Chapter 613 - 507: Phone 2

Chapter 613: Chapter 507: Phone 2

"So I thought about deleting all the data from the phone. When we do live streams, we use a lot of phones to hype things up."

"We usually buy secondhand phones, so I have the software for that, and I know how to wipe a phone’s data."

"But I was clever about it. I bundled up all that data, backed it up, and put it on my... cloud drive."

At this, Wang Liang shrank back guiltily and stammered, "When I used to... do that stuff, I liked to spice things up. I’d film videos with them."

"After filming, I’d upload them to the cloud drive so I could watch them again later."

His face was filled with shame, and he didn’t dare to look either of them in the eye.

"Keep talking," Zhang Hancheng said.

Filming a few videos was nothing in a case like this.

Wang Liang grunted in acknowledgment, then said after a moment, "Nothing much happened after that. I figured just giving her the money would be enough, so I went to sleep."

"The next thing I knew, you guys were waking me up and bringing me here."

"Officers, I swear to God, everything I’m telling you is the truth. I really didn’t kill her."

Zhang Hancheng just grunted noncommittally.

’Whether Wang Liang killed her or not wouldn’t be decided by an oath.’

After a moment of thought, Zhang Hancheng asked about the SIM card.

When they searched Wang Liang’s home, they didn’t find the phone, nor could they find the SIM card he mentioned.

Wang Liang replied that he’d snapped it in half and flushed it down the toilet.

"You must remember the phone number, right? And your cloud drive account. Write them down." Zhang Hancheng picked up a pen and paper and tossed them in front of Wang Liang.

Wang Liang hurriedly wrote them down, then swore another round of oaths.

Zhang Hancheng thought for a moment, then turned and left the room.

Wang Liang’s story needed to be verified.

Just as he was leaving, Zhang Hancheng turned his head to look at Wang Liang.

He wanted to say something.

’If Wang Liang isn’t lying right now, then if only he had explained the situation clearly right after the incident occurred.’

’The direction of the investigation would have been clear from the very beginning.’

’But now... so many people have been investigating nonstop for so many days.’

But he thought better of it and said nothing.

The two of them stepped out, and Qian Zidan immediately said, "Senior, we can’t completely trust that guy’s story."

"For one thing, according to him, he left the first time a little after ten, went downstairs, sat in his car for a bit, and then went back."

"They argued, he choked her, and he can’t remember the exact time, but he estimates it was around 10:30. He drove away at 10:47, so the timeline matches up."

"But the problem is, even if Li Siyu really didn’t die then, she wouldn’t have remained unconscious all the way until past one in the morning."

Being unconscious for over two hours isn’t just passing out.

"So even if Li Siyu was lucky enough to survive, she would have woken up much earlier. And after waking up, normally, if she wanted to threaten Wang Liang, she would have sent a message immediately, right?"

"Senior, I don’t think Li Siyu was necessarily the one who sent that message."

Zhang Hancheng nodded. He had just been thinking about that same problem.

The time gap in between was too long; it didn’t make sense.

"So what’s your take on it?" Zhang Hancheng asked in return.

Qian Zidan pulled out a cigarette, thought for a moment, and said, "The most logical explanation is that Wang Liang is also an undercover spy, and Mao Ruiqiang is his subordinate."

"He either accidentally killed Li Siyu, or she had some kind of special identity, and he faked this whole attempted murder scenario to clear his own name."

"Think about it. If we hadn’t caught Mao Ruiqiang, we never would have even suspected him."

Catching Mao Ruiqiang was a complete accident.

In the investigation prior to that, they had no idea a person like him even existed.

And without enough evidence, Zhang Hancheng had already released Wang Liang.

That means his plan had already succeeded.

"But because Mao Ruiqiang got caught, it messed up his plan. That’s why I suspect his entire reaction right now is just an act he’s putting on for us."

Qian Zidan held up one finger. "The first layer of insurance was staging it as a robbery."

"The scene was partially burned, and there was a mark left by the door from a gang of thieves. All of that could have been faked."

"The second layer of insurance was that after we investigated, he’d use that text message to clear his name."

"As for why he waited until almost one o’clock to send the message, I think he did it on purpose."

"These undercover spies are meticulous. When they forge information, they mix truth with lies. They’ll create a smokescreen around details you can’t confirm, confusing you into considering more possibilities."

"For example, the possibility that a third person showed up at the scene after he left."

"In any case, the surveillance footage is gone. The only concrete information we have is that he left at 10:47 and was home by eleven."

Zhang Hancheng’s brows furrowed.

’Thinking back to how Wang Liang was scared shitless just now... if that was all an act, then his acting skills are on another level.’

’But if he really is a spy, then it’s certainly possible.’

After some thought, Zhang Hancheng said, "Everything you’ve said is possible, but there’s one suspicious detail I’m not sure if you noticed before."

"After Mao Ruiqiang stole the recorder and went out the side gate, he didn’t head straight for the small plaza to leave. Instead, he took a detour and turned right. Why?"

The case had many inconsistencies, and this was one of them.

Zhang Hancheng had arranged for his men to investigate every shop over there, but they hadn’t found anything, nor could he figure out the reason for the detour.

"Also, how exactly did Mao Ruiqiang leave the scene? There’s no record of him entering or exiting the parking lot, but Xiaoshen’s team confirmed that he definitely left by car."

"These are all problems."

Qian Zidan thought for a moment and said, "I don’t know about the first point, but for the second one, I think there’s a possibility."

Seeing Zhang Hancheng look his way, Qian Zidan continued, "A common criminal definitely couldn’t pull it off, but it’s a different story if he’s a spy."

"The parking lot’s barrier gate system—it’s a packaged deal from a single supplier, right?"

Zhang Hancheng nodded, and before Qian Zidan could continue, it dawned on him. "You’re saying a spy hacked into the supplier’s server and wiped the entry and exit records?"

Qian Zidan said, "Exactly. For a professional spy organization, that’s child’s play."

A spy organization might not be able to hack into government-level systems like traffic surveillance or telecommunications providers.

But for an ordinary civilian company, their servers are a joke.

Zhang Hancheng nodded thoughtfully.

It was true; an ordinary criminal wouldn’t have that kind of skill.

But spies were different. They were organized, had backing, and might even be supported by state-level powers. A trick like this was truly nothing to them.

After thinking for a moment, Zhang Hancheng glanced at the number in his hand and said, "Alright, let’s wait until we’ve confirmed the phone number before we discuss this further."

Qian Zidan took it directly from him, saying he could get it done faster.

He was indeed fast.

In just half an hour, he had already obtained the relevant call and text records.

The records confirmed that the phone number Wang Liang provided had indeed received a text message from Li Siyu at 12:41 a.m.

That didn’t mean much.

According to Qian Zidan’s theory, all of this could have been faked.

However, there was an unexpected discovery.

At 10:14 p.m., Li Siyu’s phone number had sent an extremely suggestive text message to another number.

[Honey, I’m in a bad mood. Can you come keep me company?]