Chapter 51: Information

Gu Hansheng, with his long legs, walked towards the upstairs, pushing open the bedroom door. The bedding on the bed was not very neat, showing signs of someone lying on it. In the air, there was a faint fragrance, belonging to Liang Shu.

It was a subtle and elegant scent, characteristic of Liang Shu.

In one corner of the pillow, a corner of a red document was exposed. Gu Hansheng walked over and pulled it out. It was his and Liang Shu's marriage certificate.

The three gilt characters caught his eye, piercing Gu Hansheng's gaze slightly.

He sat on the edge of the bed, placing the marriage certificate on his lap and opening it. On it was a picture of him with no expression and Liang Shu with a radiant smile.

The cigarette between his fingertips hadn't been shaken for a long time, and a large chunk of ash fell to the floor beside him. After a short while, the cigarette burned to its end.

Gu Hansheng was caught off guard by the still-burning cigarette butt and let go, dropping it to the ground and stomping on it with his foot.

He closed the marriage certificate abruptly, closed his eyes, and murmured to himself, "On the first day of marriage, can't I have a moment of peace?"

...

At 9:30 PM, Gu Hansheng knocked on the door of the neighboring room wearing slippers.

The person who opened the door was a woman. Given the people living in this area, it was easy to guess her social status. With Gu Hansheng's position in Yucheng, few people in high society would not recognize him.

At this moment, the woman, who was not yet thirty, was shocked to see Gu Hansheng standing at her door. Her face was full of surprise. "Mr. Gu? Why are you..."

Gu Hansheng's face was cold, and he immediately recited a series of license plate numbers. "Is this your family's car?"

The woman pursed her lips. "It belongs to my husband."

Gu Hansheng glanced inside and then walked straight in without any sense of guilt for intruding into someone else's home. He said, "Please ask him to come out. I have something to ask him."

The woman nodded repeatedly and hurriedly instructed the servant to call her husband.

She poured a cup of tea for Gu Hansheng and brought it to him. Her eyes almost never left Gu Hansheng's face, as if she were too surprised by his sudden appearance.

When her husband came downstairs, Gu Hansheng's icy gaze fell on him. He didn't bother with pleasantries and spoke in a somewhat commanding tone, "Around three-thirty this afternoon, when you returned by car, did you see a thin woman wearing black clothes?"

Gu Hansheng's gaze made it seem as if this man had stolen something from him.

There was no politeness.

The man looked bewildered under Gu Hansheng's gaze. He glanced at his wife and then at Gu Hansheng, furrowing his brow. Finally, he met Gu Hansheng's eyes and shook his head. "I'm sorry, I didn't notice."

Gu Hansheng stood with one hand in his pocket, his expression so cold that it lowered the atmosphere of the room.

The man's face looked somewhat terrified at this moment. He just stood there, his jaw tense, his face very handsome but also terrifyingly cold.

"What car was it, do you remember?" Gu Hansheng's hand clenched the phone in his pocket as the man shook his head. "I didn't pay much attention, but I vaguely remember it was a black Volkswagen."

Upon hearing this, Gu Hansheng's hand, which was in his pocket, tightened suddenly. There was more than one driver in the house, and Liang Shu could choose any luxury car, but this ignorant driver chose to drive a Volkswagen.

At this moment, Gu Hansheng didn't even consider whether the woman this man mentioned was Liang Shu or not.

He was about to say something else, but his phone vibrated in his pocket.

It was from Ji Chen.

"Sir, we've found the driver."

...

Inside the Zero Mansion.

At this moment, everyone was on guard, afraid that Gu Hansheng's anger would turn on them.

It was close to ten o'clock in the evening.

Several well-trained security guards brought in a man in his thirties or forties. The man was being supported by the guards and was shouting all the way from the moment he got out of the car at the villa gate. "Is there no law and order left? Is there no justice left in the world?"

No one paid any attention to him. He kept yelling, "Even if I've committed a crime, there are proper law enforcement officers. Who are you? In a society ruled by law, there are still such barbaric bandits like you! What have I done?!"

Ji Chen knew the seriousness of the situation. Liang Shu had disappeared after getting into his car, and this man was undoubtedly related to it.

He stepped forward and lifted his right leg, kicking the man in the leg.

The man was no match for Ji Chen in terms of physique. With Ji Chen's sudden kick, he staggered forward and then knelt on the ground, perhaps hitting a protruding cobblestone on the road, causing him pain. He cursed as he fell, "Even if I have to sue you, you bandits, my entire family's fortune will be used to sue you!"

Ji Chen walked up to him, his shiny shoes hovering just above the man's hand. However, they didn't fall. He said, "When our sir doesn't get the answers he wants from you later, not only will your family fortune be gone, but your life will also be over for the rest of your days."

The man was frightened by Ji Chen's tone and expression, and it took him a moment to recover his senses.

Ji Chen gestured with his eyes, and the guards dragged the man back to Gu Hansheng.

Inside the villa.

As soon as the door opened, the man was pushed in by Ji Chen. Gu Hansheng was still wearing slippers, but the chill emanating from him hadn't diminished at all, making the atmosphere particularly oppressive.

He walked two steps to the man sitting on the floor. His lips barely curved, and his voice was icy. "Are you the ride-hailing driver?"

The man looked up at Gu Hansheng, seeing his noble appearance and slippers, and hearing his voice. However, he was so overwhelmed by the emotions in his eyes that he stumbled backward. He couldn't speak, his eyes were filled with panic, and he struggled to get up and run towards the door.

But Ji Chen and the guards were still guarding the door, so he couldn't get out.

He was quickly pushed down again and knelt in front of Gu Hansheng. Tears were already streaming down his face.

He bowed his head to Gu Hansheng and begged, "Boss, I'm just an ordinary driver. I work hard to earn money to support my family. I really haven't done anything wrong..."

At this point, he had completely forgotten about legal principles. In front of Gu Hansheng, all he knew was to beg for mercy.

Gu Hansheng, looking down on him, his eyebrows and eyes exuding layers of coldness, asked, "Where is the woman who got into your car at three-thirty this afternoon?" 

This driver rarely got orders in this wealthy area, so this particular ride was quite memorable to him. When he heard Gu Hansheng mention it, he immediately remembered.

The driver immediately said, "This afternoon, I indeed picked up a woman here, but I didn't do anything to her. I only care about money. She said she wanted to go to the suburban cemetery, which is over an hour's drive away, but I still took her there."

"After she got into the car, she just kept sleeping, looking like she was sick. When we arrived, I woke her up. I kindly suggested she go to the hospital, but she didn't listen. After that, I came back."

Almost as soon as he finished speaking, Gu Hansheng's slipper sole landed on the man's chest, kicking him several meters away until he collided with one of the bodyguards.

Dazed, he looked up at Gu Hansheng's face, tears streaming down his cheeks, pleading, "I really didn't do anything to her. You can investigate me, I'm clean. I've never done anything wrong. I have a family to support..."

However, the man emitting a gloomy atmosphere suddenly squatted down, staring at the man in front of him with intense ferocity. "Is there anything else you need to confess? Otherwise, I'll chop you up and feed you to the dogs."

The driver struggled to recall, realizing that he had no choice. After a while, he crawled to Gu Hansheng's side, grabbing onto his trouser leg. "I remember now, I remember... I noticed that the lady seemed well-off, so I charged her twice the normal fare because the suburban cemetery was too far. I couldn't get any customers on the way back, so I didn't want to take that route. But the lady was willing to pay, so I went."

"I really didn't do anything to her. I have a paralyzed wife and children studying at home. Big brother, how could I dare to do anything illegal?"

The story sounded genuine, but Gu Hansheng's heart, which had been clenched from the start, felt like it was about to burst. 

The driver was taken away by the guards, and Gu Hansheng turned to search for his phone, intending to make a call.

But perhaps due to his agitation, he couldn't remember where he had placed his phone.

The pent-up frustration in his heart found release as the man kicked over the small table, sending everything on top tumbling to the ground.

Freshly cut flowers in their vase crashed onto the floor, spilling their contents.

Hearing the commotion, Qu An hurriedly entered the disheveled living room, only to find a man exuding a chilling aura, stooping to retrieve a black cellphone from the shattered vase and the spilled water.

Qu An dared not move and slowly retreated.

...

Tonight happened to be Yu Shenzhi's rest day; he didn't have to be on duty or lead patrols. Tonight, he transitioned from enforcer to the one being enforced.

He had made plans to meet his buddies at a bar, hoping to catch some lawbreaker incognito and perhaps detain them for a few days.

Coincidentally, he received a call from Gu Hansheng.

After a brief greeting, he heard the cold, tense voice of a man on the other end, a demeanor he hadn't often seen in Gu Hansheng.

"Help me find someone. Around three-thirty this afternoon near Zero Mansion, a car left. I'll send you the license plate later. Its destination is the city outskirts cemetery. Focus on the surveillance along the route back from the cemetery after four-thirty. Check every car that comes from there!"

The barrage of instructions lacked any sense of conscientiousness befitting a public servant.

Yu Shenzhi muttered a curse under his breath and said to him, "I'm off duty today."

"I don't care if you're off duty or not. If this doesn't get done and I can't find out, I'll dismantle the Yucheng Bureau."

"...Gu Hansheng, do you realize how arrogant you sound?"

"Hurry up."

"I'm using societal resources to help you with this investigation; it's unreasonable."

"Yu Shenzhi."

Yu Shenzhi rose from his seat, apologetically nodding to everyone. "Alright, I understand."

...

As the black phantom departed from Zero Mansion, it was eleven at night.

Throughout the night, Gu Hansheng made numerous calls to Liang Shu, all of which went unanswered.

It wasn't until just now that, after a night of calling, he finally got through.

However, all he heard was a single "hello" before the call automatically ended.

When Gu Hansheng called again, it was met with the cold, mechanical voice of an automated system.

Power off.

That wasn't all; that solitary "hello" came from a man.

Sitting in the backseat, Gu Hansheng's long legs felt restless, his fingers trembling slightly on his knee. As he glanced out the window, the passing scenery seemed to morph into Liang Shu's face.

A week ago, Liang Shu sat in this very seat, speaking to him.

Her voice and demeanor were exceptionally captivating.

Now, Gu Hansheng couldn't articulate the complex emotions swirling within him. He simply felt as if a vital piece of him had suddenly gone missing, leaving him hollow.

The biting wind seeped in, chilling him to the .

When Gu Hansheng arrived at the bureboneau, Yu Shenzhi had just uncovered a lead. He reached out, pulling the man who had just arrived toward the screen, pointing at the paused footage, slowly enlarging it. "Is that her?"

In the surveillance, the woman in the backseat had her eyes closed, her long hair almost entirely obscuring her face.

Yu Shenzhi reached up, touching his chin, and slowly remarked, "Isn't that the woman from the bar that day..."

Gu Hansheng leaned in, his finger snatching the mouse, scrolling back, revealing a chilling face.

"Why is this woman so troublesome? How much trouble does she want to stir up..."

Yu Shenzhi's subsequent words were silenced by the expression in Gu Hansheng's eyes.

"She went to the city outskirts cemetery. Are there any surveillance cameras there?"

"It's unlikely that there are cameras everywhere in the outskirts. There are only traffic cameras, and they can only capture passing vehicles. Moreover—" Yu Shenzhi frowned deeply, his tone serious, "that area is near the highway entrance, and many vehicles head in that direction, making it difficult to investigate."

As he spoke, Yu Shenzhi glanced at the screen and said, "Also, are you sure she returned after going to the city outskirts cemetery?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Gu Hansheng's phone rang.

"Sir, we've searched around, but found no one near the cemetery."

"Are you certain?"

"Very certain."

The man closed his eyes for a moment, his fingers clenched tightly by his side, his hoarse voice trembling slightly, "Pay attention to all the tombstones with fresh flower arrangements. Start from there."

"Yes."

It seemed they had hit a dead end.

Yu Shenzhi furrowed his brow and asked, "Are there no other leads? Perhaps people close to her, family, friends, colleagues?"

The depths of Gu Hansheng's eyes seemed to be filled with a brewing storm, ready to erupt at any moment.

What family, friends, or colleagues could he possibly find regarding Liang Shu?

Seeing the man remain silent, Yu Shenzhi scratched his head in frustration, unable to hold back another curse word.

Gu Hansheng went out to make another call.

This call lasted for twenty minutes.

November 16th, 6:00 a.m.

After a night of endurance, Yu Shenzhi finished his final call. Finally lifting his head from the computer screen, he handed all the information they had to Gu Hansheng, saying, "These are all the vehicle details that came out of the city outskirts cemetery after that time period. We've checked each one; she must have been taken away."

At this point, Yu Shenzhi shook his head. "I may have been too nervous. This situation clearly seems to be her own doing. It's freezing cold, and no one wants to go there by car. Yet, she stubbornly insisted on going to that desolate cemetery alone. Isn't that highly unusual?"

Gu Hansheng focused intently on the numbers on the document, the dark circles beneath his eyes particularly pronounced.

It was the appearance of someone who hadn't slept all night.

Yu Shenzhi stretched lazily, yawning, "Why did you suddenly switch to such a woman with so much trouble? She's beautiful, but there's too much drama."

Gu Hansheng couldn't be bothered to listen to his nonsense. He casually set aside the documents and headed out.

In this season, before dawn, the cold outside was piercing. A man who hardly ever fell ill suddenly sneezed as he stepped out, heading towards his car, and then drove away.

On his way back to Zero Mansion, Gu Hansheng received a call from Yu Shenzhi.

"Just received a report. It seems they've found the person you were looking for."

...

Gu Hansheng rushed back to the bureau. The sky was just beginning to turn a crab-shell blue, accompanied by the dawn's first light, promising good weather.

But his mood couldn't lift.

Throughout the night, the man's nerves hadn't relaxed for a moment. He experienced a sense of defeat he had never felt before, as if the frustrations of last night had been replayed over and over again.

Before he even stepped through the door, Yu Shenzhi's voice reached him, "Miss, please calm down. I know you're innocent. Even if that person is dead, it won't be pinned on you, alright?"

After finishing his words, Yu Shenzhi twirled the tip of his pen, then raised his eyebrows when he saw Gu Hansheng entering. He turned to the woman beside him and said, "The principal figure has arrived. Tell him the specifics."

When Gu Hansheng suddenly appeared here, she was frightened.

The woman, no more than twenty years old, wore slippers and pajamas under a coat, looking somewhat disheveled. Seeing someone like Gu Hansheng, she felt a sudden fear and agitation grip her heart.

"Hello..." She stuttered nervously.

Gu Hansheng rubbed his fingers together, half-closed his eyes, his profile sharp.

He wasn't interested in small talk. He looked directly at the woman and said, "Since you've come to report, do you have any evidence?"

The woman nodded eagerly, pulling out her phone from her coat pocket and handing it to Gu Hansheng. Then she said, "I took some photos."

In the photos, Liang Shu's face was visible.

The hospital gown she wore was striking under the dim light.

Her pale face was also quite attention-grabbing, with a deathly pallor uncharacteristic of a living person.

Without delay, Gu Hansheng asked her to lead the way. Yu Shenzhi found someone to take over the morning shift, a slightly more awake officer, to act as the driver. They followed the woman back to her place.

On the way, she slowly explained to Gu Hansheng:

"I was working overtime yesterday and didn't get home until midnight, and then..." The woman clenched her fingers, couldn't help but glance at Gu Hansheng, then continued, "I found someone on the way, still wearing a hospital gown, sitting on a bench in the freezing cold. I was a bit scared at the time, so I looked at her from a distance for a few more moments. Later, she just collapsed on the chair."

"I couldn't help but approach her, trying to wake her up and take her to the hospital, but she refused. She looked so pitiful..."

Gu Hansheng stared at her, silent.

The woman glanced at his cold face again, never having seen a man with such a powerful aura before. She continued, "So I had to bring her home, but as soon as we got home, she started running a high fever and kept mumbling incomprehensibly. I was so scared..."

"What did she say?"

"She just kept rambling about something I couldn't quite understand. In the middle of the night, her complexion looked so terrible, I was really afraid something bad would happen to her. I suggested going to the hospital, but she still refused. All she kept saying was something about '生'."

Yu Shenzhi naturally heard everything clearly. He glanced at Gu Hansheng through the rearview mirror. The man, sitting upright, had hardly changed his expression, but Yu Shenzhi couldn't help but feel that he didn't seem as terrifying as before.

"Later, I had no choice but to call the police."

Gu Hansheng's gaze turned sharp as he looked at her, his brow furrowed. "You just left her at home?"

The woman was frightened by his tone, so she leaned towards the car door, casting a sidelong glance at the man's tightly wrapped thighs, covered by expensive trousers, and further down, his long legs, all wrapped in a black coat...

But she dared not look up further. She shrank back, saying, "She wouldn't listen to anything. I had no choice."

The man clenched his jaw, instructing the officer in the front seat, "Drive faster."

Yu Shenzhi glanced at the numbers on the dashboard. "We can't go any faster. We can't break the law and embarrass our fellow traffic officers. We have to maintain this speed."

The woman, in her twenties, had never encountered such a situation before today. Originally a law-abiding citizen who worked diligently, she hadn't expected to pick up such a stunningly beautiful but seriously ill woman on her way home from work.

Even more unexpected was sitting in a car with such a remarkable man at this moment.

The woman realized she was digressing and bit her lip, quickly stealing a glance at the man, then hesitantly asked, "Sir, may I ask who she is to you...?"

"My wife," Gu Hansheng replied flatly.

As soon as he finished speaking, Yu Shenzhi in the front seat couldn't help but cough, turning around with an extremely shocked expression to look at Gu Hansheng.

The woman nodded knowingly, "So she's your wife. She's so young and beautiful, I thought she was your sister, after all, you both look so outstanding in appearance."

Gu Hansheng, "..."