Free Web NovelChapter 541: Chapter 511: Pinhole on the Cigarette Butt_1
Zhou Ning narrowed his eyes slightly. Based on the timeline, Liu Tiesong and his assistant Ma Decai wouldn’t be here. After all, they were coming from Jingkou District, and after passing through the tunnel into the city center, they must have already reached the Huajin Group by now.
In this case, there weren’t many people left unfound.
Of course, the most mysterious was the girl who had been coerced into showing the way, Zhang Meng. This girl clearly wanted an opportunity to audition and tried to climb the ranks within Room 24, even hoping to be taken advantage of because those who made it to the top were few and far between.
"Zhang Meng?"
Mr. Zhao reined in his smile and let out a slight sigh, poking Mr. Yang at his side.
"How about that, I told you Zhou Xiaozhou just isn’t any fun. You figure it out and you just figure it out, can’t you pretend to be surprised a little? Let us have a sense of accomplishment. It’s no fun."
Zhou Ning rubbed his nose, apparently getting a bit anxious just now.
"Next time, I’ll try hard to pretend I don’t know."
Mr. Yang couldn’t stop laughing and quickly cleared the way at the door.
"Don’t joke around with the boss. Isn’t Mr. Zhang going to interrogate her first? I guess Zhang Meng probably has nowhere to go. According to the reception, it was Liu Liwei who brought her here. As for the box, we found it. The location Zhang Meng pointed out to us was buried in the flowerbed in the villa’s backyard."
Zhou Ning thought about it and realized that after Zhang Meng left that evening, her whereabouts had not been tracked.
As for Liu Liwei, he didn’t arrive at the villa in the Mashan Scenic Area until the 29th. It seemed that they must be more than just acquaintances; in fact, quite familiar with each other. Hence, he brought her here to avoid the limelight, not just to send her away with some money.
Zhou Ning was about to leave when he noticed Zhang Ping tugging at his sleeve.
"Director Zhou, come with me to listen in, will you? I don’t have much experience with interrogation."
Mr. Zhao spit disdainfully and squeezed in between the two.
"Pah, don’t start! What’s wrong with you guys in the detachment from top to bottom, treating our Zhou Xiaozhou like a mascot all the time, right? We’re in a hurry to get back to the autopsy. Got the box up yet?" freewёbn૦νeɭ.com
Zhou Ning nodded and glanced at his watch. It was already 17:10.
"Find a room and ask her some questions. I’ll accompany you to listen. Actually, I think Zhang Meng won’t put up much of a fight. She’s been dumped in the wilderness for several days now, cut off from the outside world. Just say this:
’You’ve been hiding here. If no one pointed the way, how could we have found you?’ I think she’ll put together a whole bunch of content on her own. Even if it’s some relative or something, it doesn’t matter. Who would want to be involved in a murder case, right?"
Zhang Ping’s eyes glinted as if enlightened by Zhou Ning’s words, and he immediately waved at his subordinates who had arrived earlier.
"No more nonsense, bring her here quick, no need to be polite, just ten minutes."
The men hurried into action. Zhou Ning didn’t rush inside. Sun Gaotie carried out the box, and indeed, the black plastic bag wrapped around the outside still had some soil on it and a smell of fertilizer.
"Load it in the car, put it with the suitcase, but don’t stack them, place them separately."
Having said that, Zhou Ning entered the villa and discovered as soon as he stepped inside that it was a world apart, much like walking into an 18th-century castle, with all the decorations made of stone carvings. In the middle of the grand hall, a bull skull hung from the ceiling, below which stood two metallic-colored European suits of armor. Even the carpet was a single piece of animal hide that looked like bear skin.
Zhou Ning was somewhat taken aback. These items didn’t seem fake at a glance and such a setup undoubtedly spoke of luxury.
To own such a villa and to lend it so readily to Liu Tiesong of Huajin Film and Television Company, Mr. Fang was not just wealthy. Did he not know what kind of business these subsidiary companies were engaged in?
That was obviously impossible. Was it then his instruction or his tacit consent?
A flurry of footsteps interrupted Zhou Ning’s train of thought. A girl dressed in sportswear was being brought downstairs, her panicked gaze saying it all.
Zhang Ping led the girl directly to the open space in front of the villa. Here, the sunshine was plentiful. It seemed as if she had suddenly come into the particularly glaring sunlight. Zhang Meng instinctively used her hand to shield her eyes and even unconsciously let out a breath, tears almost coming out. freewebnσvel.cѳm
Seeing her state, Zhou Ning narrowed his eyes.
He moved to Zhang Meng’s side and rolled up her sleeves, revealing the insides of her arms. There were no needle marks, but the dark circles under her eyes looked like they couldn’t be covered with a thick layer of makeup.
Zhang Meng was flustered and exhausted, trying to pull her arm back in panic.
Zhang Ping didn’t know what Zhou Ning’s intentions were and looked at him with a questioning face. Zhou Ning pulled the corners of his mouth and then said to Zhang Meng:
"Liu Liwei sent you here, right?"
Zhang Meng nodded.
"He arranged for you to say those things to Li Mubai? And told you not to go over the next day, and picked you up on the 29th to bring you here, right?"
Zhang Meng nodded again.
Zhou Ning looked at Zhang Ping and waved his hand dismissively.
"I don’t think there’s anything to ask. She’s not very lucid right now. Mr. Zhao, draw blood and send it for testing immediately. I think she must have been ’drugged.’ Although the amount wasn’t large, quitting is too hard. When the withdrawal symptoms hit back at home, she’d confess everything without interrogation."
Upon hearing Zhou Ning’s words, Zhang Meng was stupefied. She rubbed her eyes, then began slapping her cheeks forcefully, as if trying to sober up.
"What are you talking about, drugs? I’ve never touched those things, I really haven’t. Whatever you want to ask, just ask me directly, I’ll say it. Do I have to wait for you to ask before I can even say it?"
Zhang Ping glanced at Zhang Meng, noticing that the developments were indeed moving too quickly. If it’s about being ’drugged,’ he was somewhat at a loss.
"You mean drugged?"
Zhou Ning rubbed his nose and nodded slightly toward Zhang Meng.
"You have the smell of tobacco on you, you smoke, don’t you? Where are the cigarettes? Bring them out for me to see."
Zhang Meng seemed to realize something and her face turned two shades paler. She trembled as she took out a pack of hard-case cigarettes and a lighter from her pocket. Mr. Zhao came over, put on gloves, and placed the cigarettes and lighter on a tray before opening the cigarette box.
He inspected each cigarette, and sure enough, at the edge of every filter, he saw needle holes and small damp spots. Zhang Meng stood to the side, tears already streaming down her foolish, stunned face.
Zhang Ping looked and understood as well.
"Very professional technique. You must know who gave you the cigarettes. We’re pressed for time, so if there’s anything you want to say, say it quickly. How much money did they give you, and what did they tell you to say? Confess quickly so I can report your situation as soon as possible. Otherwise, before you get picked up by the detox center, if your addiction kicks in, you’re the one who’s going to suffer."
Zhang Meng clutched at her collar. Although she hadn’t felt so bad before, with all the evidence right in front of her, there was no denying it, and the more she thought about it, the harder it seemed to breathe.
"I’ll tell, I’ll tell, please find me a doctor, save me! I really don’t know anything. I met Liu Liwei online; he said they were recruiting actors, so I added him. After going over there, the villa on the 24th was painted in such a rosy light that I stayed. I also saw those beautiful girls offering themselves up.
I knew that if I wanted to be famous, to have an audition opportunity, for people like us with no natural advantages and no connections, it meant making sacrifices. Otherwise, there was no chance to make it big. But when someone asked me for ’services,’ I backed off.
Liu Liwei talked to me once, telling me to adjust my attitude and stuffed a pack of cigarettes into my hand, saying that if I felt stressed I should smoke one or two. I felt guilty and thought I was letting him down, but that was also when I became addicted to smoking.
It was just after 7:00 PM on April 28th when Liu Liwei found me; he seemed very anxious and pulled me into the courtyard, away from the bustling staff, to talk alone.
He said to wait at the bar area, and when Li Mubai came by and asked if I saw a beautiful girl, I should say, ’Oh, that Miss? She already left with her luggage in a taxi, looking somewhat angry,’ and just point in a general direction.
I felt a little stunned by the request, but Liu Liwei slapped ten thousand yuan into my hand. You must know, after graduation, I’ve never seen so much money, whether from working extras or waitressing, and I really needed it. Despite my doubts, I accepted the deal.
I quickly hid the money and stood near the front desk, only then realizing that the chattering girls around me had disappeared. I figured it meant that the private dining area got some important guests, and the girls, one by one, wanted to make an appearance—it wasn’t the first time such a thing had happened.
While I was lost in thought, Li Mubai ran over, showed me a photo on his phone, and asked about Miss Shen, who checked in, wondering where she had gone. I told him what I saw: just minutes before, she left with her suitcase, looking unhappy and took a taxi away, heading towards the sea.
Li Mubai rushed out to search frantically inside villa 24, and that’s when I realized that this Miss Shen was important to Li Mubai. I felt there might be some conspiracy going on. I didn’t see that beautiful girl enter, but lying to Li Mubai that she had left made me feel like the ten thousand yuan was burning a hole in my pocket.
That night I returned to my place and didn’t dare go out. Later, Liu Liwei sent me a message telling me not to worry, it was just a joke. But since I did well, I wouldn’t need to work at villa 24 anymore and could go to the villa in Mashan Scenic Area. Liu Liwei picked me up on the 29th.
He left me here, telling me to just enjoy myself without going out, and he gave me two packs of cigarettes, saying I shouldn’t save them, that he would give me more later. This place only serves a guest or two each month, and then he left. Indeed, that night two groups of guests arrived, followed by a few girls.
There’s no need for me to explain what happened; suffice it to say, the music and shouting from upstairs didn’t stop all night. The next day, the girls were carried out. I sneaked a peek and saw one girl with bruises all over her neck and arms. I was terrified, but those people left the next day, and then there was no trouble. I wasn’t paying attention to how long it had been before you guys showed up."
Now Zhang Ping’s mind was racing, and he quickly asked:
"Both groups of guests were men, right? How many people in total? Did you see them clearly? Also, isn’t there a manager or service staff for this villa? Our guys searched all around, but it seems empty here?"
