Without saying anything else, Xiao Liu had his people pour the things in the sack on the ground. Instantly we were standing in the garbage. They reeked horribly like socks that hadn’t been washed for 30 years. There were all sorts of garbage. There were plastic toys, worn clothes, snack wrappers, mattresses, broken glass, and things that I couldn’t identify. The station was turned into a mini garbage dump.
But among the dump, I did spot a few things that I was familiar with because I had encountered them in the sewer. Xiao Liu had carried them back. In this manner, Xiao Liu was more attentive and hardworking than I was. I saw the big bear that tripped me and the blue worker’s costume.
Xiao Liu looked at me and asked, “Wu Meng, you said you saw the killer who pushed Ol’ Wang in the cutter.”
This was something Zhao Mingkun saw when she disguised herself as a worker, but I had placed myself in her story. I looked at Xiao Liu and said, “When you guys were focused on Yan Zhenyan, I turned around and saw Ol’ Wang walk in from the other door. Before I could say anything, I saw someone flip Ol’ Wang into the cutter.”
Xiao Liu was satisfied with my answer. He turned to his people, “See, I told you so. When I found out the killer had escaped from the sewer, I predicted how the killer murdered Ol’ Wang. When I figured that out, I immediately led my team to search the sewers. And then,” Xiao Liu picked up the blue uniform, “This is a worker’s uniform I found inside the sewer, and we found another blue uniform in the alley. They are the same size, and they fit someone around 1.7 meters. But,” Xiao Liu raised his finger, “1 person wouldn’t need 2 uniforms, so that means the killer has to be more than 1. The killers must have been hiding at the factory for a long time already and knew that Ol’ Wang would pass them by.”
Xiao Liu had mistaken the disguise used by Zhao Mingkun as the one worn by the killer, but I couldn’t tell Xiao Liu the truth and expose Zhao Mingkun. I didn’t expect Xiao Liu to find the uniform Zhao Mingkun left for me in the sewer, and it led him further down the wrong direction. It made him stray further and further from the truth.
I tried to explain to Xiao Liu, “Human choices might look varied, but most of the time, your choices have been made for you. For example, when at the supermarket, the chance of the items placed in the middle rack being bought is several times higher than the rest. This is because human eye level is about 1.2 meters and our eyes travel to the items in the middle rack naturally. Therefore, when you thought you were making a random purchase, the boss has already influenced your thoughts with the placement of the merchandise.” The others were quite interested in my psychology as they turned to me.
I continued, “It’s the same theory here. The factory is large, so the manager opened 2 doors, and both doors face south. Most people would use the southern door and not the northern door because the assembly line is situated in the south part of the factory. Therefore, the killer laid in wait at the south side of the assembly line.” I looked at the rest and said, “This is something the killer has considered. So the killer either has learned psychology in-depth or is familiar with human nature. Plus, I think we’re close to capturing the killer, but there is one thing that I don’t understand.”
When Xiao Liu heard me, his expression turned serious. He said, “Wu Meng, you really got it wrong this time. The killers work in a team, and I think I’m close to catching them too.”
Not too long ago, Xiao Liu and I had already argued about this. He believed the killers were a group, and they worked in a team. However, he hadn’t figured out how the leader was able to control everyone inside a team.
I believed this was the handiwork of a singular serial killer. Even the closest family would have altercations, much less, strangers. Even though the murder styles had been varied so far, no one had left behind any trace, and no one had strayed due to money or other allure, I didn’t think a team could accomplish that. I had heard that conversation of many voices, but I didn’t see it in person, so I refused to believe it. After all, the killer was very cunning. I knew Xiao Liu desperately wanted to crack the case with his own ability, but I also knew that Xiao Liu would not hesitate to beg me to find the killer. Plus, I did promise him that I’d let him capture the killer once I knew the truth. Even though I wasn’t 100 percent confident, I had a fair idea of what the truth was. However, I still couldn’t bring up Zhao Mingkun, so I said, “I saw the killer. There was only one.”
Xiao Liu looked at me and sneered, “If a person can do all these, then they won’t need 2 uniforms. Wu Meng, you’re not the only detective here. You’re not the only one who can close cases. This time, I’ll find the killer first.”
Gu Chen looked at Xiao Liu and commented, “In the end, a team is going to leave Dong Xing City. Just make sure you’re not on the wrong team.” The atmosphere tensed. I had no idea when my relationship with Xiao Liu became so hostile. Xiao Liu valued his career too much. I believed that he would be willing to take down anyone who stood in his path. When I thought about it that way, it was inevitable for Xiao Liu to leave Captain Zhao’s team. Captain Zhao was only doing this to capture Zhao Mingkun, and he wouldn’t be much help to Xiao Liu and his career. In contrast, Captain Lee was different because he was the same kind of person as Xiao Liu. They would do anything to achieve their ambitions.
Everyone was silent. Gu Chen looked at Xiao Liu sideway. Xiao Liu was once our best teammate, but he was now our most hostile opponent. Xiao Liu probably didn’t expect Chief Bai to summon us back to Dong Xing City so soon. I sighed, “Yes, ultimately, we’re competing teams.”
Xiao Liu’s expression saddened, and he turned away to say, “We found something else in the sewer.” He squatted and showed us other things. “We found many interesting things when we were down there.” Xiao Liu said, “We used almost 2 hours to comb through every corner of the sewer. We realized the killers had been living down there for a long time already. Look at these things. The clothes, the mattresses, and even the toy bear are relatively new.”
When Xiao Liu said that, I studied these things closer. Due to their smell, I assumed they had been in the sewer for a long time, but Xiao Liu was right. They did look relatively new.
“And this.” Xiao Liu pointed at the thing I couldn’t recognize. “Do you know what that is?” We shook our heads. Xiao Liu pinched at it, “This is a pile of ash.”
“Ash?” It hit me then.
Xiao Liu explained, “When Wu Meng encountered the killers, he said that the killers wouldn’t be affected in the dark, but that might just be the one killer he encountered. This is a team of killers, so perhaps only one of them can walk in the dark but not the others. So they need to rely on fire and light.” The officers behind Xiao Liu nodded, impressed by his hypothesis.
I frowned.
Xiao Liu looked at us and continued, “There’s one more thing that helps me confirm this is a group of killers.” Xiao Liu picked up the broken glass. “These are bowls. If they have been in the sewers for a long time, they would have been worn down to crystals already, but these are still relatively new pieces. I found these pieces before an extinguished fireplace, and these pieces can be patched together to form several bowls. That means that the killers were eating underground. The killers are a team of people who live underground.” Xiao Liu said confidently, “And these pieces gave me another clue that proves the connection between the victims.”
My eyes lit up when he said that. The key to this case was the connection between the victims. Why did the killer target these people? Why these specific victims? If we could understand that, we could find the killer’s future targets and protect them in advance. From there, we could trace our way back to the killer too.
“What is it?” I asked.
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