Chapter 116
Chang Ting received Zhang You's call in the car.
The voice sounded like it had been polished with sandpaper, and I almost couldn't recognize who it was.
"Good news, Teacher Chen is safe. Bad news, Xing Yao was most likely killed in the explosion."
Zhang You reported with a hoarse voice and was breathing heavily, as if he was running.
"We suspect someone deliberately set off the explosion... We're still unsure whether Xing Yao was killed in the explosion or taken away...
"We are searching the surrounding area and have not found any suspicious persons.
"This is an old neighborhood with complex terrain... Going into the restaurant next door to put out the fire delayed us a bit. If there really is a murderer, he could easily escape..."
A humming sound came into the receiver.
Chang Ting asked: "What's going on?"
"I rescued a puppy and I'm holding it!" said Zhang You.
"Try to find him," Chang Ting said. "The incident happened in Lanzhou. I'll contact the police there and ask them to set up a special task force, add more personnel, and adjust the surveillance."
Chang Ting made several more phone calls and the communication was almost complete.
He clasped his phone on his knees, his mind racing.
The explosion was indeed suspicious, not like Xing Yao's suicide. It could have been homicide.
After Chen He and three others left the workshop, someone entered, picked up the remote control, went outside and ignited the lighter remotely, causing the explosion.
The purpose is to kill and silence the witnesses.
He remembered that in the morning, the colleague who was responsible for monitoring Zhu Zangmo reported that Zhu Zangmo went out alone in a private car with a suitcase.
He picked up his phone and dialed a number: "Where is Zhu Zangmo now?"
On the other end of the phone, the colleague replied, "In a temple."
"Temple?!" Chang Ting was quite surprised.
"That's right. Artists, after all, probably like to cultivate their character in places like this..."
My colleague told me the name and address of the temple.
Chang Ting opened the navigation map and searched, and found that the temple was located in a scenic area. Although it did not belong to Lanzhou City, it was adjacent to it.
I used the navigation to measure that it takes an hour to drive from the temple to the Qingde Auto Repair Shop in the old town of Lanzhou.
It’s not far, but it’s not near either.
Chang Ting asked, "Is he still in the temple?"
"Yes. We're watching from the hill outside the gate."
"On the top of the mountain?"
"Of course," my colleague said bitterly, "this temple is a tourist attraction. There are some tourists and pilgrims during the day, and we even sneaked in and took a few walks around. Zhu Zangmo lives in a room in the east courtyard.
"The temple closes at night. We have no choice but to go out.
"The parking lot is outside the temple gate. There aren't many cars parked there at night. Apart from the temple's cars and Zhu Zangmo's Mercedes-Benz, there are also cars belonging to the scenic spot staff.
"Our car would be too conspicuous if we parked it there, so we had to find a place halfway up the mountain.
“There was no house nearby, so we had no choice but to lie down on the hill next to us.
"The view from the top of the mountain is pretty good. You can see the temple gate and the parking lot in front of it. But it's too cold. Brother Chang froze to death..."
"Drink more hot water." Chang Ting said perfunctorily.
"Where's the hot water?" my colleague complained. "There's only iced mineral water and biscuits!"
Chang Ting asked mercilessly: "Didn't you see him come out?"
"No. His Mercedes is parked in the parking lot and hasn't moved."
"Is it possible to disguise myself, trick you, and leave in another car?"
"No, the four of us are keeping a close eye on it. If anyone has their head or face covered, we'll definitely make sure it's his."
Chang Ting asked again: "Will there be any cars coming from outside within half an hour?"
"No, there are only people who left, no one who came." The colleague replied.
Chang Ting: "How many hours has it been since you last saw him in person?"
"The temple closes at six. We saw him before we left..." My colleague glanced at his watch. "It's been three hours."
Three hours... Chang Ting asked, "Is there any other door to the temple?"
"Yes, there is a back door."
"Then, if he left through the back door, not the path you were guarding, but took a small path to the highway to catch a ride, spending two hours going back and forth somewhere, and then returning to the temple through the small path, is that possible?"
My colleague flatly said, "Impossible. This temple is on the top of a mountain, and the path is steep and difficult to walk on. A monk with good legs and familiarity with the path could probably make it down in half an hour, but it would take even longer to climb back up."
"He's an artist, and it's night time. Even if he spent all three hours climbing up and down the mountain, he might not be able to do it. Not to mention the two-hour ride there. It's impossible."
Chang Ting calculated the time. At this time, it had been nearly an hour since the explosion at the Qingde Auto Repair Factory.
If Zhu Zangmo was at the Lanzhou Auto Repair Shop when the explosion occurred, and then drove at full speed straight to the temple gate, it is possible that he has returned to the temple at this moment.
But walking up and down the mountain was impossible in terms of time. The two colleagues didn't see any cars coming from outside.
Unless the person they saw in the temple was not Zhu Zangmo at all.
Chang Ting pondered for a moment and said, "Go in. Show your ID and let us in for inspection. Say we're searching for a fugitive. If he's here, pretend you don't know him and make sure he's there to be identified."
The two colleagues are named Gao Ying and Zheng Cai. Gao Ying is a few years older than Zheng Cai.
The two men climbed out of their grass nest, put grass leaves on their heads, wiped their frozen noses, walked down the mountain, and rang the brass door knockers on the temple gate.
The old man's rude voice came from inside: "The attraction is closed! Tourists are not allowed to enter!"
"Police, open the door."
The door opened quickly, and an old monk clasped his hands together, slightly nervous. "Amitabha, I am the abbot of the temple. May I ask why you, the police, have come here?"
The two men flashed their IDs. "Here's the situation: a fugitive involved in organized crime has made his way into this area. We need to go in and conduct a thorough investigation. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated."
The old monk quickly said, "Of course I will cooperate! Please come in, donor!"
The two men entered the temple, looked around, and casually asked how many monks there were in the temple and whether any outsiders had visited recently.
The old monk replied, "Our temple often has donors staying temporarily to practice meditation. Today, there is one living in the quiet room in the east wing. He is a painter."
The old monk pointed to the east, where light was coming from the window of a meditation room.
"Painter? Is this his first time here?" The policeman took a quick look.
"No. Every late spring and cool autumn, Donor Zhu would come to the temple to stay for a few days, practicing meditation and creating."
"Would it be convenient for you to go over and take a look?"
"Let me inform the donor first."
The old monk went over and knocked on the door of the meditation room. "Donor Zhu, Amitabha! There are two police officers outside. They said they are conducting a security check. Could you please open the door for them?"
There was silence inside the door.
The two policemen's eyes were fixed on the wooden door. They held their breath unconsciously, and the same shadow flashed through their minds:
If Zhu Zangmo wasn't inside, Chang Ting would have eaten them both alive.
A figure passed by the window and the door opened.
A figure dressed in a gray monk's robe appeared in the doorway, dressed simply. He said politely and elegantly, "How can it be inconvenient? Officer, please come in and take a look."
It is Zhu Zangmo.
The two of them sighed, said "excuse me", and walked into the house.
There was an easel in the room, with paint spread out on the oil paint tray.
The canvas depicts a half-finished mountain scene, with the upturned eaves of the main hall against a pale green background of distant mountains. This depiction is precisely of this local scenery.
The ink has not dried yet, obviously Zhu Zangmo was still painting this picture.
"The painting is really good." "The painting is really lifelike."
The two of them gave the same level of evaluation as Chang Ting.
"Please take a look at your ID card," Gao Ying said.
Zhu Zangmo quickly presented it.
Gao Ying took it and compared it several times. The person and the witness matched, so there was no problem.
Then the two of them went out.
Zhu Zangmo stood at the door to see them off and sighed, "It's so cold, late at night, and the police are still working overtime. They're really working so hard."
"It's our duty." "Serve the people."
The two of them dealt with it, pretended to walk around somewhere else, and then said goodbye and left the temple.
After crawling back to the top of the mountain, Gao Ying reported the situation to Chang Ting: Zhu Zangmo was in the temple, it was indeed him, and he had never left.
Chang Ting was becoming increasingly confused. He said to his phone, "Okay, keep watching. Drink more hot water."
"Where's the hot water... Hey, hey..."
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