Trafford's Trading Club

Chapter 1233: Rashomon (2)

Leaning against the window, Zhao Le tilted his head back and silently stared at the small ventilation window in the wall.

For the people detained in the cell, that was the only place to see the outside… Suddenly footfalls sounded; Zhao Le felt someone come to his cell door.

He turned and saw it was Lin Feng.

“Officer Lin?” Zhao Le was startled and asked, “Are you bringing me up for questioning again so soon?”

Lin Feng had the iron door opened, walked in, and sat down on the bunk opposite Zhao Le, then frowned in silence.

Sensing something, Zhao Le hurried to his feet and couldn’t help asking, “Did something happen… about my sister?”

Lin Feng shook his head and fixed his gaze on Zhao Le. “‘Mr. Blank’ has appeared.”

“What!” Zhao Le was shocked, his reaction entirely genuine. “He’s really shown up?”

Lin Feng said, “It seems you truly were unaware…”

“What exactly happened?” Zhao Le asked, frowning.Lin Feng said, “One of our colleagues was grabbed on the way home. The kidnapper calls himself ‘Mr. Blank,’ and he made a request of us.”

Zhao Le pondered. “You told me about this and mentioned the request… is it about me?”

Lin Feng gave a bitter smile. “I knew you were smart; without this incident I believe you could have gone far in future… Yes, the demand concerns you. ‘Mr. Blank’ wants us to bring you out and hand you over to him.”

“How could that be…” Zhao Le’s face went pale, panic-stricken. “How could he… what does he intend to do!”

Lin Feng looked at Zhao Le oddly and frowned. “‘Mr. Blank’ says you betrayed him, and because of your carelessness his plan failed, so he says he wants to deal with you personally and erase the imperfection.”

“He actually…” Zhao Le instinctively stepped back, hit the bedboard with his leg, and slid down to sit.

Zhao Le was sweating coldly, his face terrified and expression mixed; his thoughts unreadable.

Lin Feng took this for fear that the police might put him in danger and said reassuringly, “Don’t worry, we won’t do as he demands.”

“But hasn’t he already taken your colleague to use as leverage?” Zhao Le asked.

“Do you think we’re that kind of people?” Lin Feng snapped. “Whether you killed someone or not, whether you’re a criminal or not, whether you’re ordinary or someone else — do you think we’d negotiate with him?”

Zhao Le drew a deep breath. “What do you plan to do?”

Lin Feng then spoke seriously: “I need your clothes and shoes, and I need your cooperation.”

Zhao Le nodded.

Shortly after, Zhao Le, now dressed in another set of clothes, was taken to a conference room — full of equipment — where, besides Lin Feng, five other officers were present.

Zhao Le sat down in handcuffs.

“You’ll wear the headset. If you need to speak, speak into this phone and as loudly as you can, alright?” Lin Feng put a pair of headphones in front of him.

“I understand.” Zhao Le nodded, his face a shade paler.

…

The location was an abandoned factory in the suburbs… most of the equipment had been moved out and it had likely been empty for over half a year.

Chen Mingming sat in an upstairs office in one of the workshops… sitting on the floor against the wall.

He looked at his phone; the SIM had been removed. He watched the time tick on the screen, as if watching the pulse of his life.

After an uncertain span, a distant horn sounded outside.

Chen Mingming exhaled lightly, picked up a coil of white rope beside him, began to loop it around his hand, and then quietly moved to the window… facing the workshop below.

Outside the factory, seven police cars stopped. Armored officers quickly got out and moved toward the entrances on both sides.

Sir Ma checked his bullets as he stepped down from the car, then glanced at the factory in front of him and shuddered, “Not this place again…”

“Sir Ma, what’s wrong?” Ma Houde asked, his face sour.

“No—just remembered we came here once before and I got wounded and sent to the hospital…”

Zhou Yusheng walked over with a composed face. Seeing Ma Houde, he quickly straightened his expression and asked, “Ready?”

He didn’t answer, only nodded, then signaled.

A man with handcuffs on the police car was pushed down; he was wearing Zhao Le’s clothes — his head was covered with a hood.

Sir Ma frowned. “Old Zhou, do you think this will really work…”

“There’s no time; we have to try every option.” Zhou Yusheng inhaled and said, “If you have a better idea, use it — I’ll support it.”

“Then let’s move.” Sir Ma sighed, stepped up to the man in Zhao Le’s clothes, patted his chest, felt the ballistic vest, and relaxed a little.

“Let’s go in first.” Zhou Yusheng looked to the others. “You wait outside for updates.”

Zhou Yusheng adjusted his breath, then, carrying his gun with Ma Houde and six others, entered the factory.

“Old Zhou, stay steady. Don’t act rashly.” Sir Ma murmured, “From the call just now, the tone was unpredictable — this ‘Mr. Blank’ might be antisocial…”

“I know… I’m the calmest person here.” Zhou Yusheng took a deep breath.

Ma Houde knew that claim didn’t hold up.

Once inside the workshop, they looked around and then heard a knocking from the second floor. They followed the sound and saw Chen Mingming standing at the window.

Though some distance away, they could clearly see the pleading, beckoning look Chen Mingming wore.

“Mingming!” Zhou Yusheng immediately took a step forward.

Chen Mingming shook his head, then made a gesture down below to indicate there were other people in the room… then his body suddenly fell backward, as if someone had yanked him away.

The officers were alarmed. At the windowsill, a figure slowly appeared: dressed in a black robe and wearing a white mask, like a stage magician.

“You’re ‘Mr. Blank’?!” Zhou Yusheng’s anger flared and he shouted.

Mr. Blank’s voice, hoarse, came from above. “Officer Zhou, before we talk, could you have your colleagues stationed around this building step away? I really don’t want the hostages I hold to become corpses before negotiations even begin.”

Zhou Yusheng’s eyes widened. Sir Ma put a hand on his shoulder to restrain him. Ma Houde grabbed the radio and ordered, “Team Three, Team Five, withdraw from your current positions and fall back to the main gate. Await further instructions.”

Then Sir Ma lowered the radio, looked up, and asked loudly, “How do you want to negotiate?”

“What about Zhao Le?”

Sir Ma picked up the radio again. Within two or three minutes, the colleague with the hood was brought over by two men and handed to Ma Houde.

“Officers, you don’t really think you can fool me by grabbing a random person and sticking a hood on him… I see no sincerity from you.”

Sir Ma braced himself and shouted, “Bastard! Do you think you’re asking for some random person? He’s a criminal! How could we just openly bring him out? The hood’s only to keep people from seeing him and drawing attention!”

The masked man sneered. “Officer, do you take me for a child? Even if you said Zhao Le was disfigured, that would still be a better excuse than this.”

Zhou Yusheng roared, “Stop struggling pointlessly! Since you dared challenge us, be ready to face the consequences… you won’t get away!”

“Officer Zhou,” Mr. Blank’s hoarse voice came again, “spare me the formalities. Since you won’t bring Zhao Le here, fine — let me hear his voice instead. I assume you’ve got a loudspeaker set up? If someone’s impersonating him, I suppose you also have the real Zhao Le listening somewhere, waiting for instructions to speak, right?”

Zhou Yusheng and Ma Houde exchanged looks. Mr. Blank had clearly anticipated all their moves. If he were alone, it would be simple, but with a hostage involved, things were far more complicated.

“Let Zhao Le speak,” Ma Houde said helplessly.

…

“Orders received. Zhao Le, start talking.”

In the precinct’s conference room, everyone tensed immediately. They turned the switch and placed the phone near Zhao Le’s mouth — he could already hear the voice from the other end.

“Zhao Le.”

Zhao Le froze, took a deep breath, and said, “It’s me… is that really you, ‘Mr. Blank’?”

“What’s wrong? Forgotten me already?”

Zhao Le glanced at the officers around him, gritted his teeth, and said, “Blank, you shouldn’t have taken hostages! Even if I exposed you, the police couldn’t have found you that fast! You had time to escape! Are you insane? You kidnapped an officer!”

Everyone nearby stared in shock. “What’s Zhao Le talking about?”

Lin Feng motioned for silence. “Without orders from Sir Ma, hold position — let Zhao Le keep talking.”

…

Inside the workshop, Mr. Blank, standing in the upstairs office, crooked a finger toward a police officer who was trying to move quietly.

“Officers, are you testing my patience?”

The officer froze and stopped moving.

They could only watch the loudspeaker set by the phone and listen to the exchange between Zhao Le and Mr. Blank.

Mr. Blank’s calm voice came through. “Zhao Le, it seems you still don’t understand me. If I dared to act, it’s because I can escape — isn’t that right? But you… aren’t you being a little too honest?”

“I’m sorry, I had to protect myself… And I believed they’d need time to track you down. With your ability, I was sure you’d notice and get away.”

“So much faith in me, huh… What a pity. I killed Wang Liang for you, helped you get revenge — the plan was perfect. So why did you make a mistake? We discussed everything so many times, drew up so many plans together. I thought you were perfect, too. Zhao Le, you really disappointed me. Are you only good at talking?”

“I didn’t mean to…” Zhao Le’s voice was bitter. “Maybe this is what they call Heaven’s net — wide, but nothing escapes it.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll personally erase this imperfect part of myself. The police can’t protect you forever. Even if you hadn’t shown up today, I have plenty of ways… My good friend, thank you for your betrayal.”

“Don’t do anything stupid!!!”

“That’s enough. I don’t want to talk to this traitor anymore.” Mr. Blank waved his hand.

Sir Ma nodded grimly and ordered the line cut.

The moment the signal died, Zhao Le slammed his fist on the table.

Officer Old Wang said coolly, “Scared now, huh? You betrayed him — isn’t his revenge expected? Don’t worry, we’ll catch that criminal ourselves… and you too, if it comes to that.”

“Enough,” Lin Feng snapped.

Zhao Le sat pale and silent. Lin Feng sighed. “Take him back to the holding cell.”

…

…

Inside the workshop, silence lingered. Both sides stayed frozen as time passed.

Finally—

“I have a question for all of you.” Mr. Blank’s voice echoed again as he looked down at them. “If I am a blank — can you find me?”

“What the hell kind of question is that!” Zhou Yusheng exploded, throwing his gun to the floor. He grabbed his handcuffs, snapped them onto his own wrists, raised his hands over his head, and shouted, “You want a hostage, right? Let my son go! I’ll take his place!”

Mr. Blank looked at him calmly. “Officer Zhou, then please, come up.”

With that, he stepped backward and vanished from the window.

“Old Zhou, are you crazy!” Ma Houde grabbed for him.

But Zhou Yusheng shoved him aside and charged up the side stairs without hesitation.

He had only reached halfway up when a loud bang rang out from the office — half like a knock, half like a gunshot.

“Mingming…” Zhou Yusheng froze mid-step, slipped, and tumbled down the stairs.

“Mingming…” He scrambled up, blood pouring from his head, his ankle twisted, stumbling and dragging himself upward again. “Mingming…”

Bang!

He burst through the office door like a madman.

“Mingming—!!!”

Zhou Yusheng crawled across the floor to his son. Chen Mingming lay on the ground, a small blood hole in his forehead.

Trembling, Zhou Yusheng lifted his son’s body, staring at those closed eyes and the clear tear streaks down his face. “Ah… ah!! Ah—!!”

“Ah… ahhh… AAAH!!!”

“AAAHHHHHHHH!!!”

…

Zhou Yusheng didn’t move.

He only held the gradually cooling body in his arms.

Ma Houde stood in the doorway, red-eyed, breathing hard. He turned and stomped downstairs into the workshop, shouting, “Where is he? Where is he!!!”

“Sir Ma, we can’t find him… he’s gone!”

Ma Houde kicked a steel pipe hard. “So many people! So many eyes! And you’re telling me a man just vanished right under your noses!?!”

“We…” The officers were speechless.

“Search!! Turn this place upside down!!” Sir Ma roared until his voice broke. “I don’t believe he just disappeared! Get the dogs here!!!”

…

…

“Open the door.”

Lin Feng took a deep breath and had the guard unlock it. He walked down the corridor to Zhao Le’s cell.

Zhao Le sat silent, his glasses off, staring at the tiny ventilation window.

“Officer Lin…”

Lin Feng was quiet for a moment before sighing. “There’s some good news for you.”

Zhao Le’s lips trembled.

Lin Feng said flatly, “‘Mr. Blank’ confessed at the scene — he admitted to killing Wang Liang. Your case will go to the prosecutor’s office next. Since you weren’t the killer, your sentence won’t be heavy.”

Zhao Le suddenly rushed to the bars. “Officer Lin—him… Blank! Where’s Blank?!”

“He killed our colleague and vanished,” Lin Feng said coldly. “But we’ll catch him. When you get out… live a decent life.”

Lin Feng turned and left without another glance.

Zhao Le slammed his fists against the iron gate, then began to crash into the bars over and over until he collapsed to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably.

“Blank… why didn’t you believe me… haha…”