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墨書 Inktalez
Hmm? Qiqi? Did she also come to him for fortune-telling? This thought flashed through my mind, but it's not surprising that the girl would be curious enough to visit a shop not far from where Qiqi operates. I didn’t dwell on it further; seeing Jing had already walked five or six meters ahead, I hurried to catch up.
After wandering around for a while, I realized it was getting quite late. I hailed a taxi to take Jing back to school while I returned to my workplace. The back-and-forth trip cost over a hundred yuan, which stung a bit, but there was no way I could let her hail a cab home by herself, especially since I had already ridden with her a few times before.
By the time I got back to the Unit, it was nearly eleven o'clock. I quickly washed up and went to bed. The next morning, I woke up early to the sound of the wake-up call and instinctively tried to get up. But then it hit me—I was on vacation! So, I lay back down and closed my eyes again. Surprisingly, indulging in this little act of defiance felt great. Listening to the sounds of soldiers gathering outside and chanting their slogans, I unknowingly drifted back to sleep, only to be awakened again by the ringing of my phone.
I had no idea what time it was as I groggily picked it up. "Hello? Who is this?"
"Brother, come out quickly!" The voice sounded urgent.
"Who? Ah Huang?" I was still half-asleep and confused.
"Yeah! You’re not still sleeping, are you? Oh! I forgot you’re on vacation! Since you’re awake, come over here; I'll treat you to breakfast!"
"What’s the rush?" I complained.
"It’s about your friend."
"My friend? Which one?"
There was a pause on the other end. "Qiqi."
"Huh?" I sat up in bed. "What happened? Is it related to Jing?"
"Not really about her; it's unclear over the phone. Just come over." The call ended.
I sat there for a moment, pondering. Honestly, I'm not someone who can sit still for long. If my vacation were any longer, I'd probably just head home. But with this short break, going back and forth would take too much time, and I wouldn't be able to stay long anyway.
Yet my nature is such that I dislike idleness; I'm always looking for something to do. Fine then, I'll go find Huang. It’s better than being bored here.
I hurriedly got up, changed into casual clothes, and headed out to take the bus all the way to Ah Huang's workplace. Honestly, taking a taxi was out of the question.
Ah Huang had already changed into casual clothes, waiting at the entrance of a small eatery by the roadside. He waved at me eagerly as I approached.
I smiled and asked, "Why aren't you in uniform?"
"Today we need to work together!" Ah Huang replied right away.
"Let's go have breakfast first, we can talk while we eat."
I followed Ah Huang inside, found a table, and ordered our food. As we ate, our conversation flowed.
"Why were you so eager to find me? Is there a case I can't solve without you?" I joked.
"Actually, yes," Ah Huang paused from his Rice Noodles and looked up at me. "It's true. I thought about it, and several cases were solved because you were involved. I'm not superstitious; I just think your way of thinking is different from most people. You're sensitive and can pick up on many subtle details."
"Well, you're right about one thing. I'm not really a rational person; I'm quite sensitive. I pay attention to changes in my surroundings and people's expressions and tones. Plus, I enjoy observing people's subtle behaviors. So, I can help you find some clues," I admitted without any false modesty.
"Hey, you've really gotten out of breath," Ah Huang teased with a laugh.
I took a bite of my Steamed Bun and mumbled, "Actually, you've changed more than before. You used to be quiet, but now you're much more interesting."
Ah Huang paused for a moment. "Well, it seems like the environment is changing us."
"Is it the environment changing us, or are we adapting to the environment?" I countered.
"Does it make a difference?"
"Of course! It's not just about whether the environment is good or bad; at least one is passive and the other is active."
"Alright, let's not get sidetracked. Today, I really need to borrow you, Brother. You might have to accompany me for a bit."
"I have plenty of time, but what should I do? Where should I go?" I asked with a smile.
"Investigation." Ah Huang suddenly became serious. "Last night, a special task force was formed at the bureau, and I'm in charge of it. Through extensive analysis and investigation, we believe that three missing persons cases should be investigated together, and all three of these cases are related to Liu Qi."
"You can't possibly think Qiqi is a suspect, right? That she killed them?" I blurted out, then quickly added, "That can't be true!?"
Ah Huang shook his head. "This isn't about possibility or impossibility; we only look at the facts. The fact is that all three individuals visited a bar before they went missing, and the last person seen with them was Qiqi."
"What kind of people were they?"
"Men, or rather, boys, all around the age of five. They all had cars and came from decent families. However, this very point puzzles us. If it were a kidnapping, the abductors wouldn't neglect to ask for ransom from their families. If it were revenge or a crime of passion, there should at least be bodies to find, right? You don't know; the families of the missing are pressuring us through various channels for progress. That's also why I brought you here—having another person to help analyze is always good."
Ah Huang pulled out a large brown envelope from his crossbody bag. "Here, take a look. This contains detailed information about the three individuals."
I took the envelope and pulled out a thick stack of A4 papers filled with information about the three missing persons—photos, background analyses, and credit checks. I began to read carefully, forgetting about breakfast.
Ah Huang picked up some soy milk and sipped it slowly while waiting for me.
There was quite a bit of information; it seemed Ah Huang's subordinates had put in considerable effort. After a while, I finally finished reading and asked without looking up, "Ah Huang, do you have any other analysis results or leads?"
"Not at the moment."
I took a sip of soy milk. "Honestly, analyzing clues is your strong suit. If you can't figure it out, I certainly won't be able to either. But there's one thing I want to mention: I think you guys are too rational. Has anyone considered looking at the problem from a different angle? For example, did you notice that all three of these guys are handsome?"
"Huh?" Ah Huang looked at me in surprise. "I hadn't noticed that. Is there something wrong with that?" He took back the documents and flipped through them again. "Yeah, they are quite handsome," he frowned. "But what significance does that have? It's just a matter of being tall."
Tall? Suddenly, I felt like I had grasped something.
Wait, what was it?
I snatched the information from Ah Huang's hands and quickly flipped through it: Zhang Xun 181, Wang Shouhan 187, Zhou Tao 188! All three were tall! Each over 180 centimeters!
Suddenly, I recalled Liu Qi's words, "If you're below 180, don't talk to me."
"What’s wrong?" Ah Huang asked in surprise.
"It seems to really be related to Liu Qi; this is definitely not a coincidence," I murmured. "By the way, Ah Huang, have you checked Liu Qi's whereabouts on the night these three went missing?" There's a saying that if someone is unaware of something, it’s usually because they themselves are involved; as long as there are loopholes or inconsistencies, they can always be uncovered.
"Of course we did. Besides contacting the individuals and Witness, we also gathered physical evidence. Did you know? There’s a surveillance camera installed by the street office next to the Pet Store for security purposes, right on the lamp post. We retrieved footage from that time frame and indeed saw these three driving her back to the Pet Store."
"Are you sure it was these three? Is there a possibility that someone else was driving? Or perhaps someone forced the missing person to drive? By the way, did Liu Qi have any close male friends in the past?"
"First, our investigation found that Liu Qi didn’t have any close friends, especially male ones. Second, these three were quite enthusiastic; they even got out of the car to escort her to the store entrance, which rules out any possibility of them being coerced or impersonated."
"I see!" Ah Huang and I were momentarily speechless.
Cars, cars—wait! I asked eagerly, "The person is missing; what about those three cars? Are they missing too?"
"The cars are not missing. Two vehicles with empty tanks were found abandoned by the roadside in the suburbs; it’s clear they were deliberately left there. As for one car, Zhou Tao's was discovered parked at an abandoned factory."
"Have the cars been examined? Were there any unusual signs, like bloodstains or anything?" I asked hopefully.
"No," Ah Huang shook his head.
"What about their phones? The missing person's phone?" I inquired again.
"All of them were left in the cars with their batteries removed. There was no information inside, and none of them seemed to have known Liu Qi beforehand. It appears they must have only met recently."
"Do you think this is just a coincidence? Or could it be that Liu Qi is some kind of heartthrob killer?" I said sarcastically.
"I don't believe in coincidences either. Of course, I won't rashly conclude that Liu Qi is the killer. Moreover, motive is crucial. Honest, we really can't find any motive for Liu Qi," Ah Huang said, furrowing his brows.
"You should have looked into Liu Qi's background, right?"
"Liu Qi has no criminal record. He's from Harbin, has a residence permit, and his social connections here aren't complicated. He just frequents bars and runs a pet store. His life has been quite ordinary," Ah Huang recited as if reading from a script. "We checked the bank statements; Liu Qi's accounts are normal with no large transactions. There was a loan record, but it was small—50,000 yuan, probably his startup capital."
Ah Huang leaned back in his chair. "Three people who had contact with Liu Qi have gone missing. This can't be a coincidence."
"Well, that's about it. Brother, can you help me think of where the breakthrough in the case might be?"
A breakthrough? I pondered for a moment. "The breakthrough might still lie with Liu Qi."
"What good plan do you have?" Ah Huang asked.
"Honestly, I don't have one. But do you have any handsome guys over 180 cm in your department?" I asked with a smile.
"What do you mean?" Ah Huang looked bewildered.
(To be continued, more exciting content tomorrow!)
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