Chapter 67 The First Clue
By the time the highway was cleared, Rong Yuan arrived at the train station half an hour had passed.
Fortunately, the train he was taking was delayed.
Unfortunately, the train was delayed by a full four hours and he still had to wait at the railway station.
Some passengers who bought tickets for the same train have already changed or refunded their tickets because they could not wait any longer. However, during the Spring Festival, the only tickets you can buy on short notice are standing tickets. Most people are reluctant to give up the sleeper or seat tickets they have bought with great difficulty, so they will choose to continue waiting at the station no matter how long the delay is.
The waiting room was crowded with people, and all kinds of sounds and smells mixed together, which was particularly unbearable for Rong Yuan, who had sensitive senses. Fortunately, there were not many people in the VIP waiting room. Rong Yuan bought a ticket and went in. He ordered a hot drink at the service counter, found an empty seat with the drink, and took out a book from his bag to read - he always carried a workbook and a few extracurricular books with him.
As his intelligence increased, Rong Yuan's reading speed also gradually increased. Now his normal reading speed can reach 20,000 words per minute, and when he concentrates on speed reading, it can be close to 40,000 words. What hinders his reading speed is not his eyesight and brain power, but the time it takes to turn the pages. So when he reads, people around him will see that he basically turns a page every two or three seconds, so fast that people even doubt whether he can see the words clearly.
A book with more than 500,000 words was quickly finished. Rong Yuan closed the book, closed his eyes and memorized it. In an instant, a large amount of words flashed through his mind. Except for a few long and profound paragraphs, he had memorized most of the content.
Then he opened the book again, and this was the real "reading" process for him - he would only read the book a second time if he thought it was a good book after the first reading - after imprinting the whole article in his mind, he would study it word by word and savor it repeatedly. He would even read some paragraphs dozens of times, and he would feel that he gained something new every time he reread it. Sometimes he would put the book down, chew and savor it for a while, and let the emotions aroused by the words settle down before continuing to read.
After reading more than ten pages, Rong Yuan suddenly felt strangely watched. He looked up and saw two young girls sitting together nearby, looking at their phones and pointing at him.
"Look, they look alike..." a girl said excitedly in a low voice.
"Really?... Hey, he's looking over here." The other long-haired girl was startled when she met Rong Yuan's inquiring gaze, and an embarrassed look appeared on her face.
The girl in the front with a ponytail was very outgoing. She didn't feel shy about being discovered by the person involved. Instead, she came over and said hello: "Hi, handsome! Which train are you on? We are on train T1231."
Rong Yuan ignored her and continued reading.
"Wow, cool~~" The ponytail girl whistled, sat down next to Rong Yuan in a familiar manner, and said, "You know what? Cold-faced cool guys are no longer popular these days. Warm-hearted guys are the king."
Rong Yuan was so annoyed by her that he couldn't bear to watch her anymore and asked coldly, "What do you want?"
"It's okay! I just saw a handsome guy online, and now I'm seeing him in real life. How can I not sigh at such a fate? Come, let's meet each other." The girl with the ponytail stretched out her hand and said, "My name is Wang Qian, and her name is Liu Tingting. What's your name, handsome guy?"
Rong Yuan noticed a message in her words, frowned and asked: "What do you mean online ? What do you mean by real-life version?"
The girl was surprised and asked: "You don't know?"
Rong Yuan was confused. What should he know?
Wang Qian waved to Liu Tingting, took the phone they were looking at, handed it to Rong Yuan, and said, "Here, look, is this you?"
For a moment, Rong Yuan was stunned. He pursed his lips and his pupils shrank instantly.
On the phone screen, there was a photo of him.
He was sitting on a bus, his arms folded, his chin slightly raised, his eyes half closed, looking at something in front of him, as if he was observing something nonchalantly. Next to him, sitting by the window, was a young girl wearing a military green casual suit and a large black hat on her head. She had pulled the brim of her hat down so low that only a small white chin could be seen.
He often took the bus when he went out, and never paid attention to who sat next to him, so there was nothing strange about this photo. What caught his attention was the clothes he was wearing in the photo.
Blue denim shorts and a white T-shirt. On the front of the T-shirt, there is a line of black English words printed: "Think great thought sand you will be great".
——These were two pieces of clothing that he found randomly thrown around his room when he woke up after losing his memory for three days. After that day, he kept the T-shirt and shorts under the closet and never wore them again.
——Could these be photos taken during the three days when they were missing?
Rong Yuan almost roughly snatched the phone from the girl, flipped to the back of the photo, and found the webpage where the photo was originally sent.
The person who posted the photo lamented in the title, "Today I saw a beautiful boy on the bus who looked like he came out of the second dimension. Does anyone know who he is?". Probably because the vehicle was shaking, the photo was not very clear. Some people questioned whether the photo had been retouched, some asked where the poster took the photo on the bus, and some asked for a high-definition version of the photo. Few people responded seriously, because the poster never showed up, and the enthusiasm of netizens quickly faded. This photo was only forwarded and discussed on a few niche websites for girls.
Rong Yuan looked at the time the photo was sent: September 11, 11:23:05 am.
What he lost was all the memories of the seventy-two hours from September 11th to September 13th.
This photo was also the first clue he got about those three days.
Unfortunately, the poster never responded to the post, and did not specify where the photo was taken. Rong Yuan deeply engraved every detail in the photo in his mind, and finally found an inconspicuous place in the reflection of the car window glass.
The glass reflected a sign of a shop across the street - Lao Tao Restaurant. I don't know if it was a printing error or the color faded over time, but the word "Tao" was missing a dot. Every time Rong Yuan passed by the door of this shop, he couldn't help but take a look, and he was always concerned about it, but the owner never wanted to correct this typo.
There may be many restaurants with this name in the huge Sugar Country, but this shop sign is unique in the world because it is missing a stroke. It is on the road between Rong Yuan's home and the library in City A.
Rong Yuan’s last memory before that day was that he was still planning to go to the library the next day before falling asleep.
…
The heating in the magnificent hotel lobby was turned on very high, so people were dressed very lightly, and many women were wearing long dresses that exposed their shoulders and backs. Soft and pleasant piano music echoed in the lobby, and a graceful and beautiful girl sat in front of the piano, dancing on the keys with her delicate hands. As the wine glasses were clinking, everyone had a decent and elegant smile on their faces.
This is the engagement party of a famous socialite in City B. It is also an occasion for many people to make friends and build relationships with each other.
Jin Yang was also wearing a well-tailored suit and sitting at a table near the front. There were several young men and women of similar age sitting around him, more girls than boys. Originally, based on his father's position, it would have been difficult for Jin Yang to enter this small circle of the most prominent dandies in Tang Country. But with the status of his grandfather and uncle, and the fact that he was the only one of the third generation of the Jin family who would attend such occasions, Jin Nan rarely showed up, and Jin Yu became more and more independent. Therefore, in the eyes of everyone, Jin Yang was the representative of the next generation of the Jin family, so he was also highly valued in such occasions. Jin Yang himself was a person who could get along well with everyone, so in this circle, as time went by, everyone would gradually revolve around him.
Shao Baoer, wearing a light pink dress, leaned in the corner , shaking the champagne in her hand, and glanced at the group of playboys out of the corner of her eye. Then, she covered her lips with the wine glass and whispered, "Captain Shu, I don't want to doubt your judgment. But is there any point in us monitoring this child from all directions all day long? No matter how you look at it, he's just a good kid!" She had invisible headphones in her ears and a miniature microphone hidden in the jewel necklace around her neck.
"There are certainly reasons to suspect him. With Crow's style, it's normal that no suspicious points can be seen for a while." Zhou Yunze took over the conversation. He was in a guest room below the hotel lobby. He Xin, who was wearing casual clothes, was sitting cross-legged on the floor next to him, typing on the computer.
"Oh, it's Romeo." Shao Baoer rolled her tongue and uttered the name as if it contained lingering affection - because Zhou Yunze was outstanding in appearance, she always called him Romeo - but her next words were like a knife: "I heard that you are now staying at that kid's house, and you are also keeping an eye on him nearby? What? You are staring at him like this, aren't you afraid that Mr. Jin will rain down his wrath?"
Zhou Yunze's face turned cold, and he said, "All my actions have been approved and permitted by my superiors. If you have different opinions, you can naturally report them to your superiors."
"Hey~ Hey~ Don't bring your emotions to work! Can you be a little more professional? You're making it hard for me, you know?" Shu Qi's long-winded complaints came from the communication channel. He was not at the scene either, but in the command car downstairs, analyzing the intelligence about the crows with Jiang Quan and others during this period, while also paying attention to the surveillance at the scene.
Then Shu Qi started to complain about how they disturbed his work, how hard it was for him to be distracted, and how no one under him understood him. The worst thing was that when they had a meal together at his house, this group of people never washed the dishes. They all acted like big shots, and he was the only one who was a working class person... Zhou Yunze and Shao Baoer were so annoyed by him that they rolled their eyes.
He Xin's hand trembled and he typed a wrong character, then he pulled off the microphone and said coldly, "Annoying!"
Shu Qi's voice suddenly stopped. Zhou Yunze gave her a thumbs up in admiration.
He Xin had a blank expression on his face. He turned off the microphone and threw it aside. He looked at Zhou Yunze and said seriously, "What Shao Baoer said is what I want to ask. You clearly know that Jin Yang is the boss's brother. You also know how much the boss values his family. Why do you still list Jin Yang as a suspect? Is it because someone rescued him when he was kidnapped? Zhou Yunze, even if you left our team, you were once a member of the team. Why do you have to stab the boss in the back like this?"
Zhou Yunze couldn't help but twitch his face when he heard the last sentence, and said with an unpleasant expression: "He Xin, no, Qing Meng, do you really think of me like this? Do you think I am that kind of person?"
He Xin didn't say anything, but there was obvious scrutiny and suspicion in her eyes towards him.
Zhou Yunze laughed angrily and said, "It seems that you have been angry these days, not because of the lack of results in the investigation, but because of me? You have wanted to question me like this for a long time, and you have been holding it in for a long time, right?"
"That's right." He Xin nodded, "Xixin and the others may also think so. So, you'd better give me a satisfactory answer."
Zhou Yunze took a deep breath, took off his own microphone and turned it off, then said, "Okay, I'll tell you the reason. This matter is an important clue in the pursuit of the crow, and it should not be publicized. You can know it, but you don't have to tell others."
"Okay." He Xin agreed straightforwardly. She just needed an explanation and had no interest in gossiping.
"Before, when the A City police were looking for the true identity of the Crow, they missed a clue, which was the first time the Crow attacked the wanted criminal with a bounty." Zhou Yunze said, "We all thought that October 19, when a large number of wanted criminals were revealed and sent to the police, was the day when the Crow officially announced its existence, but it was not. When I was undercover at A City No. 1 Middle School, I found that the day before, around 10 a.m. on October 18, another wanted criminal with a bounty was arrested and brought to justice. Because not many people knew about this at the time, and the entire A City police were overdrawn and overwhelmed by the large number of wanted criminals, the matter was shelved and was not linked to the Crow incident afterwards."
"Could that wanted criminal be related to Jin Yang?" He Xin asked.
"Yes." Zhou Yunze said affirmatively: "The criminal's name is Jin Siping. He used the alias Liu Tao and worked as a school doctor at No. 1 Middle School in City A for nearly two years. On October 18, his identity was exposed and captured by a girl named Zhou Yuan in the school. As far as I know, Zhou Yuan had a low sense of presence before that time. She was often bullied by other students. She also had a slight face blindness and was not very good at recognizing facial features. In addition, something very embarrassing happened to her that morning. I would not be surprised if she chose to commit suicide at that time... For a girl like this, do you think she could have identified a wanted criminal and captured him bravely under the circumstances at that time?"
"So what does this girl have to do with your suspicion of Shang Jinyang?"
"Two reasons." Zhou Yunze said, "First, in No. 1 Middle School, the only person who has a friendly relationship with Zhou Yuan is Jin Yang. He took the initiative to protect Zhou Yuan that day, and visited and took care of her several times afterwards."
"Suspect someone of stealing an axe." He Xin commented: "Jin Yang is kind by nature. Seeing a girl in trouble, it is natural for him to lend a hand."
Zhou Yunze did not make any excuses. This reason was indeed not conclusive enough, but - "Secondly, according to the recollections of an old policeman who rushed to the scene after receiving the alarm call, Zhou Yuan had a wanted warrant for Jin Siping at that time. Although it was a photocopy, it was in the form of a wanted warrant only available within the police, and it also had a file code on it. Although Zhou Yuan denied this when I asked her later, her reaction made me more certain. Tell me, in No. 1 Middle School, besides Jin Yang, the son of the director of the Public Security Bureau, who else could easily get such a wanted warrant?"
