"Officer, I forgot to tell you. Last night, due to heavy rain, there was a power outage. It started around 8 PM and power wasn't restored until after 7 AM this morning. The surveillance cameras probably didn't record anything last night."
Old Liu looked at Fang Rui and Zhang guiltily. "But I guarantee, no one broke in last night. I didn't sleep at all because I was worried someone might come to steal things during the blackout."
The security room was clean and tidy, with a visitor log on the desk and neatly arranged folders. Earlier, when going downstairs, Fang Rui noticed that all the fire safety equipment in the building had inspection tags and had been regularly checked, with Old Liu as the inspector. It was clear that this security guard was very conscientious.
Fang Rui noticed the dark circles under his eyes and felt he probably wasn't lying.
He was about to leave when he spotted a pair of brand-name sneakers under Old Liu's bed, covered in mud.
"Uncle Liu, did you go out after the rain?" Fang Rui asked.
"No! My legs aren't in good shape, so I don't usually go outside."
"Uncle Liu, what size shoes do you wear?"
"Size 42. Why, do you have some shoes you don't want to donate to me?" Old Liu asked excitedly. He rarely bought clothes, usually wearing discarded clothes from others to save money.
Zhang said, "I also wear size 42. I have quite a few old shoes that aren't worn out, just out of style. If you need them, I can bring them for you. It would be a shame to throw them away."
"That would be great, thank you! I don't mind. All my clothes and shoes are donated by kind people." Old Liu pointed to his tracksuit, boasting, "Some are even brand names, you know."
Fang Rui pointed to the shoes under his bed and asked, "Can I borrow those shoes for a moment? One of my colleagues' shoes broke."
"Oh? Will they fit him?" Old Liu hesitated, but quickly added, "Sure, if your colleague doesn't mind."
Old Liu was about to grab the shoes, but Fang Rui beat him to it, picking them up.
"Why is there so much mud on the soles? I don't know when that got there. Let me clean them for you first," Old Liu said nervously, trying to grab the shoes.
"No need, we don't mind."
Outside the security room, Fang Rui placed the shoes in an evidence bag.
"Boss, do you think the footprints outside were made by these shoes?" Zhang asked.
"Mm-hmm."
Fang Rui took the shoes to find Wang outside the wall.
There were many chaotic footprints near the wall, so Wang hadn't finished collecting evidence. Judging from the size and pattern of the footprints, they seemed to belong to the same person.
"Wang, what size are the footprints?" Fang Rui asked.
"They appear to be size 42."
Fang Rui carefully examined the right footprint, which was very even. He compared the pattern of the footprint on the ground with the pattern on the shoes in his hand; they were identical.
The footprint in the mud was very even. If Old Liu had stepped in the mud wearing these shoes, the right footprint should have been uneven, as Old Liu limped and his right foot tilted to the side. The footprint should have been deeper on the right and shallower on the left.
"Boss, these footprints are strange," Wang analyzed. "Even if a normal person walked in well-fitting shoes, the footprints shouldn't be this even. Most people have their own walking habits, which should cause different depths in different parts of the shoe print. But here, all these footprints are very even, indicating that the person was applying equal pressure across the entire shoe while walking."
Zhang said, "Does this mean the person has flat feet?"
"...It's not about whether the feet are flat or not," Wang pointed to the footprints. "Look at these prints that are closer together; the person was probably walking faster. Shouldn't the prints in the mud be shallower? And those prints that are further apart, shouldn't they be deeper? But the depth is all the same, which doesn't make sense."
Fang Rui summarized, "Like someone deliberately made these prints?"
"Exactly that feeling!"
Zhang also caught on, "Boss, could someone have stolen Old Liu's shoes to frame him?"
Fang Rui walked around the wall again. He examined the mud on top of the wall; its color matched the mud at the base. A large patch of moss at the wall's base had been kicked off, exposing the bare wall. Nearby vines had also been trampled.
However, the moss and vines higher up the wall were undisturbed.
They also discovered an oval-shaped depression in the moss at calf height on the wall. There was a long skid mark on the ground.
"Someone must have slipped and accidentally hit the wall, leaving that dent," Zhang said.
"Judging by the size, it doesn't look like it was made by an adult male's knee," Wang analyzed.
Fang Rui called the power company and learned that there had been no power outage in the area last night. Nearby residents also confirmed there had been no blackout.
Fang Rui and Zhang went to check the electric meter again. It was normal, with no signs of tampering.
"Who checked the electric meter at the time?" Fang Rui returned to the security room to ask Old Liu.
"Sister Chen went to check. She said the power was out because of the heavy rain."
"Which Sister Chen?"
"Chen Xinran. Though the WeChat group just announced she's now the acting director."
Fang Rui went to examine the half shoe print on the windowsill again; its pattern matched Old Liu's shoes.
Chen Xinran was in the treatment room with some volunteers. Yuanyuan's condition was terrible; he had no response other than blinking. But when Chen Xinran and the volunteers discussed his condition outside the door, Yuanyuan quickly crawled into the toy cabinet.
"Yuanyuan, we're Mama Chen and Teacher Li. Can you open the door, please?" Chen Xinran crouched down and patiently spoke to the little boy in the cabinet.
Yuanyuan desperately held the cabinet door shut. They didn't dare use too much force and could only call to Yuanyuan softly from outside.
But Yuanyuan still held the cabinet tightly shut, not letting anyone open it.
Chen Xinran stood up, supporting herself on her knees, and said to the volunteer Li Min, "Teacher Li, we can't do anything about Yuanyuan's condition. Please ask Teacher Jiang to come and see if she has any ideas."
Li Min nodded, "I've already contacted her. She said she'd come as soon as possible."
Chen Xinran then turned to Fang Rui and his team: "Officer Fang, I was dealing with an urgent situation earlier and couldn't properly receive you. I'm free now, shall we talk in my office?"
Chen Xinran's office was also small but elegantly decorated, with calligraphy paintings on the walls and orchids on the windowsill. Her windows didn't have security bars.
Zhang thought to himself that if a thief really wanted to steal something, they should start with this office.
Chen Xinran poured rose tea for everyone.
Fang Rui specifically asked Chen Xue to come along. He gave Chen Xue a look, and she winked in response. Holding her cup of tea, she walked to Chen Xinran's side and pretended to accidentally spill tea on her skirt.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, my hand cramped. Are you alright? Let me help you clean up." Chen Xue took out a tissue, appearing flustered as she wiped the skirt, but actually pulled up the skirt slightly, revealing Chen Xinran's knee.
Her right knee was bruised black and blue, as if it had been hit.
