Chapter 2425 2426 The Gradually Dispersing Fog
Chapter 2425: Chapter 2426: The Gradually Dispersing Fog Chapter 2425: Chapter 2426: The Gradually Dispersing Fog Several people got up and left Lin Baolong’s house one after another.
“It looks like our speculation was right,” Zhang Hui said:
“Back then, when they went to the town, something unspeakable must have occurred, which resulted in them fleeing Jindou Village immediately upon returning and being afraid to come back even after so many years.”
Zhu Junchi nodded, “The one named Zhang Wenhua is what you’d call a normal case of someone who left the village; he comes back to visit every now and then.”
“It remains to be seen whether or not this Zhang Wenhua knows anything about what happened back then.”
After walking for a few minutes, the four of them stopped in front of a large brick house.
“Old Zhang, open the door!”
Hearing Lin Baolong’s shout, the white-haired old man who was busy in the vegetable garden turned around to look.
“Keep it down, don’t yell like you’re calling for spirits, my ears work fine.”
Lin Baolong chuckled and said to the others:
“The old man is a decent person, just a bit hot-tempered.”
“But he does seem quite robust,” Zhang Hui commented nonchalantly.
“His name is Zhang Si, doesn’t have a big name, he’s seventy-eight and without a single ailment, and he tends this large garden all by himself.”
While they were talking, Zhang Si approached and glanced at Lin Yi and the others.
“Where’s your son? Why are you home alone?” Lin Baolong asked.
“He hasn’t come back from the town yet,” Zhang Si replied, looking at Lin Yi and the others with a hint of impoliteness as he asked:
“Who are these people?”
“They’re police officers from Zhong Hai, looking to ask you about something.”
“Police?”
Zhang Si seemed somewhat taken aback upon learning of the three visitors’ identities.
In the mindset of ordinary folks, the arrival of police at one’s doorstep usually spelled trouble and was met with wariness.
Zhang Hui showed his credentials.
“Old man, don’t be nervous, it’s nothing serious,” Zhang Hui said:
“We’re just trying to inquire about the whereabouts of your daughter, Zhang Wenhua. Simply providing us with her address will suffice.”
“My daughter hasn’t broken the law. What do you want with her? I don’t know anything.”
“Old Zhang, how can you be so clueless? They’re just here to gather information, they’re not saying that your girl has done anything wrong. Just cooperate nicely.”
“What’s there to inquire about if everything’s fine?”
“Here’s the thing, we’re investigating a case and your daughter Zhang Wenhua might have known the deceased. It’s not about her breaking the law, rest assured,” Zhang Hui explained patiently.
Gradually, the defensive look on Zhang Si’s face subsided substantially.
“She lives in Jinling. I can’t remember the exact building, you’ll have to ask my son for that.”
“Okay, I got it. I’ll give him a call later.”
The group left, and Lin Baolong dialed the number of Zhang Wenhua’s brother.
After explaining the situation, he soon learned of Zhang Wenhua’s exact address.
“Runjing International, Building No. 4, Unit 1, 1601, the contact number is 158…”
Having obtained the specific information, the trio did not intend to stay much longer.
“Thank you for your cooperation today. We may come back again later, but for now we must leave,” they said.
“It’s already past five, and mealtime too. Let’s go to the town, I’ll treat you to a meal; you can’t leave on an empty stomach,” Lin Baolong said with enthusiasm.
He was adept at managing social interactions and etiquette.
“No no no, we have regulations, we can’t accept your hospitality. We must be going now,” they refused.
“Since that’s the case, I won’t keep you any longer,” he conceded.
“Alright, goodbye then.”
After bidding farewell, the three got into the car and headed off towards Jinling.
“What on earth could they have done that made them all leave the village one after another and to such different places without even considering sticking together?” Zhu Junchi muttered.
“That’s precisely what we need to find out. If we can unravel this mystery, the case might just solve itself,” Zhang Hui said:
“By the way, notify the station to check on a person named Li Hongzhu. The five of them were together back in the day. This person is now in great danger.”
“But I suspect he might already be in trouble,” Lin Yi added.
“Why do you say that?”
“Look at the five of them, after leaving the village they went to five different places. I bet this was done deliberately, otherwise, they wouldn’t have spread out like this.”
Zhang Hui and Zhu Junchi listened attentively; Lin Yi was quick-witted and logical in his reasoning, often leading to unexpected findings.
“If Ma Haiqiang hadn’t gone to Fang Daye, then it’s very likely his death occurred in the Northeast.”
“If Song Lin hadn’t gone to find Wang Jiasu, her death could have been in Yanjing! But by coincidence, all four individuals ended up dead in Zhong Hai!”
“If Li Hongzhu is not in Zhong Hai, we are clueless about his situation, we wouldn’t even know if he were dead,” Lin Yi said seriously:
“Murders happen all the time across the country; we can’t be aware of every case.”
“That makes sense.”
“I think it’s a matter of luck,” Zhu Junchi said:
“The perpetrator must be a professional; they would certainly have planned thoroughly before making a move. The four in Zhong Hai and the unknown Li Hongzhu would all be within their grasp. If they choose to kill Li Hongzhu first, there’s nothing much to say; even if we find him, it would only be a body. However! If they opt to kill the four in Zhong Hai first, we still have a slim chance!”
Zhang Hui slapped his thigh!
“That’s right! If his plan was to kill Fang Daye and the others first, there’s a chance Li Hongzhu might still be alive, but he’s also in great danger. The killer could strike at any moment!”
“So we need to find Li Hongzhu’s whereabouts quickly; saving even one person is a victory.”
While talking, Zhu Junchi took out his phone and called the substation to initiate an inquiry about Li Hongzhu.
At the same time, Zhang Hui took his phone and dialed Zhang Wenhua’s number.
“Hello, is this Miss Zhang Wenhua?”
“Are you police from Zhong Hai?”
“You know who we are?”
“My brother just called me. He said there have been several murder cases in Zhong Hai, with Ma Haiqiang dead?”
“Not just Ma Haiqiang, Fang Daye, Wang Jiasu, and Song Lin are all dead too. You knew them, right?”
“I knew them; we grew up playing together.”
“We’re contacting you for this reason, to learn more about them to aid the investigation,” they explained.
“I’m on a business trip right now, on the high-speed train. I won’t be back in Jinling until midnight. Can we meet tomorrow?”
“No problem,” Zhang Hui said, “You set the time and place.”
“Let’s meet at Starbucks at the base of Wanda Plaza on Jiangdong Road at ten o’clock tomorrow morning, is that okay?”
“That works, thanks for your cooperation.”
“No need to thank me,” she replied.
After hanging up the phone, Zhang Hui let out a big sigh of relief and slouched in his seat.
“Damn, finally getting somewhere… I’m exhausted.”
“That can be remedied,” Lin Yi laughed, “Tonight, I’ll arrange something special for you guys…”