Skin - Chapter 58

Chapter 58 – A Threat

　　At two o’clock in the afternoon, Meng Zhao assigned the tasks, and the Criminal Investigation Brigade contacted various police stations and began to investigate several areas where rivers flowed in the suburbs of Mingtan City.

　　Meng Zhao and Zhou Qiyang went to the vicinity of Huai’an District. The local police station received the task and sent more than a dozen police officers to investigate the surrounding area.

　　This investigation mission is much more difficult than the previous investigation of the girl’s missing case. After all, the place in the video has no obvious landmarks except a narrow dirt road and surrounding trees and wormwood, which made it extremely difficult to investigate.

　　The police officer in charge of this investigation came over and said, “Captain Meng, we have almost checked the north, but we can’t find the place in the photo. We can’t hear the river any further away. Let’s go east.”

　　”Okay, let’s go.” Meng Zhao held the photo and walked eastward under the guidance of the police from the police station, and Zhou Qiyang followed him.

　　After walking about ten meters, his cell phone started vibrating.

　　Meng Zhao took out his cell phone and took a look. Lu Yang’s name appeared on the screen.

　　He picked up the phone while looking around: “What’s the matter?”

　　”Captain Meng, Captain Meng,” Lu Yang’s voice came from the phone, panting and seemed to be running quickly, with panic in his voice, “Save me, come and save me, I, I have taken pictures of the evidence…”

　　”Where are you?” Meng Zhao noticed something was wrong and asked immediately, “Tell me the address.”

　　”Wen, Wen…” Before the person on the other end could even tell the address, the call was cut off.

　　Meng Zhao called back immediately, but the other party hung up immediately. When he called again, Lu Yang’s phone was turned off.

　　‘Wen? Wenzhao District? Is Lu Yang still investigating Zhou Yan’s case? Then what evidence did he say he had photographed?’

　　‘No matter what, Lu Yang should be in danger now and we must find him quickly.

　　Meng Zhao immediately sent Lu Yang’s phone number to Zhang Chao: “Brother Chao, immediately locate the last call location of this phone number.”’

　　”What’s wrong, Brother Zhao?” Zhou Qiyang, who was standing by, noticed that Meng Zhao’s expression suddenly became cold and asked.

　　”Lu Yang is in danger. Let’s go to Wenzhao District.” Meng Zhao said, and then said to the police officers at the police station, “You continue to investigate. If you have any news, contact the municipal bureau.”

　　Then he raised his legs and ran towards the police car, and Zhou Qiyang also quickly followed Meng Zhao.

　　The two opened the car door and got in from both sides. Zhou Qiyang fastened his seat belt and asked, “Lu Yang?”

　　Meng Zhao started the car: “That’s the person who published the article on the official account.”

　　”The WeChat article that caused Zhao Yunhua to commit suicide?” Zhou Qiyang asked in surprise, “What happened to him?”

　　Meng Zhao drove onto the road, and a cloud of dust immediately rose behind the car. “He came to me after the incident and said that he felt very guilty about Zhao Yunhua’s suicide and wanted to find out the truth and make up for this mistake.”

　　”Did he really check? Did he find Wu Weihan?”

　　”I don’t know. He just said on the phone that he had filmed evidence. What evidence is that…” Meng Zhao recalled Lu Yang’s tone on the phone just now. He ran fast, out of breath, which reminded him of the scene in the video where Shao Qi ran away in panic while looking back. He stepped on the accelerator and increased the speed again. “Save people first.”

　　The car drove from the village’s internal road to the national highway, and the mobile phone on the center console vibrated again.

　　Zhou Qiyang took the phone: “Unknown number.”

　　”Take it,” Meng Zhao made a decision very quickly while driving. “If it has something to do with Lu Yang, I’ll try to delay the call. Send a message to Zhang Chao to locate the phone immediately.”

　　”Okay.” Zhou Qiyang responded and pressed the speakerphone.

　　The call was connected, and a voice came from the receiver: “Officer Meng.”

　　The sound was extremely distorted, and it was obvious that it was a processed falsetto.

　　Meng Zhao said in a steady tone: “Who are you?”

　　The man did not answer his question and continued, “Officer Meng, do you have a friend named Lu Yang?”

　　Meng Zhao also did not answer his question and asked, “Are you Wu Weihan’s man?”

　　”I’m just a kind-hearted person who wants to give you some advice. You should stop investigating the case at this point. If you continue to investigate, the people around you may end up like Lu Yang. Officer Meng, it’s not a bad thing for you to be a man who knows what’s happening.”

　　”What did you do to Lu Yang?” Meng Zhao said, glancing at Zhou Qiyang.

　　Zhou Qiyang made an “OK” gesture to him, meaning that the technical reconnaissance team had received the message and started locating the location.

　　The man continued, “Officer Meng, instead of worrying about the death of someone, why not go to the hospital to see your injured friend first.”

　　Lu Shichen? Does this person mean that Lu Shichen is in danger? Meng Zhao’s fingers immediately tightened on the steering wheel, and his right foot subconsciously stepped on the brake. The car body suddenly swayed forward, and the two of them leaned forward at the same time.

　　Meng Zhao tried his best to stay calm. The most urgent thing was that he had to give the technical detectives enough time to find the man’s location.

　　He slowed down the car and pulled to the side of the road while saying, “Are you threatening the police? Wu Weihan has been detained in the detention center. There will only be more evidence to send him to prison. Do you think it’s worth it to work for him at this time? It’s not a bad thing for you to save Lu Yang’s life.”

　　Before he finished speaking, the other party hung up the phone.

　　Meng Zhao immediately called Lu Shichen. When the call started beeping, while waiting for Lu Shichen to pick up, he asked Zhou Qiyang, “Have you located the location?”

　　”We’ve located it. Brother Chao sent me the address,” Zhou Qiyang looked at the message from Zhang Chao on his phone. Seeing that no one answered the call from Meng Zhao, he asked, “Brother Zhao, is your friend really in trouble?”

　　”I don’t know.” At this time, the receiver came with a prompt that no one answered the phone. Meng Zhao dialed the nurse’s number again, but no one answered either.

　　The beeping sound continued, and Meng Zhao’s heart kept sinking. In a place like a hospital, there were hundreds of people coming in and out every day, and it was a mixed crowd. If someone really sneaked in and did something to Lu Shichen…

　　Meng Zhao raised his hand to pull the door handle, pushed the door open, and said to Zhou Qiyang, “I have to go to the hospital first. According to the location sent by the technical investigation, you should immediately issue a joint investigation notice and block the surrounding traffic checkpoints. Anyone entering or leaving the car needs to have their identity information strictly checked. Then you should quickly take people there. I will be there later.”

　　After Meng Zhao finished speaking, he opened the car door and got out.

　　He hailed a taxi on the roadside and drove straight to the hospital.

　　On the way to the hospital, he made several more calls, but none of them went through.

　　Meng Zhao couldn’t help but think of the worst. Lu Shichen was seriously injured and had no one else with him except the nurse. If someone really wanted to attack him, now would be the best time…

　　It must be Wu Weihan. The car accident was planned by Wu Weihan, and he knew that Lu Shichen was seriously injured as a result.

　　Damn it. Meng Zhao clenched his fists.

　　•=|=•

　　The women rescued from the sanatorium were all placed in the intensive care unit on the eastern side of the fourth floor for intensive treatment. As soon as Lu Shichen walked over, the police officer in charge of guarding the door stopped him and asked, “What are you doing here?”

　　”I’m a friend of your Captain Meng,” Lu Shichen looked at the policeman, “He asked me to come over and take a look at the situation here.”

　　”Friend?” The policeman looked at Lu Shichen and remembered the friend of Captain Meng who had caused a car accident a few days ago to save an ambulance. It was said that Director Xu even came in person to present a banner. Because of this incident, Lu Shichen had become a celebrity in the Municipal Bureau who is only known by name but not by face. “It was that day when he went to the sanatorium with Captain Meng to save people…”

　　Lu Shichen said, “Hmm,” “Let me show you the chat history between Captain Meng and me,” he said, putting his fingers in his pockets, and frowning slightly, “Sorry, I left my phone in the ward, I’ll go back and get it.”

　　”Forget it,” the policeman said immediately, “You are so badly injured, you’d better not make another trip. Just go in.”

　　”Thank you.” The door opened and Lu Shichen walked in.

　　He walked straight to the old woman’s bed and stared at her face.

　　Is it that his memory is distorted? Or has the old woman’s appearance changed a lot in the past twelve years?