Zhuang Wenjie had been in the grip of Xu Zhengqing for over 48 hours. Since then, Luo Jian had barely slept. The investigation was in full swing, with no significant results. 

As Luo Jian had expected, the trail of the smartwatch led to Wenjie's old parents' house. There, his colleagues could find no clues to the young man's current whereabouts. Apart from the watches, Xu Zhengqing had left nothing in the house that would shed light on where he had taken Wenjie. 

Nor did the owner of the truck that had transported the first car lead them on any new trail. The truck's owner had already reported the car stolen that morning. Aside from that no suspicious person had appeared on the cameras from the immediate vicinity for the period in question. Thus, it was clear that the driver had accompanied Xu Zhengqing.

The police could only relay their hopes on the tips Wenjie had provided. But Dai Mengde was adamant about not knowing where Xu Zhengqing was. 

"I can't fool you about my friendship with Xu Zhengqing," he had confessed, at least. "You have turned my house upside down, which is why there is no point in keeping it from you. I got Xu Zhengqing and Zhuang Wenjie the tickets for Undercurrent. You can prosecute me for that. But I have nothing to do with the kidnapping. I specialize in forging documents and passports."

That was all they got out of him, and it was enough to transfer the man to the detention center. This reduced the number of accomplices Xu Zhengqing had at his disposal.

Luo Jian didn't think one man made a difference, but it was better than nothing. What remained was the fragmentary number of the mini-van that Wenjie had sent them.

The traffic police were looking for it. Thus, Luo Jian hoped they would have a new lead soon, since there was about as little to be gotten out of Dai Mengde as there was out of Ding Shenghuo, who remained silent because of the recent investigation. But Ding Shenghuo's reaction, hours earlier, had given Luo Jian a new idea.

They knew by now that the third man in the video Luo Jian had gotten at the Good Taste restaurant had to be Xu Zhengqing. Ding Shenghuo covering for him meant Xu Zhengqing had something on him. Whether this had to do with the case or rather involved Ding Shenghuo's son, it was impossible to say. But the thief wouldn't have asked during their last conversation whether he could guarantee his son's safety if Xu Zhengqing did not know about Ding Wei. 

Since Dai Mendge and Ding Shenghuo were of no help, perhaps they found out more from Ding Wei. "Hao, determine Ding Wei's current whereabouts and keep him under surveillance," he instructed his colleague. "And take turns with Dazhi." Luo Jian knew they were all already tired because they had barely taken a break, which was why he gave them the opportunity to take turns resting a bit. 

Su Ying had offered him she could take over so that he could get some more sleep. But he had declined. Every hour Wenjie spent in captivity was one too many.

Luo Jian listened to the last messages again. Xu Zhengqing believed the police would not find the secret of the painting without Wenjie. However, Luo Jian was sure that they could succeed. The clue alone was enough to search the painting for hidden riddles, in the form of invisible writing. And indeed, the investigation brought something to light, although it would take time to solve the mystery behind the extra stones someone had painted on the Weiqi board. 

Was it possible that the position of the stones on the board and the numbers on the Tears of Moongoddess chain were components of the same puzzle and together provided the solution? Luo Jian thought about the question when the traffic police contacted him with good news. 

"We have the car you are looking for." 

"Good job." Luo Jian signaled Liao Shuang to come along and immediately set off. 

The traffic police sent them the address where the vehicle was located. A patrol was already on the scene, monitoring the residential area where cameras had not yet been installed. 

The buildings were old. On some house walls, the facades were crumbling. "Most of the apartments are vacant," a colleague from the traffic police informed them. "The owner of the houses wants to demolish everything and have a new complex built as soon as the last residents have moved out. Residents have confirmed that the mini-van you were looking for drove into the garage of the building at the end of the street." There, the old apartment complex adjoined a run-down factory site. 

Carefully, Luo Jian and Liao Shuang gained access to the garage while their colleagues positioned themselves at the building's exits. The mini-van stood untouched in its place. There was no trace of its owner. 

Inside, it was silent. As Luo Jian and Liao Shuang went inside, they had their guns ready. The door opened easily. The hallway beyond was dark. 

Liao Shuang exchanged a suspicious glance with Luo Jian. This place was also quiet, too quiet.

Not to make any unnecessary noise, they searched the first floor. Dust stuck to the furniture. There was no trace of people. Luo Jian instructed Liao Shuang to look upstairs while he went to the basement area. 

There was a light burning downstairs. Luo Jian stopped. Someone had to be there, although he heard nothing. The first door he led into a large room with nothing more than a table and a few chairs. 

Behind the second door was a bedroom. Next to the bed was a bucket. Its content stank.

Luo Jian went to the third door. Unlike the others, it was open. Luo Jian looked inside. On the floor, next to the bathtub, were clothes. A towel hung over the edge of the bathtub. 

Luo Jian hurried to the last door. Wenjie had to be here. With a brief hesitation, he yanked the door open. The room was empty except for a mattress and a smartphone that someone had carelessly left on the floor. On the back of the smartphone was a number that could be used to unlock the device. The contact list and all messages, if there had ever been any on it, had been deleted. But in the document folder, he discovered a video. 

Eyeing the door, he clicked on the video. Xu Zhengqing laughed into the camera. He was standing in the bedroom. 

"You are persistent, Captain Luo. But you are too late. We've already left and I won't give the boy another chance to send you hidden messages. I know what he did. He paid for his mistake." 

"Damn it," it escaped Luo Jian. 

Xu Zhengqing pointed the camera at the bed where Wenjie's clothes lay. He demonstratively took them off the mattress and dropped them on the floor. A sardonic grin stole onto his lips as he did so. 

A deep furrow formed between Luo Jian's eyebrows. The bucket in the bedroom, the clothes in the bathroom, the video that had been recorded in the bedroom, and Xu Zhengqing's words sent a worrying message. What had this criminal done to Wenjie? 

"If he doesn't come to his senses and resigns himself to his fate, what might happen to him is what happened to Yaobai. Once I have what I want, it's entirely up to him whether I let him live," Xu Zhengqing continued. "But maybe death is also a blessing. Then he is united with you." 

A soft click caught Luo Jian's attention. His gaze slid up to the ventilation shaft. A red light flashed behind the grid.

to be continued....