Chapter 404: Zhou Tiannan

On the morning of July 15th, Lin Qiupu left home and saw Chen Shi’s car waiting outside. He got in and asked, “Are you sure that person is Zhou Xiao?”

“Absolutely sure.”

“Where do you get such reliable information?”

“That’s a secret.”

“A secret even from me? I’m more honest than you. Remember that fake kidnapping case? During the follow-up investigation, we found out that Hao Jie’s mother was part of a book club. Someone named ‘Ghost-faced Butterfly’ in the club gave her many suggestions on how to commit the crime. It could be said that this person planned the entire crime.”

“No wonder a housewife could come up with such a method. I thought she was mentally unstable and that’s why her thoughts were so active. By the way, what kind of book club?”

“A web novel mystery book club. We investigated the author; he wasn’t even in the group. The group was organized by readers, but their discussions seemed quite dodgy, mostly about crimes. The cyber police have already shut it down.”

Chen Shi thought, such online crime discussion groups sound a lot like ‘Black Honey.’ He said, “Even if the group is gone, they can always start another one.”

“I’ve already put a few key members under surveillance. So far, they seem to be just ‘crime enthusiasts.’ I can’t understand why anyone would be so idle as to gather and study these things!”

“Ever cheated?”

“What are you talking about?”

“For ordinary people with monotonous lives, breaking taboos brings a huge thrill. Just like many successful middle-aged men cheat. Is it just for sex? Those greasy middle-aged men are usually impotent. What they seek is the thrill of breaking taboos.”

“You talk as if you have experience,” Lin Qiupu glanced at Chen Shi suspiciously. “I can’t relate.”

“I heard that in nineteen states in the U.S., it’s legal for siblings to marry.”

Lin Qiupu suddenly got angry, “Bastard, why bring that up out of the blue?”

“See! See!” Chen Shi raised his eyebrows mischievously. “You also have a desire to break taboos. Everyone has a murky undercurrent in their hearts. It’s okay to think about it as long as you don’t act on it!”

“Right now, I just want to punch you.”

“Okay, okay, I’ll stop. So, who exactly is this ‘Ghost-faced Butterfly’?”

“An ordinary netizen, as far as we know.”

“Keep a close watch on him! Especially after the last case made the news, as the mastermind, he would feel a huge sense of accomplishment. I think he will ‘guide’ others again.”

“Ah, when did Long’an become so restless?” Lin Qiupu sighed.

KK and Sun Zhen found Zhou Tiannan’s specific address but had no evidence to charge him. From the scattered evidence they had, Zhou Tiannan was like a Moriarty figure in ‘Black Honey.’ After the Lorraine Villa massacre, he never got his hands dirty again.

Chen Shi’s car parked outside a residential area. The two of them watched the people coming out. A balding man in his forties, carrying a briefcase and wearing a cheap suit, came out, greeting his neighbors with a friendly smile.

Chen Shi compared him to a photo he had, pointed, and said, “That’s Zhou Tiannan!”

“So ordinary and unremarkable,” Lin Qiupu remarked.

“He is the one who created the killer Zhou Xiao. ‘Zhou Xiao’ is a gang. I suspect that the serial murders back then were actually a murder exchange among the gang members, which is why we could never find the person.”

“What’s your reasoning?”

“None.”

“So you guessed this man is the gang leader?”

“Yes!”

Lin Qiupu covered his face, “Make sure next time before you call me.”

“Today is just to have a look.” With that, Chen Shi got out of the car.

Zhou Tiannan found a seat at a breakfast stall near the entrance, ordered fried dough sticks and soybean milk, and ate with relish, occasionally licking the oil off his fingers. Chen Shi sat in front of him. Zhou Tiannan, still with his head buried in his bowl, looked up after a while and smiled at Chen Shi.

“Boss, I’ll have what he’s having,” Chen Shi said.

“This place has been here for a long time. The taste has always been great. I come here every morning,” Zhou Tiannan said.

“What do you do for a living?”

“What do you think?”

Chen Shi noticed the worn skin on Zhou Tiannan’s fingers and some white powder in the creases. “Teacher? Must be teaching science subjects?”

“Good eye!” Zhou Tiannan gave a thumbs up. “I didn’t expect a driver to have such an eye.”

“Mutual admiration.”

Zhou Tiannan’s gaze shifted from Chen Shi’s face to the car behind him. At this moment, the owner brought the breakfast over and asked, “Mr. Zhou, is this your friend?”

“An old friend. We haven’t seen each other in years. We almost didn’t recognize each other.” He squinted, a cold smile on his lips.

Chen Shi stared at his face. Zhou Tiannan stared back. Chen Shi said, “Have we met before?”

“Have we?”

“Maybe we chatted online.”

“Haha, what common topic would we have?”

“Mr. Zhou, do you still go online?”

“Who doesn’t go online these days? It’s so convenient to communicate with friends.”

“Not just convenient, but also very free! For an honest teacher, the online self is like another identity. Am I right?”

“Haha, by that logic, you must have another identity too. Maybe the people around you don’t know, like… the one in the car.”

Zhou Tiannan laughed, and Chen Shi laughed too, like they were old friends reuniting after years.

In fact, Chen Shi really wanted to flip the table and beat him up. He was now very sure that this man was the mad programmer, Wang Sunxu’s mentor, and the spiritual leader of Black Honey.

Chen Shi’s smile faded, “Do you have many online friends?”

Zhou Tiannan picked his nose and wiped his fingers with a tissue, “Quite a few. One of them even played a game with you.”

“Really? I don’t remember.”

“He said your skills were awful, dragging down two teammates. Later, your account got banned.” Zhou Tiannan laughed heartily.

Under the table, Chen Shi clenched his fist, his nails digging into his flesh, but he maintained a smile, “We should play again sometime.”

“Haha, depends on his availability. He’s been quite busy lately…” Zhou Tiannan glanced at his watch, “Sorry, I have to go to work.”

“Be careful on the road, and don’t run any red lights!”

“Thanks for the reminder. I’m lucky, always hitting green lights at intersections.” Zhou Tiannan patted Chen Shi on the shoulder, “Enjoy your meal, buddy!”