Chapter 23: Spontaneous Combustion

  Wu Hui only then discovered that the window of Wen Peng's bedroom was facing the direction of the video hall, and he could see the entire fire scene from his bed.

  "Who was that person you were talking to at the bar and what did they look like?"

  That day he drank too much and didn't remember what the person looked like. Even the gasoline later was put in a place by that person, and he went to get it himself, after which he never saw that person again. "I don't remember, he wore a baseball cap and kept his head down, the bar lights were dim, I only knew he was a man, didn't know anything else."

  Wu Hui wanted to confirm whether the second case was also related to that person, because the same card appeared in the second case. "Was the second arson case something you did on a whim, and had not discussed with him beforehand?"

  Wen Peng was somewhat impatient, this second one was his own masterpiece and had nothing to do with others, "No."

  "Have you seen each other again after that?"

  "No, he just told me to go to a place to get gasoline on New Year's Eve and then told me the specific location to set fire, that's all." Wen Peng obviously didn't want to continue talking about it anymore, stood up and walked out of the bedroom by himself.

  Wang Si-ting, seeing that there was nothing else for her to do, handed the completed transcript to Wu Hui, with a clear warning in her eyes not to let this happen again.

  Seeing Wang Siting packing her suitcase on one side, Wu Hui said casually: "Let me treat you to a meal, as a thank you."

  Upon hearing Wu Hui's invitation, Wang Si Ting turned around, leaning against the table with her hands clasped in front of her chest, tilting her head and smiling at Wu Hui, "You're treating me to dinner, you must have something to ask of me?"

  Wu Hui indeed had something to ask for her help, and inviting her to dinner was just an excuse. "You can see through everything, I'll come to your place tonight to pick you up."

  Yang Rong saw Wen Peng being taken away by Wang Hua. She thought of asking Wu Hui what Wen Peng had said, and coincidentally overheard Wu Hui's last sentence, "Really? You guys are on a date?"

  Seeing Yang Rong's unbelievable expression, Wang Si Ting lightly tapped her forehead, "What are you thinking?"

  Yang Rong hugged Wang Si Ting's slender waist tightly and kept shaking. Although she quite liked Wu Hui, it was also a liking out of admiration, in her heart, she felt that to be worthy of Wu Hui, the man she admired, should be like Wang Si Ting, "You guys are too much, this is good news, why hide it? What's going on, are you guys into underground relationships now? You're not even celebrities, just announce it already."

  "Don't talk nonsense, it's not what you think. You thought he was so kind to invite me out for dinner? He actually had something to ask me for help with." Wang Si Ting secretly gave Wu Hui a look, telling him to explain, or else the whole office would know about it by tomorrow.

  Wu Hui felt that this matter was getting more and more complicated. He'd better not say anything else, "Alright, here's the transcript, take it to Captain Guo."

  Yang Rong felt that Wang Si Ting had a pleasant smell on her body, and she was reluctant to let go. However, when Wu Hui handed over the transcript, she couldn't help but take it, so she reluctantly released Wang Si Ting.

  Fang You had been waiting outside for half a day without seeing Yang Rong come out, thinking that something was wrong, so he came in to urge him, "Haven't you gotten the transcript yet?"

  Yang Rong saw Fang You about to enter, and hastily took the pen from Wu Hui's hand, pushing Fang You out with one foot that had not yet entered the room. With a strange smile, she left the bedroom, leaving the room to the two of them. "Then I won't disturb you guys."

  Seeing Yang Rong's little girl's smile, even a fool knows what it means. Wang Si Ting was so angry that she stomped her foot and pointed at Wu Hui, saying: "What is this? You don't help me explain?"

  Wu Hui put down Wang Si Ting, pointing to his own hand, with a self-righteous expression, "Children's nonsense, no need to take it seriously." After finishing, he left Wang Si Ting alone in the bedroom.

  Watching Wu Hui leave with a smile at the corner of his mouth, Wang Si Ting had a feeling of being played, thinking that he wanted her to help him tonight, no way!

  When Wang Hua pressed Wen Peng downstairs, something unexpected happened.

  At that time, Wang Hua was pushing Wen Peng to go downstairs. Just as they were about to leave the room, Wen Peng said he wanted to smoke a cigarette. Although Wang Hua didn't like Wen Peng very much, there was no need to quarrel with him over just one cigarette. So he took out a cigarette from his pocket and handed it to Wen Peng, then took out a lighter and lit it for him.

  However, Wen Peng had just taken two puffs when his sleeve suddenly caught fire. Wang Hua thought it was an illusion, but in that moment of hesitation, the flames quickly spread and engulfed Wen Peng entirely.

  Upon hearing Wen Peng's miserable cry, several people rushed over. Guo Yining saw the situation and hastily ran to the police car to fetch a fire extinguisher, which he sprayed wildly at Wen Peng's burning body.

  As the fire went out, Wen Peng's miserable cries also stopped. Seeing Wen Peng's body in a boxing stance, Wang Si Ting walked forward to check and shook her head, "He's dead."

  Seeing Wen Peng was just a big living person, now turned into a black corpse, Wang Hua was somewhat puzzled, how did it catch fire for no reason. "It wasn't me, captain, I don't know what happened either, I just gave him a cigarette, I don't know what's going on."

  Wang Si Ting finished checking and took off her gloves, saying to Wang Hua: "This can't be blamed on you."

  Wu Hui looked at Wang Si Ting, and from her eyes, he could tell that she had a lead. "Have you found out the reason?"

  Wang Si Ting glanced at Wu Hui, "White phosphorus!"

  When taking a statement, Wu Hui remembered that he had also given Wen Peng a light at the time. "It's impossible, just now when we were talking to him, he was smoking too, without any reaction, how could he catch fire as soon as he walked out?"

  When did the murderer sprinkle white phosphorus on Wen Peng? So many people were present at the scene, it's impossible to do something under their noses. Is there someone among them that they want to find?

  Wu Hui looked around at the people, who were all whispering to each other with their heads down. Who was it? Who exactly was it?

  At this time, Wang Hua suddenly remembered something and said loudly: "I know, that down jacket, when Wang Hua went out the door, he took a down jacket from the doorway and put it on, it must be that piece of clothing, no mistake."

  Upon hearing Wang Hua say this, Fang You immediately responded: "That's right, at the time I also saw him put on a down jacket. It wasn't just me, everyone present at the scene should have seen it too."

  Fang You looked at several people around him, and those people also said that they indeed saw Wen Peng asking to wear down jacket when he went out, after all it was too cold outside.

  Wu Hui didn't disbelieve what Wang Hua said, he just couldn't understand. Why did that person want to kill Wen Peng.

  Wen Peng said he didn't remember the person's appearance, but why was he still silenced? Did Wen Peng lie and remember the person's face or voice, so to be on the safe side, he killed Wen Peng.

  Zhou Dapeng didn't kill those women, but they died of suffocation. In the end, Zhou Dapeng also died of suffocation. Wen Peng liked arson, so he was burned to death too. Did the murderer treat them as pawns and kill them with corresponding methods after using them?

  Wu Hui regretted it after realizing this point. If he had discovered the connection earlier, Wen Peng might not have died.

  For his own mistakes, Wang Hua was filled with regret, "If only I had known, I wouldn't have given him a cigarette. Then he wouldn't have died."

  Wu Hui patted Wang Hua's shoulder and comforted him, "Wen Peng is a heavy smoker. As long as he lights up his lighter, he will set himself on fire too. The murderer must have noticed this, so they snuck into the room while Wen Peng was asleep and sprinkled white phosphorus on his clothes. It's just that our arrival delayed his death time by a bit, it's not your fault."

  Wang Hua looked at Wu Hui. Previously he was so against him, why did he come to speak for him this time? "Is what you're saying true?"

  Wu Hui knew that Wang Hua's heart must still be unable to get over this hurdle, after all, it was because of his reason that indirectly caused Wen Peng's death. He just told the truth, hoping that Wang Hua would not feel guilty for the murderer's evil, "Why should I lie to you."

  Wang Siting couldn't bear this nauseating scene, she still preferred to go back and dissect corpses, that was more interesting. "Alright, send Wenpeng's corpse to my workroom anyway, what you said needs to be verified through my examination."

  Wen Peng's body was sent back to the homicide investigation department, and several people sat in the office again in silence, had this clue been cut off again.

  "Bang!" Guo Yining suddenly slammed his hand heavily on the table, scaring the few people sitting there. "Damn it, don't let me catch him, if I do, I'll skin him alive."

  Fang Youjian saw Guo Yining so angry and hastily comforted him, "Guo, don't be too angry. We've been led by the nose all along. Now that he's killed Wen Peng, has he already chosen his next pawn?"

  Hearing Fang You's words, Guo Yining didn't understand the meaning behind them. "Chess piece? What chess piece?"

  "I think these people are all pawns chosen by the person who sent the postcard, used and then discarded, and then new pawns are put into use. Am I right?" Fang Yu said this as he occasionally glanced at Wu Hui, unsure if his understanding was correct.

  What Fang said was exactly what Wu Hui had been thinking, and he nodded in agreement. "That's right," he continued. "The reason he wanted to kill all these pawns is that they had all come into contact with this person. If we can capture everyone who has come into contact with him, we'll be able to get some information about him from their mouths, and then piece it together. We're sure to expose him. That's why, for safety's sake, he killed everyone who came into contact with him, so now we don't have a single lead."

  Upon hearing Wu Hui's analysis, Yang Rong felt that the person who sent the postcard was a psychopath who disregarded human life and the law. "Isn't this going too far? It's as if he's treating people's lives like a joke. Doesn't he think these people are living beings? How can he so casually decide someone's fate? Does he think he's the god of death?"

  Wu Hui pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and said in a low voice, "Maybe he really does think of himself as a god of death who can decide people's lives and deaths."

  In recent days, the news has been playing stories about Angel Home, constantly calling on society to donate and rebuild Angel Home. The most dedicated is a reporter from the city TV station, who stays in the hospital every day, taking care of the children while filming videos of them, which are played repeatedly during her morning news program.

  Perhaps it was her persistent efforts to appeal that drew the attention of most people in society, and Angel Home's donations were quickly raised, with some volunteers also coming to help take care of the children.

  Wang Hua walked in from the door, still holding a hot pancake in his hand. This bachelor had never known how to cook and always just bought something casual to get by. "You won't believe it, this woman is quite righteous!"

  Upon hearing Wang Hua's voice, Guo Yining, who was watching TV, turned around and said, "She has been working hard for the Angel Home."

  "How did you know that these days I come every time to see you staring at the TV, before never saw you pay attention to morning news?" Wang Si Ting bought a cup of coffee downstairs and was about to return to the office when she heard Guo Yi Ning and others, so she came in to say hello.

  Wang Hua finished eating a pancake in two or three bites, and upon hearing Wang Si Ting's words, even he, a dull person, seemed to have noticed that Guo Yi Ning had been acting strange lately. "Really? I hadn't noticed until you mentioned it. Captain Guo, you seem to be watching TV a lot lately?"

  When she heard the two of them talking about their changes over the past few days, Guo Yining felt a bit embarrassed. "What's wrong with watching TV? Why is there so much going on?"

  "No, Captain Guo, what's going on? We were just talking about TV shows, why are you blushing?" Wang Siting noticed Guo Yining's little movement and recalled her conversation with Wu Hui a few days ago, as if she understood something. "I remember the news anchor before wasn't this person, how come it's always been her recently? What happened to the previous one? I think the previous host was better."

  Guo Yining tried hard to hide his facial changes, which made his expression even stranger. "Is there? I think this one is better than that one."

  Wang Hua stared at the TV screen for half a day, thinking that this one seemed better than the other. Why did Wang Si Ting say the previous one was good? "Yeah, I think this one is good too."

  "No matter what others say is good or bad, it's useless. In someone's heart, it will always be the best." Wang Si Ting said and turned to leave.

  "Someone, who is it? Who is someone?" Wang Hua didn't understand what Wang Si Ting meant by her words, and who was this someone. "Officer Guo, Sister Ting is acting strange today, who is this someone she's talking about?"

  Guo Yining knew that Wang Siting had seen through his thoughts and was feeling embarrassed. Seeing Wang Hua keep asking him, he picked up the file folder beside him and hit his head with it, "How would I know? Why are you so nosy? Are you very free today? How's the thing I asked you to investigate previously?"

  Thinking of Guo Yining letting him investigate, there was not a single clue, Wang Hua instantly became a deflated balloon. "Captain Guo, no results yet, I'll continue investigating today, if I don't find out more, you can take my head off and use it as a ball to kick."

  Guo Yining knew this matter was not easy to handle, and he wasn't trying to rush Wang Hua, just wanting to change the subject. "What's the use of having your brain if you don't think? I know it's a tough situation, do your best."