The Last Mr. Dongguo

Stacks of books sat on the desks of the Criminal Investigation Division's office. Bai Xin and his colleagues had been working continuously for ten hours, meticulously examining page 256 of every book. Dongfang Lin had also tried every conceivable code-breaking method, but to no avail. Bai Xin and Han Zhen, two chain smokers, kept chain-smoking to stay awake, filling the entire office area with smoke.

"Come on, everyone. You've all worked hard and haven't eaten yet, have you? I brought you a nutritious breakfast. Come on, come on. Food is essential for life. You'll get hungry if you skip a meal. Eat your fill before you continue fighting. You'll have the energy to keep going."

Before the person even arrived, their familiar voice had already reached everyone's ears.

"Cough cough cough, ouch!" Huan Yijun had just stepped into the office when she was driven out by the thick smoke. "Ugh, is something burning here? Why aren't you all moving? Don't you feel the smoke?"

Huan Yijun kept fanning his nose with his right hand, searching for the others in the thick smoke.

"If you smoke two more packs, you'll get reported by concerned citizens who will call 119. Bai Xin, are you from the chimney? You should also consider the feelings of the ladies here."

Huan Yijun didn't treat herself as an outsider and quickly served Dongfang Lin a bowl of spicy soup.

"Try it quickly. I know you still prefer your usual taste, so I added vinegar. Eat it while it's hot."

"Hehe, okay, okay, you put it here first, I'll do it myself, I'll do it myself." Seeing that Huan Yijun had already held the bowl out to her, Dongfang Lin quickly reached out and took it, placing the spicy soup on the table.

Huan Yijun didn't feel embarrassed at all, as if this was his home turf.

"Team Leader Bai, Fei Laifeng, former member of the Criminal Investigation Department's Technical Team, reporting for duty. This is my file." He was so engrossed in listening to Huan Yijun's explanation that he didn't realize there was another person behind the thick smoke.

Fei Laifeng gave a standard military salute and handed the documents in his hand to Bai Xin.

"Hmm, how's it going? How's your recovery going lately?"

"No problem, great, I can join the fight again." Fei Laifeng proudly raised his clenched right fist. "I will use my bullets to strike down all criminals."

"Well done."

"You can only fire two shots. Sometimes, you still have to rely on this." Huan Yijun pointed to her head, then shifted her gaze to Dongfang Lin's desk, picking up a sheet of paper covered in codes. "What are you doing? Look at how haggard you all look, like national treasures. Tell us, and let our sharpshooter and I, your Zhuge Liang, analyze this for you." Huan Yijun emphasized the words "Zhuge Liang," revealing a confident smile.

"Hey senior, can't you be serious for once? Do you know why you can't be a policeman? You're not serious at all." Dongfang Lin snatched the manuscript back from Huan Yijun's hand and picked up another book, turning to page 256.

"Who says police officers have to always have a stern face? My grades back then were no worse than Cheng Luan's. It's just that I have my own interests, and psychology suits me better. I dare to compare myself with Fei Li when it comes to psychology."

Huan Yijun's mention of Cheng Luan and Fei Li immediately dampened the lively atmosphere that had been stirred up.

Bai Xin stood up and distributed the breakfasts that Huan Yijun had bought one by one. He then told Huan Yijun the results of the on-site investigation and changed the subject to ease the atmosphere.

"What do you think this is? You've made such a mess of just one number. Luckily, I came, otherwise you could have searched the entire library in Huze and still wouldn't have found anything," Huan Yijun said confidently, patting his chest.

"Senior brother, what do you mean?"

Joking aside, Dongfang Lin was aware of Huan Yijun's abilities; Huan Yijun possessed an innate and keen insight into cases.

"You've all hit a dead end. Can't you think about the problem from a different angle?" Huan Yijun banged on Dongfang Lin's table, looked around, and seeing the confused looks on everyone's faces, continued, "P doesn't necessarily represent a page number. What does the P that's everywhere on the street mean?"

"Oh, I know, you mean parking spaces." Dongfang Lin suddenly shouted, making everyone feel extremely excited.

"Yes, that's right, it's a parking space. This blood-written word doesn't represent page 256 of a book, but the 256th parking space. Did you check if the deceased owned a car, and how many parking spaces he had?"

"That's right," Dongfang Lin immediately pulled up Liu Wei's information, "Liu Wei's parking space is number 256."

"All done. Now we just need to get to his parking spot, and we're sure to find the clue he's trying to tell us." Huan Yijun patted Bai Xin on the shoulder. "Captain Bai, it's time to go."

The underground parking garage in Huguang Residential Complex has two levels. Dongfang Lin pulled up the floor plan and quickly found Liu Wei's parking space. A white Audi was parked there quietly.

"Scientists are just different; even their cars are prettier than others'," Han Zhen muttered as he walked around the car.

"Alright, everyone, let's begin."

Everyone was busy with their own tasks, except for Huan Yijun, who leaned against a pillar at a distance, munching on a lollipop and smiling as he watched Dongfang Lin busily working. Dongfang Lin didn't have time to pay him any attention, letting him chuckle to himself.

Bai Xin put on gloves and survey shoe covers, and used the key that Dongfang Lin had retrieved to open the car door.

The car interior was impeccably clean, practically spotless. This clearly demonstrated the owner's care for the vehicle. A faint, pleasant jasmine scent filled the air, creating a refreshing atmosphere. Bai Xin sat in the driver's seat, felt the accelerator, and gripped the steering wheel, finding nothing unusual.

Bai Xin's gaze swept around the car's interior, finally settling on the display screen. He then pressed the start button and started the engine.

The car started, the display screen lit up, and Bai Xin pressed the USB button. A recording came out of the speakers.

Your plan has failed.

"Impossible. The plan is flawless. We have completely taken control of Chen Huan. Gu Hezhi's plan will be implemented soon, and that will be our time to step in."

"Unfortunately, Fei Li disappeared at this time."

"What? Fei Li has disappeared?"

"It's not just Fei Li, but also Cheng Luan, Li Mengying, Li Feng, and Gu Hezhi. In short, all the key figures involved in this matter disappeared at the same time. What do you think this means?"

"What do you want?"

"In our line of work, we rely on caution and skepticism; we must never leave the other party with any clues."

"I see. It seems my time is drawing near!"

"That's not the main reason I came here."

"What? Are you trying to save me or kill me?"

"No, you're mistaken. I'm here to discuss a collaboration!"

"No need! No amount of cooperation can save me now. But I must remind you that if the plan is indeed leaked, it means there's a mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. We must be wary of those watching from behind. Dying at your hands might be the best ending for me. Give my regards to him."

"Where is the real data?"

"Ha! Where's the real information? It's all just skeletons in Zeus's wardrobe!"

Snapped!

A crisp sound assaulted Bai Xin's eardrums, and the recording abruptly stopped.