Chapter 46: The Murderer

Qiong Cang sat calmly in the car, turning up the volume in her earpiece.

The police officers on the other end had mostly stopped negotiating with her. The occasional exchanges were clearly half-hearted, showing they had realized the kidnapping scene she had deliberately staged was nothing more than a distraction to delay them, and standard procedures were completely useless.

Qiong Cang looked up, her gaze sweeping past the window. The car happened to be driving past a high school. Its grand gates, adorned with gilded lettering, looked exceptionally imposing.

Because of the holiday, the campus was empty, with almost no pedestrians. Two boarding students walked out, roughhousing and laughing loudly with their arms slung over each other’s shoulders, radiating the unrestrained vitality of youth.

Qiong Cang rolled down the window and stared blankly in their direction.

Fan Huai had once asked her what high school life was like. When he was sixteen, not long after starting his freshman year, he was taken away by the police, beginning his long life behind bars. Being investigated, awaiting trial, and finally undergoing prison rehabilitation made up the entirety of his turbulent high school years.

Unfortunately, Qiong Cang did not have much experience with it either.

If Fan Huai’s life had fractured at sixteen, Qiong Cang had always lived an unconventional life. She did not understand the so-called beauty of youth or the hardships of studying, nor was she interested in them.

Fan Huai had explained that it was just really nice. Ever since he went to prison, he had constantly reminisced about every detail of his brief high school days. Even the weather and wind direction of those few days felt fresh and free to him.

In a way, the two of them were somewhat similar; they were both very lonely. Except Qiong Cang did not dislike that loneliness, whereas Fan Huai was tormented by it.

He constantly studied to make himself feel like a normal student. To him, the identity of a student had become something he yearned for.

At this moment, Qiong Cang suddenly understood a little of Fan Huai’s state of mind when he chose to flee, and his reason for calling her.

It was probably because he was just too lonely. He was so afraid of loneliness.

The driver kept glancing at the rearview mirror and could not help but strike up a conversation. “This is a very famous key high school¹ in our A City. A lot of students want to study here.”

Qiong Cang replied, “I didn’t really go to high school. I barely remember it.”

“Ah… did you go straight to work?” Seeing that her clothes were not particularly fancy, the driver offered some well-meaning advice. “It’s still better to study. If you get the chance, you should study more. Aren’t there adult high schools and adult universities now? With a degree, your salary can be a bit higher. I’m studying too.”

Qiong Cang gave a soft grunt of agreement, then added casually, “I only went for a year before being specially admitted² to university.”

The driver: “…?!” Look at his big mouth, always looking for humiliation! Did passengers nowadays enjoy wasting people’s feelings so much?

Qiong Cang tilted her head and looked up. The dark clouds hung heavy, offering neither a blue sky nor any brilliant colors.

There was no beautiful scenery worth remembering.

“There are so many clouds today.”

“It’s Tomb Sweeping Day³, after all. I reckon it’ll rain later.” Hearing his passenger speak, the driver quickly recovered his spirits and smiled. “Without rain, it just doesn’t feel like Tomb Sweeping Day.”

Qiong Cang smiled faintly as well.

Not long after turning the corner in front of the school, they approached a commercial district. The area was lined with shops selling all kinds of things. Qiong Cang asked the driver to pull over early and pulled out a banknote to hand to him.

The driver smiled. “Cash?”

Qiong Cang said, “Yes. Keep the change.”

She pulled a hat from her bag, using it to cover half her face as she walked toward the shops nearby.

·

The netizens watched this scene with wide, eager eyes.

“She’s actually going shopping. She wasn’t kidding.”

“Disguises are truly an eternal trope. I wonder if this boss is good at makeup?”

“Isn’t this a bit inappropriate? If she doesn’t run now, it’ll be too late. Don’t forget, the taxi was called using Ning Tingting’s phone. It’ll be very easy to trace.”

“The more panicked you are, the easier it is to make a mistake. Stay calm.”

“A score of 96 really doesn’t feel like a 96. 【whispering quietly】”

·

Zhang Wuping was exhausted from trying to coordinate a group of amateurs. Fortunately, although these people lacked professionalism, they were obedient enough. The team was gradually getting on track.

Several Players he had sent to check out the situation began sending back feedback.

“The bathroom skylight is open, and there’s no one inside. Should we infiltrate now?”

“Reporting, I’m currently outside the living room wall. Looking at the footage captured by my phone, a hostage is tied up in the living room. She’s alive with no obvious external injuries… A young woman is lying in front of the sofa with blood on her. I can’t see the details clearly for now, but she doesn’t seem to show signs of life. I can’t make out anything else.”

“The hostage is struggling violently. She’s highly agitated. What is she doing?”

Zhang Wuping’s voice was deep, carrying a brewing storm of anger. “Has anyone spotted the suspect from any angle?”

“No.”

“No.”

Several people replied in the negative. This meant there was no trace of the culprit’s activity in the living room, bedroom, bathroom, or balcony.

Zhang Wuping said, “Go straight in! Be careful when you enter, and do not disturb the scene!”

A rookie Player asked nervously, “Don’t we need to coordinate or something? Are there any precautions? I don’t have any experience with this.”

“No need!” Zhang Wuping said through gritted teeth. “There’s no one in there. The suspect is already gone!”

He stepped forward and banged hard on the door, shouting directly inside, “Come open the door!”

After a few successive thuds of landing, the officers responsible for scouting entered the house. They met in the living room and found that the place was indeed empty. The group had been putting on a one-man show in front of their computers all this time.

“Holy shit…” someone swore over the walkie-talkie, losing their composure. “Both of them are dead.”

Immediately after, the security door was opened from the inside.

Zhang Wuping was the first to rush in, and the two shocking corpses on the floor immediately caught his eye. He stopped at a distance, preventing the Players behind him from stepping further into the scene, and said sternly, “Anyone who isn’t forensics, stay out! Guard the door, set up a cordon, and strictly forbid anyone else from entering!”

He walked over to the desk, bent down, and looked at the disconnection prompt flashing on the laptop screen. “Hurry the tech team up,” he said. “Have them trace the connection address for this computer. Make it quick.”

Hearing the order, the Players began running around like headless chickens. They wanted to participate in the game, but with no way to do so, they could only exchange information over their communicators.

“There’s actually a third person? Why wasn’t that mentioned in any of the statements? I thought the fugitive this time was the wife.”

“The suspect must have left before we arrived, using the laptop’s camera to monitor and control the situation here.”

“Both are dead. Confirmed to be the two homeowners.”

“A phone was found at the scene. It belongs to the male victim. The female victim’s phone hasn’t been found yet.”

“We tried calling from the male victim’s phone, but the call didn’t go through.”

Zhang Wuping’s instructions cut in: “Get the relevant personnel to pull Ning Tingting’s transaction and call records immediately.”

The middle-aged woman who had been taken hostage had been rescued and was now sitting on the steps by the entrance, trying to compose herself.

She had been struggling constantly for a long time, leaving her hands and feet covered in varying degrees of bruised scrapes. Being in the same room as the corpses had severely traumatized her. When the officers tried to take her statement, she could only sob and shake her head, unable to form a complete sentence. An officer tried to comfort her, and she clung to him, weeping against his shoulder.

A helpless elder nearly sixty years old was indeed pitiable, but everyone was anxious and simply didn’t have the time to wait for this NPC to manage her emotions.

“Did you see the face of the person who kidnapped you?”

The woman nodded through her tears.

“What did he look like? Any distinguishing features?”

The woman shook her head.

“Oh, come on, please don’t just shake your head. Clothing, height, anything. Try to think.”

The woman forced herself to recall, gasping as she mumbled, “Blue clothes… black pants. About a head taller than me. A rather sharp-looking young man, but his eyes were very fierce…”

Examining the corpses, Zhang Wuping stopped what he was doing upon hearing this. He immediately pictured the man he had run into on the way here.

Blue clothes, black pants… it really was her! Damn it!

Zhang Wuping was nearly overwhelmed by a wave of regret. They had been so close! He had actually watched the criminal walk right past him!

It seemed that the Player was no ordinary opponent. Her mental fortitude was far too formidable.

“Do you know how the two people in the room died?”

The woman screamed, “He killed them! He killed them!”

Zhang Wuping asked in a cold voice, “Did you see him kill them?”

The woman shook her head, her expression blank with residual terror. Gesturing wildly, she said, “He had a knife, and it was covered in blood! He held it to my neck and threatened me!”

Zhang Wuping asked, “What did he say to threaten you?”

The woman said, “He threatened me not to make a sound!”

“Did he hurt you?”

“Yes… no, but he was terrifying.” The woman covered face. “I really thought he was going to kill me!”

The rookie Player quickly jotted down her words, his mind racing. Channeling his inner Kogoro Mouri⁴, he said, “So the fugitive is the murderer this time? In that case, can we apply for an arrest warrant? I’ll go get the surveillance footage from the community entrance for the hostage to identify him.”

Zhang Wuping frowned, wanting to ask how it could be that simple. He hadn’t even examined the scene, yet he was already calling him the murderer. Were arrest warrants really that easy to issue?

The rookie Player continued to speculate on his own, “What was his motive? Robbery? Home invasion and murder with a knife is a very serious crime, right? But why would he brutally murder the two homeowners and leave one hostage alive?”

A forensics officer spoke up then. “No, there are no signs of forced entry on the lock. The door was opened from the inside. There are bloodstains on the doorknob, which means someone was already injured when the door was opened. As for whose blood it is, we’ve collected samples and will have an answer for you tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow? We don’t have that kind of time! I’ll go check the surveillance footage first!”

Zhang Wuping had a hunch. He pulled out his phone, brought up a photo of Ning Dongdong, and handed it to the woman. “Is it this person?” he asked.

The woman glanced at it and immediately nodded. “Yes, yes, that’s him!”

She grabbed Zhang Wuping’s arm, her untrimmed nails digging deep into his flesh. “Who is he? Officer, you have to catch him quickly!”

Just as Zhang Wuping was about to cover it up, the rookie, who had caught a glimpse of the photo from the corner of his eye, blurted out, “Ning Dongdong?”

Zhang Wuping whipped his head around and glared fiercely at him. Startled and unsure of what he had done wrong, the rookie fell silent in embarrassment.

“He’s that murderer, Ning Dongdong?” the woman screamed, demanding hysterically, “Why did you police officers let him go? Look at this! He killed again! He killed two more people!”

Unable to answer, Zhang Wuping could only have someone comfort her and lead her downstairs.

Having finished taking statements downstairs, He Jueyun jogged up. He found Zhang Wuping and reported briskly, “According to the statements from the building’s residents, everyone only heard the two victims arguing. No one had any idea a third person was present.”

He Jueyun opened his notebook and read from his notes: “The soundproofing in this building is terrible. They first heard the male victim shouting and beating her, with the sound of things being smashed in between. Right after that, Ning Tingting screamed that she wanted a divorce, and her husband yelled something like ‘I’ll beat you to death.’ He was shouting so loudly that the neighbors upstairs and downstairs could hear it. Not long after, the apartment went quiet. About three to five minutes after it went quiet, there was absolutely no sound from the second floor. Ms. Sun and her husband suspected something might have happened to Ning Tingting. After discussing it, Ms. Sun decided to come up and check. That’s the sequence of events.”

In the channel, a Player asked in confusion, “So is Ning Dongdong the murderer or not? Why would he kill his own sister and brother-in-law?”

Zhang Wuping pondered for a moment, then said, “The male victim has multiple stab wounds, but none of them are deep. This suggests that the person who stabbed him didn’t have much physical strength.”

He walked over to Ning Tingting’s body, lifted her hand, and said, “There is some wear on Ning Tingting’s palm, and a knife cut on her pinky finger. If she held the knife in this position, the wound matches perfectly.”

An officer holding a camera kept snapping photos. Following He Jueyun’s train of thought, he asked, “Are you saying the wife killed the husband, and Ning Dongdong killed the wife?”

He Jueyun said helplessly, “Why would Ning Dongdong kill her? They are brother and sister.”

The Player looked completely innocent. “How should I know?”

Before entering the game, he had followed the media’s narrative and assumed Fan Huai was the Murderer. Even though his relevant memories had been blocked, his subconscious still believed it.

Looking at the floor, He Jueyun said, “Ning Dongdong must have arrived after his sister died, or at least after she was injured.”

“How do you know?”

Zhang Wuping had extensive experience in solving cases and had already formed a hypothesis the moment he saw the scene. However, he did not speak up, wanting to hear He Jueyun’s thoughts first.

He Jueyun traced a circle on the floor with his finger and said, “See the blood spatter on the ground? It forms a nearly complete circle, which is where the knife was placed. When Ning Dongdong came over, he stepped right on the blood droplets, leaving a complete footprint here. Judging by the position and distance, he squatted down to check on Ning Tingting and picked up the knife. This was likely just a reflex action out of shock.”

The people around them gathered closer, keeping a careful distance as they observed the scene.

He Jueyun said, “If Ning Dongdong had stabbed her and pulled the knife out, the blood spatter wouldn’t look like this. The blood would have sprayed onto Ning Dongdong. This scene is actually quite clean, and the environment around both victims is well-preserved. Anyone with a bit of experience can tell what is real and what is fake. And…”

He Jueyun tossed the notebook in his hand to the officer opposite him.

“I just asked property management for the surveillance footage from the security door on the first floor. A resident on the first floor said the victims stopped arguing at exactly 12:02. He was watching a midday show at the time, so he remembered the time very clearly. On the surveillance footage, Ning Dongdong entered at 12:05. The time difference between him and the hostage on the first floor is less than two minutes. There is no way Ning Dongdong could have walked upstairs and killed his sister without a second thought. He had absolutely no time to commit the crime.”

It was the same in reality. The police only suspected Fan Huai was connected to the deaths of the first three witnesses, but they had never suspected him of killing his own sister.

Zhang Wuping nodded. “I agree. Ning Dongdong’s arrival was just a coincidence.”

“Could it really be such a coincidence?” the Player asked skeptically. “But if he isn’t the Murderer, why did he run?”

“He was seen with a knife in his hand, so he probably feared he wouldn’t be able to clear his name,” someone sighed. “After all, he has been in prison before, which makes it easy for people to have preconceived biases. This time, there is even a partial eyewitness. Even if law enforcement doesn’t prosecute him, the public will still suspect him once the case breaks.”

He Jueyun added, “Ning Dongdong has always maintained his innocence regarding his past conviction. He probably has no faith in the police.”

The previously lively channel fell silent for a few seconds. Even the enthusiastic Players didn’t know what to say.

Someone asked, “Can we apply for an arrest warrant now?”

Zhang Wuping took a deep breath and said, “Looking at the scene, we don’t have absolute evidence to prove Ning Dongdong killed these two victims. In fact, he likely didn’t. The door was opened from the inside, so he didn’t break in. Although he tied up the resident downstairs, he didn’t hurt her and left quickly. It wasn’t for money either. I don’t think that is enough to constitute kidnapping. As for issuing an arrest warrant… I don’t think the application would be approved.”

Furthermore, on a personal level, Zhang Wuping hoped to give Ning Dongdong another chance. He wanted him to return to assist with the investigation, rather than as a wanted criminal.

In this matter, Ning Dongdong was merely a Victim who had witnessed his sister’s death. Zhang Wuping didn’t know why he chose to run, even at all costs, but judging by the fact that he hadn’t harmed the hostage, he probably wasn’t a bad person.

Sometimes, it was just too easy to ruin a person’s life, because society was harsh.

Ning Dongdong had already wasted most of his life. He was clearly still so young; he must not repeat his past mistakes. Zhang Wuping felt sympathy for him. This was also his responsibility.

Zhang Wuping’s gaze turned resolute as he said, “Ning Dongdong must be very emotionally unstable right now. We must find him as soon as possible, before he does something impulsive and goes further down the wrong path!”

·

Listening to the police analyze the entire process, the netizens didn’t know how to express their feelings. They had prepared themselves for Ning Dongdong to be the Murderer and were absolutely convinced of it, only to be dealt a heavy blow.

Putting themselves in that position, they might even doubt the official police report.

Actually, there was no ‘might’ about it. They definitely would.

“There are a lot of impressive people on the Pursuer team. I thought Sanyao would just send a bunch of scrubs, but their caliber is actually pretty good.”

“Speaking of scrubs, you probably don’t know that the commander here, Zhang Wuping, is a big shot with an 85-point rating. In terms of experience, he’s better than many geniuses.”

“To think they figured out Ning Dongdong wasn’t the Murderer in such a short time. But since they can’t issue an arrest warrant now, doesn’t that make the game harder?”

“Wait, these two weren’t killed by Fan Huai? That’s not the brainwashing narrative I bought into. 【Full of question marks】”

“I’m starting to suspect Fan Huai really was framed. The police must have reopened the investigation, right? Has any inside information leaked?”

“Stop blindly believing in ‘inside information.’ Real ‘inside information’ won’t leak before they decide to make it public.”

·

Now that the analysis of the crime scene was complete, Zhang Wuping and the others focused their efforts on searching for Ning Dongdong’s whereabouts. However, this was not something they could rush.

Finally, the technician pulled up the transaction history and call logs from Ning Tingting’s phone.

The technician tapped a key on his computer, zooming in on the page, and said, “Ning Dongdong used his phone to call a taxi, and his last call was to that driver. We’ve already contacted him, and he said he dropped him off near the central commercial street. In addition, Ning Dongdong bought five bus tickets to different destinations on the railway department’s website.”

A Player stroked his chin and said, “He bought the tickets but went to the city center instead. The directions don’t match up at all. Is he trying to throw us off his scent?”

“You’ll have to figure that out yourselves,” the technician said. “We’ve actually been moving quite fast. According to the transaction records on the female victim’s bank card, the most recent one was just fifteen minutes ago.”

“Who was it?”

The technician said, “I’m checking on that now.”

The technician rubbed his eyes. After a moment, he replied, “The person is… oh, he’s a shopkeeper on the commercial street. He said Ning Dongdong didn’t have a bank card, so he bought a set of clothes from him and exchanged the rest for five thousand yuan in cash. So, Ning Dongdong is very likely still in the city center.”

Someone asked, “Can we get a precise location using Ning Tingting’s phone?”

The technician said, “The phone he took runs on iOS. Direct tracking is quite troublesome, and we don’t have the time. Besides, now that Ning Dongdong has gotten the cash, I don’t think someone as smart as him would keep the victim’s phone on him for long and leave us a trail.”

“Then we’ll just have to check the surveillance footage. Since we know the time, location, and target, we can definitely find her in the footage.”

He Jueyun ruthlessly crushed his confidence. “The foot traffic in the city center is massive, and today is a holiday. The location is packed with people. Don’t forget that the opposing Player is highly intelligent. The drop-off point he chose is likely one that avoids major surveillance cameras while being right in the middle of the crowds. That means we’ll have to look through all the surrounding surveillance footage. With so many people, how long will it take you to find a fugitive? Do you know if he’s a pedestrian on the street or a passenger in a car? Are you sure the cameras will capture a clear view of his face?”

Another person chimed in, “Even if we don’t have his face, we already know the fugitive’s height, build, and clothing, which can still serve as reference points. As long as we track the target’s movements, we can systematically launch a manhunt using the city’s comprehensive surveillance system, right?”

Hearing such naive and casual remarks, the professionals in the room couldn’t even bring themselves to laugh, not knowing where to begin explaining.

Did they think going through surveillance footage was like watching TV? Relaxing and fun? Maybe with some melon seeds and cola on the side?

If they relied on surveillance to determine the fugitive’s exact location, they would definitely be on the defensive.

“No,” He Jueyun’s voice remained calm. “You don’t know what he’s wearing. As for his build, he can easily disguise it with different clothing and posture. Once he blends into the crowd, you won’t recognize him at all.”

Everyone turned to look at him.

He Jueyun walked over to the shoe cabinet, pointed at the footprints on the floor, and said, “Before Ning Dongdong left, he changed his shoes here.”

“Right. Because the soles of his shoes were stained with blood, he changed into the male owner’s shoes.”

“No, he probably changed into the male owner’s slippers first, then went to the bedroom to get clothes to change into.” He Jueyun turned and pointed at the bedroom doorway. “Disguising oneself is a crucial part of being on the run. Since he could calmly set up the crime scene, he would definitely have considered this. And we have no idea what clothes were in the male victim’s closet.”

Some sighed in frustration. “Oh, right. Then looking through the surveillance would be completely aimless. What do we do then?”

“Isn’t that what we’re discussing right now?”

Someone said anxiously, “The more we discuss, the more time we waste! Every second is precious. Let’s get moving, team!”

This sparked a flurry of different voices in the channel. The impatient Players were already starting to get annoyed.

“Who doesn’t know we need to move? How are you going to act if you don’t plan it out first? Are over a hundred of us supposed to just run around doing our own thing?”

“Guarding the bus stations, train stations, and airports is always a safe bet, right? I’ve been waiting outside for ages. Can you give me something to do?”

“Oh, stop causing trouble! Everyone who’s arguing, shut up!”

The scene actually descended into chaos. The expressions of Zhang Wuping and the others turned grim, and the netizens watching were left in a state of bewildered speechlessness.

“It does seem really hard to catch. 【whispering softly】”

“A bunch of disorganized players. The more of them there are, the messier it gets. Even the professionals can’t carry them.”

“Even a disorganized mob is still a hundred people, and that’s not including the technicians provided for free by Sanyao. What they need most right now is manpower. Screening takes a massive amount of time and effort, especially when dealing with a tricky criminal who keeps throwing out red herrings. Do you know how small a criminal investigation squad usually is? Before the case blew up, there were fewer than thirty people assigned to track down Fan Huai, my friends, and they were already giving it everything they had.”

“Actually, I’ve noticed that Brother Q has been quietly speaking up for the big boss. Is he a spy or something?”

“Don’t you think that without the big boss around, Brother Q’s goofy vibe is gone? He’s become so mature and reliable, I almost didn’t recognize him.”

“Brother Q was originally a Sanyao inspector, which isn’t a job just anyone can do! The big boss just set him up! 【Wake up, you guys】”

·

Zhang Wuping didn’t scold them. For this temporarily assembled team of strangers, standard bureaucratic leadership wouldn’t work. Being too strict would only trigger a backlash.

Without wasting a single word, Zhang Wuping formulated a strategy and immediately began delegating tasks.

“We need to send people to check the main train stations and bus stations in A City. For small bus stations, two people will work together. For large stations, four. For train stations, groups of six to ten. You can ask the station staff for help. Players who are close to these locations, start signing up now.”

Zhang Wuping drew red lines across the list on his computer screen, quickly assigning tasks to the first few groups.

A Player raised his hand and said, “What about the highway entrances? The fugitive might steal a car and escape from there.”

“Highway entrances?” He Jueyun dismissed the idea. “Do you know how many highway entrances there are across the districts of A City? Today is the Tomb-Sweeping Day public holiday, so the highways are toll-free. Most of the staff are on rotating leave, and tourist vehicles are completely jammed on the roads. If you inspect them one by one at the entrances, it will cause severe traffic congestion and spark public panic. Besides, where would we get the manpower? What reason would we use to apply for such a large-scale operation?”

“Have someone keep an eye on stolen vehicle reports. If there are any related calls today, investigate them immediately.” Zhang Wuping gave He Jueyun an approving look and agreed. “We really shouldn’t set the net too wide. Since Ning Dongdong is still in the city center, we’ll set up our perimeter around it. If he wants to escape, he’ll have to come out.”

Zhang Wuping pulled up a map, studied it carefully, and circled several spots in red.

“At these busy intersections, conduct one-way inspections on vehicles leaving the city center under the guise of checking for drunk driving. These small roads don’t usually have much foot traffic, so we can monitor them directly through surveillance. Focus on these intersections and check the IDs of suspicious pedestrians. If Ning Dongdong wants to leave, he will have to pass through these places. The tech team will continue to track the ID cards of Ning Dongdong and the two victims. As long as we search thoroughly enough, he will have nowhere to hide.”

Hearing this, the others realized these were all the most basic and grueling tasks, which didn’t sound impressive at all.

“Isn’t there any high-tech gear?”

Zhang Wuping patted his shoulder and said encouragingly, “Humans are nature’s ultimate high-tech creation. Use your own initiative. Don’t just stand there, everyone, get moving! Whether we succeed or not depends on how thorough we are!”

Before everyone’s blood could even start pumping, an officer from downstairs rushed to report to Zhang Wuping, saying nervously, “Captain, the media is here!”

Translator’s Notes