A police officer raised his hand and asked, "You say the mysterious sculpture is behind this, but why didn't it show up in the previous case? Back then, the entire house was sealed off. The police arrived immediately after the murder. There was no chance for an outsider to get in."
I knew there was only one possible explanation—someone inside the police force was helping the killer. But I didn't want to alert them prematurely, so I said, "I don't know."
The room erupted into louder murmurs. After they quieted down, I continued, "I wasn't the lead on the last case, so I'm not fully clear on all the details. But I'm certain Yu Jun took the sculpture from the scene."
I emphasized the words "from the scene" and glanced at Bai Yidao's expression.
Another officer voiced his concern, "If the suspect uses such unconventional murder methods, won't investigating this case put us in danger?"
The others murmured in agreement. Cops are people too—they don't want to risk their lives needlessly.
I reassured them, "Don't worry. The case is mostly clear now. The four of us will handle the investigation. Everyone else stays on standby here."
By telling them to "stay on standby," I was basically giving them a break. A wave of relief passed through the room.
Then I announced the meeting was over. Huang Xiaotao nodded approvingly, "Well organized and logical. You're a completely different person when you're serious."
...
...
"Pretty cool, right?" I smiled.
"Show off!" Huang Xiaotao laughed.
I said, "By the way, go find Team Leader Liao. Ask him to get me something."
"He just stepped out. Should I go find him now?" Huang Xiaotao asked.
"No, wait a bit. I want to meet him alone. I need the full list of all personnel on that case's special task force."
"Got it!" Huang Xiaotao nodded.
Then I turned to Wang Yuanchao. "Uncle Wang, how are your tailing skills?"
He replied calmly, "I once went undercover in Myanmar for thirty days just to catch a major drug lord. Following people? I can tail a dog without being noticed."
"That's great. I have a special task for you. Today, follow Bai Yidao. Record everything—where he goes and who he meets."
Wang Yuanchao nodded. Huang Xiaotao asked, "What's up, Song Yang? You suspect there's a mole in the task force?"
"It's possible," I said quietly.
Wang Dali suddenly exclaimed, "Whoa, an undercover agent..."
I shot him a glare. The police were still around, and I didn't want him blurting out sensitive info. Wang Dali quickly corrected himself, "Undercover ramen, have you tried it?"
"What's that?" I asked.
"Super spicy Japanese ramen that makes you question your life," Wang Dali babbled.
"Really? I love spicy food. I'll have to try it sometime," Huang Xiaotao said.
After the officers left, Huang Xiaotao and Wang Yuanchao each went their own way. Wang Dali and I waited outside. Soon Huang Xiaotao returned, holding two sheets of paper. "These are the personnel lists for both special task forces."
I glanced over them. Three people were involved in both cases: Team Leader Liao, Bai Yidao, and Luo Weiwei.
I already had a lead forming. Folding the papers, I stuffed them in my pocket. "Let's go meet Yu Jun."
We headed to the tech company where Yu Jun worked. Huang Xiaotao showed the guard her badge and said we wanted to see Manager Yu. The guard hesitated, "Yu is busy working. It might take a while."
I exchanged a glance with Huang Xiaotao. She said, "We're going in."
The guard couldn't stop us. I noticed him pick up his phone to make a call—probably on Yu Jun's orders.
We asked around until we found a workshop where uniformed workers assembled electronics on an assembly line. Wang Dali spotted the latest Apple phone cases and exclaimed, "Wow, phones that sell for six or seven thousand out there are piled up here like cheap vegetables. If I could sneak out a few, that'd be awesome!"
Huang Xiaotao snapped at him, "What are you dreaming about? Security is tight here. Employees get searched coming in and out."
A supervisor stepped forward. "This is a restricted area. No outsiders allowed."
Huang Xiaotao flashed her badge. "Please have Manager Yu come out to talk."
The supervisor softened. "Yu is busy. If it's something urgent, tell me."
Huang Xiaotao insisted, "No, we must see him."
At that moment, a bespectacled, well-mannered man in a uniform approached and smiled. "I'm Yu Jun. How can I help you?"
Huang Xiaotao nodded. "We're investigating a murder case and want to ask you some questions."
Yu Jun frowned. "Two cops came by yesterday asking the same. I told them everything I know. Why keep digging? This murder has nothing to do with me. I only have some business dealings with Huang Youcai—been to a few meals with him, but no real friendship."
Huang Xiaotao asked, "Can we speak privately?"
Yu Jun hesitated, gave the supervisor a quick instruction, then led us to a break room. He took plastic cups from a cabinet and poured water. I noticed bandages on several of his fingers. Huang Xiaotao asked routinely, "How long have you known Huang Youcai?"
Yu Jun sat down on a manager's chair. "Less than six months."
"What kind of business do you do together?"
Yu Jun sighed impatiently. "Officer, you asked all this yesterday. Is it necessary to go over it again?"
"Just answer."
He explained that Huang Youcai introduced him at a dinner to a friend who sold children's toys and wanted to place an order for toy cars.
Yu Jun worked at a large company that didn't take private orders. But Huang Youcai insisted and even brought a middleman to guarantee the deal. After a lot of back-and-forth, Yu Jun accepted a million-yuan deposit and rushed to produce the goods.
Unexpectedly, Huang Youcai's family ran into misfortune and the deal fell apart. Yu Jun later negotiated with the middleman to withdraw the money from Huang's account. That money actually belonged to the company, used for salaries and raw materials—it had nothing to do with him personally.
I watched his expressions and gestures carefully. When he finished, Huang Xiaotao glanced at me. I gave a cold laugh. "He's lying."
Yu Jun stood up, agitated. "Everything I said is true!"
I shook my head calmly. "No. The nose has the densest network of blood vessels. When someone lies, their brain works overtime to fabricate words, causing blood to rush to the head—making the nose feel hot and itchy. You just unconsciously rubbed your nose several times. You're definitely lying."
Yu Jun looked at me in surprise. Huang Xiaotao cleared her throat. "Manager Yu, this is about a life. Please tell the truth."
"Fine." Yu Jun instinctively reached for his nose but stopped himself. "My company's been making counterfeit Apple phones."
He said his company assembled phones using chips, circuit boards, and cameras smuggled from abroad, then slapped on Apple labels. These fake phones sold for six or seven thousand yuan, claimed as imports, but were actually made domestically at a cost of just over two thousand.
Huang Youcai saw huge profits in this and had channels to get smuggled components. They used Yu Jun's company to assemble and sell the phones. Although fake, the quality wasn't bad, and they worked almost like the real thing.
The first batch of knockoff phones was quickly produced. Huang Youcai's connections helped sell them fast. They agreed on a 70/30 profit split, but then Huang Youcai died unexpectedly. Yu Jun had to go through great lengths to reclaim his share.
When Yu Jun finished, I shook my head and pointed at him. "You're still lying."