The weapon by the pillow

Chapter 53 Let's... put on a show

They crawled back in.

Room 403 remains exactly as it was when they left, with dust still settling in the air.

"Now, we need to make this 'image' visible." Cheng Tan looked at the camera he had covered with a bed sheet. "But with the sheet covering it, they can't see it."

"Lift a corner?" the lynx said.

“No, that’s too obvious.” Shadow shook his head. “We need to create a ‘natural’ exposure. For example… during an ‘argument’ or ‘search,’ the sheet covering the bed is ‘accidentally’ knocked off.”

"At the same time," Cheng Tan added, "we need to make some noise so that the police who are still monitoring us, or anyone who might be lurking, can hear us. But it can't be too loud, so as not to provoke them into launching an immediate attack."

"Pretend to fight amongst ourselves?" Li Kai's eyes sharpened. "I'm good at that."

"Once the camera is turned on, we need to immediately switch to Liu Li's shot, a natural transition... We absolutely must do that!"

"Then let's... put on a performance!" Cheng Tan scanned everyone's faces. "Are you all confident?"

Everyone nodded.

A plan was quickly formulated.

A few minutes later, in room 402.

"Put that thing down, you fucking idiot! That's evidence!" Li Kai's roar suddenly exploded, echoing in the empty room.

"Why should I give it to you? You're the prime suspect!" That was Cheng Tan's voice, filled with overwhelming anger.

"Stop arguing! Saving their lives is the most important thing!" Lin Qian's voice was also very loud as she tried to dissuade them.

"Bang!" A muffled sound, like someone hitting a wall or furniture.

Then came a chaotic shoving and arguing, mixed with the lynx's exclamations and Wu Wenbin's attempts to mediate.

Amidst this chaos, the camera switch seems to have accidentally clicked...

Immediately afterwards, the sheet covering the camera was "accidentally" kicked and bumped into the broken chair supporting it.

The chair tilted, and most of the bed sheet slipped down, exposing the camera's red indicator light once again, completely exposed to the air, directly facing the center of the room.

At this moment... Cheng Tan was bending down, close to the side where Lin Qian was disguised, and calling out in a trembling and anxious voice that could be picked up by the miniature microphone:

"Sister Liu! Sister Liu! Hang in there! Can you hear me? Who did this? Who did this to you? Did you see clearly?"

Beside him, Li Kai let out heavy breathing and suppressed curses: "You beast! Don't let me catch you!"

Beside him, the beam of Wu Wenbin's flashlight swayed irregularly, the light and shadow quickly sweeping across Lin Qian's painted face, creating an effect of flickering light and shadow.

Lynx, A-Zhe, and Xiao-Fei then began to imitate the chaotic footsteps and whispers.

Lin Qian turned her body slightly to the direction of 403, so that her pale, terrified face and accusing gesture could be captured by the "camera" that might be in room 403 through the hole in the wall.

Following the previously agreed-upon "script," she began her "performance" in a hoarse, trembling, and intermittent voice:

"It's...it's him...I saw him...he's back...and a knife...he wanted to kill me...to silence me...evidence...photographs...the evidence is...is..."

Her words were indistinct, yet filled with deadly implications; her finger trembled as she pointed to a dark corner of the room—

There was nothing there, but in the lens, it could evoke endless imagination.

A ray of light swept across Lin Qian's face, across her accusing finger, and across the dim background.

The entire process lasted approximately fifteen seconds.

Fifteen seconds felt longer than a lifetime to eight mediocre actors.

Cheng Tan had already positioned himself to the side of the camera, glancing sideways at the camera's indicator light.

The red light continued to flash regularly.

It did not go out.

No exception.

The other party...did not cut off the signal?

Is he watching?

Did he see it?

How will he react?

……

Just as director Cheng Tan was taking a risky "acting" moment.

On the city's main road, the black sedan carrying Cheng Jing came to a stop.

There was indeed a minor car accident ahead, causing traffic congestion and slowing down the road.

"Stop the car, I'm going to have a smoke!" Cheng Jing suddenly said.

The two men from the Inspectorate exchanged a glance, and one of them frowned: "Captain Cheng, this is against the rules. We need to get back to the Municipal Bureau as soon as possible."

"What's the use of rushing when the traffic is like this?" Cheng Jing pointed to the long line of cars ahead and waved the cigarette pack in her hand. "It'll only take a minute. You can follow along."

Her demeanor was calm, but the imposing presence she had cultivated over her long service on the front lines put a slight sense of pressure on the two inspectors who were not frontline combat personnel. Given the traffic congestion, a short stop seemed harmless.

The driver glanced at the rearview mirror, nodded, and pulled the car over to the side of the road.

Cheng Jing pushed open the car door and got out. The night wind mixed with drizzle blew in, making her shiver.

She opened the cigarette pack, took out a cigarette, and lit it.

The scarlet flames flickered in the night.

She took a deep drag, the nicotine temporarily calming her anxiety. Under the guise of lighting a cigarette, she seemingly casually unlocked her phone, quickly opened an encrypted messaging app, and sent a short message to her mentor, Zhou Zhigang:

"Master, the situation is not good. Yang Hong has taken over and is holding back. Based on my understanding of her, if the situation gets out of control, her usual tactic is to cut ties, cover it up, and find a scapegoat to make a clean getaway. I'm worried that the people upstairs won't live to see the truth and will end up with an 'accident' or 'death by mutual fighting.' Also, I suspect that the sudden intervention of the Inspectorate is not entirely a procedural issue; someone may be trying to use them to cover it up. Clue: there may be someone behind Jin Dafu and Zhang Zhiqiang, and the events of that year may have involved more than just the demolition."

She deleted the record immediately after sending the message.

Just after she finished doing all that, she heard a notification sound from her phone—she had set up reminders for news items related to "Anpingli".

She immediately opened the notification.

The next moment, her fingers holding the cigarette froze.

On the screen was a screenshot of the resurrected livestream room, along with that shocking line of scarlet text:

"You murdered her!"

Below are the comments that keep refreshing and the number of viewers that keeps soaring.

Her eyes suddenly blazed with fury.

The killer not only didn't back down, but escalated his actions! He went straight to the "murder" charge! And he did it live on air!

What is Yang Hong doing?! Why hasn't she gotten the situation under control yet?!

Immediately afterward, her phone vibrated; it was Chen Ming calling.

She glanced at the inspector standing by the car; he was looking ahead at the traffic jam.

Cheng Jing answered quickly, "Chen Ming?"

"Captain Cheng!" Chen Ming's voice was choked with sobs and extreme panic. "Something's happened! The live stream suddenly came back to life! It showed the scene of Liu Li hanging herself! And that text! Then... then we heard a loud crashing and fighting noise from inside the building! Director Yang just ordered a full-scale assault! But... but..."

"But what?!" Cheng Jing asked urgently.

Before she could finish speaking, she heard a loud, startled cry, followed by Chen Ming's astonished voice:

"New situation! New situation! It seems Liu Li isn't dead!"