeman delivering food became more wary of me. He no longer pushed the enamel mug in with his hands, 　　but instead placed it outside the bars, making me dig it into the room myself. And no matter how 　　much I questioned him or cursed him, he ignored me. 　　My mind began to break down… 　　One meal, two meals, three meals… 　　I lost track of time, only noting the number of times the policeman brought me food, 　　carving marks on the cement wall with the metal edge of my handcuffs… 　　One wall was covered in marks, then I started carving another. 　　At this point, I was in a state of utter confusion. 　　“Even if it’s three meals a day! I’ve been here for at least several months…” 　　During this time, I tried shouting in the room, hoping my voice and noise would carry outside and 　　attract attention, but after countless attempts, I realized my efforts were futile. 　　Next, I started trying to scrape the cement wall with the handcuffs, thinking that if the policeman saw me 　　doing this, he would likely enter the room to stop me. That way, I could perhaps attack 　　him when he entered and escape. But the policeman seemed well aware that I couldn’t carve holes in the wall while handcuffed 　　. Seeing my actions, he simply stood outside the iron bars, calmly watching my frantic behavior. 　　Exhausted, I collapsed to the ground… 　　I even contemplated suicide. I began a hunger strike, refusing to eat! 　　The guard didn't care; if I didn't take the enamel mug, he would stand at the door waiting, then 　　take it away after a while, only to bring it back again later… 　　I ultimately couldn't overcome the hunger. After several meals of fasting, I resumed eating. 　　Finally, I despaired! 　　I lived like a walking corpse, sleeping and eating in the room, eating and sleeping. Occasionally, I would ask the guard 　　a few questions like, "How long have I been here?" or "What's the weather like outside?" I asked these questions 　　without expecting an answer, just to confirm I still possessed the ability to speak. 　　I often thought of books I had read, like *The Count of Monte Cristo*. I didn't understand 　　what had happened to me, to encounter the same fate as Edmond Dantès, the protagonist of the book. 　　Once again, I dragged the enamel mug into the room and asked towards the door. "How long have I been here?" 　　"Three years..." 　　I looked up sharply at the guard still standing in the shadows, a surprised expression on my face. 　　I wasn't surprised by the time he gave, but that he had actually answered my question. 　　You see, it had been a long time since I'd heard him respond to any of my inquiries. 　　Sitting on the cement floor, I casually picked at the food in my enamel mug with my chopsticks and asked again, "Why 　　are you bothering me today?" 　　"Ouyang's here," the guard replied in his hoarse voice. 　　Hearing that name, my face involuntarily contorted. "Is that so? Are they finally going to interrogate me?" 　　I asked, trembling. 　　"It's not an interrogation. He just asked me to pass on a message to you." 　　"What message?" I stopped eating and stared intently at the figure in the darkness. 　　"He wants to ask you a question! If you answer it, you should be able to leave immediately!" The guard 　　stood there motionless. 　　"What did you say?" I jumped to my feet, pressing myself against the iron gate, 　　staring at him in disbelief. Although I had never clearly seen his face, 　　his words felt like grasping at a straw! 　　"He wants to ask you a question. If you answer it, you can leave." 　　At that moment, I felt a glimmer of hope. I screamed hysterically at him. " 　　What does he want to know? What does he want to know? As long as I can leave here… I'll tell him anything! Tell me! What does 　　he want to ask me?" 　　"He wants to know the whereabouts of the Spirit Maiden…" The guard's emotionless voice rang in my ears! 　　"The Spirit Maiden? The Spirit Maiden? Isn't the Spirit Maiden… isn't she the woman in white? Her whereabouts? 　　When I was captured, she was…" Just as I was about to murmur, half recalling, half answering, about to say that the woman in white 　　was in the residential building on the sixteenth floor of the Sunshine Department Store in the city center… Suddenly, a melodious tune reached my ears 　　… 　　The music jolted me awake! 　　“What’s going on? How does that guy named Ouyang know about the woman in white? He’s a policeman! He, 　　that guy surnamed Tang, and Zhao Yongyi—they arrested me to investigate the grave robbing case in Zhoujia Village, 　　right? How did it get involved with the spirit woman being the woman in white?” 　　“No! What’s going on?” I lowered my head, staring blankly at the 　　familiar concrete floor beneath my feet… 　　The scene of being brought here flashed through my mind again! 　　My gaze unconsciously shifted to the enamel mug I was holding… Then it moved to 　　the toilet and sink… Finally, to the walls covered in marks… 　　My actions attracted the attention of the guard outside. He seemed to realize something and quickly 　　asked again. "Where is the Spirit Maiden? Just tell me... and you can leave immediately! 　　Don't you want to leave? You've been here for three years already..." His voice suddenly filled with...

A certain temptation.
I jerked my head up, my eyes wide, staring intently at the figure hidden in the darkness! A
feeling of being fooled welled up from the depths of my heart! I felt a splitting headache, as if my head was about to explode
. This pain traveled through my optic nerve to my pupils…
“Ah…”
A woman’s scream suddenly rang in my ears! Then came a clang,
the sound of metal hitting the ground…
The enamel mug in my hand, along with the unfinished food inside, spilled onto the floor. The dark, deep
corridor outside the iron gate; the dark gray walls covered in scratches; the guards hidden in the darkness…
all of this vanished from my sight in an instant!
I was still sitting on the cot, my handcuffs still on. The toilet and sink were still in
the same place, the freshly painted white walls showing their original state! Besides, the melodious music hadn’t
stopped…
The scream was coming from the woman who was intimately caressing Ouyang! At that moment, she tightly covered her
eyes with both hands, and wisps of smoke could be clearly seen rising from between her fingers. She retreated repeatedly, covering her eyes.
Ouyang, standing nearby, stared in astonishment at the woman's actions, seemingly unaware of what was happening.
The woman's cries also alerted the police officer surnamed Tao in the duty room at the stairwell. He immediately rushed out of the room
and, seeing the woman struggling in pain against the wall with her eyes covered, hurriedly came over. He shouted, "What's
wrong? What happened?" while trying to help the woman. Unexpectedly, the woman suddenly pushed
the police officer away, covered her eyes with one hand, and rushed straight towards the stairwell.
The woman seemed to have immense strength; the police officer was sent flying,
crashing heavily into the wall. Ouyang initially witnessed all of this in a daze, then seemed to remember something
and chased after the woman down the stairs. Meanwhile, his colleague, who had fallen to the ground from the heavy impact, was left behind.
He didn't even glance at me.
I wasn't much better off! My eyes felt like they were being scorched by flames
, and my head throbbed with excruciating pain. I covered my eyes with one hand and pressed the other against
the top of my head, collapsing onto the cot, my body writhing in agony. Just when I thought I might
die from the pain, the melodious music entered my ears again and
echoed in my mind… As I listened, the intense pain subsided, and my eyes gradually felt a
cool sensation…
At that moment, I heard a commotion erupting from the police station compound, among which Zhao Yongyi
's booming voice stood out.
"Stop him! Shoot! Shoot… Are your pistols toys?"
Then came a few sporadic gunshots, and the melodious music abruptly stopped
.
I couldn't see what was happening outside, and I didn't care! I sat on the bed, repeatedly
replaying the music in my mind. At that moment, I roughly understood what had happened.
The woman who suddenly appeared outside the gate was no ordinary person! Clearly, just now, she had used
hypnosis or some other method to induce a severe hallucination in me! Most terrifyingly, the hallucination
was so real and deceptive, instantly giving me memories
and feelings spanning three years! And her purpose in creating that hallucination was to obtain the exact location and whereabouts of the woman in white from me
! If the music hadn't reached my ears in time, allowing my brain to perceive
something beyond the hallucination, I might very well have fallen for her trick! As for why the woman's hypnosis or some other
unorthodox method suddenly failed, I didn't quite understand. Instead, I was more concerned about the
origin of the music that had reached my ears!
"There's no mistake! Someone is playing the piano nearby… the piece is Chopin's Improvisational Fantasy!" I
confirmed confidently. If I had to say which world-famous piece of music I'm most familiar with, without a doubt, it would be this one!
Because I practically grew up listening to it…
My grandmother received her education during the Republic of China era, and coming from a wealthy family, she always carried a
bourgeois air that set her apart from other women her age in town. When I was old enough to remember things, the aftermath of the Cultural Revolution had subsided,
and there was an old-fashioned record player in our old house. I'm not entirely sure of its origin;
I once suspected that my uncle had gotten it from Hong Kong through a comrade-in-arms in Guangdong, but it's also possible that my family
owned it, hid it away, and only brought it out after the Cultural Revolution ended. One of the photos my grandfather left behind is of him with
the record player on the table. And the record player in the photo seems to be the same one I saw in my childhood
.
Because of the improved economy, many families in town bought radios, and the wealthier ones even bought tape recorders.
They listened to radio storytelling or played popular songs from Hong Kong. Only my grandmother
played that Chopin piano music record repeatedly every day. When I was little, I had no appreciation for classical music. Those
pieces, to me at the time, weren't even as
appealing as the children's songs taught in school or the pop songs from Hong Kong and Taiwan. But as I grew older, I gradually realized that these pieces were the true treasures of the music hall.
Lost in thought, I found myself immersed in my childhood memories. It wasn't until I
heard noisy footsteps in the hallway and someone opened the iron gate to my room that I snapped back to reality.
Looking up, I saw a policeman surnamed Tang leading several people into the room where I was being held, and Wu Zhongjun was among them
.
Seeing me curled up on the bed, Wu Zhongjun hurriedly came to my side and asked with concern, "Yan Ping,
are you alright?"
I sat up, shook my head, and found that the pain had completely disappeared. I
nodded faintly. "I'm fine."
After receiving my affirmative answer, Wu Zhongjun patted my shoulder reassuringly.
While I was still handcuffed, Wu Zhongjun turned to the policeman surnamed Tang. Tang, with a somewhat apologetic expression,
stepped forward and unlocked my handcuffs. He then said to me, "Chief Zhao wants to see you."
Still dazed, I was led by the group to the fifth floor of the building. Following Tang and several other
policemen, we entered a room with a sign that read "Deputy Chief's Office." I saw Zhao Yongyi, his face ashen,
leaning against the open window. He glanced at me and pointed to the chair in front of his desk
. I sat down as instructed. Then, he spoke stiffly to Tang and the other policemen
, "How do you explain Ouyang Ruifeng's matter?"
The other policemen remained silent, heads bowed. Wu Zhongjun, seemingly uninvolved, stood ramrod straight. Tang,
however, appeared calm. Only he spoke after Zhao Yongyi's question.
"Don't blame them! After all, no one would suspect there was a mole among our own people!"
"How did you figure it out?" Zhao Yongyi's expression softened as he asked the man surnamed Tang
.
Tang paused before replying, "Yesterday in Liziping, there were two groups of people. After being spotted by the patrolling brothers
, they immediately turned and ran. One group was significantly larger, with a dozen or twenty people, while the other
only had four or five! Logically, anyone would consider chasing the larger group first. But Ouyang Ruifeng
led the way, first claiming he had sprained his ankle, leaving the other brothers behind. After his ankle improved, he led everyone
to turn around and chase the smaller group. The people who went told me about this, and that's why I
became suspicious of him."
Zhao Yongyi nodded and then asked, "Did you stop them?"
A hint of regret appeared on Tang's face. "Ouyang Ruifeng was shot in the waist and is being held down.
He's been taken to the hospital. The woman got away..."
Zhao Yongyi said coldly. "It's alright, as long as Ouyang Ruifeng is held down, that's fine. I think you should have a way
to get him to talk. Okay, now you don't need me to tell you what to do. Go out and handle things immediately.
I need to talk to the suspect alone here." He then waved to the others.
The policeman surnamed Tang then turned and left the office with the others. Wu Zhongjun hesitated and glanced
at me as he left, but when he noticed Zhao Yongyi's stern gaze, he finally turned and left the office.
After Wu Zhongjun left, Zhao Yongyi walked to the door, closed it behind him, and sat back down in his office
chair. He casually picked up the cigarette case on the table, took out a cigarette, and threw it in front of me.
I relaxed my wrist, which had been held for a while, and picked up the cigarette. Then I lit it with the lighter he threw at me
and pushed the lighter back.
Zhao Yongyi took the lighter I pushed towards him, lit his cigarette, and said, "The bureau staff
contacted Committee Member Qin! He confirmed that he also went to Liziping yesterday evening, and you were indeed
one of the people he asked to assist in collecting evidence of the chemical plant's pollution! There was also a German named Jack Fred
Otto Lütjens! So, you should have no connection to the grave robbing case in Zhoujia Village."
He paused, squinting at my expression. Seeing that I
was silently smoking and didn't speak, he smiled faintly and continued, "So, if there's nothing
else, you can go home in a bit!"
I looked up, frowning as I confirmed. "Don't I need to go through any procedures? Also, my personal belongings
…"
Zhao Yongyi opened a drawer beside him, took out a plastic bag containing my wallet, phone
, cigarettes, and other personal items, and placed it on the table, speaking casually. "Xiao Tang told me you
suffered some grievances on the way here. I checked your file; you were a soldier, and a reconnaissance artilleryman at that.
I suppose you shouldn't care too much about that! But I still apologize on behalf of everyone else. As for
the paperwork, the criminal investigation team will handle it themselves. You know Wu Zhongjun, so once it's done, we'll have him take
the paperwork to you for your signature. After all, we feel a bit bad about detaining you for so long, don't we?"
Hearing Zhao Yongyi say this, I still didn't respond. I just silently opened the plastic bag and tidied up
the contents. Although I had been severely beaten, getting out of here as soon as possible
was the most important thing for me right now. The Public Security Bureau is a state organ of violence. Even if I wanted to argue with them about this, to
avoid any further complications, I decided to swallow my anger for now.
I packed my belongings in front of Zhao Yongyi, extinguished my cigarette, stood up, and
asked... "Can I leave now?"
Zhao Yongyi nodded and stood up. "Of course. By the way, let me see you off." I
turned and walked towards the door, and Zhao Yongyi walked around the desk to my side.
Chapter 51
Leaving the office and arriving at the stairwell, Zhao Yongyi asked casually, "
Which environmental organization did that German belong to?"
Thinking about leaving and gaining my freedom soon, I felt relaxed and
answered casually. "IUCN." As soon as the words left my mouth, I immediately realized the inappropriateness of my answer. "IUCN"
is the abbreviation for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). It is a well-known international environmental protection organization. However,
this organization is mainly composed of government agencies and sizable non-governmental organizations.
In most cases, it exerts influence on global environmental protection efforts from a global macro level.
They rarely seem to directly concern themselves with specific environmental damage such as a chemical plant illegally discharging waste gas. As for specifically assigning someone
to collect evidence of pollution, that is almost unimaginable. Thinking this, I immediately glanced sideways
to observe the reaction of Deputy Director Zhao beside me. Only when I saw that his expression was natural did I relax slightly.
It seemed his understanding of various international environmental organizations and institutions wasn't very extensive; he probably hadn't noticed
the flaws in my answer.
My understanding of various environmental organizations, however, was quite extensive. This mainly stemmed from my time as a journalist…
There were quite a few news reports about environmental issues.
Then he started asking me casually about my work and life, such as
how busy I was, what I was busy with, and how much I earned. Since we were still on his turf, I could only patiently and
carefully answer his questions. However, along the way, I could see Zhao Yongyi's status
and influence within the police station. When other police officers encountered us, they almost always immediately gave way respectfully and
greeted him. Surprisingly, I didn't find any of them being perfunctory.
We reached the main gate. I was about to say goodbye when his expression suddenly changed. He leaned close to me and
said in a low voice, "Yan Ping! You're lucky today! You managed to get past me smoothly...
"
I shivered involuntarily, not understanding why he would suddenly say such a thing. I replied
, "I don't understand what you mean?"
"Hmph..." Zhao Yongyi sneered. "
You might be able to fool me if you said that German was from Greenpeace or the UNFPA ! IUCN? Their people would come all the way here to collect
evidence of a small chemical plant emitting waste gas? You're kidding me!"
I froze on the spot. This guy knew everything! But even after recovering, I couldn't help but
whisper a question to him. "Since you already know I'm lying, why did you still let me out?"
Zhao Yongyi looked surprised. Perhaps in his eyes, under normal circumstances, I should have kept quiet
and run away immediately. But not only did I admit I was lying, I actually asked him why he let me go.
He turned his head, glanced at me sideways for a moment, and then smiled slightly. "You've got guts! Just because you
dared to admit you lied, it seems you really weren't involved in those despicable things like digging up graves and stealing corpses! Since you
asked, I'll tell you the reason." Saying this, he grabbed my arm and pulled me to
a secluded spot outside the city police station gate.
"After you leave, I need you to stay in constant contact with the police! Originally, I planned to have someone keep an eye on
you, but judging from your current behavior, I trust you. So, if you agree to cooperate with us,
I don't think I'll arrange for anyone to keep an eye on you." Zhao Yongyi sighed as he said this. "You might
not know, but I have a relationship with Qin Pei. I know what kind of person he is! Although I don't know exactly what your
relationship with him is, he would never cover for someone who has committed a crime! That's why
I decided to let you leave. Of course, I know you haven't told us the truth! But
judging from Ouyang Ruifeng's actions of bringing that woman to your room just now, I know that you're not telling the truth for
some other specific reason that's not suitable to disclose! Hmph, I've been working in criminal investigation for decades, what kind of strange
things haven't I seen..."
Hearing Zhao Yongyi say this, I couldn't help but feel a twitch in my eyelids. The old policeman's words seemed to have a hidden meaning.
"I'm certain you didn't do any grave robbing! But you're definitely involved to some extent.
That woman is incredibly bold, daring to play tricks on that bastard Ouyang Ruifeng right under the noses of the criminal police.
Their target is clearly you! And I'm sure they'll keep coming back for you. You might
be a good bait for us; we should be able to lure out those despicable grave robbing bastards."
"Then why did you let me out and lock me up here? Wouldn't it be easier for you to use me as bait to arrest people?"
The thought of being used as "bait" naturally made me unhappy, so I couldn't help but ask back
.
"Do you think they're fools? Although I don't know why they went to such lengths, even risking their lives, to get close to you
, it's obvious that the woman fled this time. Do you think they
'll come back if we keep you locked up here? Without concrete evidence, we can only detain you for a maximum of 48 hours. Besides, you
're not a grave robber. Why should I keep you locked up? Rather than that, I might as well do
you a favor and release you, then be frank with you and ask you to cooperate with us and help
us catch these criminals."
At this moment, Zhao Yongyi revealed a cunning smile. Seeing this, my heart skipped a beat
. I realized that if I didn't agree to cooperate with him, he would definitely find various ways to make things difficult for me.
Considering that he was doing it all for the sake of catching criminals, upholding justice, and maintaining the law, it seemed that I had no
choice but to agree to cooperate.
"Okay, since you've said that, what else can I do? What exactly do you need me to do? Tell me."
Zhao Yongyi patted my shoulder and said. "No wonder you're a soldier, that's straightforward! Since you're willing to cooperate,
I don't need to assign anyone to follow you! You don't need to do anything specific. Just
keep in touch with us and report your every move. That way, if those people contact you again,
we can immediately arrange for their arrest based on the location you provide. Once you catch the others,
you'll have done a great service for our Public Security Bureau! Don't worry, I'm a sentimental person; I won't forget those who have helped me
! By the way, isn't Yan Guang from Ranfang Street your brother? You might not know…
among these petty thugs in the city, he's one of the ones I find more agreeable…"
Walking down the street, I rubbed my stomach, which still ached from the beating, while mentally
cursing Zhao Yongyi's ancestors!
To get me to willingly cooperate in luring those grave-digging, corpse-stealing bastards, this guy used both soft and
hard tactics! What I found most intolerable was that he unceremoniously brought up Yan Guang as
a bargaining chip in our deal. I had no room to maneuver. After all, Yan Guang and his gang had far too
many weaknesses; if Zhao Yongyi really wanted to deal with him, he and his brothers wouldn't even know how they died! Thinking about
what happened in Liziping, it needed to be resolved. Besides, if I could actually gain
some favor with Zhao Yongyi for Yan Guang, it wouldn't be a bad thing. For now, I could only go with the flow and temporarily become a policeman's henchman. But turning around...
Thinking about it, it's not like I haven't been a lackey before! Back in the army, wasn't I a complete lackey?
"I'm a dog of the Party, I bite whoever the Party tells me to bite, and bite as many times as the Party tells me to bite..." This was
a common saying among comrades in the army! Although it was mostly a joke, it revealed some truths
.
I laughed self-deprecatingly, intending to immediately go to Sunshine Department Store to find Wang Lie and Han Zhe, and also
to visit the woman in white. But this thought was immediately dismissed!
The woman who hypnotized me was asking about the whereabouts of the woman in white in her dream. From this, it's highly likely that she
's with the group of crossbowmen I encountered yesterday in Liziping. And clearly, they haven't
given up on the woman in white. Judging from the conversation between Zhao Yongyi and the man surnamed Tang, the policeman named Ouyang Ruifeng seems
to be an inside man planted by those people within the police force. Ouyang must have known I was at the Liziping service
area, so he deduced I might be with the people who took the woman in white. However, being at the police station, he
couldn't directly interrogate me about the woman in white, so he brought in the woman in the tight-fitting clothes
to hypnotize me through the iron fence, trying to use her abilities to extract information about her.
Judging from his aggressive attitude, his hatred for me is probably not just because he sprained his
ankle; a bigger reason is likely that he considers me one of the suspects who ruined their plans
.
Now it seems I'm being watched by that group. They might even be
secretly observing my every move from some corner of the street. If I go directly to Sunshine Department Store now, I'm very likely to
expose the woman in white's location. And it's possible they're not the only ones watching me. That old fox Zhao Yongyi
said he wouldn't have anyone tailing me, but who knows if he's telling the truth? There might
be plainclothes police officers lurking behind me too.
Therefore, it would be very unwise for me to go to Wang Lie and his group now. Realizing this, I sent Wang
Lie a text message: "I've been released by the police and it's inconvenient for me to contact you anytime soon."
After sending the message, I quickly received a reply from Wang Lie: "Understood. We'll keep an eye on the woman.
Be careful. We'll contact you if necessary."
After deleting the message, I let out a long sigh. After thinking for a moment, I turned and walked towards the nearest pharmacy
.
Although I didn't feel anything unusual in my body right now, I had been beaten up and had a headache,
although I wasn't sure if the headache was a side effect of the woman's hypnosis. But
just in case, I bought some liniment, Yunnan Baiyao, and Oxide for migraines at the pharmacy. Then
I hailed a taxi and went straight back to my place.
When I got home, I was stunned for a moment, then numbly took a beer from the refrigerator, sat on the sofa
, and started watching TV while drinking. My home was once again visited by that mysterious "fairy godmother," and
cleaned spotlessly! Now, I seem to have gotten used to it, even too lazy to check
the "valuables" in my house.
After finishing my beer, I took a shower, applied some liniment to my bruises, and then
collapsed onto the bed. I felt extremely exhausted; the moment my head hit the pillow, I fell asleep immediately
.
This was the deepest sleep I'd had since escaping the Phoenix Mountain prison. I
didn't wake up until almost noon. The column was already submitted. Whether I went to the editorial office or not, the director wouldn't
mind. And I couldn't contact Wang Lie for the time being. Lying in bed, I didn't know what to do
.
After lying there for a while, I remembered that I still needed to get up for lunch. So I reached out and supported myself to
sit up. But as soon as I sat up, a wave of pain washed over me.
The beating I received in the car yesterday was only now showing its aftereffects.
"Damn it! So what if they're cops? Besides Ouyang Ruifeng, two other guys also hit me.
I'll remember your faces! If I don't get my revenge sometime soon, I'll make sure you pay!"
Muttering these threats, I forced myself out of bed. After washing up, I went downstairs to the small restaurant near the entrance of the complex
to order food. Although I occasionally cook at home, most of the time, due to laziness,
I prefer to spend twenty or thirty yuan at this restaurant for a simple dish and soup to satisfy my hunger.
The restaurant is run by a couple from Hunan, and because I'm a regular customer, they know me well. When the proprietress
saw me, without me even saying a word, she warmly poured me a glass of water and introduced me to
the seasonal vegetables they had prepared that day. Thinking about the beating I received the day before, I figured I needed to take care of myself, so I
ordered an extra dish on top of what I already had. The proprietress went into the kitchen to tell the boss to start cooking. I leaned weakly against the table
, drinking water and waiting for my food.
Just then, I saw someone quite unexpected pass by across the street.
"Luo Zhendong... what's he doing here? Isn't he supposed to be with He Gang and his gang
serving Aunt Lu? This place is completely unfamiliar to him! Why is he
wandering around alone on the street at this time?" I squinted, watching Luo Zhendong's every move in the distance.
At this moment, Luo Zhendong was in a hurry, but seemed quite wary, glancing around frequently. Then he turned into
a narrow alley not far away.
Overall, my impression of Luo Zhendong was good. He wasn't as
flamboyant as the other tomb raiders who had entered the underground palace with me, and he was extremely polite and respectful to me. Most importantly, at the sacrificial pit and altar, facing
the terrifying walking corpse monster, he didn't run away, but resolutely stayed behind and rescued
Tang Hui with me, Zhou Jingyi, and the others. Therefore, among the people who came out of the underground palace, I was relatively close to him. When I first saw
him, I even considered getting up to call out to him. But seeing his nervous expression and furtive behavior,
I immediately abandoned the idea and chose to stay in the restaurant to observe his actions.
After seeing him disappear into the alley diagonally opposite, I considered for a moment, then stood up and greeted the restaurant owners in the kitchen
. "Boss, I'm going out to buy some things. Please save the food for me when it's ready. I'll eat when I get back."
The owners agreed, and I immediately left the restaurant. I followed Luo Zhendong's trail into the alley across the street
.
I was naturally familiar with the streets and alleys around the neighborhood. The alley Luo Zhendong had entered, and the surrounding area,
was the largest old town area in the area, mainly consisting of single-story houses. The alleys were narrow and branched out frequently. With the large-
scale migration of the original inhabitants, in recent years, this area had become a concentrated rental area for many migrant workers and outsiders.
Due to the large flow of people and their diverse backgrounds, it was considered the most complex and chaotic area in the area.
Luo Zhendong claimed to be from Taiyuan, Shanxi, and had come to the area for the first time after being hired by Boss Li. Why would he
come to a place like this, alone? This naturally aroused my suspicion. After Lu Zhaohui told me about Cao
Zixuan's disappearance, I had considered that there might be other suspicious
individuals among those involved in the tomb raiding. Luo Zhendong's appearance here now, and his strange behavior, undoubtedly confirmed my suspicion.
I am extremely familiar with the roads in this area; I know the approximate length of each alley,
how long it would take to walk, where there are forks in the road, which alleys are dead ends, and so on. Therefore, I did not
follow him closely. Instead, relying on my familiarity with the environment, I secretly followed him from a distance. During this time,
he disappeared from my sight several times, but I still easily deduced and judged
his route through my knowledge of the road environment.
However, when I discovered his final destination, I hesitated for a moment.
Because this guy actually went into a dead end, and this dead end was a
notorious brothel alley in this old city. The dozens of adjacent rental houses were mostly inhabited by the cheapest
street prostitutes in the area…
“No way? Is this kid just pent up and came here to relieve his pent-up desire?” However, I quickly dismissed
this assumption. First, this place was quite secluded; unless a newcomer was temporarily staying in this old district
, most people wouldn't know about it. Second, from what I knew, Lu Zhaohui
immediately paid all the survivors who had entered the underground palace the day after she entered the city, fulfilling Li Chao's promise to them.
Two days ago, on the way to see Lu Zhaohui, Lu Laosan and He Qiang jokingly mentioned A-Can and Leopard's
“glorious deeds” of taking their money to the most upscale hotel in town for prostitution. Luo Zhendong received no
less money than Leopard and the others, and after being hired by Wanmei Group along with He Qiang and the others, his income had become stable. Would he choose
such a cheap place to satisfy his physical needs? I involuntarily shook my head, then turned and followed them into the
alley.
Outside the shops in the alley, a dozen or so heavily made-up women stood scattered about. When I entered, they
simply stared at me silently, their eyes vacant and expressions numb.
The women making a living here are basically at the very bottom of society.
The instinct for survival forces them to abandon their dignity and sell their bodies for a meager
income. Seeing them now evoked more pity than lust…
Because I hesitated slightly at the alley corner, and by the time I entered, Luo Zhendong was nowhere to be seen
. I thought for a moment, then walked up to one of the prostitutes. The woman, assuming I intended to do
business with her, forced a smile and then extended her right hand, making an "eight" gesture.
I frequented prostitutes, but I had never been to this place. However, I understood the meaning of the woman's gesture
. From my fellow journalists who had conducted social surveys on these women, I learned that these women
were different from the sex workers in hotels, pubs, or bathhouses who had fixed prices; they could bargain.
The woman was making an "eight" gesture, meaning it would cost eighty yuan for a one-night stand. I
nodded at the price. The woman gestured for me to enter the room behind her, then turned and went inside.
I followed her into a room partitioned off with wooden planks. The woman pulled
the curtain at the entrance and began to undress. I stopped her, took a hundred-yuan bill from my wallet, and
handed it to her. She looked confused.
"Did you see the man who came in earlier?" I asked quietly.
The woman hesitated for a moment, but quickly realized I wasn't looking for sex and nodded.
"Which shop did he go into?" I continued.
"The third one from the far right," she replied.
I placed the money in her hand. "Thank you, no need to look anymore." Then, I pulled back the curtain and turned back
into the alley. I glanced at the shop the woman had pointed to. There were no women standing outside the third-to-last shop on the right. However, 　　two women in cheongsams were sitting on
a long bench outside the fourth-to-last shop , legs crossed, eating sunflower seeds. 　　I walked towards the fourth shop. When I reached the women, they realized 　　a customer had arrived. One of them looked up at me and gestured the number "eight" with her hand. 　　The woman's heavy makeup couldn't hide her age and plain looks, but I wasn't really there for prostitution, 　　so I didn't care. Seeing me nod, the woman who had gestured immediately stood up, smiled apologetically at her companion 　　, and took my hand, leading me into the shop. 　　The layout inside wasn't much different from the previous one; the narrow space was again divided into several small rooms by wooden partitions 　　. Seeing a wooden staircase, I gestured for the woman to go upstairs. After a moment's hesitation, the woman 　　led the way, guiding me up to the second floor. 　　The so-called second floor was actually just a mezzanine between the roof and the floors below. Because the space was small, aside from 　　a small washroom partitioned off at the very back, there was only a bed and some miscellaneous items piled in the corner. 　　Judging from the women's underwear casually placed around, this was where the women actually slept.

The woman went upstairs and quickly gathered the clothes scattered on the bed. Then she turned around,
looking at me ingratiatingly, and pulled my hand to her chest.
I wasn't disgusted by her actions. She was in this line of work; while her age and looks weren't impressive
, she at least had professional ethics.
I gently pulled away from her grasp, took out two hundred yuan from my wallet again, showed it to the woman
, and said, "I'm not here for sex, but I want to ask some questions. Tell me everything you know
, and this money is yours."
As I spoke, I moved closer to the narrow window on the second floor facing the street.
After confirming the situation within a hundred-meter radius of the street below, I turned back to wait for the woman's reaction.
The woman looked at the money, then at me, snatched the money from my hand, sat down on the bed, and
replied. "Ask away, I'll tell you everything I know."
"What does that house on your right do?"
"What else? Just like us." The woman was clearly puzzled by my question.
"Then why isn't anyone soliciting customers outside?"
"There used to be, but a customer just came in, so they went inside to do business!" The woman pursed her lips.
I nodded, leaning against the window and lowering my voice. "How's business at this place on a regular basis?"
Hearing my question, the woman immediately showed a resentful expression. "What? You want to go next door?
Go ahead. Tch..."
Realizing the woman's resentment, I couldn't help but become interested. "What? The girl next door is very
pretty? Stealing your business?"
The woman pursed her lips, probably thinking that since she had already received my money, not answering might violate the spirit of the transaction. She still
answered my question.
"That's not it. Three sisters I know used to live next door. But a few days ago, some
women from Yunnan came. They were like vixens. We couldn't understand what they were saying, and they were unreasonable. They insisted my three
sisters move. My sisters refused, and they even hit them."
"Oh, you must have someone watching over things here, right? Just letting them run rampant?" I asked, squinting
. Places like this are usually run by underworld figures who take a cut. In my memory
, this area is under the control of a local underworld boss called "Lei Xiaohu
." Theoretically, his men should intervene when disputes arise among the prostitutes in the area.
"This is what makes us sisters so angry! That guy surnamed Luo is biased towards outsiders.
He sees those Yunnan women are pretty, and instead of standing up for us, he helps them bully us.
He even snatched the shop next door. Bah! We sisters have never let him sleep around for free, and we've
never shortchanged him on our due gifts. What a heartless bastard..."
I nodded at this point. The Luo the woman was talking about was probably just
a small-time boss under Lei Xiaohu in charge of this area. Lei Xiaohu probably wouldn't get involved in disputes like this. The same goes for Yan Guang's side.
As the boss, Yan Guang usually only deals with the affairs of his own territory, Ranfang Street. The other areas under his control are mostly
managed by his subordinates. For example, Qiangzi, although he usually eats and drinks on Ranfang Street, also
has his own area under his jurisdiction. In this respect, the three major local underworld bosses all meet
the standard of "organized and clearly defined criminal gangs."
Just then, a woman emerged from under the eaves on my right, and like the other streetwalkers,
stood on the side of the street.
The instant I saw her profile, I was completely stunned. "How is this possible? Didn't she...she
went back to Yunnan five years ago?"

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