Liu Lian was shocked when he heard Jian Hongmei's suggestion.
Looking at Xiao Jinmeng's big, watery eyes like a frightened little deer, how could Liu Lian not be moved? But he still felt anxious and said, "Madam, wouldn't this delay too much time? What if... what if we run out of time and the police come?"
Jian Hongmei glanced at him indifferently and said, "Don't worry, the police won't find us so quickly. You can relax."
Seeing that Liu Lian wanted to say something else, Jian Hongmei looked at her watch impatiently and urged, "Alright, no more dillydallying, hurry up. My purpose is to take revenge on Xiao Yongze and Song Jiaxi. As long as they suffer, I'll be happy. I'm giving you half an hour, enough?"
"I'll stand guard outside the door. You seize the time. When you're done, pour gasoline on her and set her on fire. Don't forget to record the whole process on your phone!"
After saying that, Jian Hongmei walked out, muttering as she left, "No trace of a man's nerve, always dilly-dallying!"
Liu Lian felt embarrassed and annoyed, glaring at the whimpering Xiao Jinmeng sitting on the floor.
Xiao Jinmeng was terrified by Jian Hongmei's words. Not only did they want to torture her, but they also wanted to burn her to death. It was too cruel!
Someone, please save her!
Liu Lian couldn't help but touch her face. The soft and delicate touch instantly dissipated his previous hesitation, leaving only an overwhelming desire raging inside him.
Even in her younger days, Xiao Fang was not one-tenth as beautiful as the girl before him. What man wouldn't be moved by such a beauty?
Xiao Jinmeng was disgusted and immediately rubbed her cheek against her shoulder to wipe off where Liu Lian had touched her face.
Liu Lian didn't care at all. He couldn't help but swallow hard, turned on the video recording function on his phone, placed it on a nearby chair, and adjusted the angle. Satisfied with the setup, he began undoing his belt as he pounced towards Xiao Jinmeng.
"Little girl, blame your parents for not protecting you properly! Don't worry, I'll be gentle!"
On the other hand, the police had indeed been deceived by Jian Hongmei.
According to the investigation on Jian Hongmei, she had been very close to a lawyer named Liu Lian recently. This lawyer was the personal lawyer previously hired by Xiao Wenyao. After comparing information, Jian Hongmei and Liu Lian were confirmed to be the two janitors.
The police located the van that Jian Hongmei and her companions used through the surveillance cameras outside the gymnasium. They contacted the traffic control department to search for suspicious vehicles and prevent them from leaving the city.
Three teams were dispatched: one went directly to the small residential building that Liu Lian and Jian Hongmei had frequently visited; one went to the luxurious apartment where Liu Lian and Jian Hongmei had been living recently; and the remaining team followed the van's escape route based on the surveillance footage.
The team that went to the apartment found nothing. All the furniture and appliances were gone, leaving it an empty house, which appeared to have been vacated recently.
However, the team that went to the small residential building found something unusual. The bedroom and kitchen were in disarray, but the living room and bathroom were spotless, which raised suspicions among the investigators.
Finally, in a crevice beside the toilet, they spotted a trace of blood. After technical analysis, the seemingly clean living room and bathroom were found to have bloodstains everywhere, indicating that a homicide had occurred.
Meanwhile, the team tracking the van found it in a used car market.
However, there was no sign of Jian Hongmei or her companions.
The person who drove the van to this place saw the police approaching and cowered in fear, crying even before the officers asked any questions.
"I've been on the run for so many years, hiding for so long. I thought I was finally safe, but I never expected you to catch me. Wah wah wah..."
Police officer: ...
Upon closer inspection, he turned out to be a fugitive who had been on the run for ten years after committing a murder.
"I'll ask you, where did you get that van you were driving earlier, and what happened to the previous driver?" the officer asked while handcuffing him.
"Huh?" The man seemed confused.
The officer repeated the question, "You'd better confess honestly. This is related to a kidnapping case. And are you an accomplice of theirs?"
The man was surprised and quickly shook his head, nervously explaining, "No, officer, this is a used car I just acquired. After being on the run for so many years, I couldn't even afford food this year, so I came here to buy cars."
"I had no idea this vehicle was involved in a kidnapping case. The sellers, a man and a woman, had contacted me earlier, saying they would meet me tonight in the Wanlong Residential Area's south street for the transaction. They said they would contact me with the specific time."
"Around 7 o'clock, I suddenly received a message telling me to go pick up the car. I was just thinking about making money and didn't pay much attention. When I arrived, they were already there. They gave me the money, and they just drove away. My colleagues can vouch for me! I really have no connection with them. You have to believe me, officer!"
The officer showed him photos on his phone, "Are these the two people?"
The man carefully looked at the somewhat blurry photos and nodded, "Yes, that's them!"
"What kind of car were they driving when they left, and do you remember the license plate number?"
The man shook his head, "I only know it was a black BMW. I don't know the license plate. Oh, they headed towards West Street."
The officer recalled that when they checked the surveillance footage earlier, the car indeed went into a blind spot, but the van reappeared within five minutes, suggesting they had swapped vehicles during that time.
He immediately instructed the junior officers, "Quickly check the surveillance footage around West Street during that time frame and look for a black BMW."
Liu Lian did own a black BMW registered under his name, but they likely swapped the plates, which was why his car's license plate wasn't spotted on the surveillance footage.
Based on the timeline and the fugitive's identification, they locked onto the black BMW, which, according to the surveillance footage, had circled the area twice before heading towards an abandoned construction site. They immediately notified Xiao Yongze and others and rushed to the scene.
The abandoned construction site was a large villa complex. Since it was nighttime, the surroundings were dark, and the police searched the area for the car's location.
Finally, in the innermost villa, they found traces of that car. The police captain immediately surrounded the villa with officers, approaching slowly with guns drawn. It was dark and silent inside, with no sounds, causing everyone to feel uneasy.
The police feared that Xiao Jinmeng might have been silenced, and were also afraid that the suspect might be hiding somewhere, quietly watching them, so they dared not act rashly.
Until they saw a light, seemingly from a phone screen. As the police approached cautiously, they could not help but widen their eyes in surprise.
