i must be in hell

In the room, apart from Zhang Ming's rapid panting, there was no other sound, and the silence was terrifying.Ning Xiao sat by the window, watching the drizzle continuously hitting the glass, wondering what he was thinking.

Until there was a knock on the door, breaking the silence.

Ning Xiao immediately said: "Come in."

After a while, Zhao Yun entered the room with a mobile phone in his hand, which belonged to Zhang Ming.

"Lu Fei has been honest with the child's grandfather, and they said they are willing to testify in court on behalf of the child."

Ning Xiao nodded, "I've got it done too." He looked at the crying man, got up, walked in front of him, and knelt down.

"Zhang Ming, now you have another chance."

Zhang Ming raised his head in bewilderment, and saw Ning Xiao took the phone and held it in front of his eyes.

"If you can bring the kidnapped policeman back safely, at least you still have a way to survive." Ning Xiao threw the phone to him as he said. "Whether you want to do it or not is up to you to decide."

Zhang Ming looked at the phone for a long time, gritted his teeth, and said, "The kidnappers won't listen to me."

Ning Xiao: "Oh? That's strange, aren't you their employer?"

"I also hired this group of people through an intermediary. They are a bunch of desperadoes who only pay for money." Zhang Mingdao: "After the good thing is done, I will give them the money from the sale of the house as a commission, but I am only responsible for paying the money and really contacting them." And the person who instructed them was not me, they listened to the intermediary transfer."

Interestingly, it turns out that there is another truth behind the kidnapping.Ning Xiao felt more and more that this matter was not simple.

"Do you have the contact information of the intermediary?"

"No, he was the one who contacted me, changing the number every time."

Hearing what Zhang Ming said, Ning Xiao became more and more curious about this so-called intermediary.

"Since it's an intermediary, what is the fee he charges you?"

Zhang Ming hesitated, "...No."

"What?" Ning Xiao was slightly surprised.

"Really not!" As if he was afraid that he would not believe it, Zhang Ming swore: "I was also at a time when I didn't know what to do. The intermediary contacted me and said that I could help, so I listened to his words with suspicion. Kidnap The matter of the police is all his opinion! I wouldn't have had the guts, really!"

"The reason why you kidnapped Xu Shangyu is also because you listened to the instigation of the intermediary?"

"Yes... They said that a policeman had already found out that I was the murderer, and it was best to act quickly to prevent exposure." Zhang Ming said honestly, "I was also afraid, so I listened to their words."

Zhao Yun, who had been watching from the sidelines, finally couldn't listen anymore.

"Whether you listen to the slander or not, Zhang Ming, let me tell you! If something happens to the captain because of you, you won't be able to pay for two lives! This life is coming to an end!"

Zhang Ming flinched when he heard the words, with despair in his eyes, he looked at Ning Xiao beggingly, the only person he felt he could ask for help now.

Ning Xiao looked at him and smiled. "He's right. If another accident happens to Xu Shangyu, you'll have two lives in your hands. No matter how powerful you are, you won't be able to escape. However, it's not impossible."

"What way! Tell me, I will definitely do it! As long as I can save my life, don't let Weiwei lose her father again! I am willing to do anything!" Zhang Ming stepped forward to hug Ning Xiao's thigh, pleading constantly.

"Well, let me ask you. Do you always have the kidnapper's contact information?"

"Yes, yes!"

"Okay." Ning Xiao said: "The only thing you have to do now is to call and tell the kidnappers that you have been suspected by the police and let them run away."

"What!" Zhao Yun was shocked, "You let him say that, didn't you tell the kidnappers to tear up the ticket quickly! What should the captain do?"

"Don't worry." Ning Xiao looked at him, "I can bet that this is the only way to ensure Xu Shangyu's safety, trust me."

"But the captain..." Zhao Yun was still worried.

Ning Xiao said helplessly: "I told you before that I already guessed where Xu Shangyu was locked up, but I couldn't easily surround them until I found the murderer. Haven't you thought about why?"

Zhao Yun was taken aback for a moment, then tilted his head and thought about it. "Could it be that the place where the captain is trapped is a little special? Are you afraid of scaring the snake?"

"The sound of the wind, the siren, the echo in the narrow space." Ning Xiao listed the details revealed in the phone call from Xu Shangyu one by one. "The port is the only one that meets the above conditions. Xu Shangyu is likely to be locked up in a warehouse at the port. However, the location of the port is special, and people come and go. If the police rush in rashly, not only will it be impossible to catch people, They will also give the other party a chance to escape, and even take this opportunity to kill people."

Speaking of this, Ning Xiao glanced at Zhang Ming. "But it's different when the 'insiders' tipped off the news. Zhang Ming's warning will throw them into a mess, but it won't be a dead end. They will still think that they are safe for the time being, and want to seize the last chance to escape The kidnappers will definitely not get rid of Xu Shangyu at this time, causing even greater riots. They will abscond secretly, as long as you send people to keep an eye on the people who leave Hong Kong tonight, you will be able to find these guys. And Xu Shangyu must also be caught by them Take it with you. When the time comes, we should cooperate internally and externally, and it will not be a problem to take them down."

"Cooperate inside and outside..." Zhao Yun smiled wryly, "But the captain is still a hostage, and he has no weapons at all."

Ning Xiao despised him, "If Xu Shangyu has no power to fight back just because of this, can he become your captain? Believe me, he must be prepared for the way out."

"..."

Zhao Yun felt more and more that Ning Xiao was the captain's lost childhood sweetheart, otherwise why did he mention his captain in such a familiar tone?

"Now." Ning Xiao turned his attention to Zhang Ming, "Whether you can successfully fight for the chance of survival depends on your performance, Zhang Ming."

Zhang Ming followed his gaze to look at the mobile phone in his hand, feeling extremely heavy for a moment.

At around nine o'clock in the evening, Xu Shangyu was resting with his eyes closed when he suddenly heard a commotion.He quietly raised his eyes, only to see that the kidnappers who were guarding him on duty in the warehouse had lost their expressions.

"How come? The employer showed his feet and was targeted by the police? He told us to run away!"

"Is this true at all?"

"Contact the intermediary! Quick, contact them!"

"Boss, I can't get in touch, and the intermediary won't reply to our message!"

The leader of the kidnappers was sitting in the middle of the room, looking quite calm, but his left hand, which was constantly beating on his knees, had already exposed his panic.Xu Shangyu took all this in his eyes calmly, and continued to close his eyes to recharge his energy for a while.He knew that the opportunity had come.

"Withdraw!" The boss finally ordered. "Get out before the police find us!"

"But boss, what about this guy?" Someone pointed at Xu Shangyu, "Why don't we just do him now?"

"Do it! Be your head!" The boss slammed his head hard, "Do you think we don't have enough things now? Just take him to the boat and throw him into the sea at that time. Now hurry up and go to the port to explore Lu, take this kid with you, so there won't be any accidents."

"Yes, yes, boss."

Someone came to pick up Xu Shangyu, Xu Shangyu pretended to be awakened, and looked at the kidnapper who came over in a panic.Seeing this, the man said contemptuously: "The current police are all weak as chickens. What are you looking at! If you don't get up, come with me."

Because Xu Shangyu was particularly "weak", the boss only arranged for two people to escort him away, in order not to attract attention.A group of more than a dozen of them left scattered, walking through different alleys.And this arrangement just gave Xu Shangyu a chance.

One of the detainees was in the front and the other was in the back. Although they looked down on the policeman who didn't have one, they didn't dare to be too negligent.

Halfway through, Xu Shangyu staggered suddenly and collided with the people behind him.

"What are you doing! You don't have eyes when you walk?" The kidnapper who was walking behind immediately became angry, and stepped forward to punch Xu Shangyu.It seemed that he was not relieved enough, so he rushed to fight again.His companion turned around and took a look. Seeing that his companion had the upper hand, and the little policeman was beaten with bound hands, he continued to go back to explore the road without paying attention. "I said, are you all right? Don't waste too much time."

After a while, no answer was heard, and he said again:

"Hey, stop playing, the boss can't wait."

The sound of fighting behind him gradually quieted down, and the person walking in front didn't turn his head back and said, "Finally feel comfortable fighting? You didn't kill anyone, did you?"

"No." Someone behind said coldly: "Don't worry, I'm not in the mood right now."

The kidnapper heard that the voice was wrong, and hurriedly looked back.But as soon as he turned his head, a heavy punch hit his face, and the fist hit the eye socket. That was the last scene in his memory.Half a second later, there was not even a wail, and the kidnapper fell down in a daze without moving.

Xu Shangyu smiled, stood up straight, and spit out the blood foam from his mouth in a bah.His rope had been slowly worn out by his nails in the past few days, but he kept pretending to be immobile to let the kidnappers take it lightly.At this time, there is a chance to beat someone, how about beating up?

After finishing off the two young men, Xu Shangyu found a rope and tied them up casually.In his mind, he calculated the retreat route arranged by the kidnapper boss just now, and tried to choose an alley that would not collide with them.In less than 5 minutes, he saw the person he wanted to see within sight.

"Team Xu!"

Lu Fei was also surprised when he saw him, and rushed over quickly.And Xu Shangyu, who didn't get a good rest for several days and nights, didn't show any tiredness at all, and grabbed the boy and rubbed his head fiercely.

"How do you know to wait for me here, huh?" Xu Shangyu's hoarse voice came over with the rustling of Night Breeze.

"That boy Ning Xiao said it all. He said that if you get out of trouble, you will definitely come out this way to join us!" Lu Fei said happily: "He is indeed right!"

"Ning Xiao." Xu Shangyu chanted the name, stroked his bearded chin, and after a while, a smile appeared on Jun's face.

"I knew it was him." In the dark night, there was an unspeakable smile in his voice. "I want to see him, where is he?"

An hour later, the hostage comrades who were successfully rescued finally met the hero this time. When they met, Xu Shangyu smiled and went up to hold Ning Xiao's hand graciously.

"Thank you, thank you, thanks to you this time, good citizen Ning Xiao."

When Ning Xiao heard his words, he shivered for some reason.He quickly pulled out his hand, "No, if you really thank me, just give me less trouble next time."

Xu Shangyu didn't mind his alienation, took off his dusty coat, and sat down on his desk.

Ning Xiao looked at him, and couldn't help but take another look.It seemed that he wanted to ask something, but he didn't know how to say it.

Xu Shangyu laughed and said: "Just tell me what you have, don't be like this..." He swallowed the word "cute". "Sneaky."

Ning Xiao: "Then I'll ask directly, how did you determine that Zhang Ming is the murderer?"

There is no verification of the second autopsy, and there is no more evidence, but Xu Shangyu found the murderer one step earlier, Ning Xiao has been unable to swallow this breath.

"This is thanks to your book." Xu Shangyu flipped through "Detective Timor" on the table and said, "I was reading your novel before, and the golden beetle happened to be mentioned in your book."

"The Gold Bug" is actually a work of mystery novel pioneer Edgar Allan Poe.As a criminal police officer, Xu Shangyu has seen this masterpiece, which is normal.

"In "The Gold Beetle", the protagonist's friend pretends to be crazy, successfully teases his old man and old servant, and finally obtains the pirate's treasure with his cleverness. When I first read this article, I sighed, smart people always seem to like Pretend to be a pig and eat a tiger. And in your novel, the golden beetle is used to symbolize death. This reminds me of a murderer who is clever but pretends to be crazy." Xu Shangyu held up the book and said to Ning Xiao: "As long as you have an idea, it's much easier to collect evidence, isn't it?"

It turned out that this was the case, after hearing Xu Shangyu's explanation, Ning Xiao finally felt less awkward.

He took the book casually and turned to the last page of the book. On the back cover of the book was a mystery for every book that he often left behind.Turning here, Ning Xiao was taken aback for a moment, and then his face turned pale, and his eyes widened as if he couldn't believe it.He walked to the window, walked back and forth several times, as if shocked by a certain fact, but couldn't believe it.

"Xu Shangyu...do you still remember what the postman who delivered letters to Li Aihua's house looked like that day?"

"What's wrong?" Xu Shangyu looked at his expression and frowned.

"Call the post office and ask! Quick!"

Seeing that Ning Xiao was in such a hurry, Xu Shangyu also had doubts in his heart, and soon, his contact person went to the local post office to inquire.The reply I got was: That afternoon, when Ning Xiao and Xu Shangyu returned to the scene for the first time, the post office did not send anyone to deliver letters to the community where Li Aihua lived.Their postman had been there early in the morning.

Upon receiving the news, Xu Shangyu also froze.He and Ning Xiao looked at each other, seeing doubts in both eyes at the same time.

So, if it wasn't the post office staff, who was the postman they met downstairs that day?Why did he send a letter from Li Aihua that was returned by the post office by such a coincidence.

If it wasn't for this return letter, Ning Xiao and the others would never have begun to explore the truth of this "suicide" case!

Is all this a coincidence, or some kind of premeditation?

But Ning Xiao had more things in his mind than Xu Shangyu's. He thought of the little riddle he had just sent to the editor a few days ago.

【Xiao Zhang decides to murder his girlfriend.On his birthday, he coaxed his girlfriend to eat a cake containing lethal chemicals, and after destroying the evidence, he pretended that his girlfriend committed suicide by taking poison. However, a few days later, Xiao Zhang was arrested by the criminal police on the spot when receiving the courier.Question: Where is Xiao Zhang's flaw? 】

In this puzzle, the truth is also because the Taobao express delivery purchased by the girlfriend arrived home, and the police found out that the girlfriend had no intention of suicide, so the murderer was discovered.

Xiao Zhang, Zhang Ming.

Girlfriend, Li Aihua.

Courier, return letter.

The same poisoning, the same fake suicide.

If there is an accidental similarity between a puzzle and a real case, it is not impossible.But the most frightening thing is that these two things happened to me at the same time.

Can this still be a coincidence?

Ning Xiao looked out the window and suddenly shivered, the chill of the night soaked through his whole body.

why?

Obviously the real murderer has been brought to justice, and Xu Shangyu is safe and sound, why does he still feel that he has not solved the case at all.

It seemed that there was an invisible hand firmly pinching him, operating him like a marionette.This feeling made Ning Xiao feel very unhappy.

who is it?

The one hiding in the dark.

Who is it?