Simulating_Crimes_C70

Chapter 70: The Sculptor Who Identified the Killer’s Hiding Location and Began the Action!

As soon as these words were spoken, Lin Tian couldn’t help but fall silent in shock.

He never expected…

As the principal of Tree De Middle School and an intellectual, Qu Wenbiao would say that he would rather hold on to the tiniest shred of hope and believe the criminal, rather than trust and cooperate with the police!

But after thinking carefully, Lin Tian could somewhat understand Qu Wenbiao’s choice. From a father’s perspective, his actions, though extreme, seemed somewhat reasonable.

After all, as Qu Wenbiao had pointed out, given Qu Pengfei’s behavior, if he were caught, it would only end with a peanut-sized reward.

Placing hope in the criminal seemed extreme, but in reality, it might be the only chance.

However…

With the scale of this massive drug trafficking organization and its operational style, this risky gamble was doomed to fail and might even cause his son to leave this world sooner.

…

Xu Changsheng, on the other hand, couldn’t stand Qu Wenbiao’s attitude any longer.

The indifference, the abandonment of everything—it was more tormenting than interrogating a Skinny dog, filling him with anger. He slammed his hand on the table and shouted angrily.

“Qu Wenbiao!”

“We’re not just helping your son; we’re helping you too, understand?!”

“Do you really think…”

“That a criminal who can commit such a major crime would care about your son, a useless piece of trash who hasn’t even passed the evaluation?”

“I’ll say it clearly.”

“If you don’t want to see your son’s body in the next few days, then quickly tell us where he’s hiding. Otherwise…”

Before Xu Changsheng could finish, Lin Tian saw that Qu Wenbiao was still keeping his head lowered, seemingly indifferent. Lin Tian waved his hand to interrupt Xu Changsheng and shook his head.

“Asheng.”

“There’s no need to say more.”

“He’s already set on his decision, and maybe only when he sees the body with his own eyes will he regret not confessing earlier.”

“We need to think for ourselves now.”

“Where might Qu Pengfei be hiding? Let’s use surveillance and our eyes to verify and try to find him before they act!”

“Because…”

“This case is not just about this one incident. Qu Pengfei is also a key figure in breaking this massive drug trafficking organization. We must ensure his safety.”

At that moment, the entire interrogation room went quiet.

Lin Tian took a light sniff of the tobacco scent on his fingers, contemplating where Qu Pengfei might be, while Xu Changsheng tapped on his laptop, checking the latest hotel stay records.

Su Ming, meanwhile, comfortably leaned back in his chair, half-closing his eyes, his right index finger tapping his left hand, as he tried to think from Qu Pengfei’s perspective.

If he were Qu Pengfei, given the special nature of the case and Qu Wenbiao taking the case on himself, it was impossible not to have had prior communication.

So, Qu Pengfei should roughly know that his father was taken by the police, as it was just now that Qu Wenbiao was taken in front of the media and nothing was deliberately hidden.

There was another possibility…

It was that Qu Wenbiao had done this on purpose, accepting the media interview at that moment so Qu Pengfei would know whether his father was taken by the police.

After all, even with Xu Changsheng’s warning, the media would inevitably mention Qu Wenbiao’s detention online, which would stir up attention.

This meant that Qu Pengfei should not be at school right now.

Because if he were at school, news of Qu Wenbiao’s detention would have reached him immediately.

Also…

If Qu Pengfei had been at school during this time, he likely would have remembered the time of the eye exercises and not heard it in a phone call with the Skinny dog.

This suggested…

Qu Pengfei might only have visited the school once or twice to communicate with Qu Wenbiao, so he happened to hear the sound of the eye exercises.

The school could largely be ruled out.

And since Qu Wenbiao had sold his house and was living at the school, it was also unlikely to be at home.

Hotels, which require real-name registration, were definitely out of the question.

That left very few places to choose from.

It needed to be sufficiently hidden, hard to detect, and judging from the previous transactions between Qu Pengfei and the Skinny dog, they had chosen to meet in Shengtian Village, indicating he was someone who needed a sense of security.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have chosen a place so familiar to him.

As for why Qu Pengfei was familiar with Shengtian Village…

It was because Qu Wenbiao and his wife were so busy with work that they didn’t have time to take care of Qu Pengfei, so they left him with his grandparents.

At this point, Su Ming suddenly opened his eyes, and a detail came to mind.

Qu Pengfei’s grandparents had passed away years ago, but the old house still remained in Shengtian Village, and it hadn’t been demolished!

The most crucial point was…

Qu Pengfei had been living in the old house in Shengtian Village recently, which explained why the transactions with the Skinny dog were so easy.

Otherwise, with his need to pass the drug trafficking organization’s evaluation, he wouldn’t have dared to appear frequently on the streets.

Choosing to meet in Shengtian Village, where he was hiding, solved that problem.

Furthermore, since Shengtian Village had been largely abandoned with very few residents, it was an excellent place for hiding!

And in Shengtian Village…

The only place Qu Pengfei could go was his grandparents’ old house!

However…

Since there was little surveillance in Shengtian Village, they still needed accurate verification.

…

Without hesitation, Su Ming quickly sat upright. Though he looked toward Lin Tian and Xu Changsheng, his eyes subtly studied Qu Wenbiao’s expression. He pretended to be surprised and said.

“Director Lin, Brother Sheng.”

“I’ve figured out where Qu Pengfei is hiding!”

As soon as these words were spoken, Lin Tian and Xu Changsheng immediately stopped what they were doing and looked at Su Ming, also glancing at Qu Wenbiao out of the corner of their eyes.

They could see that Qu Wenbiao, who had been lowering his head in silence, had subtly lifted his head and was listening intently.

Su Ming didn’t deliberately try to build suspense or make any preparations. He directly stated with certainty.

“Qu Pengfei.”

“He is currently hiding in his grandparents’ old house in Shengtian Village!!!”

As the words fell, Lin Tian and Xu Changsheng hadn’t yet reacted when…

“Bang—”

Qu Wenbiao suddenly slammed his fists weakly on the interrogation table, his face as pale as a corpse, his eyes filled with visible fear!

At that moment, there was no need to check surveillance; Qu Wenbiao’s expression and state alone were enough to prove everything.

Lin Tian immediately stood up without hesitation, his eyes cold and commanding.

“Deploy the officers!”

“Immediately head to Shengtian Village and have the surrounding officers help block the area!!!”

…

Meanwhile, at the entrance of an old residential community named Happiness Garden.

A young man in loose sportswear, wearing a headband, looking rather spirited, walked out of the community without any expression, ignoring the middle-aged man still at the noodle shop and the busy delivery man.

After walking two streets, he casually removed the headband, his once energetic appearance disappearing, replaced by a slightly sickly, weary look.

He took out a phone with a pre-installed new SIM card, sending a simple text to a number deeply etched in his mind.

[Wait another 15 seconds. I’m already on the main road. Should I meet on the small path?]

A few seconds later, a brief response came.

[The sculptor has already found the doctor. No need to worry. Go back to Suzhou early.]

After reading the message, the young man stretched lazily and hailed a taxi, sitting comfortably in the backseat and saying leisurely.

“To the Magic City bus station.”

…

As the taxi carried the young man away from the old town, in the next half hour…

The wife of the Skinny dog, hearing the barking of a dog, peered through the peephole in confusion, making sure no one was lying in wait before slowly opening the security door.

Then…

She saw a Shiba Inu tied to the railing at her doorstep, wagging its tail in an attempt to please her.

Just as the Skinny dog’s wife looked around, unsure of why there was a Shiba Inu, their three-year-old daughter bounced out. Upon seeing the clumsy dog, she immediately clapped her hands and shouted happily.

“Doggie~ Doggie~”

“I want to keep this doggie~ Keep this doggie~”

“……”