Chapter 628: Qin Wanmu Disappears

Qin Wanmu was brought in for questioning at the bureau. Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue went to find Zhou Xiao to confirm whether the Silent One’s accomplice was him.

Arriving at Zhou Xiao’s home, they found Wang Ying there, currently bandaging Zhou Xiao’s injured right hand. From his vacant expression, Zhou Xiao appeared to be in a dissociative state.

“Hey, where have you two been? We were supposed to have dinner together, and then I went back home. My hand got injured,” Zhou Xiao said.

“Were you two here the whole time?”

“Yes,” Wang Ying replied. “He said he got injured, so I came over to help bandage him. Look, these are the bandages and antibiotics I just bought from the pharmacy… What happened to your hand? It’s covered in cuts.”

“Be gentle,” Zhou Xiao winced as his wound was touched, inhaling sharply.

It seemed he hadn’t left. To confirm, Chen Shi said, “We saw the Silent One!”

“Really?”

“You caught him?”

They both responded simultaneously, their reactions genuine.

“Unfortunately, he managed to escape,” Chen Shi admitted.

“That’s great!” Wang Ying exclaimed joyfully.

“You shouldn’t say that in front of the police,” Lin Dongxue reminded her.

Wang Ying stuck out her tongue. “I just didn’t want him to get caught!”

With their task completed, the two hurried back to the bureau. Inside, Lin Qiupu was interrogating. Qin Wanmu claimed he had seen the Silent One during dinner and had been so scared that he ran away, hiding in a nearby mall. Little did he know, the Silent One followed soon after.

God knows if the Silent One recognized him; those terrifying eyes had already locked onto him. At that moment, a father slapped his son for wanting to buy toys, causing the child to cry loudly. The Silent One intervened—his way—until the police arrived, allowing Qin Wanmu to narrowly escape.

“This lunatic, chasing me everywhere! What did I do to deserve such hatred?” Qin Wanmu clutched his chest.

“When did you realize he was after you?”

“A year ago, he was lurking around where I used to live. I was terrified and moved out quickly.”

“A year ago?!” Lin Qiupu raised his voice. “Why didn’t you report it then?”

“Can the police protect me?”

“Of course, the police can protect you. Do you know because you didn’t report it, three people died later, mistaken for having the same accent as you?”

“What’s that got to do with me? They were killed by him. Don’t blame citizens for the police’s inefficiency. Anyone got a smoke?”

Lin Qiupu was speechless. At that moment, Chen Shi walked in. “You didn’t report it because you felt guilty, didn’t you? You were also hiding something. The mental hospital burned down, and local authorities intervened. What you did may have been exposed, so you went into hiding.”

Sitting beside Lin Qiupu, Chen Shi sniffed. “Why haven’t you changed your clothes? You smell sweaty.”

“No time,” Lin Qiupu muttered. “Did Zhou Xiao go to the scene?”

“No!”

Qin Wanmu grimaced, resembling a toothache, “Officer, you need evidence to speak. What have I done? I just ran a mental hospital, treating patients—is that illegal?”

“You did treat patients, but not to cure them in your hospital. Instead, you sold their organs to other hospitals to save those who could afford black market kidneys and livers. Am I right?”

“Nonsense! Baseless accusations! I, Qin Wanmu, am upright and honest. How could I do such things?”

“Is this true?” Lin Qiupu asked softly.

Chen Shi nodded slightly. “I found out this afternoon. I didn’t have time to tell you.” He turned to Qin Wanmu. “Stop evading. We have leads now. Your former caregivers and doctors are still here. It won’t take long to unravel this. By then, we won’t just be asking; we’ll be interrogating. You might as well confess voluntarily!”

Qin Wanmu frowned, gnashing his teeth in silence.

Lin Qiupu picked up the phone, bluffing, “I’ll call the Tian Tai City Public Security Bureau…”

“Hey hey…” Qin Wanmu raised his hands to stop him. “Let’s talk! Let’s talk! I admit I did it once or twice. Mainly because the contracts stated they owed tens of thousands in medical fees. What could I do? I needed those madmen to earn money after they left the hospital. I have dozens of staff waiting for their salaries. Those patients still need money to eat and live. If I didn’t do this, I’d go bankrupt!”

“That’s quite a justifiable reason,” Chen Shi sneered. “Your main targets were the homeless patients, right?”

“It was in the contract! I wouldn’t do it without a contract! They volunteered to donate their kidneys, willing to buy and sell. Is that illegal? Why are you investigating me? Why not catch that lunatic?”

“Don’t misunderstand; we want to understand the potential danger you pose and protect you. As far as I know, every patient in your hospital hates you to the bone, and you still have scars from their operations.”

Qin Wanmu instinctively covered his waist. “Running such a place is thankless. I’m actually benefiting society. Those lunatics roam the streets all day, killing without breaking the law. If no one manages them, think about how many social problems they’ve caused. I’ve sheltered them for free! Why do they hate me? Why chase me everywhere? I just don’t understand gratitude. A bunch of pigs and dogs!”

Qin Wanmu’s information wasn’t helpful to solving the case. Lin Qiupu decided to place him under protective custody, but Qin Wanmu vehemently refused. He feared such custody would turn into something else.

As they left, Lin Qiupu warned him to be careful lately. Chen Shi suggested investigating his background thoroughly, hoping to uncover his deeds, prosecute him, and provide closure to those patients, ultimately protecting his life.

“This investigation will be troublesome, involving Tian Tai City,” Lin Qiupu sighed.

“Do what you have to,” Chen Shi grinned.

Just then, a police officer entered, reporting that the car that took away the Silent One seemed to have been stolen. The sub-bureau was assisting in tracking its whereabouts. Lin Qiupu nodded. “Got it!”

Chen Shi said, “I think the three people in that car are Zhou Tiannan’s men. According to what I heard, one of them used to be a fellow patient with the Silent One, and this person is the serial killer using the alias Zhou Xiao.”

“Does that mean this case was actually their doing?”

Chen Shi shook his head. “I don’t think so. Those three are smart. If they were planning it, Qin Wanmu would have been dead long ago. Wait a minute… Zhou Xiao hates him too. Now that they’ve acted, Qin Wanmu could be in danger!”

Lin Qiupu hurriedly called Qin Wanmu, but the phone kept getting hung up. At a loss, he and Chen Shi decided to visit him again.

Qin Wanmu’s physiotherapy center had closed for the day. Through the property management, they learned his residence. He lived alone and hadn’t returned home. When they called again, they found his phone turned off. Chen Shi vaguely sensed something amiss.

In the following days, the police searched for Qin Wanmu, but after leaving the police station that day, he seemed to vanish without a trace, as if evaporating from the earth.