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He Lan stayed at the station, obtained this information, and immediately called the police station in the cardholder's place of residence, asking them to check the person's relevant information. As soon as He Lan gave the name, the police station staff said they knew the person and quickly retrieved the relevant information from the household registration department and sent it to He Lan.

The cardholder's name is Zhang Shanren, but whether he is actually the administrator of the mass killing group is quite doubtful.

According to available information, Zhang Shanren was born in 1940, meaning he is now 66 years old. Many elderly people use the internet these days, reading news, playing games, or even chatting on QQ – these are all quite common activities. However, the idea that a 66-year-old could create a QQ group and attract so many like-minded people seems rather improbable.

Moreover, this elderly man named Zhang Shanren was once the head of a major bureau before his retirement, and he enjoyed immense prestige in this city. This is why the officers at the police station recognized him as soon as He Lan mentioned his name.

After retiring, Zhang Shanren lived a very low-key life at home, no longer participating in any social activities. His wife passed away early, and his son and daughter live in other cities with whom he has little contact. He has lived alone for many years. According to officers at the local police station, this elderly gentleman got along well with his neighbors. He would readily help anyone in the neighborhood with any issues, big or small. Although he is now retired, he knows many people, and he can usually handle minor matters quickly, earning him a very good reputation among his neighbors.

Qin Ge immediately asked He Lan to call Zhang Shanren's home, but no one answered. Immediately, Qin Ge had a bad feeling. He immediately contacted the local police station again, asking them to send someone to Zhang Shanren's home to find out what was going on.

It's already dark. Where could an elderly person living alone go if they're not at home?

The police quickly called, but no one was home at Zhang Shanren's house. However, according to neighbors, Zhang Shanren owned another house by the sea, which he bought in his second year after retirement. Back then, house prices weren't as high, but it still nearly exhausted all his savings. The neighbors all knew that Grandpa Zhang would often go to the seaside for a few days to fish and enjoy the sea breeze. Although the old man lived alone, he knew how to enjoy life.

The address of the house was quickly found out. It was located on that island, and he had bought it from a local fisherman. It was a two-story house situated halfway up a mountain.

Hearing that it was another island, Qin Ge felt a headache coming on. Xingxiu Terrace was on that island, and Ma Nan had disappeared there last night. He suddenly wondered if all of this was connected to Zhang Shanren.

Qin Ge couldn't sit still any longer, so he immediately took He Lan and drove to that seaside town.

On the way, Qin Ge suddenly thought of Gao Wei, the folklore expert. He had promised to go to Xingxiutai today to see if there were any differences from before. Qin Ge called him, and Gao Wei said he had just returned to the town from Xingxiutai and was having dinner with some colleagues. He told Qin Ge the name of a hotel and asked him to come find him when he arrived, and that he would give him a ride back to the city that evening.

When the car arrived at the seaside town, it drove to the hotel that Gao Wei had mentioned. Qin Ge originally wanted to take Gao Wei directly to find Zhang Shanren, but after thinking about it, she took He Lan inside to eat something before calling Gao Wei to come out.

"Did you find anything?" Qin Ge asked Gao Wei in the car.

Gao Weigang had just shaved his head and looked very energetic, but his expression was somewhat depressed: "You have found what you wanted, but it is not good news for us cultural relics workers."

"What did you find?" Qin Ge asked, intrigued.

"There are some carvings on the walls of the observatory. The west wall originally had carvings of 'Cangjie Invents Characters' and 'Shun Cultivates the Land at Lishan,' but when I went there today, I found that a new pattern had been added to one side of the 'Cangjie Invents Characters' mural. You know what, that pattern is really well carved. It blends in with the original murals, and most people really can't see it."

Before Qin Ge could speak, Gao Wei raised his voice and said, "But this is damaging to cultural relics! You know, the Xingxiu Terrace has a history of several thousand years. The murals on the Xingxiu Terrace are among the best-preserved Han-style stone carvings in China. Now, people are just carving and drawing on them at will. I submitted a plan to the municipal government to protect these precious cultural relics a long time ago, but the relevant departments always say they don't have the money when it comes to serious matters. It's infuriating."

Qin Ge wasn't interested in Gao Wei's complaints; he just wanted to know if the pattern Gao Wei had discovered was related to the Ba people.

The car sped up the sea dike, and after more than ten minutes, they arrived on the island. Qin Ge gave Gao Wei the approximate location of Zhang Shanren's house, and Gao Wei immediately knew where it was. People who work in folk customs are quick and efficient; there wasn't a place on the island that Gao Wei hadn't been to. Gao Wei said there was a cluster of two-story houses built by fishermen years ago, most of which had now been sold to wealthy people in the city.

After driving along the seaside avenue for a while, the car began to ascend the winding mountain road. Soon, a parking lot appeared ahead. The car stopped, and looking up, one could see a dozen or twenty white two-story buildings sparsely arranged on the mountainside, standing out conspicuously in the night.

All that could be heard was the continuous roar of waves crashing against the rocks at the foot of the mountain. If it weren't for the case, being in such an environment would have been quite pleasant. Qin Ge thought that if he had a house here, he would definitely come and stay for a few days every now and then.

The small buildings on the mountain all looked quite similar, suggesting they were built around the same time. Luckily, each building had a number; otherwise, Qin Ge wouldn't have known how to find Zhang Shanren.

Zhang Shanren's house was at the southernmost end of the complex. When Qin Ge and the other two arrived, they could see lights on in the upstairs rooms from afar. The lights meant there were people in the house, which meant their trip hadn't been in vain, and Qin Ge felt a little more at ease.

These two-story houses each have a courtyard surrounded by a wall, the top of which is studded with shards of glass. The doors are iron gates, two in color, vermilion in color, with an animal-shaped ring on each side. Because they were built by fishermen, the houses have a strong rustic charm.

After knocking on the door for a while without any response, Helan turned to Qin Ge and asked him to make a decision.

Qin Ge had no other choice at this point. The lights were on inside, so someone was definitely there. Therefore, if he didn't want to climb over the wall, he would have to keep knocking. Qin Ge's knocking was much louder than He Lan's; it sounded like he was banging a gong.

After a while, Helan suddenly grabbed Qin Ge, put her ear to the door, and nodded at Qin Ge.

Sure enough, a moment later, footsteps were heard inside, and then the door opened.

Standing inside the door was a young woman in her early twenties, about the same age as Helan. She was heavily made up, wearing a bright red, tight-fitting sweater and leather pants that clung to her thighs. As soon as the door opened, a fragrant scent wafted out.

Gao Wei behind them was fine, but Qin Ge and He Lan seemed to be overwhelmed by the fragrance and didn't react for a moment.

"Who are you looking for?" the fashionable girl asked impatiently.

Helan didn't answer the girl's question, but turned to Qin Ge and said, "We haven't come to the wrong place, have we?"

Qin Ge scratched his head and took a step back, pretending to look the house over. He shook his head and said, "No, definitely no." He stepped forward, looked the girl up and down again, smiled slightly, and pulled his ID out of his pocket, waving it around. "Police."

The girl's eyes immediately started to wander, and the impatience on her face vanished. She had been standing there with a hint of posing, but now she didn't know what to do with her hands and feet.

Qin Ge and He Lan saw this and understood what was going on.

"We're looking for Zhang Shanren," Qin Ge said. "What's your relationship to him?"

The girl looked blank and shook her head: "Zhang Shanren is not here, and I don't know him at all."

Qin Ge and He Lan exchanged a glance, not taking it seriously. One year before the New Year, near the end of the workday, a colleague from the police station called Qin Ge, inviting him to dinner. Qin Ge brought He Lan along. The dinner was right next to the police station. After eating and drinking, the colleague insisted on taking Qin Ge to the station to play cards. He Lan lived alone and had nothing to do that evening, so she joined them. That night, the branch had an operation—not a big one, but a crackdown on prostitution. They arrested a group of prostitutes and their clients in the area and brought them all to the police station. Among the clients were two old men, both with white hair and beards; one of them had to lean on the wall to walk, a heartbreaking sight. The colleague at the police station was already used to this; his conclusion was that they were old in years but young at heart, a product of a rich material life.

It seems that Zhang Shanren is also an old man who is old in years but young at heart, which is what Qin Ge and He Lan both think.

But in reality, they soon realized that this idea was wrong.

Once inside, the fashionable girl became even more uncomfortable. He Lan and Gao Wei stayed with her, while Qin Ge quickly searched the entire house, looking through every room, but couldn't find her.

Zhang Shanren is definitely not here.

Over there, Helan only needed three moves to get the fashionable girl to reveal her secrets.

It turned out that the girl didn't know anyone named Zhang Shanren, and didn't even know that this was Zhang Shanren's house. Two months ago, she chatted with a guy online, and they quickly became acquainted. Before the Lunar New Year, the man suggested meeting in person, and the girl didn't object. They arranged a time and place and met. They both seemed to have a good impression of each other, and the man brought her here. The girl knew what the man was after, so she didn't pay any attention. But the man didn't even touch her, and instead asked her if she would do him a favor.

"He asked me to watch the house here for a few days. I didn't want to agree at first, because it's the Lunar New Year, and it would be so hard for me to be all alone here. But then he said he could pay me," the girl said.

The girl wasn't from the area and worked nightly selling a type of wine at bars and nightclubs. To sell more, she often had to drink with customers and let them take advantage of her. Now, the man was paying her much more to look after a house than she could sell wine, so she finally agreed to date him.

Now, she's stayed here for six nights, and she's finding herself increasingly enjoying this peaceful life. There's no smoking or drinking, no noise or ambiguity, and not so many men with ulterior motives. Every night, she listens to the sound of the waves and watches the sea under the moonlight by her window, often wondering if she's living in a dream.

But at the same time, she had some doubts—who exactly was that man? Why would he pay such a high fee to find someone to look after a house? And he didn't even know anything about her, so why would he leave the house to her so easily?

Her fears finally came true when the police came knocking on her door today.