"No, I just have some questions to ask you!" I said.
"Go ahead."
I deliberately tested him, saying, "What if I have someone follow a person and discover that they suddenly disappear on the road, only to later hear that this person was beaten? What kind of situation would that be?"
"That would suggest that the person deliberately avoided detection, and then had someone attack the person who was following them. This person's background isn't simple, so you'd better be cautious."
Professor Huo spoke like a teacher instructing a student, without any sign of fear or other emotional fluctuations.
Although I couldn't see his reaction, just from his tone, I could sense it.
"I see. What if this person is now at home, and the one being beaten is not far from him?" I was intentionally guessing, and to my surprise, Professor Huo coughed slightly, clearly trying to cover up his unease.
He said, "You probably haven't found his current location, so you're just speculating. You want to rescue this person, right?"
We both knew we were guessing, but still kept the conversation casual. I said, "Yes, I just hope he's okay, and that the killer won't escape. We'll soon find his secret hideout."
After saying that, I immediately hung up the phone. Next, Professor Huo would definitely know that I had figured out the case. I wanted him to turn himself in; this was my last chance for him to do so.
However, the next day, we received some bad news outside the police station. Early in the morning, Xiao Yuande called me and asked where I was. I told him I was on my way to work, and he told me to hurry back, something had happened at the police station.
I was startled and quickly sped up. When I arrived at the police station, I saw many officers surrounding a trash bin.
After asking a few officers, I learned that Gao Qiang had been brought back. His ears had been cut off and thrown into a trash bin outside the station. A passing cleaning lady had found him.
When I saw Gao Qiang, he was still alive, though blood was pouring from where his ears had been. Soon, Zhao Simeng arrived and pressed her hand against Gao Qiang's wound, saying, "Don't be afraid!"
Gao Qiang seemed unable to speak, weakly lying in Zhao Simeng's arms, and I helped support him.
At this moment, many officers were in shock. Director Liu arrived as well. Just as Zhao Simeng was about to ask something, Gao Qiang's stomach suddenly made a loud explosion!
Blood gushed out, and when Li Siqi saw her mentor like this, she screamed and began crying.
"There were explosives inside him!"
I nearly collapsed when I saw his stomach burst open, feeling deep regret. It was because I had angered Professor Huo that he sought revenge on us like this!
Gao Qiang was dead! Just like the other victims, he had been blown up, and now with his death, we had lost two officers to explosive devices.
Zhao Simeng quickly lowered his body, and Li Siqi cried beside him while examining him.
After a while, Zhao Simeng said, "His abdomen and ribs show signs that he died from an explosive device."
"It was Professor Huo!" I couldn't help but shout his name!
Hearing those three words, all the officers turned to look at me. However, just then, Professor Huo arrived with many officers. Upon arriving at the scene, he curiously asked, "What's going on here?"
Seeing Professor Huo, many officers stood beside him. I glared at him and said, "Professor, you killed Gao Qiang!"
"He Sheng, what are you talking about? How could I have killed someone?"
"Last night, after I spoke to you on the phone, Gao Qiang died today!"
"Why does it have to be me? My conversation with you has nothing to do with Gao Qiang's death!"
Professor Huo was right that only the two of us knew about the phone call, and he didn't say anything to deny it. No one would believe me. At that moment, Xiao Yuande came over and pulled me aside, saying, "Stop talking!"
I endured the pain, but Zhao Simeng, at that moment, said, "Oh? Professor Huo, I found your fingerprints on the body!"
As soon as she said this, Professor Huo's face seemed to darken slightly, but he quickly regained composure and cursed, "Zhao Simeng, you're crazy. How could you have identified my fingerprints so quickly after such a short time?"
I knew Zhao Simeng was deliberately trying to scare him, and I said, "If you're brave enough, go ahead and check. Compare them!"
"Haha, go ahead!" Professor Huo seemed completely unfazed, but the more he acted like this, the more prepared I felt he was.
He wanted to create the illusion that he wasn't the murderer, but he was wrong. The more he acted this way, the more suspicious he seemed.
When we arrived at the forensic department to compare fingerprints, Zhao Simeng looked surprised when she picked up his hand.
I thought something was wrong and quickly went over to her, but when I reached them, I saw Professor Huo smugly waving his hand at me, saying, "See?"
I saw that his fingers had no fingerprints!
Ah! I exclaimed. Professor Huo's fingers were completely blank. How did he manage that? When it became clear that we couldn't find any fingerprints, Zhao Simeng said, "There are no fingerprints on the body. Why were you in such a hurry to check? Were you trying to tell us that the murderer isn't you?"
Professor Huo was momentarily stunned. I glared at him.
"It's because none of you believe me! Even if you suspect me, you can't do anything. Haha, there's no way you'll find evidence!"
"Hum, we will find the evidence eventually, but why are you doing this, Professor?" If he weren't my teacher, I would have already shoved him to the ground and beaten him up.
He shook his head. "I didn't do anything. Don't make assumptions, or I'll sue you for defamation!"
Saying this, he turned and left the forensic lab. I told Zhao Simeng, "The likelihood of him being the murderer is very high."
"Yeah, it's tough to investigate your own teacher. Maybe you should just back off from this case," Zhao Simeng said.
I replied, "Why do you sound like Xiao Yuande now? Now that Gao Qiang is dead, can I just ignore it?"
Zhao Simeng knew my character and understood that once I made up my mind, it wouldn't change, so she sighed, saying, "I just don't want to see you arrest your own teacher. Don't forget, all your criminal investigation skills were taught by him."
"I know, but I have no choice." I left the forensic lab and went to the morgue to look at Gao Qiang's body. At that moment, Li Siqi was still crying by her mentor's side. I could only go over to comfort her. The rest, she would have to come to terms with herself.