Chapter 19 Chapter 19 Uncovering the Truth of Time

The mountain road was far more twists and turns than they had imagined. It took the two of them nearly an hour to see the woods on the top of the mountain. At this time, Cheng Che was standing beside the woods, panting. "Are you tired?" Wu Ning, who was walking in front, turned her head and looked. Compared with Cheng Che, she looked much more relaxed. Not only did her expression remain unchanged, but her steps were as steady as ever. "I...I..." Cheng Che took a few breaths, and then he finished his sentence intermittently, "I really doubt...are you a woman...how come you have such good physical strength..."

Because of his professional relationship, Cheng Che usually pays more attention to physical exercise, and thinks that his physical strength is not bad, but he never thought that Wu Ning, a woman, is even stronger than him. "Don't underestimate the martial arts stand-in." Wu Ning raised his eyebrows, "Do you want to rest for a while?" "No need, keep going!" In order not to be looked down upon by Wu Ning, Cheng Che made up his mind to stick to whatever he said. Walking into the woods, the originally quiet air outside seemed to be isolated even more quietly. Except for the wind blowing by the ears, there was no other sound, which also made the two people's footsteps seem particularly abrupt.

"It doesn't seem like people come here often." Cheng Che looked around. "That's inevitable. When something like that happened three years ago, most people would be a little bit taboo." After walking for less than ten minutes, a gust of bitter air came in through the gaps in the trees and poured into the collar, causing Cheng Che to flinch and tighten his coat even more. What appeared in front of the two of them was an open space of about ten square meters. In stark contrast to the dense forest in the forest, not to mention trees, there was not even a single grass in this open space, and it was bare and earthy yellow. soil of.

Wu Ning walked to the edge of the open space, the mountain wind blew her clothes and messed up her slightly long hair, "The cliff is below." Cheng Che also stepped forward, poking his head carefully and looking down.Sure enough, there is a steep and almost vertical cliff at the foot, with a depth of tens of meters. , or passed directly into the ear. "But there is neither any scenery nor any other special features here. How could those tourists who had accidents come here?" Cheng Che subconsciously took two steps back, thought for a while and said, "Could it be that I went the wrong way?"

"The road structure in Wu Village is very simple, even if you walk in the village at will, you will not get lost, not to mention that they have a local, Lao Zhang, by their side." "It doesn't seem to be different here except that it's a little quieter than other places." "Isn't that person's death an accident?" Cheng Che opened his eyes wide, as if he understood the meaning of Wu Ning's words, "You mean, they brought the dead here specially to fake the murder as an accident?" "I didn't say that, it was just an assumption."

"Chen Ying, the girlfriend of Deng Feng, the deceased in the second murder case, once said that Deng Feng went out for a trip three years ago and traveled with a few friends. When he came back, he became weird. It was also three years ago. , fire, where is the connection of all this? Ah! I see! We have to go back quickly and call the team leader." Wu Ning shrugged her shoulders noncommittally, and didn't ask too much. She has never been a curious person, and she will know the answer sooner or later.The two walked back along the way they came, and when they passed through the woods, there was an unusual noise in the woods, which caught their attention.

Cheng Che stopped and listened attentively, "It sounds like footsteps." "Well, besides us, there are people in the forest." Wu Ning nodded in agreement. "Who could it be? The villagers just said clearly that people don't come here very often. After what happened three years ago, most people don't come here." "You'll know if you go and have a look." As Wu Ning said, he had already left the path where the two of them walked, and walked towards the woods. Entering the depths of the forest, the dense forest blocked most of the already not very bright sunlight, the light appeared dim and deserted, except for the footsteps of the two people who deliberately lightened, only a few frightened birds flew up and called out hoarsely. A few times.

There was a rustling sound suddenly behind the tree on the left, as if someone was carefully moving towards this side. After that, a shadow suddenly flashed from behind the tree trunk, and the three of them met their eyes.The man obviously didn't notice the person in front of him because he was in a hurry. He was taken aback when he saw Cheng Che and Wu Ning, and then he quickly dodged and disappeared behind another big tree not far away.Although it was only for a short moment, Cheng Che and Wu Ning's reactions were quick, and they could see each other's appearance clearly. "Well, if I'm not mistaken, it's Yu Fang, right?"

"Don't doubt, your eyesight is very good." Although Wu Ning's tone was indifferent, there was still a gloomy look in his eyes.Why did Yu Fang appear here? "Catch up and have a look." "Wait." Wu Ning stretched out her hand to stop Cheng Che who was about to chase after Yu Fang. She quickly looked around and asked calmly, "What's on the other side of the woods?" Cheng Che thought for a while, "When I came here just now, I remember seeing it from the bottom of the mountain. Except for this road, there are cliffs on the left and right sides of the forest. The other side of the forest from where we were standing just now should also be a cliff. That's right."

"The direction Yu Fang came from seems to be the cliff over there. What is she doing there alone?" After Wu Ning mentioned it, Cheng Che also felt something was wrong. He pondered and said, "Let's go and have a look. If Yu Fang commits a crime, he will never be able to escape." The two walked quickly through the forest, and a steep cliff appeared before them, with a cold wind passing by, even more dangerous than the one they surveyed. Cheng Che took a step forward, and the gravel under his feet immediately rolled down the cliff with his movements, making a crackling sound.

"There is someone below!" Cheng Che exclaimed. Wu Ning's expression froze, and he hurried over and looked down.Not far from where they stood was a cliff of ten thousand feet, but it turned out that after going down from the top of the mountain, a large rock protruded horizontally, forming a platform several meters wide.And a gray and black figure was lying sideways on it.Because the distance is not far, you can see that the bright mask painted on his face is stained with sand, and at this time the mask may be the reason for the collision when he fell, and it deviates slightly from the face, revealing the white bandage covering the whole head , The bandage was also stained red by mottled blood. "It's Lao Zhang." Cheng Che said, and jumped down, but Wu Ning didn't move, but stood on the cliff and looked around. Cheng Che squatted down next to Lao Zhang. Looking closely, Lao Zhang, whose eyes were closed and motionless, could not distinguish between life and death, but his clothes were scratched by sharp stones, exposing the few skins on the outside. There are also scratches of different shades, and blood is still oozing in some places. Wu Ning looked down from the cliff, carefully distinguishing the unclear footprints on the ground, "Old Zhang should have fallen from this position." "Or, it was pushed down by someone." Cheng Che added, the two of them thought of Yu Fang when they met at the same time. "how is the situation?" Cheng Che looked at it for a moment, then tentatively stretched out his hand to take off the mask to check Lao Zhang's injuries in detail. Just as his fingers were about to touch the weird mask, Lao Zhang suddenly opened his eyes, and at the same time grabbed Cheng Che's wound with his right hand. On the wrist, Cheng Che was stopped.Cheng Che couldn't react for a while, his hands stopped in the air, and the two of them were in a stalemate like this, Lao Zhang's eyes were full of vigilance and caution that didn't mean anything. It wasn't until Wu Ning's voice came that the deadlock was broken, "Old Zhang, are you okay?" Lao Zhang let go of Cheng Che, moved his body and sat up, Cheng Che wanted to help him, but he refused, "It's okay." "I'll pull you up." Wu Ning stretched out his hand on the edge of the cliff. "You?" Lao Zhang looked at Wu Ning suspiciously. Cheng Che laughed aside, "Don't look at her like that, she has better physical strength than a man." Lao Zhang held Wu Ning's hand suspiciously, Wu Ning grabbed the branch behind him with the other hand, borrowed his strength to lift, and with Cheng Che's strength below, the two pulled Lao Zhang up the cliff together, and then Lao Zhang and Wu Ning They dragged Cheng Che up together. Wu Ning's gaze stayed on Lao Zhang, which made him very uncomfortable. Lao Zhang looked back at the cliff just now, "Let's leave here first." In the porch of the hotel, Lao Zhang struggled to move, and took out disinfectant and some cotton swabs and gauze necessary for cleaning the wound from the cabinet.His already slightly hunched figure, under the silhouette of the light, looked even more staggering and heavy. "Old Zhang, go to the hospital and let the doctor deal with it. I'm afraid you have a lot of wounds on your body. Don't get infected again." Cheng Che persuaded. Lao Zhang shook his head, "It's not necessary, besides, there is no hospital in the village, and the barefoot doctor's skills are not much different from my own." "Then I will help you." Lao Zhang still refused, "I'm not used to bothering others, so I can do it myself." "But……" Cheng Che wanted to persuade him again, but Wu Ning stopped him with his eyes, "Old Zhang, why did you fall from there?" "I..." Old Zhang's eyes flickered, "I accidentally slipped down." Old Zhang's subtle movements failed to escape the eyes of Wu Ning and Cheng Che, they looked at each other tacitly, Cheng Che took the words and asked: "Old Zhang, think about it carefully, is there anyone suspicious?" Appear? You have to know, if there is no stone to block you, you may fall directly to the bottom of the cliff and lose your life." Lao Zhang shook his head resolutely without hesitation, "There is no one, it's because I didn't pay attention to my feet." "Then Zhang, why did you run to the edge of the cliff alone?" Wu Ning changed the question. "I..." Lao Zhang paused again, overly sexual, "I'll just walk around." These words are full of perfunctory meaning, and it is not difficult for anyone to hear, but Wu Ning and Cheng Che also understand that, seeing Lao Zhang's attitude, they will not ask for more useful information. , he didn't intend to tell the details at all.So, the two bid farewell to Lao Zhang and went back to the room.And Lao Zhang also took his things and went back to his room to treat the wound. "Do you think Lao Zhang is telling the truth?" Sitting on the bed, Cheng Che tilted his head and asked Wu Ning who was still sitting by the window. Wu Ning hooked the corners of his lips, "Only a fool will believe it, unless you believe it, Xiao Cheche." "How is it possible!" Cheng Che straightened his body, in order to show his position, "I think Lao Zhang must have concealed something, just like what happened three years ago." "While I was waiting for you up there, I checked. There are two kinds of footprints on the ground beside the cliff. One of the larger ones should belong to Lao Zhang, while the other is relatively smaller. I can't confirm whether it belongs to Yu Fang. However, Lao Zhang’s footprints are clearer. I can see traces left on the edge of the cliff with the direction of the toes pointing towards the bottom of the cliff. From my experience in filming stand-in scenes, it is a sign of falling down the cliff, but it also leaves subtle traces. There are signs of dragging, if you jump down by yourself, there will be no such phenomenon." Cheng Che pondered deeply, "In other words, Lao Zhang was indeed pushed from behind, but why didn't he say it?" "Obviously, for some reason, he was taking sides." "That person is Yu Fang?" "I don't know." Wu Ning answered simply, "We are still missing a key point of the matter. Only when we find this breakthrough, can we follow this line." "The key point..." Cheng Che repeated, "Isn't that what happened three years ago?" Cheng Che suddenly realized that he patted his head and took out his mobile phone. Before he could press the number key, the mobile phone rang without warning. Cheng Che was so startled that he almost dropped the mobile phone and flew to the ground.Grasping the phone tightly, Cheng Che heaved a sigh of relief, and smiled childishly when he saw the number displayed on the screen. "It's the team leader. I was about to call him, but he called me unexpectedly." "Aren't you going to answer?" Wu Ning reminded him with a sideways glance. Cheng Che quickly connected the phone, "Hello, team leader?" "Xiao Che, have you made any progress?" Dong Peng didn't waste time, and directly cut into the topic, which shows that he has developed a non-procrastinating character in handling cases over the years. "En." Cheng Che said, and reported to Dong Peng all the things that happened three years ago and their experiences from the villagers. "Did Yu Fang really go to Wucun?" Dong Peng didn't seem surprised. "And we also suspect that it was Yu Fang who pushed Lao Zhang off the cliff. We just need motivation and evidence." "That's right, but what is the relationship between Lao Zhang and those dead?" Cheng Che thought for a while, "I heard from the villagers that when the group of young people who had an accident went up the cliff three years ago, Lao Zhang also followed them as a guide." "Do you think the case of falling off the cliff is related to the serial murder case we are investigating this time?" "Yes, the two victims, plus the dead on the train, if my guess is correct, they are the young people who came to the village back then. The testimony mentioned by Deng Feng's girlfriend can also prove this, then Regardless of whether the murderer is Yu Fang or not, the motive for killing these people must be related to the incident three years ago." "I called you just to talk about the murder case on the train." Dong Peng continued, "The colleague I sent to the town to support came back. According to the information he brought, we found out that the deceased was named Sun Gang. He worked in an Internet cafe. According to investigations, he was also an advanced player of online games, and sometimes he also did things like buying and selling game equipment. From the information we have now, the three deceased related to dolls were all engaged in game trading. Career, that could well be a breaking point." "But why did the murderer deliberately use the same killing method as "Doll's Killing Intent"? Wouldn't it be easier for the police to find out?" Cheng Che wondered. "Your intuition is much sharper." Dong Peng's words are tantamount to acknowledging the problem Cheng Che discovered in some way, "Perhaps the murderer didn't intend to hide it from the beginning, but he deliberately set up many leaky disguises, and The method used in that book is to attract our attention and link these people together, and the murderer uses this method to try to tell us a truth." "Team leader, I want to check in detail what happened three years ago. I wonder if you can send photos of Liu Huihui, Deng Feng, Sun Gang, and related suspects to my phone so that people in the village can identify them?" "That's no problem. You continue to search for news in the village, and also look for Yu Fang's trace. If you need support, you can tell me at any time." "Understood, team leader." "In addition..." Dong Peng paused slightly, "I think maybe the police officer in charge of the cliff fall case would know some details, do you want me to call and ask?" Just as Cheng Che was about to answer, a person appeared in front of his eyes, "No need, team leader, I think since someone died in the village, they must go through the town's public security department. I thought of who to ask." "Well, keep in touch and stay safe." After a few more instructions, Dong Peng hung up the phone. "Are you going to find Luo Zilin?" Although Wu Ning asked, his tone was determined. Cheng Che showed a hint of surprise, "How do you know?" "Your little thoughts are all written on your face." Wu Ning smiled slightly, stating that "the person who can't even guess your thoughts is a fool", which made Cheng Che very unconvinced, but he couldn't refute. "I'll call him right now and ask him to check the case records from three years ago." Wu Ning stood up, "I wish you good luck." "Where are you going?" "Go outside to get some fresh air and get some food. I don't want to go hungry. Maybe I'm lucky enough to meet a fugitive or a criminal suspect, so I can catch you back." After Wu Ningyun finished speaking calmly, he waved his hand smartly and walked out of the door without looking back. "Hey, hey, bring me something to eat too..." Cheng Che's cry echoed behind her, but Wu Ning didn't get a response. Wu Ning stood on the top of the mountain, stuck his head out, and looked at the big rock at the bottom of the cliff, which was where the two found Lao Zhang just now.Yes, she was always a little concerned about this place, so she came back alone to check it out.Before making a conclusion, she is used to thinking for herself first. The ballad of the doll was repeated in her mind: "My sister carried the doll and went to the garden to see the flowers. The doll cried and called her mother, and the bird on the tree called chirping." The first three sentences have been used by the murderer in the murder in the scene.Now it seems that Cheng Che and Dong Peng's analysis is good. The murderer should be related to the case three years ago, so the attack on Lao Zhang may also have the same purpose. If the murderer's purpose is to kill Lao Zhang, why didn't he follow the The fourth line of the ballad? In order to see better, Wu Ning found a cane and wrapped it around a big rock not far away, then threw it under the cliff, and jumped off the protruding big rock himself.She looked up and looked around, as she remembered, there was indeed no big tree nearby as far as she could see, and the last line of the song, "The little bird on the tree is chirping", did not fit the scene.So, what went wrong? Wu Ning turned his head to the side, thinking intently, suddenly, something flashed in his mind, illuminating his thoughts like sparks.She reached out and grabbed the prepared rattan, kicked the ground neatly, and climbed up the cliff in a few strokes. She quickly walked through the woods and came to the crime scene three years ago that the two had checked before.Looking from the bottom of the cliff, a big tree with intertwined roots protrudes from the cliff. Although the branches and leaves are sparse, the branches are thick and strong. It seems that the tree is not young. The same cliff, the left and right positions are not far apart, is there any connection between them? A cool wind blew across his cheeks, Wu Ning tightened his collar, feeling a little hungry.Thinking of Qian Cheng Che's request for her to bring food home, Cheng Che's sad face seemed to appear in front of her eyes.Looking at the watch, it seems that she has been out for a while, that guy must be very hungry, if he doesn't go back, he might die. Just thinking of that scene, Wu Ning would smile heartily.She thought that coming to Wu Village would be a depressing journey of tracing, because the murderer who killed her father might be hiding here, and with such unpleasant memories, it would inevitably touch her heart.But the truth was far from being as sad as expected. Even when she heard the boatman and the villagers mention the escaped prisoner several times, apart from her hatred, her heart was unexpectedly calm. Maybe it's different if there is someone to entertain. When she is with Cheng Che, she will always be amused by his irrelevant behavior and make her feel relaxed.Or maybe, time will really smooth everything out, and people's mood will gradually learn to calm down? Wu Ning shook his head, decided not to think too much, turned around and walked down the mountain. "In fact, our job is to find out the truth, so that the hearts of those who have been injured by the case can be comforted and relieved." When Wu Ning was walking back, in Dong Peng's office, Dong Peng looked at the information on the table and said with emotion. Shang Yunxuan, who was sitting opposite him, smiled, his peach blossom eyes were soft, "This sentence really doesn't sound like what you said, Police Officer Dong. You, who are always serious, never thought that you would occasionally say such emotional words Come on, it’s really going to rain red.” "Seeing Chen Ying's expression when she left just now, it's hard not to think so." Dong Peng ignored Shang Yunxuan's teasing, and Chen Ying appeared in front of his eyes.He called Chen Ying to the Public Security Bureau, returned some of Deng Feng's belongings, and informed her of the progress of the investigation. When she heard that Deng Feng ordered an engagement ring at the jewelry store, Chen Ying was surprised at first, and then burst into tears.The tears seemed to be moved, but also seemed to contain a little regret. "But no matter what, the dead are hard to find. Even if you know the truth, you can only get a little comfort from your heart." "You are a fine young man, why are you more pessimistic than someone my age?" Dong Peng glanced at Shang Yunxuan, "Anyway, let's do as much as we can." Shang Yunxuan shrugged, "I'm looking at it from an objective medical point of view, and I don't have any personal feelings. If I look at it from my own point of view, I certainly haven't enjoyed enough of this wonderful world, and I don't have any reason to get bored." "It's just that those dead people don't have such a good life as you." Dong Peng said here, his expression became serious again, "so no matter what the reason is, a crime is a crime, and the murderer who takes human life at will should be punished. We must investigate the case as soon as possible and catch the murderer." "Won't you hear the news I brought?" "You really brought news?" Shang Yunxuan spread his hands, "I look like I have nothing to do, come to your office all day to drink tea and chat?" "You don't drink tea, you drink coffee." Dong Peng said with a serious face, but his face showed "you are so boring", "why didn't you say something earlier? Tell me quickly." "You didn't ask me why I came here." Shang Yunxuan cheekily said it as a matter of course. He did not know where to conjure up a document and threw it on Dong Peng's desk carelessly. The last file on the computer was cracked, and I took it over as soon as I passed by." Dong Peng looked at Shang Yunxuan disapprovingly. Who doesn't know that Shang Yunxuan has always regarded himself as a gentleman. In the Public Security Bureau, apart from being poisonous, another characteristic is that he likes to serve women, so he has become deeply rooted in the hearts of all the women in the Public Security Bureau. The perfect lover who is gentle and considerate. No longer talking about Shang Yunxuan, Dong Peng turned his attention to the document, there were only a few lines on it: I'm sorry, my heartfelt repentance is the only compensation I can give you.Although I have never been able to say these three words, I am willing to use everything I have as the original atonement. "It's like a letter of confession." "That's right, but it's a pity that Liu Huihui didn't clarify who the other party was, and we have no way of knowing why she apologized. Is what she refers to, as Police Officer Dong and you and Xiao Cheche guessed, that it happened in Wucun Village three years ago? The thing about falling off the cliff?" "Well, I have already sent the photos of Liu Huihui and others to Xiao Che, and it will be clear after he finishes his investigation." As Dong Peng said, he had already stood up. "Where are you going?" "The things here are almost done. I'm not used to sitting in the office and waiting. I booked the ticket and I took the train at the same time as Xiaoche and the others. I went back to pack up and set off for Wucun tomorrow. Maybe What other clues can be obtained in the car." "Are you going to Wu Village? I..." In the middle of Shang Yunxuan's words, he was interrupted by Dong Peng like a prophet, "You can't go, otherwise I can't explain to your boss. You stay and call if you have something to do." After Dong Peng finished speaking, without waiting for Shang Yunxuan to complain, he strode out the door.