Returning to my grandfather's side, he was still there brewing tea, as if deliberately waiting for me to return for a shared cup. We sat together at a kung fu table. As we drank our tea, Grandpa said, "The mission is finally complete. He Xin and I have managed to escape the Guizui Zhe flawlessly. Now we just need to gather more evidence to deal with Cao Xiangchen, that thorn in our side!"
"Those scientists will definitely testify against him!" I stated with certainty.
"Let's hope so. But that fellow definitely has more tricks up his sleeve. Fortunately, I've already sent people to keep an eye on him. I can't wait for the police to go through their procedures, or he'll surely escape! With his methods, escaping, or even assuming another identity to repeat what happened twelve years ago, would be too easy!"
"How many people from Hejia Village did you send out?"
"Just a few, but it's enough. It's impossible for Cao Xiangchen to leave the company now. This time we found all the missing persons. However, the two police officers will never know this outcome. Officer Li and his wife have been reunited, but they can never go back to how they were before."
Seeing my grandfather's confident demeanor, I felt that no more trouble would arise this time. It was time to put an end to this. Twelve years—Grandpa must have lost sleep and appetite over this case.
Today, I cooked for Grandpa myself. Although my culinary skills were questionable, and Dao Zhi Yong had to help in the end, it was still edible. He Xin joined us for dinner. Around 8 PM, Liu Yuning called me, saying, "All those scientists have confessed. They've also revealed details about Cao Xiangchen. We've already surrounded the company and apprehended him. However, it's strange, when we went upstairs, we found him tied up!"
As soon as I heard this, I knew it was Grandpa's doing. But I didn't explain. "Oh? That's remarkable. Perhaps Cao Xiangchen has offended too many people in the past. Take him back and interrogate him thoroughly. This time, don't let this scoundrel escape legal justice!"
"I understand. Twelve years—this has been a burden on so many hearts! But you should still come back for the interrogation!"
I agreed and then drove back to the provincial department. Lately, I’ve been going back and forth between the siheyuan and the provincial department. Fortunately, the siheyuan is on the outskirts of Fuming City, not far from Guangming City.
Upon arriving at the interrogation room, I learned that Cao Xiangchen had indeed undergone plastic surgery. His current appearance was identical to that of a company boss. At that moment, I didn't know how to address him. Of course, I had to mock him first. Then, Liu Yuning and I entered the in-depth interrogation phase.
"Cao Xiangchen, you've been on the run for quite some time, haven't you? Even with your disguise, intentionally imitating someone else, living like this probably isn't easy. You've been living with a mask on, unable to express your true personality, interests, or lifestyle. If it were me, I'd rather be dead." Liu Yuning deliberately provoked Cao Xiangchen. He indeed got angry, slammed the table, and cursed, "Do you think I wanted this? If it weren't for the Guizui Zhe, if it weren't for this competition, the competition with Polaris, I would have considered giving up. But in the end, we couldn't defeat them. Polaris was indeed a step ahead of us."
"Are you saying that what you did wasn't for yourself, but always for this so-called criminal competition?" I asked.
"Yes. If it were just for myself, how could I possibly cling to survival? This is the will of all the Guizui Zhe. Detective He, do you think I could just give up? If it weren't for the situation today, I probably would have continued to be this boss until you slowly found out."
I thought that if they hadn't been so persistent, they might not have been exposed. The Guizui Zhe were terrifying. In fact, their secrecy was no less than Polaris, and in some aspects, they were even superior. For example, the matter of overt schemes. But I certainly wouldn't boast about them now and diminish my own side's morale.
"Twelve years ago, you escaped from the prison transport, left the scene, and found a plastic surgeon to change your face… Who was that doctor?" I pressed.
"You won't even let him go? He actually didn't know anything. Plastic surgery was just his job."
"I understand. I'm just asking, no other intention."
In reality, that wasn't what I thought. I suspected that the plastic surgeon was also one of them. However, Cao Xiangchen easily revealed his name. After I sent someone to investigate, I discovered that this person was indeed a very ordinary plastic surgeon. The situation at the time was likely this: after Cao Xiangchen escaped, his condition was not good. He planned for some time and used his last savings for plastic surgery. Fortunately, the doctor was quite good and didn't expose him. Later, when I investigated further, I found out that the doctor was an old acquaintance of Cao Xiangchen.
All these matters then became clear. In the final stage of the interrogation, the doctor sent us a video. I watched a scene from twelve years ago intently:
A man with a minor head injury and bloodied arms tremblingly arrived at a plastic surgery hospital. This was the third day of his escape. Since escaping police control, he had been living a life on the run. His funds were short, his stamina depleted, and he even had a bit of tetanus. He felt a fever coming on and realized he couldn't continue like this, or his plans would be ruined.
He knocked on the door of the plastic surgery hospital for a long time, but there was no response. He was very annoyed, and his strength was rapidly draining. He felt he wouldn't last much longer. Just as he was about to pass out, the hospital door suddenly opened. A middle-aged doctor saw the man before him, helped him, and took him to a ward.
"It's you, Old Cao. I heard you were wanted. Is that true?"
"Ah, ha ha," Cao Xiangchen laughed, "What do you think? If I told you I was a murderer, would you still dare to shelter me?"
"Heh heh, I knew you were like this long ago. Didn't we cooperate before? What's wrong? Want to change your face again this time? I see your fingers have rotted like this. You can't be traced by fingerprints now, so you want to change your face too? This way, you can hide for a few more years?"
"I knew you understood me so well, that's why I came here. Just like before, I've prepared double the funds this time."
"Money or not, I don't really care. I've earned enough over the years. Actually, I admire you as a person, which is why I'm helping you."
"Oh? Your personality is still the same. Then let's begin!"