Chapter 672: Retreat

“Brother Thirty-Nine? What kind of name is that?” Lin Dongxue asked.

Chen Shi questioned Ai Ying, “And what’s your name in the group?”

“Hehe, I’m Brother Thirteen because I own thirteen percent of the shares. Brother Thirty-Nine owns thirty-nine percent. Then there’s Sister Twenty-Two, Brother Eleven, Brother Four. We usually refer to each other by our share numbers. Besides these core members, the rest are minor shareholders who aren’t very active,” Ai Ying explained.

“That’s not very helpful,” Chen Shi commented. “So, what’s Brother Thirty-Nine’s background?”

Ai Ying shrugged. “I don’t know. We don’t know much about each other’s real lives. When Thirty-Nine suggested having Chang Juan assist in solving the case, most of us opposed it. But Eleven joined him, so we went with the majority. When you talked to Chang Juan, it was Thirty-Nine giving the answers; she was just relaying them.”

“This person knows a lot about the case,” Lin Dongxue thought. “It looks like we’ve finally found this mysterious guy. It seems Thirty-Nine has significant influence. Did he always own this many shares?”

“No, we all started with just a few shares. Some people sold theirs, and Thirty-Nine bought them, gradually becoming the major shareholder,” Ai Ying replied.

“Do Chang Juan’s shares fluctuate in value?” Chen Shi asked curiously.

“It depends on how badly people want to buy and sell. Interestingly, after Chang Juan turned eighteen, her shares shot up in value. I guess she became more ‘valuable,’” Ai Ying paused. “Here’s some advice: don’t talk to Chang Juan alone. Using signal jammers like today will only anger the shareholders. Just focus on solving the case instead of investigating us—it’s pointless!”

With nothing more to ask, Chen Shi let Ai Ying leave. It was late, and Chen Shi decided to spend the night in the town, booking a room at a hotel.

After Ai Ying left, Chen Shi frowned and said, “This Thirty-Nine can’t just be a relative of the victim. He knows more than the police or the family. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have involved Chang Juan in such a roundabout way. I’m convinced Thirty-Nine knows the killer or is closely connected to them.”

Lin Dongxue pondered. “This guy is really frustrating, refusing to show himself… We have two strategies now: either we dig deeper to find out who Thirty-Nine is, or we play by their rules and wait for Thirty-Nine to provide information to help us catch the killer.”

“I wonder if there’s a hidden agenda. Why does Thirty-Nine want us to catch the killer? What’s in it for him? It feels like we’re being used. I’d rather figure everything out first,” Chen Shi replied.

Lin Dongxue checked the time. “We didn’t finish our meal, did we?” They had rushed out mid-meal when they heard the car being smashed. The food was probably cold by now.

Chen Shi looked at his watch. It was already eleven o’clock, and he felt exhausted. “Let’s skip the meal and go to sleep.”

The next morning, Chen Shi asked Lin Qiupu to fax over the case file of Chang Juan’s parents from ten years ago. He studied it thoroughly. Chang Juan’s parents, Chang Qing and Shen Yan, were researchers at a biotech company working on genetically modified crops, earning a high income.

They were murdered on their fifteenth wedding anniversary while on vacation at a place called Xianghe Manor. Shen Yan was brutally raped before being killed.

The case had similarities to the current one, such as Chang Qing being tied up and forced to watch his wife’s assault. However, there were differences too. The victims were first strangled and then stabbed, as if the killer feared they weren’t dead and ensured it with extra wounds.

The killer also took some personal items, making it seem like a robbery.

Meanwhile, Lin Dongxue was busy gathering leads from the town’s police, mainly looking into outsiders who had been in the town around the time of the incident: electricians, construction workers, delivery people, drivers, etc. The list spanned three pages. Lin Dongxue asked, “Great detective, where should we start?”

Staring at the list of names didn’t reveal much. Chen Shi said, “The incident happened on November 18. Let’s start with people who came to town that day, then the day before.”

However, it was still early in the year, and many people hadn’t returned to work, delaying the investigation.

Chen Shi suggested, “Why don’t we meet Chang Juan again? See if Thirty-Nine has any more information. He might give us an address or a name if he’s willing.”

“Don’t provoke them,” Lin Dongxue warned.

“I won’t,” Chen Shi assured.

They arranged to meet Chang Juan at a teahouse in town. Staring into her eyes, Chen Shi felt like he was on a phone call. He said, “We’ve gotten to know each other a bit. Thirty-Nine, no more games. Tell us what you know about the killer so we can bring them to justice. That’s what you want, right?”

After a moment of silence, Chang Juan spoke, “Mr. Thirty-Nine wants me to tell you that cooperation requires unconditional trust. You haven’t trusted Chang Juan or the shareholders. Without trust, don’t expect my help. It’s impossible!”

The refusal only reinforced Chen Shi’s belief that Thirty-Nine was deeply connected to the killer. With his identity at risk, he was unwilling to share any more information.

Chen Shi said, “Negotiating with the police is absurd. Every citizen has a duty to help solve crimes. You can refuse to cooperate, but we will pursue this to the end!”

Chang Juan let out a dry laugh. “Are you going to arrest me?”

Lin Dongxue asked, “What would it take for you to trust us again?”

Thirty-Nine, through Chang Juan, responded, “Leave the town and drop the case!”

After the conversation ended, in the shareholder group chat, user Thirty-Nine fumed, “These cops are outrageous. Why should I hand over all the information? They’re thick-skinned. From now on, I’ll handle this myself!”

Thirteen replied, “Do you mean you’ll catch the killer?”

Thirty-Nine said, “No need to catch him. I’ll set a trap to lure him out.”

Twenty-Two warned, “Hey, that guy is a serial killer and rapist. Who do you plan to use as bait?”

Thirty-Nine responded, “Obviously, Chang Juan!”

Thirteen protested, “No way! I won’t agree to that!”

Thirty-Nine said, “Stop whining. Let’s vote. If the majority agrees, we’ll have Chang Juan lure the killer tonight.”