Chapter 100: Another Case Emerges

After two days of calm, strange events occurred again, and this time, it nearly cost someone their life. Z said that after Tang Jia and the others left, she immediately thought of calling me. I told Z not to rush and to explain everything to me slowly and clearly. Z was very emotional, her body trembling continuously.

It was nearly dark, and the hospital room was quiet, giving off an eerie atmosphere. When Z arrived at the underground garage, the lights were off, and not only that, the entire residential complex had lost power. Z locked herself in her room without turning on any lights; she later heard this from the police.

After the police took Charlie to the hospital, they entered the power supply room of the underground garage. Coincidentally or not, the power supply room was very close to the garage’s emergency exit. The police found the power supply room locked, but with prior experience, they easily found a key that fit the lock and opened it.

The perpetrator had repeated their previous trick: after breaking the original lock, they installed a very simple lock with easily imprinted key patterns. The police found that the circuit breakers inside the power supply room had all been turned off. At first, the police wondered why the perpetrator would do this, but cutting the power to the entire complex would surely prompt the property management to send an electrician to inspect the power supply room soon.

This meant the perpetrator had less than ten minutes to commit the crime.

But the police were not fools. Through investigation, they quickly understood the perpetrator’s purpose. Z’s new residential complex had many surveillance cameras, making it difficult for the perpetrator to escape without leaving evidence. The old-style surveillance cameras were connected directly to the electrical circuits, so the police speculated that in their haste, the perpetrator turned off the main power to disable the cameras.

Z said Charlie was found collapsed around a corner, near the emergency exit. Charlie had gone out because the film crew wanted to discuss something with him. He was attacked on his way back. When Z arrived at the underground garage, she saw a pool of blood on the ground, next to which lay a Kuman Thong doll.

The Kuman Thong doll was preliminarily identified by the police as the murder weapon because it was stained with blood.

Z told me there were two eyewitnesses at the scene, and thanks to them, Charlie was not killed. According to the witnesses, when they drove into the garage, it was already pitch black. As soon as they got out of the car, they heard Charlie’s cries for help and hurried footsteps.

They said Charlie had probably not been attacked yet at that moment, but soon after, they heard a terrible scream from him. They were scared, so they shouted loudly. When they found Charlie, they immediately called the police and an ambulance.

Tears fell again from Z’s eyes. “When Charlie went out, I kept telling him to be careful. I never thought something would really happen to him.”

Z said that when Charlie entered the underground garage and saw the lights suddenly dim, he must have become alert, especially since the last incident involved the perpetrator doing the same. Charlie was afraid, which is why he shouted for help. Fortunately, others were entering the garage at the time; otherwise, Charlie might have died.

I asked Z about Charlie’s condition, and she relayed what the doctor had said. The wound on the back of Charlie’s head was not deep, inflicted by a single blow, and rescue was prompt. The doctor said Charlie was basically fine. I nodded and asked whether Z wanted to stay at the hospital with Charlie or go home.

Z said she was afraid to be alone and planned to stay at the hospital. As night fell, Z asked if I could stay and keep her company. I thought for a moment and didn’t refuse. The bloodshot in her eyes deepened, her face looked exhausted, yet she showed no sign of wanting to close her eyes.

Once it was completely dark, Chen Fan called me.

He said that no fingerprints were found on the Kuman Thong doll at the scene, but the blood was confirmed to be Charlie’s. The police reviewed surveillance footage before the power outage; Charlie entered the garage three to four minutes before the blackout, and shortly after he arrived, the complex lost power.

The police estimated the time needed for parking maneuvers to be about three to four minutes, meaning the perpetrator attacked Charlie almost immediately after he got out of the car. Currently, the police were investigating every person captured on the surveillance cameras. This complex was even more open than the previous one, with many people entering and leaving, making Chen Fan frustrated—he said it was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

After hanging up, I told Chen Fan not to rush and to continue handling the task I had previously assigned him.

Late into the night, the actress Z finally lay down on another hospital bed and closed her eyes; she was utterly exhausted.

Outside the hospital room, Z’s bodyguard stood watch, so I left the room feeling reassured. I stepped outside to smoke a cigarette when I received a call from Wang Yazhuo. Her voice was very low. I asked why she was calling so late at night. Wang Yazhuo said she had tried calling Luo Feng, but he didn’t answer.

Wang Yazhuo was locked inside her home by Wang Jianming, who had even confiscated her phone. She said she had to coerce a servant for a long time to finally get hold of a phone.

She told me Wang Jianming had gone mad and begged me to rescue her.

I frowned. “This is your family’s business. I can’t help you.”

Wang Yazhuo was nearly in tears. She said Wang Jianming had never treated her like this before, but since returning from out of town, he seemed like a different person. That evening, when she confronted Wang Jianming, he slapped her—her first time ever being hit by him.

I was also taken aback. Although Wang Jianming firmly believed the contents of the anonymous letter and Wang Yazhuo had indeed helped us, nothing serious had happened, so Wang Jianming shouldn’t have treated her this way. It turned out Wang Jianming not only forbade Wang Yazhuo from seeing Luo Feng or me but also prohibited her from meeting anyone at all.

Wang Yazhuo cried, begging me to help her because she was terrified.

I was at a loss. Wang Yazhuo and I were not related. It was impossible for me to storm into the Wang family to rescue her.

I told Wang Yazhuo not to worry and comforted her that maybe things would improve in a few days.

Wang Yazhuo tearfully told me that when Wang Jianming hit her, she felt as if he wanted to kill her. If Sun Yuxiao and the others hadn’t intervened, she didn’t know what Wang Jianming would have done.

After some thought, I asked her, “I have a way. Are you brave enough?”

Wang Yazhuo asked what the way was. I simply said two words: “Call the police.”

Wang Yazhuo hesitated. After a long silence, she finally replied, “What will happen to my grandfather if I call the police?”

I said, “Restricting someone’s freedom—since you’re family, it won’t be a big issue. But the police have no reason to go after your grandfather; they’ll definitely seize this opportunity and hold on tight.”

Wang Yazhuo said she didn’t plan to call the police.

After comforting her for a while, she finally hung up, promising to find a chance to call me again and urging me to keep my phone on at all times.

After the call ended, I felt a sudden headache.

When I returned to the hospital room, I noticed only one bodyguard standing outside. I asked about the others. He said that after Z woke up, she wanted to use the restroom, so the others had followed her, but it had been five minutes, and they still hadn’t returned.

Hearing this, I felt uneasy and immediately headed to the women’s restroom.

The bodyguards were standing quietly outside the women’s restroom. The hospital was very quiet. They didn’t dare call loudly, only gently calling Z’s name outside, but there was no response. If Z were conscious, she would have heard them. I scolded, “Damn it! It’s been so long, and you’re just standing there?”

I called out to Z loudly, but still no response. So I went straight into the restroom.

As soon as I entered, I heard Z’s voice; she seemed to be talking to herself again. I slowly approached the last stall. The door was not locked, only slightly ajar. I knocked several times, but Z didn’t respond, though she continued murmuring.

I opened the stall door directly. Z was sitting on the toilet, her pants around her ankles, exposing her lower body completely.

Seeing Z, a chill ran down my spine. I suddenly felt as if she had become a different person. She no longer muttered to herself but looked at me with a strange, eerie smile...