On the morning of the day after the discovery of the body, Lu Siyu was already seated at his desk.

At this moment, Lu Siyu looked at the thick stack of materials beside the printer on his desk. These were all automatically printed last night; he had inserted a USB drive into Zhu Xiao’s laptop earlier and installed a small backdoor software. This backdoor software couldn’t access the police station’s internal network, but it could retrieve external queries and information.

For someone with strong moral principles, they might not choose such a method, but these constraints did not apply to Lu Siyu. For him, life and death were matters he could set aside, not to mention these small tactics.

The newly downloaded information on Zhu Xiao’s computer was undoubtedly organized by Song Wen. It contained all the relevant information about Zhang Peicai, including various reports, videos, and text materials. Zhu Xiao had worked overtime last night to download and organize them one by one. So Lu Siyu copied them as they were onto his computer.

Just yesterday evening, around seven o’clock, Lu Siyu received a call from his mentor, Wu Qing. Wu Qing asked about his recent situation and then inquired about when he would return to the team. At that time, Wu Qing said, “A corpse was found by the river tonight. A friend sent me photos of the scene, and the third team surveyed it, but I asked around; it might be assigned to the first team. It would be best if you follow up on this case.”

Lu Siyu didn’t know where Wu Qing got the information. His mentor had his own network of connections in Nancheng, so he was somewhat worried. “Although Dr. Li allowed me to be discharged, he hasn’t signed my reinstatement report.”

“That’s easy to handle. I also have many old friends at Nancheng First Hospital. Getting one signature is easy. Wait for my message later. After contacting, go find Song Wen and give it a try.” Wu Qing paused for a moment and then asked, “Is Song Wen doing well lately?”

Lu Siyu responded with a sound, “Captain Song is doing fine.”

Wu Qing on the other end of the phone chuckled, “I haven’t seen him in over ten years. The last time I saw him, he was still in high school. In the blink of an eye, so many years have passed. There shouldn’t be any problems on his end, right?”

Lu Siyu made another sound, “He’s beginning to have some suspicions… but he should have dispelled some thoughts by now.” Falling ill was a good thing for him. Everyone would show sympathy towards a sick person and view them as vulnerable, letting down their guard.

Lu Siyu began probing Song Wen, and that method was a bit too dangerous. Before reaching this point, he was curious about what kind of person Song Wen was and how intelligent he was. He deliberately let slip a bit of information, and then Song Wen caught his tail. It was a process of testing and sharing hearts. Song Wen got the answers he wanted, and he did too.

Wu Qing didn’t say much more, “In any case, you must follow up on this case now.”

Lu Siyu said, “Once I get the signature, I’ll go find Song Wen to discuss the matter of returning to work. However… I still have a month of leave. Song Wen might not approve.”

He thought for a moment and added, “Rest assured, even if he doesn’t approve, I’ll find other ways.”

“That’s good.” Wu Qing paused for a moment before saying, “I always feel like someone is watching me lately. There are many people coming and going here, so be careful with Song Wen on your end. I’ll reduce contact with you in the future.”

So, after that call, there was the incident of Lu Siyu going to see Song Wen last night. Unfortunately, as Lu Siyu expected, Song Wen did not want him to return early.

Unfortunately, Lu Siyu was not a compliant person. He had already seen the body last night, although only a few glances were enough to grasp the situation. Now, he lowered his gaze and organized the materials on his desk.

The deceased, Zhang Peicai, had simple yet incredibly complex social connections.

He was considered simple because both of his parents had passed away, and he grew up with only a younger brother. He had no extended family members, such as numerous aunts or uncles. He married a woman a few years younger than him, had no children, and maintained harmonious relations with neighbors. For a modern urban dweller, his social connections were relatively straightforward.

On the other hand, he was considered complex due to the thousands of contacts in his phone’s cloud backup. These people ranged from casual acquaintances to those seeking favors from him. Occasionally, he worked undercover, changing his identity every few months. He received a large number of private messages and texts daily, with many people sharing their situations with him. Some even considered him their savior. His news reports had shed light on some societal blind spots, making him a hero in the eyes of some and a deeply hated figure for others.

Unraveling the recent people Zhang Peicai had contact with, finding a motive for the crime, seemed like an impossible task.

Moreover, labeling this person as just and righteous might not be accurate. He had abandoned news about to be exposed in exchange for financial gain and distorted normal romantic relationships as instances of third-party interference just for attention.

But was he a scoundrel? That didn’t seem accurate either, as he occasionally extended help to strangers.

Such a person naturally faced occasional threats of death. Some who got wind of his investigations wanted to kill him to silence him. Individuals involved in incidents he reported on wanted to see him dead. And those exposed by his reports, their reputations tarnished, desired revenge.

Zhang Peicai had once publicly shared death threats he received online, along with attempts to buy his silence. He had stated, “Don’t think that killing me will silence me. I’ve set up a secret email. If no one logs in for a while after my death, it will automatically release the news and information inside, making it public. So, even if I die, you won’t be able to stop my exposés!”

This behavior undoubtedly stirred up the online community. Some praised Zhang Peicai for his courage, thinking he was fearless and uncompromising in the face of death. Others believed that by making this information public, he made potential attackers wary, ensuring his safety. Then there were those who simply enjoyed the spectacle, with keyboard warriors eagerly anticipating something to happen, hoping for a massive revelation to unfold.

Reading these messages, the most fearful were undoubtedly those exposed by his reports. This meant that Zhang Peicai’s death might not solve their problems; their secrets could still be exposed. The Schrödinger’s email hung like a sword over their heads, ready to fall at any moment.

So why was he killed now? Was the killer panicking after the murder and disposing of the body?

After Zhang Peicai’s death, would it trigger a series of events like a chain reaction?

Lu Siyu marked Zhang Peicai’s publication frequency on the calendar and noticed that he hadn’t published any new articles for four months before his death. This was a delay of one to two months compared to his usual cycle of publishing an article every 2-3 months.

What exactly was Zhang Peicai investigating in the end?

More importantly, why did Wu Qing want him involved in this case?

Lu Siyu looked at those files, rubbed his forehead, and then his gaze fell on a photo. It was a scene photo taken by Team Three, which had been transferred to Zhu Xiao’s computer along with the data. In the photo, Zhang Peicai’s body had open eyes, and his hands were tied as he curled up.

On that rope, there was a unique and beautiful figure-eight knot. It resembled a surgical knot at first glance, but upon closer inspection, it was different. The knot was more complex and secure than a surgical knot.

Lu Siyu used to think that surgeons were the best at tying knots in the world. They could use various materials to create various knots inside and outside the human body. Staring at this knot, Lu Siyu pursed his lips. Perhaps his knowledge was not enough, as he seemed to have seen this beautiful knot somewhere before, but he couldn’t recall it at the moment.

At half-past ten in the morning, at the Nancheng City Bureau, Zhu Xiao had already notified the family members of the deceased Zhang Peicai. Several family members were summoned to the Bureau. The first person they questioned was the deceased’s wife, Du Ruoxin. This session, with Fu Linjiang and Lao Jia as the main investigators, had already been in progress for more than half the time when Song Wen entered the observation room.

Fu Linjiang was inquiring about details related to the couple’s relationship. According to the information sheet, Du Ruoxin, twenty-eight years old, was seven years younger than Zhang Peicai. She was a radio host and had met Zhang Peicai when they were both reporters. In a sense, she was Zhang Peicai’s junior.

“You and Zhang Peicai have been separated for a while?” Fu Linjiang asked.

Separated?

Song Wen, hearing this, paused in flipping through the documents. This was information he hadn’t learned from the files before.

“Can I smoke?” Du Ruoxin’s fingertips trembled slightly. Afraid that it might not be allowed, she added, “An electronic one, strawberry-flavored.”

Looking through the glass window, Song Wen observed Du Ruoxin’s slender figure. Her eyebrows were thin, and her lips were thin too. He could sense her indifference towards Zhang Peicai. It seemed that she hadn’t experienced such a situation before. Facing police questioning now, she appeared somewhat fearful, and smoking helped mask her anxiety.

Fu Linjiang glanced at her, made a gesture to indicate she could go ahead, and then casually asked, “How long have you been smoking?”

Du Ruoxin relaxed a bit, her complexion returning to some normalcy. Holding the electronic cigarette between her fingers, she exhaled a puff of white smoke. “For about four or five years. Sometimes when I’m not happy, I want to imitate men and smoke one. But in our industry, regular cigarettes are too damaging to the throat. So, I switched to electronic ones. It’s a kind of psychological comfort.” Despite smoking for years, her voice remained gentle and pleasant, with a hint of a subtle huskiness, adding a touch of femininity.

Fu Linjiang continued to question her, “What was the reason for your separation?”

“Which woman can endure a man not coming home for half a year? Zhang Peicai was insane when it came to investigating those things. He could stay awake for days and nights, unreachable by anyone. He started saying that he worked for money, to give us a better life, and some so-called sense of justice. Huh, it’s all bullshit. He just liked it, liked investigating the truth, pursuing the thrill,” Du Ruoxin paused, then lowered her eyelashes, “He enjoyed the feeling of others worshiping him, but I hated his unrealistic vanity. Although we are still technically husband and wife, in reality, we’ve been heading for a divorce.”

Fu Linjiang pursued, “Whose idea was it to divorce?”

Du Ruoxin averted her gaze, seeming unwilling to recall, “It seems like mine? But I don’t remember clearly. That feeling was terrible, like one day, I suddenly discovered that my husband and I were like strangers. We didn’t love each other enough and lacked the intimacy we imagined. We didn’t have a big fight, but there were constant arguments and friction. In short, we were not very happy.”

Old Jia tried to probe, “It seems like you weren’t surprised by your husband’s death.”

Du Ruoxin, smoking an electronic cigarette, her hands trembling uncontrollably, said, “He offended too many people. Investigating those things cut off people’s sources of income and livelihoods. He made enemies in both the underworld and the legitimate world. I anticipated that he would have this day. Perhaps he would be stabbed someday, or get hit by a car while crossing the road, or fall off a bridge one day while walking.”

As the topic turned to this, Du Ruoxin’s eyes finally reddened slightly. Perhaps it was due to grief, perhaps due to fear. She deeply inhaled a puff of smoke, “I advised him several times not to go too far, not to push others to a dead end. But he found joy in uncovering hidden secrets. Many nights, I couldn’t sleep alone, not knowing where he went. Now that he’s dead, I can finally have a peaceful sleep.”

Fu Linjiang raised his head and asked, “Have you seen Zhang Peicai in the last two months?”

“No, I haven’t.” Du Ruoxin sighed, “To be precise, it’s been about three months.”

Song Wen quietly listened in the observation room. The current reaction of Du Ruoxin would need to be verified against other testimonies later.

“Zhang Peicai was murdered. Do you have anyone suspicious in mind?”

Du Ruoxin blew another smoke ring, “He had many enemies. If you ask who wanted him dead in the past year, I can recall one person.”

“Who?”

Du Ruoxin hesitated for a moment, then said, “A boss surnamed Wang, it seems like Wang Chao… or Wang Qichao…” Her eyebrows furrowed, as if struggling to remember.

Having reviewed all the relevant interview videos of Zhang Peicai as part of the case files, Song Wen searched his memory. There was some impression, possibly involving a person who was the subject of a report at the end of last year.

Fu Linjiang thought for a moment and asked, “Is it the boss who makes take-out meal kits? Wang Qichao?”

Du Ruoxin nodded, swaying the hand holding the cigarette, “He had sent threatening messages to Zhang Peicai a long time ago. He even had people follow him…”

TN

“No one can see the whole of reality all at once, and no one can see the whole of his self.”