Chapter 60

The incident occurred on the fourth day at 1:00 PM at the Nancheng Hua Dun Hotel.

Lu Siyu’s car was parked in the hotel’s parking lot. With the information on Zhang Peicai’s identity used before his death, tracking his whereabouts became much easier. Before his disappearance, Zhang Peicai had stayed at the Hua Dun Hotel for some time. Hua Dun was an old-fashioned hotel in Nancheng, conveniently located with almost five-star amenities.

Lu Siyu got out of the car and walked to the lobby of the Hua Dun Hotel. As soon as he entered, he keenly noticed that the atmosphere of the hotel was somewhat different. Without asking at the front desk, Lu Siyu walked straight through the lobby. Two plainclothes officers stood near the elevator corner, whom Lu Siyu had seen at the police station before. Judging from their familiar faces and considering the timing, it seemed that Song Wen and the others had also arrived at this location.

Lu Siyu continued walking without stopping when he reached the two plainclothes officers. They didn’t recognize him, assuming he was a hotel guest. So, Lu Siyu took the elevator, scanned the entire layout of the hotel, pressed the button for the restaurant on the third floor, and, after reaching that floor, went down the escalator next to the restaurant. After exploring the area, he left the hotel.

Once outside the hotel, Lu Siyu returned to his car and spent some time organizing his thoughts, biting his nails in contemplation.

His reasoning about Xia Weizhi’s situation was almost complete. That was an event that occurred eighteen years ago, like a mirage in the air. Currently, the source of more information was Zhang Peicai’s death. Although his death was suspicious, there had to be some leads to follow.

One point had been bothering Lu Siyu. If the killer was truly connected to Xia Weizhi, why would they choose this method of murder?

Torturous killing was not an instant solution. It had a long cycle, low success rate, high risk, and even some reversibility. If the victim sought medical attention promptly, they might not die. Therefore, in this scenario, the perpetrator needed to control or even imprison the victim. The death of the victim was a prolonged process, accompanied by significant suffering.

If the killer was someone familiar with Xia Weizhi, they would undoubtedly be aware of many methods of murder and possess proficient killing skills. However, they chose a method that seemed less like a straightforward murder and more like interrogation and torture.

Considering Zhang Peicai’s identity, there was only one possibility: the killer had been hoping the victim would confess something, and eventually, they killed him to silence him.

It was possible that the victim had revealed something, or it could be that he had said nothing at all.

Zhang Peicai was last seen at the hotel half a month ago, but his body was found in a wasteland. What had happened during this time?

After pondering for a moment, Lu Siyu took out his phone and selected a nearby car rental agency. If Zhang Peicai had been conducting investigations under a false identity, he would likely need a means of transportation. He couldn’t use his own car, so renting a car was a more plausible option.

Online car rental records would leave many traces, and the more secure approach would be to choose a nearby rental agency. With this in mind, Lu Siyu started his car and headed to several nearby car rental agencies. He was lucky; at the second place, the staff, based on the information he provided, retrieved a series of rental records.

According to the records, Zhang Peicai often rented an Audi from this location before his disappearance. The receptionist who had assisted him was also present. Lu Siyu flashed his credentials and said, “I’d like to access the route map during his vehicle usage.”

Rental cars usually had GPS location monitoring discreetly installed for vehicle control and easy retrieval. Even after the vehicle was returned, this information remained stored at the rental agency for some time. It was an unspoken rule in this industry.

The girl helped him check and copied the information onto the laptop Lu Siyu had brought. Using software, he opened the information, revealing Zhang Peicai’s travel routes, showing where he had been, how long he stayed, and other details.

Initially, these pieces of information were somewhat scattered and irregular. Zhang Peicai had visited places like the city library and the Luoxin Nursing Home. However, in the days leading up to his disappearance, he drove extensively around Nancheng, only returning in the evening. The next day, he left the car parked nearby for an entire day.

Furrowing his brows, Lu Siyu overlaid the travel routes on the map of Nancheng. In the area where Zhang Peicai had traveled extensively, a grayed-out building on the map caught his attention. It was labeled: “Wushan Nursing Home.”

Zhang Peicai’s death indeed had a connection with the Wushan Nursing Home.

He had visited this area before. According to the route map, he had entered the Wushan Nursing Home more than once. What exactly was inside? As a highly sensitive journalist, he must have discovered something.

Lu Siyu pressed his lips together slightly. It seemed inevitable that he would have to go to that place. Regardless of the circumstances, he had to visit in person now.

On the fourth day of the incident in the afternoon, at the Nancheng Police Bureau, Song Wen was listening to a report from his subordinates.

“Captain Song, we have interrogated the family members of other deceased elderly individuals. No one is willing to disclose what was discussed between Bai Luorui and them, and none of them can provide a reasonable explanation for the funds. They all insist their relatives died of natural causes…”

“We thoroughly investigated the hotel where Zhang Peicai stayed. He used a fake identity to check in, booked a room for two months, but he hasn’t been there for the last half month. The room expired three days ago, and the hotel collected his personal items. Besides some clothing, nothing unusual was found… All the belongings are now stored in the evidence room.”

At this stage of the case, it seemed like they were spinning their wheels, always on the verge of discovering the truth but unable to find the key to unlock everything.

Fu Linjiang comforted Song Wen, saying, “Well, it’s not all bad news. The factory reported by us earlier, belonging to Wang Qichao, has been sealed again. This could be considered benefiting the public, to some extent.”

Song Wen acknowledged with a sound, opened his phone, and local news popped up. There were several pictures showing the instruments inside Wang Qichao’s factory being sealed. He scrolled down while saying, “Hopefully, this time, it’ll halt his operations for a longer period.” Suddenly, Song Wen’s hand paused, and his gaze focused on a bag placed in a corner of the processing plant.

The bag was of the black variety, currently holding something that caused it to bulge, likely to accommodate multiple takeout packages, making it quite large. Song Wen quickly pulled up the photos of when Zhang Peicai’s body was discovered. Although there were subtle differences between the two bags, this triggered something in Song Wen’s mind.

A large black bag… that bag might be used for delivering takeout!

Song Wen urgently called Lao Jia over, saying, “Lao Jia, did you make any progress in investigating the source of that bag?”

Lao Jia scratched his head, “We checked some wholesale markets nearby, but so far, we haven’t found an exact match.”

Song Wen said, “Go check the distribution channels specifically for catering supplies. I suspect these bags are used for bulk delivery of takeout.”

Lao Jia nodded, “Alright, I’ll check right away.”

Finally having some leads, Song Wen’s mood improved. Glancing at his phone, he saw it was almost 5 p.m.

In recent days, there had been no news from Lu Siyu. Song Wen suddenly felt a bit disheartened. This guy, if he didn’t contact him first, he wouldn’t take the initiative to contact him either.

On second thought, Lu Siyu was inherently cold and aloof, seemingly allergic to living people. Song Wen understood and decided to be a good leader who actively cares for his subordinates. He picked up the phone and dialed Lu Siyu’s number.

The phone rang for quite a while before it was answered. Lu Siyu seemed to be walking, and there was a low “hello” with some interference in the background. The signal wasn’t great, and there was a crackling noise.

Hearing this environment, Song Wen knew Lu Siyu was outside. He furrowed his brows and said, “You’re not resting at home. Where did you run off to?”

“Captain Song, are you checking in on me?” Lu Siyu said, “I still have some personal freedom during my passive vacation, right? What do you need?” The background sounded a bit open, with some echoing and noise.

“Just tomorrow, Monday, as we discussed before. I’ve been quite busy lately. It’s better to make an appointment before you come.” Song Wen really had nothing urgent, and making this call was simply due to excessive longing—creating something out of nothing.

On the other end of the phone, Lu Siyu responded with an indifferent “Oh.” His reaction seemed calm. “Captain Song, did you finally approve my job application?”

“Wait until you arrive, and see how you perform. Return early and don’t wander around outside too much,” Song Wen said. Just as he was about to say goodbye, Lu Siyu hesitated for a moment and then said, “Don’t hang up yet.”

Through the phone, Song Wen felt that his breathing was a bit hurried. A sudden pang in his heart gave him a bad premonition. “I say, where are you now? Don’t tell me… you’re still involved with this case?” The last time they met, he discovered that Lu Siyu was secretly investigating the case, as if he completely ignored Song Wen’s words.

“I’m here… you…” Suddenly, the phone signal deteriorated. Lu Siyu’s words came intermittently. Song Wen said “hello” a couple of times, and then there was a strange noise, as if something heavy fell to the ground, accompanied by the sound of broken glass. The call was then abruptly disconnected.

Song Wen redialed the phone, but it went straight to voicemail. He pursed his lips. Where could Lu Siyu be at this moment? He recalled the somewhat eerie ambient sounds…

Suddenly, something struck Song Wen. Frowning, he returned to his seat, opened the computer, plugged in his headphones, and then opened the adventure video of the several teenagers going to the Wushan Nursing Home. He fast-forwarded to the middle, turned up the volume to the maximum. Amidst the noise, he heard the same sound that Lu Siyu heard on the phone…

Song Wen decisively loaded his gun and handcuffed himself. Holding the car keys in his hand, he said to Fu Linjiang, “Keep an eye on this place. I’ll be back in a moment.”

Seeing that Song Wen’s expression was somewhat unsatisfactory and he was in a hurry, Fu Linjiang nodded and asked, “Where are you going?”

“Call me around 7 p.m. tonight. If I don’t answer, go to the location of my police car and find me.” After thinking for a moment, Song Wen added, “Bring the entire team.”

Song Wen got into the car, dialed Lu Siyu’s number again, but still, no one answered. He absentmindedly took off his headphones, held the steering wheel with both hands, and drove directly towards the direction of the Wushan Nursing Home. They hadn’t conducted an on-site investigation here due to Commissioner Gu’s advice not to disturb the snakes, but now, if Lu Siyu was in danger there, it was another matter entirely.

It was approaching the evening rush hour, and Song Wen didn’t turn on the siren. He took a shortcut, speeding all the way. When he reached the vicinity of the Wushan Nursing Home, Song Wen slammed on the brakes and parked the car not far away. Once again, he called Lu Siyu’s number, with the same result—redirected to voicemail. He took a deep breath and got out of the car, holding the gun in one hand, and passed through a patch of knee-high weeds.

The rustling of the grass under Song Wen’s clothes made a shushing sound.

At this time, it was already past 5 p.m. in the summer. The sun was showing signs of setting, and though it was still bright, it was not as radiant. Probably due to entering the factory area, there was a hazy grayness in the sky, and the air had a slightly irritating odor.

With few visitors over the years, this place had become a ruin. Gray buildings stood quietly in front of him, their paint long peeled off, and the glass on every floor was mostly shattered.

TN:

What we are accustomed to decry as great social evils, will, for the most part, be found to be only the out-growth of our own perverted life; and though we may endeavor to cut them down and extirpate them by means of law, they will only spring up again with fresh luxuriance in some other form, unless the conditions of human life and character are radically improved.