In the afternoon, the library provided feedback that Zhang Peicai had borrowed newspapers from eighteen years ago in Nancheng, and not just from one newspaper but several. Although this information was confirmed, the scope was still quite broad.

That year should be the one following the 519 case. At that time, Song Wen was still a child, probably in the second grade of elementary school. Memories of that year were fuzzy, but he vaguely remembered it being a disaster year with various natural and man-made calamities.

Song Wen instructed two assistant police officers to go to the library and collect copies of newspapers from that entire year for photocopying.

Meanwhile, Zhu Xiao retrieved Wang Qichao’s identity and information. She attempted to call, but after several attempts, the response was consistently that the user was out of the service area.

Fu Linjiang, frowning, asked Song Wen, “Could this person have fled?”

“It’s unlikely. If he did, he would have changed his phone at least.” Song Wen examined Wang Qichao’s information. He was a chubby man of short stature. After a brief thought, Song Wen took something from the table. “Let’s go, we’ll check it out together.” Information about this person had been registered in the previous police system, and there was an address for a factory. This factory was Wang Qichao’s own, transformed to accommodate both living and working. It seemed unlikely that he could escape easily.

The two of them drove in a police car to the factory area, and from a distance, they could see a row of single-story factories. Fu Linjiang checked each door number one by one. Initially, he didn’t hold much hope, but as soon as they reached the entrance, they saw a chubby figure sneakily peeking out from one of the factory buildings. Spotting the police car, the chubby man turned and tried to run. Stepping on the gas, Song Wen executed a drift, blocking the man. When they faced each other, it turned out to be Wang Qichao. This saved them a lot of trouble.

“Wang Qichao!” Fu Linjiang called out his name, showing his identification from the passenger seat. While getting out of the car, he said, “Do you know why we’re looking for you?”

Wang Qichao took the ID, glanced at it, and his face slightly changed. “You guys from the criminal police… still care about my business making meal packs? Is it something about food poisoning?” He licked his lips, putting on a somewhat wronged expression. “Although I cut a few corners in my stuff, it’s not that harmful. Officer, is there some misunderstanding here? And the things I sell are very cheap…”

Song Wen locked the police car and snorted. “Making meal packs is not something to be proud of, judging by your tone.”

Wang Qichao grinned. “This is a market economy, adapting to market demands. If nobody buys it, who would bother making it?”

Fu Linjiang questioned him, “Do you eat that stuff?” On the video, those materials were not properly washed, piled on the ground, stepped on, and various spoiled ingredients, with the cheapest low-quality meat mixed directly with chili and seasonings, making it nauseating.

Wang Qichao shook his head obediently, whispering, “I was thinking… if I don’t make it, someone else will.” He would never eat what he made; whoever ate it was just unlucky.

Song Wen and Fu Linjiang entered the factory building. It had indeed been transformed, with several machines for cooking in the lobby, covered in dust.

Wang Qichao hurriedly followed, saying, “I’ve retired early, and now I’m the only one living here.”

Fu Linjiang asked, “What were you doing sneaking around earlier?”

“I… I was going to the bathroom…” Wang Qichao stammered in response.

Song Wen pointed to the toilet symbol on the nearby door, directly exposing his lie, “Is this room just for show?”

Wang Qichao forced a smile, rubbing his hands, “Didn’t you see the police car? I got nervous. This toilet doesn’t flush well.” Not a single truthful sentence in the three he spoke.

Song Wen began to look around the environment, while Fu Linjiang took out Zhang Peicai’s photo for him to identify, “Do you know the person in the photo?”

“Zhang Peicai, even if he turns into ashes, I’d recognize him. This damn guy, he went undercover in my factory for three months. I treated him like a brother, provided good food and accommodation, and he stabbed me in the back, exposing all my secrets.” Wang Qichao spoke until this point, then realized, widening his eyes, “Could it be… he’s dead?”

Fu Linjiang nodded, took out a stack of evidence, and flashed it in front of Wang Qichao, “This is the evidence of you threatening Zhang Peicai.”

Wang Qichao’s mouth twitched, seemingly suppressing joy in his heart. He hurriedly retorted, “I was just angry and cursed a bit. If I really killed someone, wouldn’t I have run away a long time ago? Why would I stay here for you to catch? And… have you… found the body?”

Fu Linjiang said, “Of course, if we hadn’t found the body, why would we come looking for you?”

As Wang Qichao spoke, he lowered his head, “That’s true. A guy like me, running a food factory, throwing a body outside? In my factory, there are several meat grinders.”

Hearing this, Fu Linjiang’s hair stood on end, “So you were planning to make human dumplings, huh?”

“No, no, officer, I was just talking casually. You can check it however you like.” Wang Qichao immediately admitted defeat, “I did think about hiring someone to give him a beating, but that guy surnamed Zhang is too alert. At the slightest movement, he disappears. Such a capable person, he tricked me and made me look like a fool. How could I catch him… And, I heard someone say that he’s no longer involved in our line of work; he’s investigating big news.”

“Big news? What kind of big news?” Fu Linjiang asked.

Wang Qichao said, “Naturally, it’s news that can shake Nancheng. Compared to that, my small workshop is like an ant on the ground, not worth mentioning. But as for the specifics, I don’t know.”

Song Wen had been listening to the two of them talking. Taking advantage of this time, he strolled inside and outside the room. Now he walked over and said, “You’re well-informed, as if you knew we were coming. Did someone tip you off?”

Wang Qichao’s body stiffened, “No! No! Even if I’m well-informed, I wouldn’t have any connection with you criminal police.” Then he bit his lip and didn’t say anything useful.

Unable to get any more information, Fu Linjiang handed a business card to Wang Qichao, instructing him to report any clues related to Zhang Peicai promptly. Only then did he follow Song Wen out.

“The one surnamed Wang is probably not the murderer. However…” Song Wen spoke as he opened the car door and sat in the driver’s seat, “Notify the Food Safety Department and the police at the sub-Bureau; he definitely resumed production with such a strong seasoning smell on him.”

Fu Linjiang was taken aback, “But the machines are not in use…”

Song Wen started the car, “They are there just to pass inspections. Besides, the placement is different from the video, and there are missing machines. They’re probably underground, so his phone couldn’t get a signal.”

It was only after hearing Song Wen’s words that Fu Linjiang suddenly realized. When they entered earlier, Wang Qichao ran to divert their attention. The Wang guy watching them leave seemed visibly relieved.

Fu Linjiang also remembered the related news he had seen before, “Wasn’t this place inspected before, and it was shut down for only three months?”

“Probably spent money, pulled some strings, and his factory shutdown results in a daily loss. Compared to huge profits, the fines are nothing,” Song Wen added with an explanation, “Previously, Zhang Peicai cut off his financial resources, making him desperate. But now, he’s calm, not so resentful when mentioning Zhang Peicai. Definitely trying to find a way to resume operations and not bothering about that matter anymore.”

Fu Linjiang sighed, took out his phone, and made a call to the department, saying, “I hope this time we can gain more. Let’s just seal the place and arrest him.”

Returning to the police station, they just entered when they saw a stranger carrying a bag walking towards their office. Arriving at the office door, his eyes scanned around, and seeing the unfamiliar face, Song Wen asked, “Who are you looking for?”

The man asked, “Is Cheng Xiaobing here?” After saying this, he pointed to the clothes inside his coat, “I’m a delivery guy.” Saying so, he opened his collar, revealing a yellow shirt inside.

Hearing this, Song Wen got annoyed, “This is the City Bureau. Deliveries and packages should only be sent to the reception area, not directly inside.” Not to mention any confidential files, even the case details on the whiteboard shouldn’t be seen by others. It was just after lunch, and it was the most lax time in the entire police station, allowing a delivery guy to swagger in.

“Sorry! Sorry! Captain Song.” Cheng Xiaobing rushed out of the forensic room, took the delivered food from the man, waved her hand to signal the delivery guy to leave quickly. As she turned around, she saw Song Wen’s stern face and smiled, “Captain Song, I’m just working overtime for the recent case. I missed the canteen mealtime, so this delivery guy brought it in as a goodwill gesture. I’ll mark it next time; there won’t be a repeat.”

Lao Jia, who happened to be nearby, joined in, walked over, and looked at the bag in Cheng Xiaobing’s hand, “Oh! Milk tea, fatty!”

Cheng Xiaobing didn’t let him off, “Uncle Jia, you should reduce your belly before commenting on me.”

Lao Jia snorted, “The little girl is bold to order takeout! I should show you the previous videos.”

Cheng Xiaobing quickly waved her hand, “No, no, no! I don’t want to see!”

After hearing this, Zhu Xiao laughed, “She works in the forensic department, hasn’t she seen anything disgusting? Those forensic doctors even love eating internal organs.”

With someone speaking up for her, Cheng Xiaobing stuck her tongue out, “Exactly, out of sight, out of mind. Unclean food won’t harm you if you eat it. Besides, no one brings me lunch.”

Half of the office turned to look at Song Wen, their gaze meaningful.

Song Wen cleared his throat, “Everyone’s so free? Is the testimony sorted? Has the case been solved? What about the forensic report?”

After hearing this, everyone lowered their heads, and Cheng Xiaobing dared not be smug anymore, quickly carrying the takeaway towards the forensic room.

Busy for an entire afternoon, various testimonies and related materials gradually came together, but they still knew nothing about the person who abducted Zhang Peicai. Wang Qichao wasn’t the culprit, and now they could only hope for some clues from the mysterious woman mentioned by Zhang Mingxuan.

Song Wen took the whiteboard pen and wrote Zhang Peicai’s name on the whiteboard. Then, he sketched a simple map of the area where Zhang Peicai was found. They couldn’t even verify where Zhang Peicai was held captive before his disappearance and subsequent murder.

It was the first time for Song Wen to encounter such a case. Two days had passed since the incident, yet they knew nothing about the killer – whether it was a man or a woman, one person or more, the time of the crime, the location of the crime scene, the motive for the murder – all remained unknown.

He felt like he was in a fog, holding a lamp in his hand but unable to see what lay ahead. The faint light was insufficient to pierce through the mist and illuminate the direction ahead.

Nevertheless, Song Wen felt that he should move forward. It was like playing a game of chess with an invisible opponent.

As the end of the workday approached, Song Wen couldn’t resist checking Zhang Peicai’s credit records again. He hoped to find some clues, at least to identify the mysterious woman.

True to Zhu Xiao’s information, Zhang Peicai had purchased many luxury items for women. While going through the records, an idea struck Song Wen – luxury stores usually have surveillance cameras. Could they find the mysterious woman in the footage from these stores?

With a plan in mind, Song Wen organized Zhang Peicai’s expense list.

Based on the payment times and locations, he quickly compiled a list.

It was now around seven in the evening. Checking the time, Song Wen decided to drive to the city center directly.

The high-end shopping district in Nancheng was located in the middle of the entire city, featuring unique architecture and always bustling with activity.

Song Wen had only occasionally dined with friends in this area, and the expensive luxury items were only glimpsed in the shop windows. He parked the police car in the underground parking lot and walked up.

This was a covered pedestrian street, and the entire area looked like a glass world with towering glass curtain walls everywhere. Each luxury store had a unique design, either two or three stories high, with enormous logos advertising the latest seasonal products.

Entering the first store, the staff at the entrance quickly assessed him with a glance from top to bottom, offering a somewhat stiff smile as they approached. Their expression seemed to have already concluded that he wasn’t a potential customer.

Song Wen didn’t waste time. He showed his police badge, explained the purpose of his visit, and requested their cooperation. The young store employee immediately looked uneasy, saying, “Sir, I’m sorry, but we only have a few cameras in our store, mainly for preventing product losses. The footage is retained for a maximum of one week. Your requested time frame has likely been overwritten… And, we don’t have the authorization. Could you please leave your contact information? We’ll request permission from the store manager, and once we have any information, we’ll get back to you?”

Observing the locations of the cameras in the store and asking about the day of the purchase, the young store employee feigned ignorance. Song Wen took out a photo of Zhang Peicai, but the employee shook her head, claiming not to remember.

Sighing, Song Wen left the first store and headed to the second, only to encounter a similar situation. Unable to get any useful information, Song Wen furrowed his brow, rolled up his sleeves, and stood in front of the luxury store, contemplating the next steps. Should he continue questioning each store or try a different approach?

In the past, Song Wen had various methods to deal with criminals. However, facing these young ladies in the luxury stores, who would apologize profusely and bow repeatedly, proved to be quite challenging. He was considering alternative methods to obtain the footage when he suddenly noticed someone coming out of a shop diagonally across from him.

This person was tall and slender, with an upright posture, especially long legs that stood out even in this environment surrounded by model images on various brands. From a distance, Song Wen thought he might be mistaken, but as the person turned toward him and walked in his direction, he realized it was none other than Lu Siyu.

TN:
“When this monster entered my brain, I will never know, but it is here to stay. How does one cure himself? I can’t stop it, the monster goes on, and hurts me as well as society. Maybe you can stop him. I can’t.”