Mojing, the city that never sleeps
Everything is quiet, with only the occasional chirping of insects.
Ding Can was lying on the bed, with the quilt covering only up to his waist. The weather was cool now, and it was most comfortable to sleep at this temperature.
But in this situation, I really can't sleep.
She opened her eyes wide, staring at the white roof, and listened carefully to the sounds outside the house.
Although she was prepared for a troubled night, she was still inexplicably anxious because despite many inferences and speculations, the culprit behind all this was still not clear.
Near midnight, the sound of night watchmen could be heard from the city, passing through the courtyard wall.
It was time to rest. Ding Can stood up and used the spare scissors on the table to cut the cotton thread wrapped in lamp oil.
The room was plunged into darkness in an instant. My eyes were unable to adjust to the change in light and it was pitch black. I could only hear my own even breathing.
Now, all we have to do is wait for people to come.
She half-closed her eyes, intending to give them a rest, but unexpectedly, she felt so tired that she actually fell asleep.
Ding...ding...
Half asleep and half awake, she heard knocking sounds, like someone tapping their fingers on a wooden board, with a little rustling sound, like the sound of someone rubbing their fingers on paper.
What was that? After struggling to open her eyes, she looked towards the source of the sound and saw the window slowly shaking.
There was wind blowing, probably because the old window frames had not been renovated in time, and the wind blew across the paper-pasted window surface, causing the paper to flutter and the window to hit the window frame, resulting in the sound I just heard.
I thought it was something else.
She yawned again. She was really sleepy and wanted to ignore the sound and continue sleeping for a while.
But the more I try not to pay attention, the more it seems to appear next to my ear, and it becomes more and more obvious.
There was no other way, she could only struggle to prop up her upper body, sit up from the bed, put on her shoes, walk to the bed, press the window inward hard, and make sure it was firm.
I could still feel the breeze at my fingertips, and there was still a gap, so I didn't know for sure if it would ring again in a while.
"Why can't I close it..." She complained and decided to go outside to close it.
When Xu Linfeng left, he left them a fire starter, but it was in Gao Wenwen's room.
There was no light outside through the doors and windows, so the lights in other rooms must have been turned off.
She could only grope in the dark and walk slowly with the faint light.
The door latch was made of metal, and the cold touch made her regain consciousness for a moment, no longer as groggy as before.
She rubbed her temples and pushed the door open. Only a faint moonlight illuminated the yard. Just as she had expected, the other three people's rooms were very quiet.
It’s better to do it yourself and don’t disturb others’ sleep.
So she moved even more quietly, turned around and walked to the window, lowered her head and studied it for a while.
The position is correct, and it can be pushed in a little further. This time it is firmly fixed, so there should be no problem.
After doing all this, Ding Can gathered his clothes and was about to go back. After taking two steps, he suddenly realized that he seemed to have not felt any wind since he left the room.
There was no wind outside.
But the strange sound I heard in the house just now seemed to still linger in my ears. Where did it come from?
She subconsciously felt that something was wrong, but before she could think about it, she smelled the scent of some kind of spice, which was very faint.
But they moved in in a hurry, and no one was in the mood to burn incense.
Before she could think more, her straight body suddenly went limp, and she didn't even have the strength to raise her hands to hold onto the wall.
After that, it fell into endless darkness.
*
Tick-tock...
The sound of dripping water kept ringing in his ears. Ding Can opened his eyes, but his head was still dizzy.
She had just been tricked. Although she had expected it, she was still a little at a loss when she knew it was her who was caught.
However, looking at his current situation, at least he could be sure that the people in front were not dead.
She had already looked around and found that she was in an empty room.
It was an empty room in the truest sense of the word, with no furniture or decorations inside. There was only a pillar in the middle. My hands and feet were tied behind my back.
Without making a sound to look for someone, she raised her head and looked.
The view outside was still hazy because it was still dark outside, which meant that it had only been a short time since I was knocked unconscious.
With his hands and feet bound with ropes, Ding Can leaned against the pillar, slightly bending a few fingers, and an object flashing with a cold light appeared between his fingers.
That was a preparation made earlier. The ring she wore had a small blade hidden inside.
As long as the mechanism is triggered, the blade will pop out and can easily cut materials such as ropes.
It was extremely sharp, but she moved her fingers several times and still couldn't cut off even half of it.
What's going on.
She used her legs to push herself up, leaning against the pillar. During the process, she felt that the weight of the rope seemed to be somewhat different from that of an ordinary knot.
Unable to see what was behind her, she went to look at the rope tied around her ankles and noticed that there seemed to be something else inside besides hemp.
It's some soft metal wire, soft and strong, so the blade is ineffective when it touches it.
And it shouldn't be an illusion. As she exerted force just now, the rope wrapped around her wrist became closer and closer due to the force of her struggle.
In just this short period of time, even turning my wrist became difficult.
She couldn't break free, and she didn't want to escape. It was more important to find some useful information here.
“Is anyone there?”
She shouted for a while, and her throat felt dry and sore. Swallowing a few times did not relieve the symptoms.
However, there was no response, and since I was tired of standing, I sat back on the ground.
It can't be that it's still dark and the person who caught me has gone back to take a nap.
I don’t know if Xia Jialian and the others noticed when I was taken away.
She waited for almost half an hour, and it was already bright outside. Only then did she see a figure walking towards the window outside the door in the light.
The visitor stopped at the door, took out the key to open the chain, and then pushed the door open and entered.
The light was against her, so she couldn't see the face of the person coming for a moment, but she could vaguely make out the figure of a man.
The man walked up to her and squatted on one knee in front of her. How should I put it, he was quite respectful.
The other party didn't even have the slightest intention of hiding anything, not even wearing a mask. She remembered that the clothes he was wearing were the same as the guard's attire she saw at the official's mansion yesterday.
This means that they are from the group of thugs recruited by Xu Linfeng. This is like inviting a wolf into the house.
Last night, many guards were deployed around the flower hall, so it was possible for them to take him out of the mansion without anyone noticing.
I really want to see what kind of expression Xu Linfeng would have if he knew about this.
"You're awake." The man's voice sounded concerned, but there was no emotion in his eyes.
Ding Can raised his eyes to look at him. The man had a rather honest appearance, even a common face. He blended in with the crowd, so even if people saw him, they would not feel wary at all.
This kind of person does have an innate advantage in being a kidnapper, not only because of their appearance, but also because they can easily deceive others.
Even if it is later discovered that someone appeared at the crime scene, suspicion will definitely not fall on him first.
Ding Can got straight to the point: "Where are those people who disappeared before? Where are they being held captive?"
"Aren't you worried that they're going to die?" The man spoke in a gentle voice, without any trace of a kidnapper at all.
"Of course not. To be honest, I was captured by you on purpose. The only thing I didn't expect was who you would choose between me and my companion."
The most important thing at the moment is to find out why the other party is creating such a strange mystery of several consecutive disappearances.
"Nothing special, you were just closer to the gate at that time."
Ding Can had never thought that the reason would be so simple. She smiled and said, "Is there any water? I've been crying out for thirst for a long time."
The man then stood up: "Wait a moment."
He came back quickly, bringing in a tray with a teapot and cups on it.
After pouring a pot of water, he carefully placed the teacup to her lips, being very gentle to prevent the water from leaking and spilling on her.
After drinking a full glass of water, Ding Can felt his throat was better. "That's not the attitude you would use towards someone in custody. What's your name?"
"You don't need to know my name. The reason I brought you here is..."
"You want to cooperate, right?" Ding Can spoke before him.
Seeing the other person's somewhat astonished expression, she knew what was going on. "Don't look at me like that. I stayed at the Yuanwai Mansion last night with similar thoughts. We both felt that there was a hidden reason behind the disappearance of these women."
The man put the teacup back on the tray: "What's the secret?"
"Mr. Zhang is a wealthy man with a successful pottery business. Perhaps a business rival wants to destroy his reputation, or perhaps he has provoked an enemy for unknown reasons."
Ding Can continued, "However, when we were at the official's mansion, we inquired with the security officer. He said that Official Zhang was a kind person and had no grudges against anyone. As for business, there was only one pottery factory in Mojing, and no one was trying to steal his business."
The man understood: "You have denied all these speculations, right? In order to find out more, I have no choice but to come here in person."
She nodded and moved her bound ankles. "That's right, so can we talk about this?"
"I heard that criminal detectives are all very skilled. I've finally managed to bring you here, so let's not make things complicated. But if things go well, maybe we can sit down and have a good lunch together."
Ding Can really wanted to tell him that he could actually find a way to untie the rope.
It's very uncomfortable to be tied up like this, but there's no other way. For the sake of the mission, I can only endure it.
"Okay, then you decide what to talk about."
Her eyes moved and she noticed that there was a bandage on the man's finger, the lowest section of his index finger, which was carefully wrapped with a small piece of gauze and finally tied with a beautiful knot.
Judging from the style, it is something only women would tie.
Moreover, judging from the size of the bandage, it is obvious that the wound is not big and may not require any treatment at all.
But he still bandaged it. Maybe there were people around him who were worried about his health, so they added a layer of protection to prevent secondary injury.
"Do you know about Hibiscus slices?"
She knew it very well. The drug addict she met in Qixingtang and Xiaozhi's father yesterday were both victims of the drug addict and their families were destroyed.
"What does this have to do with those people you tied up?"
The man continued, "According to the information I've gathered, the sale of Hibiscus slices in the city has some connection to the Zhang family."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
