Silent Testimony - Chapter 105

In the recording studio of the Puchen Xiyuan Middle School integrated building, a projector displayed Captain Peng’s image via a video link. On the way there, Qiu Wan had already given Li Hewei and Tao Ling a general overview of the Special Investigation Task Force.

Commissioner Zhang from the Provincial Department had specifically appointed Captain Peng as the team leader to direct operations remotely. Qiu Wan and Captain Feng, who was transferred from a neighboring branch to assist, served as deputy leaders. The other 18 team members were all individuals who had no direct or indirect involvement in Chu Xiaoyi’s original case.

A video played, recording the entire process of Li Hewei and Tao Ling arriving at the suburban Zuanhe City and their interactions with the security guard and Su Lu. It turned out that before the previous case was closed, Captain Peng and Qiu Wan had already noticed discrepancies in the statements given by Su Lu and Ma Peng. They immediately reported to Commissioner Zhang, and after three consecutive days of meetings, the decision was made to form this task force to secretly investigate the cold case.

The footage paused. Qiu Wan briefly explained the findings since the task force’s inception: “Su Lu, former assistant to Puchen Evening News Chief Reporter Chu Xiaoyi.” She pulled up another photo. “Ma Peng, formerly a Chief Reporter, now the Station Chief. He has repeatedly insisted that he knew nothing about Chu Xiaoyi’s undercover work before her death.”

“But Su Lu claims she handed over the video Chu Xiaoyi secretly recorded to Ma Peng. Why was there never any follow-up reporting?” Qiu Wan pointed her marker at the relationship map on the whiteboard. “Between them, who is lying?”

“Seven years ago, Chu Xiaoyi was ‘airdropped’ into the Puchen Evening News as a member of Ma Peng’s team and a candidate for the Station Chief position. Could there have been professional conflict? Or did Ma Peng hide the truth out of professional jealousy?”

Qiu Wan circled Ma Peng’s name and wrote “Motive” next to it. “According to our investigation, Su Lu’s social circle during her studies was simple. Ma Peng is the opposite; due to the nature of his work, he interacts with a wide and complex variety of people daily.” During the initial secret phase, Ma Peng and Su Lu were the primary targets. To avoid alerting them, the task force used a shift-based tailing method without direct contact.

Li Hewei and Tao Ling’s recent actions had disrupted that rhythm, prompting Qiu Wan to report upward, leading Commissioner Zhang to bring them into the fold.

“Since the beginning of the month, we’ve been tracking Ma Peng’s itinerary and auditing his assets. No anomalies yet, but two-thirds of the Puchen Evening News headlines over the last five years have been related to the Rongke Group.”

With Chu Xiaoyi dead and evidence missing, progress was slow. Qiu Wan had taken a different path, reviewing the newspaper’s year-end summaries and noticing a shift in the details. Before 2010, the designated print outlet for Rongke Group’s mandatory disclosures was the Puchen Business News. Once Ma Peng became Station Chief, the Puchen Evening News conveniently became the group’s primary partner.

Qiu Wan explained the current focus and the cause of their recent stalemate: “Rongke Group has a massive management structure. The task force cannot investigate openly, so gains have been minimal over the past half-month. Fortunately, Li Hewei’s composite sketch has narrowed the scope.”

She displayed the sketch. “Hao Peng, 37, assistant to Huang Xueze, the Marketing Director of Rongke Group.” Qiu Wan looked at the electronic shift schedule and asked Wang Cen, “Sister Wang, you’re in charge of following the marketing department. Anything?”

Wang Cen sent photos to the WeChat group. “High turnover in marketing. Currently, we know that employees Cao, Lu, Wang, and Zhou have the longest tenure. Their monthly salaries are around 20,000 yuan, which is within normal range.”

“Keep an eye on them first.” Qiu Wan recorded the data.

After the sub-groups reported, Captain Peng summarized the goals, and Qiu Wan announced the new assignments. Li Hewei was appointed leader of Group 5, with Tao Ling as a member, alongside two criminal investigators transferred from the neighboring city’s Major Crimes Unit.

Li Hewei and Tao Ling organized their notes, processing the information in silence. As the meeting ended, Qiu Wan approached and signaled Li Hewei to check her private messages: The shift schedule—tonight, you are responsible for tailing Zhou from the marketing department.

“Understood.” Li Hewei’s mind was full of questions. She focused on the essentials. “Do we have centralized meetings every day?”

“No. Wait for notification.”

“And the locations?” Li Hewei scanned the room. There were only six people present, meaning twelve were currently on duty.

“Wait for notification.” Task force meetings were usually held in high-traffic or remote areas. Qiu Wan’s tone turned solemn. “The equipment is in the car. Stay safe and stay in touch.”

Li Hewei nodded.

Night fell, and the March wind in Puchen remained biting. She led Tao Ling out the back door of the school and into the opposite alley, where a black Volkswagen was parked at the curb.

They entered the car without a word.

“Team Leader Li,” the officer in the front greeted her.

“Mm.” Li Hewei introduced Tao Ling simply. “This is Tao; you can call her Xiao Tao.”

Once they were settled, Li Hewei stripped off her coat and donned a tactical bulletproof vest. “Where is Zhou Qi?”

“At the MixC Mall. Xiao Ma is trailing him.”

“Good.” Just then, the officer’s phone vibrated with a WeChat message.

【Target took the elevator to the B2 parking lot. I’m exiting through Gate 3. Where are you?】 (The officer had been in the elevator with Zhou Qi).

【10 meters to the left of Gate 3. I’m coming to pick you up.】 The officer sent the reply, started the car, and sped toward the back of the mall.

Within five minutes, Xiao Ma climbed into the passenger seat.

“Status?”

“Same as usual. He goes to the mall and hits the restrooms—every single floor.”

Tao Ling frowned. “The restrooms?”

“Yeah.” Xiao Ma turned around and handed the phone to Li Hewei, having been briefed on the change in leadership. “Team Leader Li, Sister Wang had foresight. We’ve been tailing Zhou Qi since yesterday. He and a middle-aged woman have been visiting the bathrooms of every major mall and high-end entertainment club in the city.”

“A woman?” Li Hewei pondered the motive. “Did you go in after they left?”

“I checked twice. Didn’t see anything unusual.”

The tracker on the phone alerted them that the target was moving. Li Hewei buckled her seatbelt. “Follow them.”

Two minutes later, a blue Buick exited the parking lot. Officer Xiao Xie followed at a discreet distance. After crossing the overpass and heading into the backstreets, Xiao Xie stared at the GPS. “They’re getting on the highway. Are they leaving town?”

“Keep following.” Li Hewei sent their real-time location to Qiu Wan and warned Xiao Xie, “Don’t follow too closely on the highway; it’s easy to get spotted.”

“Got it.” Xiao Xie eased off the gas.

Watching the tracker, Li Hewei saw the Buick slow down and pull into a service area.

“What are they doing in a service area?”

Li Hewei and Tao Ling said in unison: “The restrooms?”

“Should we go in?”

“Yes,” Li Hewei added. “Tao Ling, you go down and check the women’s room. We’ll stay on standby.”

Tao Ling was a fresh face, meticulous, and skilled at spotting trace evidence. Li Hewei knew how to use her team’s strengths; though she worried for Tao Ling’s safety, she had to prioritize the bigger picture.

“Okay.”

Li Hewei leaned over to check Tao Ling’s bulletproof vest.

Tao Ling’s clear eyes held a trace of a smile. “It’s on right.”

Li Hewei was a bit flustered, her care for Tao Ling obvious. “Phone? Tracker?”

“Everything is here.”

The car stopped. Tao Ling unbuckled and stepped out.

“Tao—”

Tao Ling walked away before Li Hewei could finish her sentence, the unsaid words sticking in her throat.

Li Hewei’s panic didn’t subside until she spotted Zhou Qi and the middle-aged woman and saw Tao Ling’s red tracking dot flashing steadily.

Inside the service area restroom, Tao Ling received the signal to proceed and began a methodical search of the stalls. Her gaze shifted, locking onto an advertisement sticker behind a door.

【Give me your trust, I’ll grant your wish.】 【Surrogacy guaranteed, sperm/egg donation, gender selection available, birth permits handled.】 【Contact: XXXXXXXXXXX】

The sticker was clean and fresh, indicating it hadn’t been there long. Tao Ling took a photo and then used her keys to scratch off the contact information. She could not allow this content to spread.

As she scratched, the sound echoed in the stall. Tao Ling listened for any movement. From a corner, she heard a vigorous, muffled curse: “Which little brat is sticking this trash up again? I just finished scraping them off yesterday.”

“Why bother with surrogacy? If you can’t have ’em, don’t have ’em.”

“These surrogacy companies have no heart—making money off people’s desperation.”

Hearing this, Tao Ling tucked away her keys and headed toward the corner stall where the voice was coming from.