Chapter 186: 169. The Person Behind the Scenes (10,000-word Mega Chapter, Asking for Monthly Tickets)_6

All things considered, this name appeared as a clue, but it seems like he had nothing to do with each incident.

This is the third clue.

Zheng Yuandong said, “In the Laojun Mountain incident, the fire burned down more than a dozen inns, destroying the accommodation registration forms as well. Due to the lack of network connections, we couldn’t retrieve the check-in records.”

Xiao Ying said, “Right, the Road Team even went personally to sift through the ruins, but found nothing.”

Zheng Yuandong said, “You all overlooked one thing, nowadays everyone likes to book hotels in advance through apps. I found Jiang Xue’s reservation on Meituan.”

“Jiang Xue didn’t have a private car, so I went on to find the bus station’s passenger records for those days, and nowadays, riding a regular bus requires an ID card to purchase tickets, so I discovered that Qing Chen was also on that bus.”

So, Qing Chen was on Laojun Mountain that night as well.

This is the fourth clue.

Later, Zheng Yuandong also learned that Qing Chen was both a classmate and a good brother of Nan Gengchen.

This could also explain why Qing Chen, after sneaking in from behind the inn, went up to the second floor first to rescue Nan Gengchen.

It could also explain why Wang Yun said that the assassin should be quite young, yet Nan Gengchen insisted that the assassin was a middle-aged man in his thirties.

Then, Zheng Yuandong discovered in the bus passenger records that after the kidnapping case, Jiang Xue, Qing Chen, and Li Tongyun left Laojun Mountain on the morning of October 8th.

During this period, Qing Chen must have been hiding and tending to his injuries.

Soon after, Zheng Yuandong found out that Qing Chen’s father had been frequently imprisoned before and after the cross-dressing event, both times due to being reported for participating in organized gambling.

He checked the report, and one of the files read the informant: a concerned citizen, Mr. Qing.

At that moment, Zheng Yuandong finally had a clear appraisal of Qing Chen: ruthless and cruel…

This is the fifth clue.

When these five clues were linked together, even if Zheng Yuandong was astonished, he would make a correct judgment: the high school student named Qing Chen had always been concealing his identity, playing a significant role in every case.

The opponent might not be the mastermind behind everything, but at least the identity of the killer on Laojun Mountain was undoubtedly confirmed.

In the office, Xiao Ying’s mouth grew wider and wider: “Boss, he’s just a high school student…”

In Xiao Ying’s view, although each clue the boss mentioned was convincing, he found it hard to believe that a high school student could be so ferocious.

In those incidents, if it had been him, Xiao Ying, taking on the task, he probably would have been killed by the criminals long ago.

Moreover, the person not only had a strong anti-surveillance awareness, capable of shaking off Lu Yuan’s pursuit, but also could take on multiple opponents and calmly commit murder.

Most crucially, they could even send their own father to prison out of a sense of justice…

This was one unimaginably ruthless person.

“So boss, what do you plan to do with this kid?” Xiao Ying pondered and said, “Actually, we at Kunlun could really use someone this tough, right?”

“Hmm,” Zheng Yuandong thought for a moment and said, “Although we haven’t found the person behind the scenes, if we can dig up this Qing Chen, it would still be a good catch.”

Xiao Ying chuckled and said, “Right, never return empty-handed from a thief’s den!”

Zheng Yuandong: “…”

Xiao Ying reined in his laughter: “Boss, my apologies.”

Zheng Yuandong spoke seriously and thoughtfully, “Xiao Ying, is it possible that the car accidents you had before have affected your brain? I’ll give you a couple of days off; you should go and get it checked out.”

“No need, boss, I’m fine, I just like to joke,” Xiao Ying said earnestly and sincerely.

…

…

6 p.m.

At the entrance of the forensic identification center, a forensic examiner walked out nonchalantly.

The security guard greeted him with a smile, “Chief Qin, heading home after work?”

Chief Qin responded with a smile, “Yeah, I’m exhausted. I’m off to rest.”

Having said that, Chief Qin went to the bus stop and boarded a bus.

He first headed to the vegetable market, buying a bunch of scallions, a bunch of celery, and two pounds of beef, then stopped by a grocery store to buy a bottle of soy sauce.

Only then did he make his way home.

In the deep autumn season, the sky grew dark somewhat early.

But upon returning home, Chief Qin didn’t turn on the lights in the living room. Instead, he groped his way to the television wall in the dark.

From behind the TV, he retrieved a letter and wrote a few words on it with the light from his phone: DNA mismatch.

After writing, Chief Qin pulled out a boning knife from the kitchen and gently sliced his own arm, so that his clothes would conceal the wound from view.

He let drops of blood fall on the envelope, watching as the blood rolled and coagulated into a stamp.

Chief Qin then took out a lighter and set the letter ablaze.

The orange-red flame grew from small to large, illuminating the living room.

The next moment, Chief Qin screamed in terror at what he saw across from him!

He involuntarily moved backwards!

It wasn’t until the flash of the fire lit up the living room that he realized that sitting on the couch across from him was his former colleague, Lu Yuan!

Lu Yuan seemed to have no intention of extinguishing the fire on the envelope, letting it burn down to ashes in Chief Qin’s hand.

The lighting in the living room dimmed again.

Lu Yuan sighed, “Elder Qin, why? Back when I was still working in criminal investigation, you weren’t like this. You used to teach me to always be upright.”

Chief Qin leaned against the television, his voice trembling slightly as he spoke, “Lu, I’ve got cancer. The other party has the targeted medication I need, and it’s not available in the Outer World. I’ve checked the prices on the international dark web, and with my salary, I simply can’t afford it. Even if I spent everything I had, it would only buy enough medicine for one month.”

Lu Yuan was taken aback. He hadn’t expected Elder Qin to betray his principles over this issue.

But he quickly realized something—people like Elder Qin with terminal diseases were far too common.

Before, everyone used to think cancer was a distant threat, but now, who doesn’t have a relative or a friend who’s had cancer?

However, the holder of the Devil’s Stamp was exploiting everyone’s will to live, or even more direct desires, driving them to make deals with the devil.

Nobody was forced.

In myths, demons never forced anyone; they only used desires to entice humans to exchange their souls.

Chief Qin trembled, “Lu, spare me, I don’t have long to live anyway.”

Lu Yuan sat in the couch, his expression shrouded in shadows, unseeable in its fluctuations and turmoil.

After a long while, Lu Yuan sighed and said, “Elder Qin, I’m sorry.”

As soon as the words fell, Chief Qin turned and ran towards the outside, but Lu Yuan had already reached his side and knocked him out.

Lu Yuan quietly looked at his former colleague. He had been investigating a leak incident for some time now.

But he truly hadn’t expected it to end this way.

…

Begging for monthly tickets, begging for monthly tickets!

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