SFTD -Chapter 228 The Incomplete Password (Part 12)

Zhou Hai let out a long breath and looked at Zhang Mingquan in front of him.

“Then what? Who did you meet? Did he help you?”

Zhang Mingquan shook his head.

“No! It wasn’t help. It was mutual benefit! I deal with one person, and he gives me money. That was the whole deal. I don’t have more than three months left to live. Kill one, earn one payout—at least I can leave some money for my children. My life would’ve been worth it.”

Zhou Hai narrowed his eyes. Since Zhang Mingquan dared to say this so openly, it meant he didn’t truly understand who “he” was. From the other side’s perspective, they would never expose all their information to a dying man. This was nothing more than a one-time cash transaction.

“I’m more interested in how you got them to take the poison,” Zhou Hai said.

Zhang Mingquan threw his head back and laughed. His yellow teeth gave off a strange odor. Then he sat down across from Zhou Hai, one hand holding a gun, the other reaching into the inner pocket of his suit. He pulled out two glass medicine bottles.

Each bottle contained a capsule—exactly the same as the one found at the crime scene.

Zhou Hai’s gaze locked tightly onto the bottles. From appearance to contents, they were indistinguishable—completely identical. Zhang Mingquan kept shaking them back and forth, the bottles clinking loudly on the table.

“One bottle has poison. The other doesn’t. I don’t even know which is which anymore. Now you pick one. We’ll both take it and see who’s lucky enough to survive.”

Zhou Hai narrowed his eyes and stared at him. The man’s ordinary face was now lit with an eerie excitement, even a faint flush on his cheeks. He seemed to be enjoying this process. A man like this—did he really look like someone in the final stage of cancer?

“So this is the ‘game’ you were talking about?” Zhou Hai asked.

Zhang Mingquan’s smile disappeared.

“You really are sharp. Every one of those four people played this game with me. And they all lost. My luck has always been this good. I don’t know if I’ll win a fifth time. Come on—you’re the best at reasoning and deduction, aren’t you? Pick a bottle. Let’s see what your fate is.”

Zhou Hai extended a finger and hovered between the two bottles, moving left and right, hesitating continuously.

“Choose?”

Ten minutes earlier, at the Migao Criminal Police Team.

After hearing Xu Biao’s explanation, Chu Menghan had a general understanding of the situation. Hearing Fengzi’s shout, the two of them rushed into the monitoring room.

The officers at the door did not stop them. Although they hadn’t worked with Zhou Hai much, they still remembered his role in solving the “Tooth Girl” case last time, so they didn’t act aggressively.

Fengzi looked at them as they approached.

“Dr. Nan has sent over a video. The clarity is now good enough to identify things. Look at the taxi—there’s a lightbox on top with the word ‘Zhongtai’. As for the license plate, we can’t see it from this angle, but we found corresponding footage at the opposite intersection camera at the same time. Here it is—vehicle number Lu B24541. Coincidentally, another car passed by at just the right moment, and its headlights illuminated the driver’s face. Dr. Nan enlarged the image and enhanced the resolution. Take a look. Also, Dr. Nan has already started tracking the vehicle’s route…”

Xu Biao stared at the driver’s photo. Even after enhancement, it was still blurry—almost impossible to make anything out. But suddenly, he widened his eyes and grabbed Fengzi’s arm.

“It’s him! It’s that driver we stopped on the road! Yu Yongliang! Yu Yongliang! Come look—isn’t it him?”

Yu Yongliang leaned in, squinting slightly. In an instant, he had the same expression as Xu Biao.

“Yes, it’s him. But the license plate isn’t the same. I checked his driver’s license and vehicle registration before—the numbers matched.”

He paused.

“Wait, let me check again.”

He pulled out his phone and quickly found a photo of the driver’s license. The plate number was Lu B24559—just two digits different from the one in the footage.

Xu Biao slapped Yu Yongliang’s shoulder.

“It’s definitely him. You just stick magnetic plates over the real ones and you’re done. I can’t forget his face.”

Seeing Xu Biao’s certainty, Chu Menghan looked up at Captain Hu.

“I’m Chu Menghan, captain of the Changhe District Criminal Police Team in Dongnan City. I remember we’ve met at a meeting. I don’t want formalities. Help me find him. Otherwise, I don’t care about discipline—I’ll rip off this uniform if I have to.”

Captain Hu looked like he had swallowed something unpleasant. He turned back.

“We were the ones who invited them here. Of course we’ll take responsibility. Who said we’re not acting? It’s just that nothing’s confirmed yet.”

Chu Menghan’s face darkened.

“Cut the nonsense. Give the order and start searching. Dr. Nan should already be tracking the vehicle route. Move out!”

As soon as she finished speaking, a cough sound came from Xu Biao’s computer. A route map appeared on the screen, marked in red. The final recorded point was three minutes ago—which meant the suspect and Zhou Hai had already gotten out of the vehicle.

Xu Biao immediately tensed up.

“The location’s been sent. Let’s move. Hai Zi should’ve gotten off the car with that driver.”

Captain Hu waved his hand.

“Move out!”

As everyone got into the cars, Xu Biao squeezed into the passenger seat next to Chu Menghan, waving the map.

“Chu Menghan, let Fengzi drive. He’s faster than a race car.”

Chu Menghan didn’t hesitate and switched seats immediately. The car shot into traffic. Captain Hu watched the reckless driving and gritted his teeth.

“Turn off all sirens. Follow the lead car!”

Xu Biao kept directing Fengzi on the route. At one turn, the tracking map he had opened suddenly reappeared. The flashing red dot matched perfectly with Dr. Nan’s map.

He quickly opened the navigation system and turned on voice guidance, then looked back at Chu Menghan with bloodshot eyes.

“Earlier, Hai Zi suspected that the victim Yu Lele’s phone was inside a taxi. We tracked her phone—and the location matches Dr. Nan’s map exactly now.”

“Chu Menghan, do you think Hai Zi will be okay?”

Chu Menghan said nothing, staring hard at the map. They were getting closer.

She pulled out her gun from her waist.

“When we arrive, you all stay below. I’ll go in alone. Don’t let it become a case where we fail to save him and lose you guys too.”

“Pah pah pah!” Xu Biao shouted hoarsely. “Can’t you think a bit more positively?”

Even Xiao Liang was glaring angrily, while Fengzi pressed harder on the accelerator and the car jolted violently.

“Shut up! Turn off the headlights! I’ll bring him back. Trust me.”

The red dot was about to overlap with their position. Chu Menghan scanned the surroundings carefully—and sure enough, on a vacant lot to the left, a mint-green taxi was parked.

She tapped Fengzi’s shoulder.

“Stop. You all stay here. Tell the others to stay quiet. I’ll go first—this is the place.”

Xu Biao watched as Chu Menghan jumped out of the car, his heart tightening.

“Chu Menghan, be careful.”

Chu Menghan ran straight toward the taxi. But the police cars behind them still hadn’t arrived. Xu Biao frowned.

“Is Fengzi driving too fast, or are those guys just crawling along? This is criminal police speed?!”