Chapter 65: Macbeth Six

Chapter 65: Macbeth Six

5.8.2020

The camera man was very careful not to show anything unnecessary. Only Zhou Huaijin and a wobbly old chair that he's tied to were in the shot. The background was completely dark and didn't reveal anything valuable. The video was less than one minute long. From start to finish, it filmed Zhou Huaijin's closeup in all possible angles in case anyone might misrecognize him.

The abductor did not speak a single word.

"The uploader used a ton of proxy servers. Tracking is gonna take a while." Lang Qiao said, "Boss, I've never met such a 'creative' abductor. What does he want? What do we do?"

Luo Wenzhou stared at the phone and didn't answer.

Lang Qiao already responded very quickly to take down the video, but the news still got out, and took flight. Despite the net surveillance team setting up multiple keyword blackages, the headlines and hashtags about Zhou Huaijin's abduction stubbornly occupied the trending list.

Luo Wenzhou asked: "When was the video uploaded?" The source of this content nov(el)bi((n))

"Six am sharp."

Six sharp, the time that the city wakes up.

Besides alarm clocks, what could have been more refreshing and exciting than a gossip that unfolds in real time with multiple twists and turns?

Standing next to him, Fei Du signed: "Captain Luo, should I step away now and wait to be questioned?"

Lang Qiao was completely lost and slipped a one-word question: "Huh?"

" 'Huh' what? He is a suspect too." Luo Wenzhou tossed the phone to Lang Qiao and turned to Fei Du, asking with entitlement, "I need to know who could've been involved in this -- which group could be behind the publicity stunt. Give me a list."

Afterall, Zhou Huaijin was very low key and seldom engaged with the press. True, the public may know about actors or singers, but who would know what a rich second-gen who lived abroad looked like? There weren't even many clear photos of him online.

Then why would the short video clip attract so much attention in such a short time? Who was the driver behind this?

The car crash of Zhou Junmao and the abduction of Zhou Huaijin seemed closely related at first glance. First the old man, then the crown prince... It's tempting to conclude that someone must have been after the Zhou family. There were also the mysterious, tropey tales about the bastard and the war on inheritance which made the whole scheme against the Zhous sound legit. But upon a closer look, things didn't quite check out.

Suppose Zhou Junmao's car crash was not an accident, then the organizer undoubtedly wanted him dead and he wanted the death to be quiet --- since the truck driver was killed on site, as long as the police did not obtain any robust murder evidence the case wouldl be processed as an ordinary car accident.

However, Zhou Huaijin's abduction was too showy, with a clear intention to flaunt and to gather public attention. The two cases had completely opposite goals.

It didn't make any sense.

So what good would the publicity do, other than attracting the probing eyes from the police and the public? Who would it benefit? Perhaps only those capitalists who profited by sucking the blood of the Zhous -- only they would benefit from spreading such sensitive information during such a sensitive time.

Such as Fei Du, and the likes.

If the Bureau were for sale, that one probably earned enough over one night to pocket two of it.

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It was only until just now, in a split second, that Luo Wenzhou suddenly sensed something new from his invincible fake smile.

Luo Wenzhou thought of the ambiguous words Fei Du said yesterday evening in his car, and realized that they weren't casual, vague remarks about humanity. He was talking specifically about himself. Fei Du was like someone that grew up in another dimension. His nobility was genuine, and so was his despicability. The rules in that dimension were different from our world and Fei Du knew it. He knew very well how he misfitted, so he carefully put on other people's skins and limited himself in a comfort zone. He copied Tao Ran, copied Zhang Donglai, copied everyone around him all the time...except when facing Luo Wenzhou, who used to be the pontifical hothead who loved tearing people's masks. Fei Du basically gave up on pretending in front of him and let his human skin dishevel, revealing the eerie fangs.

For some reason, as soon as Luo Wenzhou realized it, he didn't hold grudges against him any longer. The strange behavior and fickle temper of Fei Du in the last 12 hours made sense now. Having sensed his cunning, tout, and reticent layer of self-protection, Luo Wenzhou's heart softened. A thousand emotions drowned him.

A phone call from Tao Ran suddenly interrupted Luo Wenzhou's thoughts and staring.

"We found that taxi." Tao Ran breathed heavily, "it was abandoned by the river. There's a strong smell of Ether inside. No obvious sign of struggle, except for a footprint on the back of the driver's seat. There were probably more than one abductors, otherwise how can one control a grown man while driving? Oh, and, Zhou Huaijin's briefcase is still in the car, and his ID, cell-phone, and wallet are all intact...Shhhhi!"

Tao Ran paused, then inhaled angrily. Luo Wenzhou could tell that he cut off a curse word. He asked: "What happened?"

"Someone's taking pictures." Tao Ran answered quickly, "perhaps they followed us from the airport. I'll go deal with it."

Luo Wenzhou hung up and rubbed his forehead. God knows how this news had already fermented online. He really didn't have the heart to get online to check. He gave out several orders: "The taxi that the victim took has been located. Now Zhou Huaijin is above 1.8 meters, not some child who could be taken by one hand. So they have to have another car to transfer him. Search the camera within three miles radius, look for suspicious vehicles. Also, give a word to the press: if they keep fueling the feud like this I won't be so polite anymore. Ask for backing from the net surveillance team...

Before Luo Wenzhou finished, a tech staff member suddenly raised his head: "Captain Luo, the same source uploaded another video!"

Luo Wenzhou's heart sank.

It was the same passed-out Zhou Huaijin in the same pitch dark background, except this time a gloved hand appeared in the foreground. It was holding a shiny dagger against Zhou Huaijin's neck, then suddenly pressed down. Amidst exclamations and gasps of the watchers, a cut appeared on a very dangerous spot on Zhou Huaijin's neck. The unconscious man twitched involuntarily. Blood rushed out.

Then the camera panned down. The gloved hands torn Zhou Huaijin's shirt open, took a small brush and wrote on his chest with his blood: "One cut for one deletion."

The net surveillance team ready to delete the video was covered in cold sweat. Their call immediately came in: "Captain Luo, what do we do? Delete it, or not?"

A brand new day was dawning. The morning rush has just begun.

Only a split second of hesitation, and the video was already spread across the internet at the speed of an explosion.

Zhou Huaixin obviously saw it too. He screamed his head off. The sound almost shattered the roof. Fei Du had to put his arms around his waist and snatch the cell phone away. To the clueless maid he said: "Take him upstairs to rest."

Amidst the chaos, a car pulled in the driveway and off came a young man in his twenties, rushing inside. When stopped by the police by the entrance he scrambled to take out his ID: "Pardon me, this is my ID and name card. I am Mr. Zhou's..."

Zhou Huaixin turned around and saw him. Immediately he started fighting to get to him: "I won't! Take that bastard down! He is the murderer!! You shameless asshole. How dare you set foot here! How DARE YOU!!"

Even though Zhou Huaixin was practically a walking skeleton, when running amok he was still a force to be reckoned with. Both Fei Du and Hu Zhenyu, who never toiled their four limbs, weren't able to hold him down. Zhou Huaixin's arms waved frantically like a weapon and almost knocked off Fei Du's glasses.

Suddenly, a hand appeared from nowhere and strained Zhou Huaixin's two 'waving wooden clubs'. Luo Wenzhou grabbed him like grabbing a chickling and shoved him back on the sofa. He towered over him and asked: "Should I give you a shot of tranquilizer or the rabies vaccine?"

Zhou Huaixin was extinguished. The young man by the door smiled bitterly, finally got to finish his self-introduction: "I am Mr. Zhou Sr.'s assistant and the secretary of the board. My name is Yang Bo."

His words drew everyone's eyes --- THE Yang Bo, the suspected bastard of the family, the suspect, the one who'd benefit the most by taking down Zhou Junmao and Zhou Huaijin..."

He was quite early to show his face.