Criminal Investigation Notes

At this late hour, as time passed by, the entire Wanhu City was engulfed in darkness.

In the night sky, five high-end infrared detection drones flew swiftly across the Wanhu City area, scanning the surroundings.

Inside the temporary command room of the Wanhu City Police Station, everyone held their breath, their attention focused. The live feed from the drones was being simultaneously transmitted to several computers here.

Within a gray building, occasional colored dots appeared. Those were thermal images formed by high-temperature objects.

The police were conducting a systematic scan, investigating the entire Wanhu City area.

“Stop!” Qiao Ze keenly noticed something as a drone swept over a black area and suddenly said, “There seems to be something down there.”

It was an rarely visited desolate place. Now that it was deep into the night, this situation immediately attracted attention.

The drone circled around, and it was confirmed that the images showed two humanoid figures. Qiao Ze suddenly sent a message, “Captain, the drones have made a discovery!”

“Did you find them?” The silent command room suddenly filled with anticipation.

“Can you get closer?”

“If we go lower, it might attract the suspect’s attention.”

Lu Junchi glanced at the transmitted image, marked it on the map, and compared it. “This is… the unfinished Wanhu City Sports Center!”

He checked his phone; it had been twenty minutes since the start of the fourth live broadcast. “It will take about ten minutes to get there from here. Prepare for the rescue operation.”

Qiao Ze said, “On the live feed, Li Xiaonan is still conscious. We still have time.”

Su Hui had already analyzed the situation earlier. If the culprit was Qin Ange, the ultimate target of this live broadcast had shifted to Mu Zhenyuan. Li Xiaonan was likely just a pawn to hold the police back.

There was nothing more chaotic than an impromptu news conference. If Qin Ange’s target was Mu Zhenyuan, he might take the opportunity to blend into the scene.

Prior to this, the police had already deployed defenses and prepared to split into two teams: one for rescuing the hostages and the other for apprehending Qin Ange.

According to the timeline, now was the best moment for Qin Ange to prepare to leave.

Lu Junchi nodded, cautiously asking Qiao Ze, “How many infrared heat sources are there?”

Qiao Ze replied, “Two.”

It sounded like one perpetrator and one victim.

Lu Junchi glanced at Su Hui and chose to trust him. He quickly made a decision, “Proceed with the original plan. Qiao Ze, take your team to rescue the hostages. Professor Su, you and I will head to Mu Zhenyuan’s location.”

In Wanhu City, the chaotic sound of footsteps broke the stillness of the night. A well-trained team of police officers rushed to the unfinished Wanhu City Sports Center at the fastest speed.

In the dark night, a dozen figures rushed into the abandoned building. The police first discovered Ye Xincheng, who had fallen downstairs. Someone approached him and saw the bloodstain on his head. They touched his wrist with their hand and said, “There’s still a faint pulse.”

“Is it Qin Ange?”

“No, it looks like another male student.”

“Rescuing the person is the priority. Quickly call an ambulance!”

The rest of the team hurriedly rushed up the unfinished building. Qiao Ze walked at the forefront, and his footsteps echoed in the empty stadium.

It was pitch dark all around, but at the end of the third floor, they saw a bright white emergency light. Tied to a pillar next to the emergency light was a young girl.

In front of her was a phone stand, and the live broadcast was still ongoing. At this moment, there was no one else at the scene.

“Safe!”

“There’s only the victim here…”

“Quick, save her!”

During this time, Li Xiaonan had already heard someone approaching. She struggled desperately, and the intravenous tube attached to her hand was quickly removed. The girl was soon rescued. The cloth covering her eyes was taken off, followed by the tape on her mouth.

The entire rescue process took a little over two minutes and went very smoothly. It was all faithfully recorded by the live camera.

The comments in the live chatroom started flooding in.

“The police have finally arrived…”

“The first thrilling live stream I’ve ever followed.”

“Did those people really die?”

“Why did the killer commit murder?”

“Wait for the police announcement, wait for the police announcement…”

“Thank goodness, the last person has been saved. Thank you, police officers. I can sleep peacefully tonight.”

“Wait, what about the host?”

At this point, someone finally noticed the flaw. This was actually a staged scenario with only the victim in this empty city…

The one implementing the rescue was Qiao Ze, who had rushed there. He walked up to the phone used for the live broadcast and pressed the stop button.

At this point, this terrifying live broadcast that had shaken Huadu and even the entire China had finally ended.

After closing the camera, Qiao Ze quickly reported to Lu Junchi, “Captain, Qin Ange isn’t at the scene. Li Xiaonan has been rescued, and we found another severely injured male student on the scene. An ambulance is on its way.”

Lu Junchi spoke into his earpiece, saying, “Well done. Ask her if she knows where Qin Ange went.” Then he turned to Su Hui and explained, “The heat source at the scene is another victim.”

Su Hui added, “Ask her if Qin Ange is carrying any weapons.”

Qiao Ze turned to Li Xiaonan and asked, “Was the host Qin Ange?”

Although Li Xiaonan had been rescued, she had lost a lot of blood. She was covered in cold sweat, and her lips were pale. Even her reactions were slow.

Fortunately, she was still conscious.

It took her a while to accept the fact that she was still alive. Just a moment ago, she felt like she had stepped into hell. Tears welled up in her eyes.

“Don’t worry, you’re safe now. We will take you to the hospital immediately.” Qiao Ze helped the girl sit against the wall, and he repeated the question, “Did Qin Ange tie you up here for the live broadcast?”

Li Xiaonan finally nodded. Then she trembled as she said, “Water… I want water…”

After losing a large amount of blood, she felt dizzy, as if her whole body was about to collapse, and she might faint at any moment.

“Do we have water?” Qiao Ze called out.

“Water! Bring water quickly!”

Someone brought a bottle of mineral water and gave the girl a few sips. They also covered her with a jacket.

Li Xiaonan felt cold all over. It was a coldness that spread from her heart to her fingertips. Her hands couldn’t even hold the cup. Qiao Ze held the bottle and fed her water.

After drinking two sips, Li Xiaonan finally felt a bit more comfortable. She looked up at the police officer in front of her, realizing that if they hadn’t arrived in time, she would have died tonight.

“Do you know where Qin Ange went?” Qiao Ze squatted down and asked again.

Li Xiaonan shook her head. “He didn’t say…”

“Does he have any weapons on him or any other dangerous items?” Qiao Ze continued to ask.

Li Xiaonan’s vision was blurred, and she struggled to find the answer in her mind. Then, she lifted her head with difficulty and whispered, “He has a gun… Qin Uncle’s gun…”

Qin Chengsheng used to be a wealthy real estate developer, so he naturally had some self-defense items, including a gun.

Li Xiaonan had seen it once. The gun was small and equipped with a silencer. When they set off today, she saw Qin Ange putting that thing in his bag. She remembered Qin Ange boasting about going to the shooting range and being skilled in marksmanship.

After hearing this, Qiao Ze quickly contacted Lu Junchi through the walkie-talkie. “Captain Lu, it’s highly likely that the suspect is armed with a gun, but we don’t know his whereabouts yet.”

Lu Junchi responded, “Understood. Accompany the victim to the hospital as soon as possible and ensure their safety.”

Now, they were about to face an assailant with a gun.

The car was still running, and they were quickly approaching the temporary press conference site at Zhongshan International.

Su Hui listened to this news silently, as if everything had already been anticipated. He could sense Qin Ange’s hatred towards Mu Zhenyuan, an unforgivable resentment that couldn’t be erased even if he killed him. Qin Ange was already in hell and wanted to drag others down with him using every means available.

It was already late at night, and Qin Ange curled up in the back row of a late-night bus, watching the changing night scenery outside the window. The vehicle had slowly left the area of Wanhu City and was about to enter the nearby city.

In the dark night, Wanhu City was engulfed in darkness, a blackness that covered all the scars but couldn’t hide the foul smell.

It was a smell that Qin Ange detested.

He remembered when he was young, his father would always mockingly say that he carried this smell.

Even when they had money later on, his father still disliked wasting food. He would eat everything and then walk around the villa, feeling bloated.

His father would sometimes talk to Qin Ange about his childhood, about the family of three squeezed into a small room, about not being able to eat meat throughout the year.

Every time, Qin Ange would interrupt his father with a slightly disgusted tone, saying, “Dad, you’re not old yet. Why are you becoming so naggy?”

Back then, he despised his father, but after his father was gone, he missed him so much…

After living in Wanhu City, after witnessing the lives of those people, he felt that he too had become dirty, tainted with this smell.

It was the smell of poverty.

No matter how much he washed, he couldn’t get rid of it.

Then, he finally realized that this smell didn’t actually exist.

People are not fundamentally different from one another; there is no unbridgeable gap between poverty and wealth.

The poor can become wealthy through hard work, and the rich can fall from grace due to unforeseen circumstances.

What exists is people’s self-doubt and the prejudices of others. These things are not physical, but they reside in the mind, penetrating people’s innermost being. Unless one turns to ashes, they will continue to weigh on one’s heart.

Qin Ange remembered his father, who often came home heavily drunk and cried while recounting stories from their past in Wanhu City when bankruptcy was looming.

Among those stories, one name was mentioned the most—Mu Zhenyuan.

“I always considered him my friend. Even when he left the company, I never mistreated him.”

“Why wouldn’t he lend me money? I didn’t ask for much, and with his current wealth, couldn’t he produce that money in an instant?”

“He was my best brother, and he said it was my fault! My heart is bleeding, do you know?”

At that time, his father’s eyes were bloodshot. When he saw Qin Ange leaning against the doorway, he suddenly sat up and said, “Ange, remember, friends are the most untrustworthy. The idea of sharing blessings and hardships together is all a lie. Don’t trust anyone!”

Not trusting anyone, relying only on oneself…

Friends are the most untrustworthy.

I can do this alone.

The car came to a stop, and Qin Ange quickly got off, walking more than three hundred meters to reach the entrance of Zhongshan International.

Outside, dozens of journalists had already gathered. No media outlet wanted to miss this sensational news.

Qin Ange steadied his mind, took a deep breath, and pulled out a press pass, hanging it around his neck. He squeezed into the crowd.

Both inside and outside the lobby of Zhongshan International, a large number of people had already gathered. The security measures were inadequate in such an unexpected situation.

“Where’s your identification?” a security guard questioned him.

“My colleagues have already gone in…” Qin Ange said, raising his press pass hanging on his chest. The identification was forged by Tao Yingxu long ago. He was tall, looking like a young adult with a tender face.

“Go in, enter from the right side,” the security guard glanced at the photo on the identification, then at the young man in front of him, without asking too many questions.

There were too many media arrivals tonight, and they didn’t have time to question each one in detail.

Qin Ange breathed a sigh of relief. The negligence of the staff allowed him to enter without much effort.

The thought of killing Mu Zhenyuan made Qin Ange’s heart race. He had finally reached this point.

He was only a few dozen meters away from entering. A contented smile unconsciously appeared on his face, yet tears welled up in his eyes.

The lights ahead were shining as he walked through the long corridor, slowing his pace…

At this moment, Lu Junchi stood high outside the venue, squinting his narrow eyes. His gaze locked onto the figure of Qin Ange.

Su Hui looked down at the densely packed crowd below. He couldn’t see clearly, nor could he distinguish which person might be Qin Ange. But he estimated that the time was almost up, so he turned to Lu Junchi and asked, “Has he arrived?”

Lu Junchi’s gaze remained fixed on Qin Ange, and he nodded softly, “He has entered.”

Since Qin Ange had played an empty city strategy on them, they would reciprocate with an ambush on all sides.

Lu Junchi walked with his head lowered, speaking in a deep voice through the intercom, “Prepare for action.”