NOS Chapter 57

Chapter 57: Beilin Village (7)

That evening, Guan Yao received another call from Li Xiaotian.

Fang Wang had briefly regained consciousness but was unable to clearly explain what he and Meng Changqing had encountered on their way to Qianjinping. And Meng Changqing was still missing.

“We found a patch of blood in the woods about three kilometers from the scene,” Li Xiaotian said over the phone. “We’re not sure whose it is, but it’s been sent back to the city for forensic testing.”

Guan Yao nodded at first, then realized Li Xiaotian couldn’t see him on the other end of the phone, so he said, “Okay, I understand.”

“Some villagers in Qianjinping said last night that they saw a bear outside. We’re worried that Meng might have…” Li Xiaotian trailed off, feeling it was bad luck to continue. So he spat and said, “Meng is very clever and grew up in the mountains. He wouldn’t be afraid of encountering a bear. Don’t worry, Lao Guan. We’ll definitely find him.”

Guan Yao was sitting in the hospital hallway, fiddling with the lighter Yu Chunming had left on the table at his house. He replied, “I believe you.”

Li Xiaotian was silent for a long time after hearing this, and then said, “Lao Guan, I was wrong about what happened before. That… if Officer Yu wakes up, you, you tell him for me.”

“Okay,” Guan Yao mechanically replied.

“Also, our chief… our chief asked me if you knew Vice Director Yu. He wants you to…”

“It’s no use whatever he wants me to do,” Guan Yao refused without mercy. “It’s his fault, and it’s his fault. I can’t plead for him.”

Li Xiaotian said nothing more, and the two of them hung up in silence.

Ten minutes later, Na Fei arrived.

In the morning, she had gone with the Task Force to Qianjinping to survey the scene of the incident. After leaving Qianjinping, she had made a detour to Beilin Village to take photos of the site.

When Guan Yao saw her, she still had her camera slung over her shoulder and was carrying two takeout boxes in her hand.

“Have you eaten?” Na Fei asked. “Han Chen said you’ve been here since noon.”

Guan Yao didn’t answer, silently taking the takeout box Na Fei offered.

“How’s my senior colleague? Han Chen said he’s out of danger.” Na Fei breathed out a cloud of cold air and stuffed a bottle of warm milk into Guan Yao’s hand. “Why don’t you go back and rest for a while? I’ll watch him here.”

Through a glass window, the two of them could barely see the situation in the intensive care unit. Doctors were coming and going. Guan Yao, as a policeman, couldn’t do anything sitting outside, but he insisted on staying by Yu Chunming’s side, afraid that the first person this man saw when he woke up wouldn’t be him.

“No need. Chunming has to be transferred to another hospital tonight. Wang Meng said that the First Affiliated Hospital of Medical University will send a helicopter to pick him up. I’ll go with him to Changlian Airport.” Guan Yao said.

Na Fei nodded. “Good. Someone will take care of him in Songlan. He’ll be fine.”

Guan Yao’s eyes twitched, and he felt like crying again, so he quickly changed the subject: “How’s Qianjinping?”

Na Fei had surveyed the scene of the incident in Qianjinping all morning. Besides finding traces of tires skidding and the vehicle overturning, she hadn’t found any signs of human intervention.

“It must have been the snow. The ground was slippery, and the snow tires couldn’t hold on. He flipped into the ditch beside the road.” Na Fei said. “It looks like there’s no escape, but it’s been snowing all night. Your colleagues at the Linchang Police Station weren’t careful about protecting the scene when they were looking for people. If there were any suspicious footprints on the ground, we wouldn’t be able to find them now.”

Guan Yao wiped his face and sighed heavily.

Na Fei continued, “But something is very strange. I asked a lot of locals in Qianjinping, and they couldn’t explain it clearly.”

“What is it?” Guan Yao asked, looking at her.

Na Fei said seriously, “Yesterday, Fang Wang and Xiao Meng changed their route temporarily because they heard villagers who were going out to buy things in the mountains say that the original road was blocked due to fallen trees. But today, when we went into the mountains along the original road, we found that there were no signs of fallen trees beside the road. Even if the locals had cleared the fallen trees overnight, we wouldn’t have been able to find any traces. Moreover, the villagers in Qianjinping and nearby villages all said that they didn’t know that the road was impassable, and they didn’t know who had cleared the supposedly fallen trees.”

Guan Yao frowned. “That’s really strange. If the trees hadn’t fallen, then who told Fang Wang and Meng Changqing that they needed to change their route?”

Qianjinping was the kind of place where having a road into the mountains was already a luxury. Naturally, there couldn’t be any surveillance cameras. Na Fei had specifically gone back to check the dashcam on Fang Wang’s car and copied the video after the car had set off last night.

“Look, it should be this part.” Na Fei took out her phone, brought up the video, and handed it to Guan Yao. “Because the windshield was badly damaged, the dashcam was also affected to some extent. Plus, it was dark, so the video isn’t very clear. I can’t tell who these two villagers are who came out of the mountains. On the way back, I already sent the video to the expert who did the profiling for the suspect last time. The results will be back soon.”

Guan Yao dragged the progress bar and carefully checked it three times, then shook his head. “I can’t tell who it is either. Judging from their figures, one should be tall and the other short, one strong and the other thin.”

“In the afternoon, my colleagues in the group had already taken the video to Qianjinping to compare it with people there, and there are quite a few people who fit this description of one tall and one short, one strong and one thin. We can’t possibly list all of them as suspects. But…” Na Fei changed her tone. “But I saw Li Ying again. His figure… looks a bit like the skinny guy on the dashcam.”

Guan Yao pondered in silence.

“Unfortunately, we asked Li Ying’s neighbors, and they said that he had been chopping firewood in his house all day yesterday, making a lot of noise. His suspicion shouldn’t be great.” Na Fei said.

“Chopping firewood in his house?” Guan Yao asked. “Did the neighbor only hear the sound, or did he see him in person?”

“According to him, he only heard the sound and didn’t see anyone. There’s a sunroom behind Li Ying’s house, and you can’t see inside from the outside.” Na Fei replied. “But Li Ying lives alone all year round. Could there be anyone else in his house?”

“That’s hard to say.” Guan Yao paused. “Doesn’t Li Ying have a son?”

Na Fei didn’t respond, not agreeing with Guan Yao’s wishful thinking of suspicion.

“What about Beilin Village?” Seeing that this matter couldn’t be discussed further, Guan Yao turned to ask about He Wang. “Did Han Chen and the others find any traces of the suspect near Beilin Village?”

Na Fei replied, “In the afternoon, we found a small van in the woods outside the third fork in the road on the Dan’an Highway. The water tank in the car wasn’t frozen, so it should have been abandoned there by someone not long ago. Han Chen suspects that this small van was abandoned by the suspect. My colleagues in the group found two hairs on the car seat and just sent them back for testing. We can’t be sure if they belong to the suspect yet.”

Guan Yao nodded and said, “Although I didn’t see the suspect last night, his figure and appearance look a lot like He Wang.”

“Han Chen said the same thing,” Na Fei mused. “But, Beilin Village, No. 18, I remember that this place should be where the suspect in the Mopan Mountain dismemberment case was staying. How could it be now…”

“Beilin Village, No. 18, that’s on the same line as the He Wang IP address we found yesterday and the meeting point between He Wang and Ai Hua. If the suspect in the Mopan Mountain dismemberment case is still wandering around nearby, it’s not impossible for He Wang to appear there. It’s just…” Guan Yao suddenly stopped talking, as if he had remembered something.

“Forget it, don’t dwell on these things anymore,” Na Fei looked back at the glass window and then at Guan Yao’s dejected and depressed expression. She couldn’t help but ask, “Officer Guan, do you know who my senior colleague is?”

Guan Yao’s whole body shook. He slowly raised his head and looked at Na Fei.

Na Fei said, “Since it’s already like this, I don’t need to hide it for him anymore. Officer Guan, actually, my senior colleague…”

“I know.” Guan Yao didn’t wait for Na Fei to finish, he sniffed lightly and replied, “I know, I know everything.”

Na Fei didn’t speak, quietly looking at Guan Yao.

Just then, the doctor in the intensive care unit came out and said to the two of them, “He just woke up. One of you can go in to visit him.”

Guan Yao immediately put down the lunchbox and started to walk in, only remembering that Na Fei was also there halfway there. So he looked back at her. “That, I…”

“You go, you go,” Na Fei said quickly. “If my senior colleague dares to know that I stopped you from going in to see him and ran in myself, he would definitely be so angry that he would sit up in bed and beat me.”

These words made Guan Yao’s face turn red.

Fortunately, there was only Yu Chunming in the intensive care unit, so even if his face turned red, only Yu Chunming could see it. He was wearing a ventilator, turned his head, and his eyes fell on Guan Yao’s bloodshot eyes.

“Does it hurt?” Guan Yao leaned over and said.

This knowingly asked opening line made Yu Chunming want to burst into curses, or make sarcastic remarks as usual, but unfortunately, the venomous-tongued Officer Yu was silenced, and could only innocently blink at Guan Yao.

Guan Yao had no idea what the person lying on the bed was thinking. He followed Yu Chunming’s bare shoulders down and, through the thick gauze, saw clear streaks of blood.

“Chunming, I…” Guan Yao’s throat choked, and his nose also turned red.

Yu Chunming’s eyes widened, and he looked at Guan Yao in disbelief, seemingly unable to believe that this person would actually shed tears for him.

Guan Yao took a deep breath, forcefully holding back his tears. He touched Yu Chunming’s hair and wanted to touch his cheek again, but halfway there, he withdrew his hand in confusion.

“I’ll take you to Songlan tonight,” Guan Yao said.

Yu Chunming paused, feeling even more incredible.

Guan Yao continued, “I contacted Wang Meng. Someone from Songlan will come to pick you up.”

Yu Chunming blinked, trying to protest.

Guan Yao then said, “I know you don’t want to go back to Songlan, but your injuries are really troublesome. I can only try to get you back. Don’t worry, I’ll go with you.”

Yu Chunming glared at Guan Yao.

Guan Yao started to gently scold him: “You, you, you still have the nerve to say that Xiao Meng is reckless. Aren’t you reckless yourself? Knowing that he’s a suspect, you still dared to rush up to him alone. Do you know how scared I was watching from behind?”

Yu Chunming wanted to explain, but unfortunately, he had no chance.

“Fortunately, Guan Ning and her teacher were on that train, otherwise, if you were left there waiting, the blood would have probably drained dry before the ambulance arrived.” Guan Yao sighed softly. “Fortunately, it’s really fortunate that you’re still alive.”

These words made Yu Chunming’s eyes also moisten. He reached out his hand, wanting to pull Guan Yao.

But Guan Yao inconsiderately pressed down on Yu Chunming’s hand. “What are you doing? Lie down obediently.”

Yu Chunming was still stubborn. He grasped Guan Yao’s finger and then motioned for him to open his palm.

Guan Yao froze, belatedly realizing something, and hurriedly put his hand on Yu Chunming’s fingertip.

He wanted to write.

Following Yu Chunming’s slow and difficult strokes, Guan Yao recognized the first word he wrote: He.

“He Wang,” Guan Yao read.

Yu Chunming didn’t deny it, and then wrote: Money.

“Qian Guowei.” Guan Yao’s heart sank.

Yu Chunming was telling him that the suspect in Beilin Village last night was indeed He Wang, and He Wang’s real identity was Qian Guowei.

“I know,” Guan Yao said softly. “I know, don’t worry anymore.”

Yu Chunming still held onto him, unwilling to let go.

At this moment, the doctor came in and signaled that the visiting time was over and Guan Yao had to leave.

“Tonight, tonight I’ll accompany you to Songlan,” Guan Yao said, leaning close to Yu Chunming’s ear before leaving.

The helicopter sent by the First Affiliated Hospital of Songlan Medical University arrived in Za Mu Er at twelve o’clock in the middle of the night. Half an hour earlier, the exhausted man had fallen into a coma again.

Standing outside the intensive care unit, Guan Yao saw Wang Meng walking over in a hurry. He was just about to meet her when he saw Yu Zhenshen following closely behind.

“Vice Director Yu?” Guan Yao was surprised.

Yu Zhenshen nodded at him, not saying anything.

Wang Meng looked a little haggard, with traces of tears in the corners of her eyes. She smiled at Guan Yao. “Thank you for telling me. If you hadn’t said anything, Chunming definitely wouldn’t have let me know about this.”

Guan Yao twitched the corner of his mouth and replied in a low voice, “It’s what I should do.”

The medical staff from the First Affiliated Hospital had wheeled Yu Chunming out of the intensive care unit. Wang Meng bent down and called “Chunming” several times, but the unconscious man didn’t answer a word. Guan Yao was about to call him too, but he was stopped by Yu Zhenshen.

“You come with me,” said the Vice Director from the provincial department.

In Guan Yao’s ten-plus years of police service, this was the first time he had faced a big leader of this level alone. He followed Yu Zhenshen with his head lowered, like a subordinate who had made a mistake.

But Yu Zhenshen looked unusually amiable. He led Guan Yao into the stairwell next door, then glanced at Wang Meng, who was busy with Yu Chunming, and turned to light a cigarette.

“Are you his leader?” Yu Zhenshen asked.

“He” naturally referred to Yu Chunming. Guan Yao answered without thinking, “I am.”

“He lives in your house?” Yu Zhenshen asked again.

Guan Yao didn’t know what Vice Director Yu wanted to know. He could only tell the truth. “Yes, because the heating in our police family building is leaking and hasn’t been repaired. It’s cold now, so… so I took him to my place to stay temporarily.”

Guan Yao became more and more unsure of himself as he spoke.

But Yu Zhenshen’s expression was still good, and he couldn’t tell whether he was happy or angry. He finished a cigarette and stood by the window blowing cold air for a long time before stepping inside.

“Do I smell strongly of smoke?” he suddenly asked.

Guan Yao was stunned, and then he stood at attention: “No.”

Yu Zhenshen nodded. “Thank you for taking care of him during this time.”

“I…” Guan Yao didn’t expect that the always serious Vice Director Yu would actually say such a thing. He was stunned and replied somewhat blankly, “I, this is what I should do.”

Yu Zhenshen gave him a meaningful look: “I know who you are.”

I know who you are…

Perhaps, Guan Yao thought, perhaps in this world, only he himself didn’t know that Yu Chunming was once Jiang Xin, and perhaps only he himself was kept in the dark and tried to perform the “tit-for-tat” act. He wishfully covered his ears, pretending to bury his head in the sand, and only realized today that the person he had been looking for for a long time was right in front of him.

The previous thoughts and suspicions seemed like a big joke. Guan Yao thought to himself, “I’m really the biggest idiot in the world.”

(End of Part 1)

[The author has something to say]

A short visit to a city (not really…)

PS: The next update will be on Friday!

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