While his colleagues were dealing with the members of Undercurrent, Luo Jian questioned Ding Shenghuo for the second time. The thief sat in handcuffs behind bars. Both his look and posture revealed that he was getting tired of all the interrogation. 

"Captain Luo, what brings you to me? I've already told you everything there is to say." 

Luo Jian opened the cell door and stepped inside. Silently, he placed the smartphone with the video recording on the table before him. 

Ding Shenghuo frowned as he looked at the video. Luo Jian didn't notice any movement in the man's features. Almost bored, he watched the video. Then his lips formed a smile. He took the smartphone and pushed it to the opposite edge of the table. 

"What are you trying to tell me? That you have proof of my collaboration with Zhuang Yaobai? You already knew that."

Luo Jian propped his hands on the table and leaned over it. "Don't take me for a fool. Who is the third man?" With one hand, he took the smartphone and pushed it back. 

Ding Shenghuo leaned back in his chair, smiled, and shrugged. "Some guest turning his back to the camera."

Luo Jian slapped the table in annoyance. "You've been covering for this man for twelve years. Aren't you tired of standing up for his crimes?"

Ding Shenghuo laughed. "Captain Luo, what makes you think this man was involved in the theft of Luoshen? He is insignificant."

"So insignificant that after twelve years a witness still remembers a heated conversation between Zhuang Yaobai and this guest? So insignificant that Zhuang Yaobai threw a glass of water in his face?" Luo Jian countered. 

How come he had to pull the answers out of Ding Shenghuo's mouth every time he questioned the thief? It wasn't going to work out that way. Luo Jian took the smartphone back and left the cell.

Outside on a table was a file. He grabbed it and took it inside to Ding Shenghuo. The man still appeared unimpressed until he saw the contents of the file. 

"You've done your homework, Captain Luo." The smile on his lips died and gave way to a serious expression. His hands clasped the file. 

"Do you still want to be judged for someone else's actions? Think of your son's future," Luo Jian said, pointing at Ding Wei's picture on top.

Ding Shenghuo sighed deeply. "Then can you guarantee his safety?" 

For a moment, there was absolute silence between them. Even the sound of a pin hitting the ground would have been loud. The air had grown noticeably thinner until the bright ringtone of Luo Jian's smartphone shattered the silence. Surprised, he looked at the display. Zhuang Wenjie. Why was he calling him in the middle of the night? Had something happened? The call triggered an uneasy feeling.

He rushed out and closed the cell door behind him before answering the phone. At the other end, he heard the sound of an engine and a voice that was definitely not Wenjie. 

"You were right. Monsieur was just a decoy. In a few hours at least, the police will realize that too. Did you think I would let you make a statement and tell the police the secret of the painting?"

Luo Jian knew the voice. It was Xu Zhengqing. Not enough of that, the man seemed unaware of the secret eavesdropper. Once before, Wenjie had used this trick. 

"You are the real Monsieur." That was Wenjie. "You've been lying to me all along. You wanted me to steal Luoshen for you. You tried to stop me from cooperating with the police because you didn't want anyone other than you to know what message my father left for me on the painting. But I left Luoshen in the hands of Captain Luo. Do you think you can blackmail the police if you kidnap me?"

Luo Jian left the interrogation room with the smartphone and left Ding Shenghuo in the care of one of his colleagues in the meantime. Almost all of his colleagues were busy, so Captain Luo had to take care of tracking the smartphone himself to find out Wenjie's location. 

The young man was smart and it always impressed Luo Jian with how calm he remained in dangerous situations. He had to act quickly so that Xu Zhengqing would not escape. If he took Wenjie away to an unknown place, they would find themselves in a difficult position. 

"Don't worry about the picture," Luo Jian heard Xu Zhengqing speak again. "Your betrayal was annoying, but I don't need Luoshen anymore. The police won't find the secret message because they don't know what to look for. Luoshen is worthless to them without you. And with the loss of the painting, I'm just missing out on the money to sell it. But soon I will have something much better. You will help me get it." 

"What do you mean, without me? What do you need me for? What are you going to do?" Wenjie sounded nervous. 

"You'll find out soon enough. We'll go on a journey together. Then you'll get answers to all your questions." There was a short break. "Enough talking.  Where's your phone? Give it to me. You don't need it anymore." 

A clatter could be heard from the background. It sounded like the smartphone was sliding along somewhere. 

"Did you contact the police? To have them track your phone? Your resistance won't help you. I've made sure that the inside walls of our transport vehicle have a special coating that should prevent tracking. Also, we will be changing cars shortly. Your phone won't be coming with us." 

Xu Zhengqing's tone sounded much sharper, before he turned directly to the surreptitious listener, who was in the process of using the tracking app to pinpoint the location of Wenjie's phone. 

"Captain Luo, if you are listening in and, against all odds, succeed in tracking down the location of the phone. Save yourself the trouble of following us. Enjoy your successes. The kid is mine. Or do you want to end up like Captain Fang?"

With just two sentences, Xu Zhengqing turned the case into a very personal matter for Luo Jian. Firstly, since Xu Zhengqing had made it unmistakably clear that he was unwilling to let Wenjie go again. Secondly, he had confessed to killing his teacher. The police tracking app picked up a signal. It came from downtown. Luo Jian enlarged the image. The truck Wenjie had to be in was moving towards a large building, probably a parking facility. Xu Zhengqing had already indicated that he planned to change cars. 

Luo Jian squinted the connection on mute so he could call Jiang Hao and give him instructions, without confirming to Xu Zhengqing that he had overheard the conversation. At the same time, he used the computer technology in the office to gain access to the surveillance cameras in the area in question. If Xu Zhengqing thought it would be that easy to escape, he was wrong.

to be continued...