Dust-covered Memories (2)
On a hot afternoon ten years ago, Luo Yuwen sat in his seat with a worried look on his face as he looked at the documents spread out in front of him, smoking one cigarette after another.
Since returning from the scene last time, Captain Guo has handed this case over to Luo Yuwen for investigation, under the pretext of letting Luo Yuwen practice. However, only Luo Yuwen knows that this is not a test at all. No matter who is given the case, no one will be able to find out.
There is a highway one kilometer away from the woods where the orphanage is located. The inspection department found a series of footprints at the scene. The footprints were messy and of different sizes. After detailed analysis, it was learned that a total of ten people escaped from the scene, and two of the footprints were most likely two men.
The remaining footprints, though disorganized, were confirmed to be those of minors. Combined with previous records, these two adult males were most likely Li Zhengzhong's sons.
Luo Yuwen deduced that Li Zhengzhong had gotten the information from somewhere and knew that the police had already investigated them, so he had his two sons take the orphans away in advance while he dealt with the police himself. Thinking of this, Luo Yuwen couldn't help but clench his fists.
If Li Zhengzhong were still alive, at least there would be someone to try him, but now he is dead and there is no evidence to prove his guilt, and the case has come to a standstill.
The footprints extended into the woods, where no one lived and there was no possibility of surveillance. The group just disappeared along the highway.
Luo Yuwen and Zhong Yun checked the highway surveillance footage, but it happened to be under maintenance that day, so it wasn't capturing anything. Furthermore, only that section was under maintenance; the rest of the area was functioning normally. Luo Yuwen stood in the surveillance room, cold sweat running down his neck and back.
Everything was too coincidental, like an invisible hand covering his mouth, blocking his movement. And for some reason, Captain Guo's words resurfaced in his mind.
"Luo Yuwen, don't think too much. The most important thing is to investigate the case."
Luo Yuwen refused to give up. Since the surveillance cameras on this stretch of road were broken, he decided to check the toll booth. If one didn't work, he'd check two. He'd definitely find a clue. Besides, only these two suspects knew how to drive, and there was only one road. They were sure to be photographed passing the toll booth.
Besides, Luo Yuwen had seen photos of the two people in the files before, and he believed that he would not make a mistake.
Afterwards, Luo Yuwen watched in the monitoring room all night long, his eyes were full of bloodshot, but he found nothing.
Those ten people disappeared in just a few hours.
The surveillance clue was broken, and Luo Yuwen could only start checking from the passing vehicles. Although there was only one toll booth on that highway, vehicles were coming and going, and Luo Yuwen didn't know the time period when they left. It was almost impossible to find the ten people from so many cars.
The weather was hot, and Luo Yuwen had been investigating for a week. He had been living and eating in the bureau these days, and had not even returned home, but there was still no progress.
A thick stack of license plate numbers lay on the table, and he sat at his computer, checking them one by one. Zhong Yun had been checking all night and was catching up on some sleep, the only one in the office.
He was watching intently, but was interrupted by a rapid ringing of the phone.
“Ring, ring, ring—”
Luo Yuwen picked up the phone and saw a number he had never seen before.
"Hello?"
"Hello? Is this Mr. Luo? I'm from the Municipal People's Hospital. Your parents' hospital bills for this month haven't been paid yet. Remember to find time to pay."
Luo Yuwen frowned at this. His parents were elderly and had fallen ill suddenly, and he was busy. Since his younger brother graduated from high school and was on holiday, his younger brother had been taking care of them. Luo Yuwen had simply transferred the money to a bank card, and his younger brother, Luo Yuyi, had paid for it.
Why would the doctor call me?
Luo Yuwen was worried and asked, "My brother...didn't he go to the hospital?"
"You mean the guy from before? He hasn't been here since last week."
Luo Yuwen's originally depressed nerves were aroused by these words. He sat up straight, holding the phone tightly in both hands.
"What?!"
When Luo Yuwen rushed home, he found an empty house. He called but no one answered. He searched everywhere Luo Yuyi might be, but couldn't find him. He also contacted Luo Yuyi's friends, but they all said they hadn't seen him.
Luo Yuyi is missing, and has probably been missing for a week.
Luo Yuwen sat on the sofa, calling Luo Yuyi, hoping that the other party would answer the call, but the only response he got was a cold mechanical voice.
While Luo Yuwen was under pressure from the investigation, he also had to look for his missing brother and take care of his sick parents in the hospital.
In a month, Luo Yuwen became thin and haggard. Zhong Yun, who was following him on the case, couldn't bear it and wanted Luo Yuwen to take a break. He thought that he and Captain Guo were still in the bureau and he didn't need to put so much pressure on himself, but Luo Yuwen refused.
Luo Yuwen, despite the bruises under his eyes, opened another can of energy drink and said, "I'm fine. Let's continue the investigation."
"We've only checked half of it, there are still many license plates we haven't found."
While Luo Yuwen was extremely worried about the investigation, Captain Guo, who had not been seen since the last time he and Luo Yuwen were on the scene, was promoted without any warning.
Captain Guo also summoned Luo Yuwen and Zhong Yun to his office for questioning. Captain Guo sat in his office, the golden badge on his shoulder glaring at Luo Yuwen.
"Just go ahead and investigate the 613 case. Tell me if you need anything."
"We must get to the bottom of this! Not a single clue can be left unturned!"
Captain Guo said the last sentence while looking at Luo Yuwen, and Luo Yuwen also saw another meaning from his sharp eyes.
As time passed, the investigation made no progress, and his brother's whereabouts remained unknown. The pressure from public opinion and family pressure weighed heavily on Luo Yuwen, and the once high-spirited man became haggard.
But what finally broke him was a call he received from an unknown number.
It was late that night, and Zhong Yun couldn't bear it any longer and went back to rest. Luo Yuwen was the only one left in the office. He sat in a chair, about to read the forensic examination report of the first corpse again.
The phone rang. Luo Yuwen couldn't understand who would call him at this time. He picked up the phone without knowing why. First, he heard a crackling sound of electricity.
"Hello?"
There was no response from the other side. Slowly, Luo Yuwen seemed to hear a very slight whimpering sound. The sound was very small and soft, but he heard it.
Luo Yuwen was a materialist and did not believe in ghosts or gods. He thought it was a prank and was about to hang up the phone when the sobbing sound suddenly became louder. He broke out in a cold sweat after hearing it clearly.
This voice sounds very much like his brother.
"Hey! Who are you?! Speak!"
Luo Yuwen felt something was wrong. He stood up and walked towards the network security department while talking, preparing to ask his colleagues on duty to trace the source of the call.
But as soon as he stood up, as if predicting his action, a mechanical sound distorted by a voice changer came from his phone.
"Luo Yuwen, are you looking for your brother?"
Luo Yuwen was stunned. He stood in the corridor and said in an unsteady voice, "Who are you?! Where did you take my brother?!"
"What are you going to do?! You want money?!"
"I'm warning you! I can find your address in a few minutes! You'd better not do anything to my brother!"
Luo Yuwen rushed to the Cyber Security Department holding the phone, hoping to trace the source of the call. The colleague on duty immediately understood and began to track it. But the mechanical voice on the phone didn't care and continued to talk to himself:
"Luo Yuwen, if you want your brother to be alive, then stay out of your own business. Do you want to listen to what your brother is doing? Ha..."
Then, the mechanical sound on the phone stopped, and the sobbing became louder and louder. The sound sounded like the muffled sound of someone sealing their mouth with tape. Then, with a ripping sound, the sobbing turned into a cry, piercing Luo Yuwen's eardrum through the phone.
"Brother! Brother! Save me!! Save me quickly!!! Brother!!! Ugh!!!"
It’s really his brother!
"Luo Yuyi! Luo Yuyi! How are you?!"
"Help me! Brother!"
A loud knocking sound was heard, Luo Yuyi's voice stopped abruptly, and the emotionless mechanical sound sounded again.
"Luo Yuwen, if you want your brother to live well, stay out of other people's business!"
“Beep, beep, beep—”
The other party hung up the phone, but Luo Yuwen had no time to grieve. He waited beside the cybersecurity personnel, awaiting tracking information. As the progress bar on the computer screen reached the bottom, a red dot appeared on the map: an abandoned factory building hidden in the suburbs.
“Found it!”
"But the other party is likely using a virtual number, and the location of the number may not be real."
"Whether it's true or not, I'm going to go there. Thank you!"
Luo Yuwen thanked the security officer and drove off alone. The cold night air that blew into the car cleared his mind a little. He knew the gang must have left by now, but he still wanted to give it a try.
As expected, when he arrived at the abandoned factory, there was no one inside. There wasn't even a sign that anyone had been there. Luo Yuwen returned to the bureau in frustration. By then, daylight had begun to rise. He hadn't slept all night.
His following days were even more difficult. Captain Guo said that he would conduct a thorough investigation, but he was secretly reducing the number of staff. In the end, only Zhong Yun was left by Luo Yuwen's side, and it was Zhong Yun's voluntary request.
The criminals who kidnapped Luo Yuyi were even more arrogant. They called and threatened him day after day, and they used a different virtual number each time. Luo Yuwen had no way of tracking their whereabouts.
Under such torture day after day, Luo Yuwen's tense nerves finally broke down late one night. He broke down emotionally, lying on the table and pounding his hands hard, trying to vent the things that were weighing on his heart.
Suddenly, Luo Yuwen heard the sound of leather shoes, and then a hand was placed on his shoulder. He looked up and saw it was Captain Guo.
"Luo Yuwen, don't put too much pressure on yourself. Take a good rest first."
"I'll arrange for someone else to take over this case. Just focus on finding your brother."
Captain Guo's tone was gentle and full of concern, but only Luo Yuwen knew how cold his eyes were.
"Take a break for a while and come back when you're ready. This case is still yours, Luo Yuwen."
Upon hearing this, Luo Yuwen sat up straight, raised his head and looked at the man in front of him whom he once called master.
The gentler Captain Guo's expression was, the more ironic Luo Yuwen felt.
Wasn't it him who killed Li Zhengzhong on his own? As for why he killed him, Luo Yuwen already had the answer in his mind.
Luo Yuwen felt like an ant, and Captain Guo could easily strangle this ant to death.
He stood up and said expressionlessly:
"Captain Guo, I won't investigate anymore."
"What did you say?"
"I quit. I want to resign."
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