Chapter Seventy-Two: Darkness Beneath the Lamp

“No matter how hard it is, you must find him. I want results, not excuses.” He Wei slammed his palm on the desk in the hospital office, his expression darker than the bottom of a pot. He glared at the search team members standing before him, their heads bowed like quails, and barked, “I don’t care what methods you use—even if you have to turn the hospital upside down—you must find that bastard within twenty-four hours! Someone kills in this hospital and escapes, and you expect people to still trust us to safeguard their lives?”

“We had already locked onto the suspect’s position; he was in the parking lot... But somehow, when we got there and searched every corner, there was no trace of him…” The officer in the middle spoke up, his face tense as he defended himself, “The moment we got the call, we sealed off the hospital. We even detained the cleaning vehicles. Everyone was in the main hall; we checked everyone twice, but no one matched the description…”

That was how it often went: when you succeeded, whatever you said sounded like bragging. When you failed, no matter what you said, it sounded like an excuse.

He Wei knew the search team had done all they could. In four hours, they’d screened 2,563 people in the hospital—eleven per minute, deciding every six seconds whether someone was the suspect. The workload was inhuman, but the officers had soldiered through.

He glanced at their parched lips, sighed, and slumped into his chair. After a moment’s thought, he spoke again. “If the suspect isn’t in the hospital, he must have escaped our dragnet. Did you make any progress confirming the people who left earlier?”

“We’ve called most of them,” the lead officer replied. “Nothing suspicious, but there’s still one car and two people we haven’t been able to contact.”

He Wei’s eyes lit with hope. “What car? Who are the people?”

“A black Geely, license plate A16723… The owner is an emergency room doctor here. He said the car had been sitting in the lot for over a week, and only today did he notice it was gone.” The officer’s tone was uncertain. “The parking lot cameras are broken, but we checked road surveillance about two kilometers from the hospital and found the black Geely. The timeline matches the suspect fleeing to the parking lot…”

He Wei stroked his chin, his face grave. “Where’s the car now?”

“We’ve asked the traffic division to help investigate, but there’s little surveillance nearby. It’ll take some time…”

“You said there are two missing people. Who are they?”

“One fat, one thin. One tall, one short…” The officer hesitated, then continued, “They seem to know the deceased, ‘Blondie.’ One of them was actually the patient, but the hospital’s records list Blondie as the patient. I asked the parking lot security guard, and he claimed he never saw them. But I think he’s lying…”

He Wei immediately realized who the officer meant. He frowned. “Why do you say that?”

“I saw several empty beer cans in the guard booth,” the officer’s eyes grew sharp. “He couldn’t have drunk that much without needing the bathroom, yet he says he never left. I suspect he’s afraid the hospital will find out he was drinking on duty and fire him, so he lied. The two men entered the parking lot over twenty minutes before the black Geely left; I suspect that’s when he was in the restroom.”

He Wei nodded. “That’s a solid analysis…” He cleared his throat. “You don’t need to keep chasing those two. Focus on the black Geely. Also, the suspect could still be in or near the hospital. Sometimes the safest place is the most dangerous one… Just in case, pull officers from nearby precincts and stations—expand the search out five kilometers from the hospital and screen every possible location. Even if that bastard digs a hole and hides underground, you dig him out. Understand?”

The three search team officers snapped to attention, saluted, and replied in unison, “Yes, sir!”

Just then, a knock sounded at the door. A young officer stood there, hesitating with a stack of reports. “Captain He, there’s an update…”

He Wei glanced at him and waved the three search officers out. “Go carry out my orders and report any updates immediately. Everyone, hang in there. Once we catch the suspect, drinks and hot pot are on me.”

The three officers straightened, saluted again, and hurried out of the office.

Seeing the gesture, the young officer entered, brushing past his colleagues. He stepped up to He Wei, glanced to check they were alone, and handed over the documents, lowering his voice. “Captain He, there’s news about what you asked me to check.”

He Wei sat upright, leafing through the documents. His lips curled into a cold smile as he pointed at a column marked ‘intercepted package.’ “So he really tried something behind my back. I’ve suspected something was off about him…” He looked at the officer. “Did you check the package? What was inside?”

“We don’t know yet,” the young man shook his head. “Technical Investigation took it. I asked a few of their people—they claim they know nothing, so I suspect…”

“Chang Ping?” He Wei rubbed his stubble. “No need to guess. Anyone with half a brain would know only the head of Tech Investigations could do it so quietly. What’s he up to? He’s become impossible to read… Did you check the delivery slip—who sent it, who received it?”

“I did, but the slip was damaged. We couldn’t get any useful information, and the courier doesn’t remember where he picked it up…”

“Where’s the slip?” He Wei’s brows knitted together. “Even if it’s damaged, we could get something—fingerprints, for instance…”

“That’s the strange part,” the young officer replied grimly. “The evidence log doesn’t mention any delivery slip. The officers who responded say they lost it… But I don’t buy it. If the courier called the police, the package must be important. The slip is key evidence; protocol would never allow it to be ‘lost.’ Yet all the records say otherwise.”

He Wei tapped the tabletop. “What about the courier?”

“He’s disappeared… Just like the man from Lvteng City you asked me to check. Gone without a trace, but his previous days were completely normal. No strange behavior… His family and friends have no idea where he is. His social circle is small, no enemies.”

“Someone doesn’t want us to find him,” He Wei muttered. “This case is getting more and more interesting…” Suddenly, he remembered something. “How’s Yang Qingqing? After the chaos at the hospital, did anyone suspicious turn up?”

“No. Our people have been on her round the clock. As soon as the incident happened, we moved Yang Qingqing to a secure location,” the young officer said confidently. “No one but us knows which room she’s in.”

He Wei nodded and rubbed his temples. “Yang Qingqing must be protected at all costs. If anything happens, none of us will escape responsibility. As soon as she’s able to give a statement, tell me. She might be our breakthrough.”

“You think her case is linked to our earlier investigation?”

“I can’t be sure yet,” He Wei pursed his lips. “But this case came out of nowhere, and she’s Yang Hai’s sister. How could there be no connection? Uncle Man must have found something, but he won’t tell me yet.”

“Speaking of Professor Zhang… Colleagues at headquarters just messaged—he’s interrogating Jin Yue,” the young officer said, his expression odd. “He deliberately left Chang Ping out and had a rookie take the statement.”

“A rookie? Who?”

“Bai Chi…”

“Why that blockhead?” He Wei grimaced. “He can make the simplest thing unbearably complicated… Never mind. Our priority is finding the one who killed Blondie. I have a feeling he’s still in the hospital. Stay sharp—nothing else can go wrong.”

The young officer nodded. “I’ve also increased security for your wife. Not even a fly could get close, you can relax.”

“Good. Now go get some rest,” He Wei said, pointing at the dark circles under the officer’s eyes. “You’ve all been working nonstop; even machines need a break. Get some sleep.”

The young officer scratched his head. “Can’t sleep with the case unsolved… I’ll just stay with Yang Qingqing. Call me if you need anything.”

He Wei waved him off, exhaustion creasing his features. He rubbed his cheeks, picked up a worn file folder from the desk, and began to pore over it intently.

The young officer left the office, walked several dozen meters to the right, turned a corner, and entered the restroom humming a tune. As he stood before the urinal, another officer came in and greeted him, “Anything unusual?”

“Nothing at all. She can’t run—still unconscious… If you ask me, we shouldn’t be guarding here. We should be out hunting for the suspect. Everyone else is running themselves ragged, and we’re just hanging around. Doesn’t feel right.”

“This is important too,” the young officer said gravely. “If the suspect tries a diversion and comes for Yang Qingqing, the consequences would be disastrous.”

The other officer zipped up his trousers and walked out with him. “I don’t believe that bastard’s so clever. Even if he comes back, he won’t find Yang Qingqing. Who’d guess we put her in the very delivery room where Blondie died? Even Captain He didn’t think of that. Hiding in plain sight…”

After their laughter faded and the officers left, the stall at the far end of the restroom slowly opened. Wang Chao, dressed in a white coat, emerged, tossing a gray jacket into the bin by the door. He gazed after the two officers, a strange smile playing on his lips. “Live and learn… A diversion, huh? Not a bad tactic. Why didn’t I think of that…”