Skin - Chapter 89

Chapter 89 – Captain Meng Reports to Work

　　The next morning, Meng Zhao was awakened by the vibration of his cell phone alarm.

　　After closing his eyes for a while in bed, he felt something was wrong. He turned around and opened his eyes, and saw that the spot next to him was empty. Lu Shichen was not there.

　　…Where did he go so early? If he hadn’t been staying in Lu Shichen’s house, Meng Zhao would have suspected that this was a typical case of a scumbag who takes advantage of people and runs away overnight.

　　He sat up with one hand on the bed, his back and waist ached, and everything in his body felt wrong. He was more tired than the last time he fought the three killers in Yancheng. He took another look at the mess of the bed sheet under him, and he couldn’t catch his breath. This was simply… unbearable to watch!

　　Meng Zhao put on his clothes and got out of bed. As soon as he stood up, he felt a strange feeling under his body and immediately clenched his fists. He wanted to grab Lu Shichen and beat him up.

　　”Lu Shichen!” Meng Zhao roared.

　　There was no movement in the room. Meng Zhao walked to the living room and saw that Lu Xiaodao was not there either. ‘Did he go for a walk with the dog? Could it be that because he was busy until midnight last night, he got up early today to walk the dog? Damn it, I am the only one who suffers!’

　　‘Why did I let my heart drop last night?’ Meng Zhao walked towards the bathroom with deep regret.

　　As soon as he entered the bathroom, Meng Zhao heard the door outside open and the footsteps of a man and a dog came over. Lu Shichen came back after walking the dog.

　　Meng Zhao locked the door and turned on the shower to take a shower.

　　A few seconds later, there was a knock on the bathroom door, and Lu Shichen stood outside the door: “Do you want my help?”

　　Meng Zhao was so angry that he said, “No need!”

　　”Meng Zhao, open the door.”

　　”Roll!”

　　Two minutes later, the key was inserted into the keyhole and turned twice, and the bathroom door was pushed open and then closed again.

　　A series of angry curses came from the bathroom: “Fuck Lu Shichen, get out! Don’t touch me, if you dare to stretch out your claws again… Don’t fucking touch me!”

　　Lu Xiaodao stood at the door, hesitating and pacing back and forth restlessly again.

　　Ten minutes later, Meng Zhao came out of the bathroom, his face as black as the bottom of a pot. On the table was the breakfast that Lu Shichen had just bought, but he didn’t stop and went straight to the bedroom to change clothes.

　　Lu Shichen came out of the bathroom, buttoning his shirt while walking to the bedroom door. He watched Meng Zhao bend down and quickly put his trousers on his long, straight legs. Lu Shichen said, “I bought breakfast. Let’s go after we eat.”

　　”It’s too late,” Meng Zhao stood up, took a black T-shirt and put it on his head. He grabbed the bottom edge of the T-shirt with his fingers and pulled it down to cover his tight waist and abdomen. He said unhappily, “Look at the time!”

　　After putting on his clothes, Meng Zhao walked quickly to the door. Lu Shichen also put on his clothes, walked out, and reached out to take the coat hanging beside him: “I’ll take you there.”

　　”It’s just a few steps. Do I need you to send me off?” Meng Zhao pushed the door open and walked out. Seeing that Lu Shichen seemed to really want to send him to work, he softened his tone and said, “Okay, don’t send me off. Don’t you have to go for a checkup with your dad today?”

　　”I’ll pick you up at night.” Lu Shichen looked at him.

　　”That’s up to you.” Meng Zhao said, then grabbed the door handle and closed the door.

　　It was a bit late to go out, and Meng Zhao quickened his pace after getting off the elevator. However, this was the advantage of living in Yuhu Bay. It only took a few steps to reach the gate of the Municipal Bureau.

　　He walked quickly into the city bureau building, climbed the stairs two steps at a time, and pushed the door open. Several people in the criminal investigation office stood up in unison and shouted, “Hello, Captain Meng!”

　　Meng Zhao paused, pinned to the spot by this unexpected greeting, and then laughed: “It’s so grand.”

　　He walked into the office and joked, “Everyone, sit down. Don’t make it seem like I’m ascending the throne. The few days I’ve been away aren’t as long as a full annual vacation, right?”

　　Zhou Qiyang smiled and said, “Brother, your loyal follower is here to show his respect.”

　　Someone soon responded, “What kind of follower are you? Don’t compete with me for him!”

　　”It feels like a long time since we last met, Mr. Meng, the great hero.”

　　”We missed you so much.”

　　”Captain Meng, I feel uncomfortable without being scolded by you these days!”

　　There was a lot of laughter in the office, and it took a long time for the office to quiet down. Meng Zhao walked into his office cubicle, and Cheng Yun came over and handed him a cup of coffee: “Brother Zhao, have you had breakfast?” Without waiting for Meng Zhao to speak, she handed him a box of porridge, “You must not have eaten, I bought you one.”

　　”That’s very sensible of you,” Meng Zhao took it, “Okay, I’ll treat you tomorrow morning.”

　　After tidying up the desk, Meng Zhao saw Ren Bin walk into the office through the blinds. He walked straight to Ren Bin’s workstation and asked, “Brother Bin, what’s the progress of the case now?”

　　”Case…” Ren Bin had just sat down when he was startled by Meng Zhao walking up behind him. In a panic, he cleaned up the mess on the table while answering, “No progress…”

　　”I’ve been away for more than a week, and the case has come to a standstill?” Meng Zhao frowned.

　　”There have been several other cases in the city recently, and some of the task force’s personnel have been transferred to handle urgent cases. In addition, Xiao Zhou and Cheng Yun were transferred away, so…”

　　Meng Zhao sighed, thinking about how Ren Bin was removed from his position as deputy captain because of his lack of ability and the delay of an important case, he didn’t say anything more.

　　Suddenly, Cheng Yun came closer and patted Meng Zhao’s arm: “Brother Zhao, I have something to tell you!”

　　The two arrived at Meng Zhao’s office, and Cheng Yun spoke up: “Actually, the case is not without any progress. I found some suspicious points.”

　　”Hmm?” Meng Zhao looked at her. “Weren’t you transferred out of the task force by Director Xu, and also given a warning?”

　　”I was so angry at the time that I thought even if I was fired, I still had to do something. At worst I could just quit. I was very careful. You see, Director Xu didn’t even notice.” Cheng Yun answered with a little pride.

　　”Oh?” Meng Zhao half-leaned on the edge of the table, and became interested. “Tell me more about it.”

　　Seeing that Meng Zhao didn’t want to sit down, Cheng Yun was too embarrassed to sit down either, so she could only continue standing and said, “Do you remember when we went to the hospital before, Shao Qi suddenly reacted violently after seeing the dark cage incident reported on TV? Later, according to your previous instructions, I went to find Shao Qi to confirm the source of her fear. Sure enough, it was not Wu Weihan who scared her, but Wu Jiayi!”

　　”It seems that Wu Jiayi may have sexually assaulted Shao Qi.” Meng Zhao’s expression became a little serious. “Moreover, it’s not just Shao Qi. Other girls may have been sexually assaulted by Wu Jiayi.”

　　”Yeah, I thought so too. So after that, I took the photos to find several other girls in the dark cage and asked them if they had been sexually assaulted by Wu Jiayi. But they all said that those clients were wearing masks or face shields, and they couldn’t recognize who those people were.”

　　”Only Shao Qi reacted to Wu Jiayi’s face?” After a moment’s contemplation, Meng Zhao analyzed, “So it seems that Shao Qi was put under drugs in the sanatorium, not just because she escaped, but more importantly, she saw Wu Jiayi’s face during a sexual assault.” He continued to ask, “Is that all?”

　　”And there’s more,” Cheng Yun continued, “In the process of collecting clues, I discovered one thing. Almost all the girls imprisoned in the cage, including Shao Qi, were from poor families. They were either from single-parent families or their parents were working away from home. Growing up in such an environment, they have a different desire for money than ordinary people and are easily tempted. I wondered, how did Wu Weihan get their information and find them so accurately?

　　”Later, I investigated their pasts one by one and found that many of them had received funding directly or indirectly, and the charity organization that funded them was the designated donation unit of the Wu Group. Then, I asked the foundation for a list of all the sponsors over the years, and found that there were a total of 41 victims, including the one in the basement of the nursing home, and 33 of them were on the list!”

　　”When the foundation conducts a qualification review of the beneficiaries, it will conduct a very comprehensive and clear background investigation of all the beneficiaries, and will also frequently follow up on their current situation. So I suspect that this foundation controlled by the Wu Group is indeed funding these disadvantaged groups to help them shape a positive image. On the other hand, it is also a huge information database that can help Wu Jiayi and Wu Weihan fully screen the candidates who enter the Dark Cage.”

　　After hearing what Cheng Yun said, Meng Zhao’s expression became more serious: “It’s very likely.”

　　”However,” Cheng Yun continued with some worry, “this foundation has funded more than 10,000 people. Although it is now certain that there is something wrong with it, there is currently no direct evidence to prove Wu Jiayi’s involvement…”

　　”It’s okay,” Meng Zhao said, “Even if we can’t find direct evidence, based on these related clues, the police can already determine that Wu Jiayi is a major suspect. Come with me to report to Director Xu later.”

　　Cheng Yun immediately shook her head vigorously: “No, Brother Zhao… If I go to report to Director Xu like this, it will be announced in public that I violated Director Xu’s orders. Director Xu will definitely fire me.”

　　”Forget it. With your limited ability, do you really think Director Xu doesn’t know?” Meng Zhao glanced at her and said, “He deliberately turned a blind eye to you.”

　　”Ah? Really?” Cheng Yun opened her eyes wide, “Are you saying that I’ve already been exposed?”

　　”Okay, I’ll take care of any punishment for you, and I’ll make sure you land safely.” Meng Zhao said with a smile, “You did a good job this time. You deserve praise for finding such an important clue.”

　　”It’s all thanks to you, Brother Zhao, for teaching me well,” Cheng Yun said with a smile after receiving the compliment, and then added, “The porridge is cold, drink it quickly.”

　　”Okay, bring me the foundation’s information.” Meng Zhao said, sitting on the chair.

　　As soon as he sat down, he subconsciously let out a hiss. Cheng Yun, who was about to turn around to get the information, heard it and immediately asked, “What’s wrong?”

　　”It’s okay.” Meng Zhao quickly put away the trace of pain on his face and waved his hand. “Go get the information.”

　　”Oh.” Cheng Yun replied.

　　After quickly looking through the information, Meng Zhao called together the other members of the task force: “From Shao Qi’s previous reaction, it is very likely that Wu Jiayi sexually assaulted her. If this is true, then this situation may not be an isolated case. But because of the mask, the other girls may not know that their rapist is Wu Jiayi. So later, I will ask Zhang Chao to process the photos, using partial obstruction or PS masks to help the victims recall as much as possible. Zhou Qiyang, you assign the tasks, and then everyone will start visiting and confirming one by one.”

　　”Yes.” Several people in front responded in unison.

　　”Cheng Yun, cooperate with me to interrogate the head of the foundation. Also, remember to take some time to go to the hospital again and follow up on Shao Qi and the other girls to see if they can provide any information.”

　　”Yeah!” Cheng Yun responded.

　　Seeing Cheng Yun smiling at him, Meng Zhao rolled up the documents and patted her on the head: “Why are you smiling so foolishly? Go to work!”

　　”Brother Zhao, as soon as you came back, it felt like the task force came alive immediately.” Cheng Yun whispered, and then asked, “Where is Consultant Lu?”

　　”He went to the hospital for a follow-up check-up and he probably won’t be here this morning.”

　　”Oh…” Cheng Yun nodded.

　　”By the way, where’s Brother Bin?” Meng Zhao asked, “Why didn’t he come to the meeting just now?”

　　”I don’t know…” Cheng Yun looked towards the office, “Wasn’t he still there this morning?”

　　At this time, Ren Bin walked in from outside and said to Meng Zhao, “Captain Meng, Director Xu asked you to complete the work handover and task arrangement in the morning and meet Wu Jiayi on time at 3 pm.”

　　Seeing that Ren Bin seemed to be in a bad mood, most likely because he was criticized by Director Xu again, Meng Zhao didn’t say much and just responded with “OK”.

　　In the afternoon, Director Xu called Meng Zhao to come over.

　　Meng Zhao put down the work in his hands and walked towards Ren Bin: “Brother Bin, let’s go and meet Wu Jiayi.”

　　”Captain Meng, I won’t go.” Ren Bin gave a bitter smile. “I can’t even handle a small case. It’s such an important matter. I’ll just cause more trouble. My daughter will be out of school soon, and I have to pick her up.”

　　Meng Zhao guessed that Ren Bin might not want to face Director Xu for the time being because of the criticism he received in the morning, so he did not force him to go. He had expected that Ren Bin would not go with him, but he still had to do his job well. With such a long career, he still had to be under someone else’s command and was trembling with fear. In addition, when he came back, Ren Bin was not only suspended from his position as the acting head of the task force, but was also criticized by Director Xu. He must have felt bad.

　　Meng Zhao sighed, shook his head and said, “It’s not easy.”

　　After going downstairs, Meng Zhao opened the back door of the car and sat next to Director Xu.

　　As the car drove to Wu Jiayi’s private residence, Director Xu said, “I spoke to the higher authorities again this morning. They agreed with me that you will continue to be the head of the Dark Cage Task Force in accordance with public opinion. But the previous matters will be put on hold for the time being. Instead of letting bygones be bygones, we will settle your mistakes and achievements together when this case is successfully solved. Do you understand?”

　　”Understood.” Meng Zhao replied.

　　”The apprentice you brought up, Xiao Cheng, is pretty good.” Director Xu said again.

　　”This little girl is capable and willing to work hard. She is a good candidate and may become an outstanding policewoman like my mother.”

　　”Little girl,” Director Xu sneered, “How old are you? But this time, thanks to Xiao Cheng’s discovery, we were able to find a reason to imprison Wu Jiayi in time. Ren Bin is no better than a trainee police officer. In fact, he was not like this before. The major mistakes in the previous case did hit him hard, and he never recovered from it. I originally wanted to let him take on the burden of the task force after you were suspended, but I didn’t expect that not only was there no progress, but even the morale of the task force was scattered. You should work hard to boost morale these days and make a breakthrough in the case as soon as possible.”

　　”Yeah.” Meng Zhao said.

　　The space in the back seat of the car was narrow, so Meng Zhao raised his hand and grabbed the armrest above the window, then leaned forward to make himself sit more comfortably.

　　”Didn’t you get enough rest after you went back home last night?” Director Xu turned his head and looked at him, “Are you still feeling unwell?”

　　”It’s okay,” Meng Zhao took back the hand holding the armrest and pretended to be calm, “I slept a little late last night.”

　　”You still have to take more care of your health. You are still young and haven’t started a family yet. Don’t overdraw yourself too early.” Director Xu said earnestly.

　　Meng Zhao responded, and in his heart, he cursed Lu Shichen a hundred times. A series of barely audible sounds of knuckles being cracked rang out in the carriage.