Alma Espejo Antigua

Capítulo 32

Some pedestrians stopped and looked around, but most quickly moved away.

Xu Haicheng was about to step forward to see who was being blocked when he suddenly noticed a Mercedes parked on the side of the road that looked very familiar. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was indeed Yu Congrong's car. He couldn't see the back seat and wondered if Yu was in the car.

The driver was the bodyguard who had opened the gate to the Yu family villa last time. In the passenger seat sat He Aimin, the younger brother of He Aijun, who had attacked him. He had investigated and knew that He Aimin had originally been a special forces soldier stationed in Jingyun, but last month, he had a major argument with his superiors over He Aijun's death and subsequently retired. He wondered when He Aimin had become Yu Congrong's bodyguard.

At this moment, both of them were staring straight ahead. A moment later, the two policemen escorted a person towards the police car. The person's hands were tied behind his back, but he did not struggle. When he sat down in the police car, he turned his head to look out the window, his gaze falling directly in Xu Haicheng's direction. The two exchanged a glance from a distance.

It's Lu Mingjie!

Xu Haicheng was slightly taken aback, not understanding the city bureau's intention in arresting him. Then he saw Yu Congrong's car drive away silently. Were they also there to see who they were going to catch?

The police officers got into their cars, and several vehicles sped away, their engines blaring. The small street returned to calm, as if the chaos had never happened. A moment later, Xu Haicheng's phone chimed. He opened it, and a text message popped up: "Captain Xu, we've caught Lu Mingjie." It was from Pan Xiaolu.

Xu Haicheng felt a warmth in his heart, knowing that she understood his concern for the case and that she was upset because she was afraid of being suspended from her job. At first glance, she seemed cheerful and lively, making him think she was a carefree girl, but he hadn't expected her to be not only kind-hearted but also extremely thoughtful. However, he couldn't repay her kindness.

He didn't reply to her, scanning his surroundings for the nearest subway station. Reaching the intersection, he heard sirens blaring again, and the police cars that had just passed him sped past once more. He couldn't resist flagging down another taxi and following the police cars.

The car passed the TV station and headed west of the city, then stopped in front of a building.

Xu Haicheng had the taxi stop at the corner and stood in the shadow of the building's perimeter wall, peering around. He desperately wanted to go over and see what was going on, but he was currently suspended from duty, and the matter had already been communicated to the entire bureau; all the officers knew. Yet, not going over to see for himself felt unbearably itchy, like a thousand ants crawling inside him.

A chilly gust of wind swept past him. He paused, turning his head to see a black Mercedes heading towards a secluded alley behind the wall. Wasn't that Yu Congrong's car? The car was speeding, seemingly chasing someone. Xu Haicheng frowned, feeling that these two encounters within half an hour were worth pondering. He recalled asking Yu Congrong the day before yesterday what his purpose was in initiating the cultural festival, and how Yu's eyes had flickered. After a moment's thought, a vague idea began to form in his mind.

Suddenly, a voice called out, "Team Leader Xu."

Xu Haicheng turned his head in surprise and saw that the policeman who was questioning the gatekeeper had seen someone peeking out from the shadows of the wall, came over to investigate, and recognized him. The shout startled the others, who also looked up at him.

Xu Haicheng had no choice but to walk over, greet everyone with a smile, feeling somewhat embarrassed.

But the officers were oblivious, greeting him as usual. One of them, who was close to him, even whispered in his ear, "Captain Xu, I think it's really haunted. Another mysterious case."

Xu Haicheng's heart skipped a beat: "What happened?"

Before the other person could speak, he suddenly heard someone call his name: "Team Leader Xu." He looked up and saw that it was Pan Xiaolu and Deputy Team Leader Feng getting out of the car.

"You're here too." Pan Xiaolu smiled happily.

Xu Haicheng nodded awkwardly, then smiled at Deputy Captain Feng and said, "I happened to be nearby. I heard the siren and came to check it out. It's... an occupational hazard."

Deputy Captain Feng patted him on the shoulder and said, "This occupational hazard is great! Come on, let's go take a look."

Xu Haicheng hesitated for a moment, "That's not a good idea, I'm still suspended from my duties."

Deputy Captain Feng said, "Yes, I received a notification that you were suspended from duty, but I didn't receive a notification that you were not allowed to participate in solving cases." The surrounding police officers echoed his statement.

Section 61: Chapter Ten, Part Three of the Calamity (7)

Xu Haicheng felt a surge of warmth in his heart. Looking at the sincere eyes around him, he knew he hadn't made the wrong choice in his profession. Without another word, he followed Deputy Captain Feng into the lobby. Pan Xiaolu walked beside him and quietly told him what had happened.

Today, the city police deployed a large number of officers to lie in ambush near the TV station, but after a night of blowing northwest winds, nothing unusual happened. However, they still dared not let their guard down, and two officers secretly escorted Huang Yisen home. The reason they did not openly and closely protect Huang Yisen was that if he was the murderer's target, it would be a good opportunity to lure him into a trap.

The two officers escorted Huang Yisen to his residence, which was in this building. They watched him enter the empty elevator before reporting to Deputy Captain Feng that he had been safely delivered. Before they could finish speaking, a muffled scream rang out. Although the voice was hoarse, the fear in it was palpable.

After a moment of shock, the two officers rushed into the lobby; one guarded the elevator entrance, while the other ran up the fire escape...

As Xu Haicheng listened to her, he looked around. The building was old, its exterior walls stained and worn. A sign above the lobby indicated three units, and judging from the mailboxes, the building had fifteen floors, one passenger elevator, and one fire escape. The fire escape was currently under maintenance and closed. The elevator was stopped on the first floor, its doors open. Huang Yisen sat curled up in a corner, twitching incessantly, drooling, his eyes glazed over, muttering, "Ghost...ghost face..."

An undercover police officer and a security guard with a curious expression stood outside the elevator.

The plainclothes officer immediately reported to Deputy Captain Feng what had happened next. He had looked up when he heard the scream and saw the elevator indicator light pause on the second floor, so his partner immediately ran up the stairs. He stayed on the first floor and saw the elevator go up to the eighth floor first, pause for a moment, and then go straight down to the first floor. When the elevator doors opened, he found Huang Yisen crouching in the corner of the elevator, huddled up in a ball.

A moment later, another plainclothes policeman came down the stairs, panting and sweating, and reported to Deputy Captain Feng. He rushed up the stairs and ran to the second floor in one breath, encountering no one along the way, and finding no one in the elevator lobby on the second floor. He knocked on the doors of three households on the second floor, and they all said they had heard terrified screams, but dared not come out to investigate. Then, he checked each floor of the stairs, but found nothing unusual.

In addition, the security guard said that no one left Unit 3 after the screaming occurred.

Xu Haicheng pondered for a moment, then asked the two plainclothes officers, "Was anyone following you or Huang Yisen on the way?"

The two plainclothes officers exchanged a puzzled look and said, "There shouldn't be."

Deputy Captain Feng looked at Xu Haicheng and asked, "Captain Xu, what are you suspecting?"

"I've been thinking about something: how did the murderer know Huang Yisen lived here?"

Upon hearing this, Deputy Captain Feng looked thoughtful. He then clapped his hands at the officers standing behind him: "Everyone, get moving! Go door-to-door and ask if there have been any suspicious individuals in the past few days. Also, go to the button area on the second floor and see if you can get any fingerprints or footprints."

Everyone responded loudly with a "Yes!" and ran up the stairs.

"Let's go to the monitoring room and see if the cameras have recorded anything." Xu Haicheng patted Deputy Captain Feng on the shoulder, then suddenly remembered that he was suspended from duty, and this case was being handled by Deputy Captain Feng, which felt a bit like the latter taking over the main responsibility.

Deputy Captain Feng understood and said, "Captain Xu, let's go." Seeing Feng's unreserved manner, Xu Haicheng immediately felt relieved, and the three of them went to the monitoring room together.

The security guard on duty showed them the footage: Huang Yisen entered the elevator with his head down, casually pressed the eighth floor button, then leaned against the elevator, slightly hunched over, looking exhausted. The elevator stopped at the second floor, the doors slowly opened a crack, and Huang Yisen looked up. Because the camera was mounted high up, his expression couldn't be seen, but from his body language, he seemed confused, leaning slightly forward as if trying to see clearly. Then he jolted, frantically pressing the close button. The doors closed, and he convulsed, collapsing to the floor, curling up tightly. The elevator continued to rise, and when it reached the eighth floor, the doors opened, but Huang Yisen didn't get out. Then the elevator went all the way down to the first floor, the doors opened, and plainclothes police officers entered.

It's clear at a glance that Huang Yisen was the only person present from beginning to end.

The three men looked at each other, filled with doubt.

After a moment's thought, Xu Haicheng said, "Could you please rewind the tape to where the elevator door opens on the second floor, and then stop there? Yes, right here."

The camera paused on the moment the elevator reached the second floor and the door opened a crack, with Huang Yisen leaning forward to get a clear view. Due to the elevator camera's placement, it primarily captured the scene inside the elevator, with very limited views of what was outside. Xu Haicheng craned his neck, his eyes almost touching the screen, and after a long while, he turned to Deputy Captain Feng and Pan Xiaolu, saying, "Did you see that?"

Section 62: Chapter Ten, Part Three of the Calamity (8)

"What?" The two of them were stunned. The door was open a crack, and the motion-sensor lights in the corridor outside were not on, so it looked pitch black.

"There's something over there," Xu Haicheng said, pointing to a spot on the screen.

Pan Xiaolu and Deputy Captain Feng looked at each other with wide eyes, but still shook their heads.