Chapter 10: The Twisted Ones 4

  Sister Su said, "Look at what you're saying, the most ridiculous thing is that a girl said 'reporting is just a joke, but you've taken my money'"

  "I... I... I will go surrender myself and hand everything over. You just wait for your prison sentence."

  "Hmph, if I get caught, what benefits will you gain?"

  "I will at least be true to my own conscience for the rest of my life"

  An elderly man in the recording let out an angry roar followed by a loud slamming of the door.

  Pan Wei let out a deep sigh and the recording came to an end.

  According to the recording, the conversation content analysis shows that Zhao Junjie's death is directly related to Pan Yu and this mysterious man. The murderer was enraged when he learned that Pan Yu wanted to call the police, so he turned back and committed the crime. Wang Yanan looked at the girl in front of her with a worried face and asked: "Did Pan Yu take someone else's money?"

  The girl nodded and took out a bank card from her small bag, gently placing it on Wang Yan's office desk: "It's all here, $5,000. I haven't touched a single cent. The password is 668. Captain Wang, we didn't have enough money to get married and buy a house, but I had already told Ah Pan that we couldn't take this unaccounted-for money. Now he's gone, so I'm giving it to you."

  "Was this money transferred into your account through a bank?"

  "Yes" The girl didn't understand the real meaning of Wang Yan's question.

  Wang Yanan stood up and said: "Thank you very much for telling us this important situation, don't worry, we will crack the case as soon as possible."

  The girl's nose turned sour and tears were about to fall again.

  Wang Yan Nan let out a long sigh and pressed the internal call button on the phone: "Little Zheng, come bring Miss Li to handle the evidence receipt procedure"

  Colleagues from the economic team soon confirmed that the owner of the American Express card number that transferred money to Pan's account was Robert Chen, whose Chinese name is Chen Haijun.

  This news made Wang Yan excited because she finally had direct evidence of contact with Chen Haijun. As long as Chen Haijun was arrested, she would be able to find out about Zhang Tong's whereabouts, whether she was alive or dead. Wang Yan was determined to find her.

  Director Li raised an objection: "Little Wang, this Chen Haijun now has American nationality. We don't have the right to approve his arrest. I must contact the provincial authorities."

  "But if Li Bureau delays for too long and he gets wind of it and runs away, what then? The Zhang Fa medical manual is still in his hands!" Wang Ya Nan was anxious.

  "There's no other way, we have to follow the procedure" Director Li's words were unquestionable

  "But..."

  Director Li waved his hand, "Don't say anything more, I won't agree to it. What if it causes an international dispute later? Besides, Professor Chen is also a well-known figure. If not, you can just send someone to keep an eye on him first. I will report back to the province very quickly."

  Wang Yanan had no choice but to reluctantly turn around and leave Director Li's office.

  Chen Haijun suddenly disappeared from everyone's sight when he made up his mind to quietly leave the hotel room. He had already made all the necessary arrangements, but despite this, he still felt a cold sweat on his palms. It was 10 pm and the corridor outside the hotel room was quiet, with no sound of footsteps coming or going. The only sound was the soft background music played by the hotel, which was as quiet as a morgue. Chen Haijun knew that even if he encountered someone now, they would not ask him any questions because of his foreign identity, and even the police would treat him politely. However, Chen Haijun had to follow his own secret plan. With Zhang Tong's memories awakening, everything would soon be revealed. He didn't want to kill Zhao Junjie, but the latter was too curious and obsessed with uncovering things that were deeply buried by time. Chen Haijun was glad he had come prepared, having spent a small amount of money to make a young man take the fall for him. What made him angry was that this young man dared to threaten him, which was something he could not tolerate. So, without hesitation, he pushed the foolish and unsuspecting young man off the 12th floor building. As he listened to the tragic cry piercing the sky, Chen Haijun felt a familiar thrill. He knew he couldn't stay in this place any longer. Once he boarded the plane, he would be free. However, before leaving, Chen Haijun still had something to take care of, something he should have done 20 years ago.

  Chen Haijun walked openly and uprightly through the hotel lobby, despite dragging a small suitcase behind him. He knew that the hotel staff would not stop him because the rooms were all booked by the conference organizers, who had also paid for them. Naturally, the bill would be settled by them as well. All Chen Haijun needed to do was leave quietly and easily.

  He arrived at the main entrance of the hotel lobby, where a diligent doorman came forward to open the heavy glass door for him. The night air was fresh and pleasant, and Chen Haijun couldn't help but take a deep breath, feeling his mood lift greatly.

  "Excuse me, do you need a taxi?" Chen Haijun stood at the entrance and hesitated to move forward. The doorman immediately came up politely and asked.

  Chen Haijun smiled slightly and nodded, at the same time stuffing a five-dollar bill into his hand. He saw a flash of gratitude on the doorman's face. Chen Haijun felt extremely proud in his heart. What's five dollars? He earns more than that in one minute. Spending five dollars to get people around him to nod and bow, this feeling is simply awesome.

  The taxi arrived quickly and the doorman helped Chen Haijun open the door while helping him put his small luggage into the trunk of the taxi.

  The taxi sped away from the hotel entrance after the car door was slammed shut.

  At this time, a white Honda Accord that had been parked on the opposite side of the road less than ten meters away from the hotel entrance quietly started up. It followed closely behind the taxi, with the distance between the two cars maintained at around thirty meters. The white Honda Accord turned off its headlights and in the pitch-black night, Chen Haijun sitting in the front seat of the taxi didn't notice the car behind him at all. Imagining the look of surprise and despair on the police officers' faces when they opened the hotel room door a few days later, Chen Haijun excitedly laughed.

  The taxi stopped in front of an old residential building, and after sending the taxi away, Chen Haijun pulled his luggage towards the parking lot on the left side of the residential building.

  This strange scene was seen by Liu Chunxiao, who was sitting in a white Honda Accord behind him. Although he had only met Chen Haijun a few times and had no communication with him, this face was not easy to forget.

  At this time, Liu Chunxiao couldn't help but wonder what Chen Haijun was up to, sneaking out of the hotel in the middle of the night. Liu Chunxiao made up his mind to continue observing Chen Haijun's every move from the shadows.

  Less than five minutes later, a black Audi sped out of the parking lot and turned onto the main street, narrowly avoiding a white Honda Accord in the darkness.

  Liu Chunxiao hesitated because the black Audi had been driving too fast earlier, and he hadn't had time to get a good look at the person in the car. He couldn't be sure if it was Chen Haijun who was driving, so he didn't know whether to continue following or stay put. Now that some time had passed, it was too late to go back to the parking lot attendant's room to ask questions. Liu Chunxiao gritted his teeth and released the brake, letting the car glide silently out of its lane as he continued to tail the black Audi discreetly. Suddenly, things were happening so fast that all he could do was take a gamble.

  As the midnight approached, there were fewer and fewer vehicles on the road. In order not to attract the attention of the Audi car in front, Liu Chunxiao deliberately increased the distance between the two cars. He felt a bit stuffy and casually opened the window. The icy night wind instantly filled the entire compartment, making him much more alert.

  The Audi drove towards the suburbs and the signs flashing by the roadside showed that ten kilometers ahead was a forest of poplar trees that stretched as far as the eye could see.

  At this time, Liu Chunxiao was completely convinced that the person in the Audi car was indeed Chen Haijun himself and had not misjudged. Now his only concern was Zhang Tong's safety.

  At this time, the car phone rang. Liu Chunxiao connected his mobile phone to the car phone and glanced at the screen. The number on it was Wang Yan's. Liu Chunxiao hesitated for a moment before pressing the answer button.

  "Hello Captain Wang"

  "Liu Chunxiao, where are you?"

  "Anything wrong?"

  "I need your help. I want to capture Chen Haijun, but he has American nationality and we don't have enough authority here. Can the procuratorate help? Please report to the higher-ups as soon as possible. If time drags on, I'm afraid he'll get wind of it and run away, which would be troublesome."

  Liu Chunxiao smiled slightly: "Captain Wang, this time you've found sufficient evidence."

  "But Director Li said we don't have the right to arrest Chen Haijun. For influential foreign nationals, arrests need to be reviewed and approved by the provincial authorities."

  "If we had caught him at the scene of the crime, it wouldn't be so troublesome. Captain Wang, I'm currently tailing his car, please send someone over immediately. I reckon he's heading to Hu Yang Lin, Xiao Tong is definitely there too."

  "What did you say? How can you follow him alone? Where are you now?" Wang Yan was anxious, and a rustling sound came from the background of the phone.

  Liu Chunxiao took a look at the GPS navigator in the car. "I just passed the 25-kilometer mark on Provincial Highway 336, and my speed was 40 kilometers per hour. He was about 50 meters ahead of me, driving a black Audi."

  "I know, you be careful and stay in touch, we'll rush over as soon as possible"

  After hanging up the phone, Liu Chunxiao noticed that the Audi car in front began to turn and he quickly slowed down and continued to follow quietly behind.

  The road became narrower and narrower, the asphalt road gradually turned into a bumpy dirt road, and the surroundings became pitch black and quiet like a tomb.

  Worried that Chen Haijun would discover him, Liu Chunxiao had to slow down the car again. He didn't dare turn on the headlights and could only let the darkness surround the car as the night wind blew past his ears, carrying the rustling of the poplar trees' branches, like countless dark spirits dancing in the night sky.

  Gradually, the red taillights of the Audi car in front changed from a small round dot to a faintly visible small red dot. At this time, Liu Chunxiao was very clear that he had no way to retreat for Xiao Tong, no matter how dangerous it was in front, he must grit his teeth and persevere.

  The car was like a drunken dancer, swaying left and right on the endless dirt road. Liu Chunxiao stared fixedly at the small red dot in front of her, afraid that it would suddenly disappear and she would lose her way completely. The GPS navigator had long since lost its effectiveness, with nothing but a blank screen staring back at her.

  The small red dot in front finally stopped, and the car lights were also turned off. Liu Chunxiao stopped the car and stared nervously ahead. He wanted to call Wang Yanan, but the car phone showed that it was already out of service area. Time did not allow Liu Chunxiao to hesitate any longer. He opened the door, took a flashlight in his hand, covered it with a handkerchief, and walked towards Chen Haijun's parked location, one step deep and one step shallow.

  After walking for a long time under the hazy moonlight, Liu Chunxiao found himself standing beside an Audi car, but there was no one inside.

  He stared with wide eyes and looked around, in the direction of his left hand, more than ten meters away, there was a dark hole-like thing that seemed to be an abandoned hunting hut. Apart from this, the surroundings were dense forests that blocked out the wind.

  Liu Chunxiao immediately walked towards the hut and closed the flashlight. When he came to the door of the hut, he stretched out his hand and pushed the heavy wooden door, which was surprisingly opened with a slight creaking sound.

  The small cottage had a certain age to it, with choking dust floating in the air and a strange medicinal smell permeating every corner of the room. After smelling it for a while, Liu Chunxiao felt an irrepressible urge to vomit.

  There was no one in the house. Liu Chunxiao opened the flashlight she had been carrying with her, adjusted the light to its lowest level, and carefully examined the small room.

  The interior of the small house was made of cement, including the ceiling and floor. There were no windows or any decorations, except for the door that led in. Liu Chunxiao noticed that there was another door in front of him, and a faint light came from inside. His heart couldn't help but move - could Chen Haijun be inside?

  He tiptoed closer to the door and pressed his ear against the crack, holding his breath to listen.