13 Guessing and probing

In the evening, Zhang Yaoyang conducted some small experiments in his dreams again, without alerting anyone. By now, he gradually understood the importance of keeping his abilities hidden, a secret he wouldn't divulge to anyone.

Early the next morning, Zhang Yaoyang was awakened by the urgent blare of sirens. Rubbing his still sleepy eyes, he noticed the chaos downstairs, accompanied by intermittent clamor.

"What's happening?" Zhang Yaoyang asked as Liu Yang rushed into the dormitory, a sense of foreboding creeping over him.

"Lijiao, Lijiao and the others had a car accident!" Liu Yang's face was pale, his eyes red and frantic as he scratched his head. "Do you know? They didn't come back last night! It wasn't until this morning when the police found this place that we knew..."

"A car accident?" Zhang Yaoyang squinted. "What's the situation?"

"They're dead..." Liu Yang's face fell, pain evident in his closed eyes. "All dead, everyone... not even a single intact body."

Zhang Yaoyang's right eye twitched suddenly. The image of the girl he had talked to last night flashed through his mind, her innocent and charming smile still vivid. The hazy memory clashed with the sudden reality, causing him to take a deep breath.

"I need to see what's going on." Zhang Yaoyang closed his eyes, paused, then remembered the eerie smile of the taxi driver from last night. He immediately got out of bed and headed downstairs.

Downstairs, a police car was parked, several officers huddled around the principal, continuously asking questions. The principal wore a troubled expression, sweat beading on his forehead.

"Officer," Zhang Yaoyang took a deep breath, approaching one of the policemen. "I want to ask, are all the people involved in the accident... dead?"

"Yes," the thirty-something police officer turned and gave Zhang Yaoyang a scrutinizing look. "Unfortunately, we haven't found any survivors. You're their classmate, right? Could you tell me about their situation yesterday?"

"Sure," Zhang Yaoyang nodded, recounting the dinner gathering, the visit to the KTV, and the final taxi ride. However, when he mentioned that they had departed from the Global Golden Seat KTV, the officer seemed momentarily stunned.

"Is there something wrong?" Zhang Yaoyang asked tentatively.

"N-nothing," the officer quickly shook his head, but then seemed to avoid eye contact. "Well, thank you very much for the information, we'll take it into consideration."

With that, the officer called his colleagues, hurriedly got into the car, and left the school.

Watching the police car fade into the distance, Zhang Yaoyang fell silent.

Once again, he recalled the smile of the driver from last night. For some reason, a peculiar sense of unease gripped him. With a cold snort, and considering the officer's unnatural demeanor, Zhang Yaoyang began to understand that this incident might not be as simple as it seemed...

During breakfast, Liu Yang seemed completely disoriented, his usual favorite sweet and sour ribs tasteless.

Seeing his despondent friend, Zhang Yaoyang patted his shoulder. "Liu Yang, I remember your brother works in the Criminal Investigation Department, right?"

"Hmm?" Liu Yang looked up slightly, puzzled, then nodded. "Yes, what's the matter?"

As a local, Liu Yang had once invited Zhang Yaoyang and other classmates to have dinner at his brother's place. His brother lived in a police housing complex, and it was through this connection that Zhang Yaoyang knew about Liu Yang's brother's police identity.

"I want to know what really happened last night." Zhang Yaoyang spoke softly. "Don't you find it suspicious?"

"Suspicious?" Liu Yang looked at Zhang Yaoyang bewilderedly, then realization dawned. He reached out and patted Zhang Yaoyang's shoulder with a touch of bitterness. "Bro, don't blame yourself too much. Strictly speaking, this is actually my fault. If I hadn't invited them yesterday, maybe they wouldn't have..."

Zhang Yaoyang shook his head. Obviously, Liu Yang thought he cared too much about that girl, Zheng Jiaran, and was unwilling to accept the truth, hence the words.

"It's not like that." Zhang Yaoyang pushed away Liu Yang's arm with a slap. "Do you know what? I've discovered something very strange." With that, he took out his phone, searched on Baidu, and handed it to Liu Yang. "Notice anything? There's no report about Lijiao and the others on the entire official website of Yanzhou City."

Liu Yang was stunned for a moment, taking the phone somewhat perplexed. After a serious examination, he said, "Indeed, there isn't. But maybe it's because it hasn't been reported yet? Or perhaps they think it's not worth mentioning..."

Before he could finish, Liu Yang stopped abruptly, unable to continue.

He scrolled through the website once again, only to find information about the fire at the Meihao Supermarket two days ago, along with various traffic accidents and robbery cases. Even this morning's car accident had been reported. However, there was no mention whatsoever of the accident involving Li Jiao.

"It's quite strange, isn't it?" Zhang Yaoyang remarked again. "A total of five people, plus the driver. If all five people perished, then the driver couldn't have escaped death either, right? That would make it six people in total. This traffic accident, no matter where you put it, is an absolute major case. But I've checked several newspaper websites and even government official sites, and there's not a single report about this accident."

"What are you suggesting?" Liu Yang's expression became completely serious as he stared at Zhang Yaoyang. "Are you suggesting that there might be something suspicious about Li Jiao's death?"

"Whether there's anything suspicious, it's hard to say for now," Zhang Yaoyang shook his head. "Maybe I'm just being paranoid, but you mentioned that your brother works in the Criminal Investigation Brigade. I believe he definitely knows what happened."

"Yes!" Liu Yang's expression immediately became resolute. Feeling guilty for inviting Li Jiao and the others himself, he now sensed that there might be more to the situation. He swiftly took out his phone and dialed his brother's number.

...

Meanwhile, in the conference room of the Criminal Investigation Brigade of the Public Security Bureau, a man bearing a resemblance to Liu Yang was deeply engrossed in examining the photos on the table, lost in thought.

"What's going on? What kind of death is this?" Liu Hai scratched his head in frustration, gulping down a cup of tea on the table, only to hear a burst of swearing from the next room. Soon after, the chief of the Criminal Investigation Brigade entered, followed by an older-looking man.

"Liu Hai, Chief Shen," everyone in the conference room stood up, including the man.

"Liu Hai, everyone, please be seated," Chief Shen took a deep breath, nodded to Chief Liu, and sat in the main seat of the conference room, while Chief Liu could only sit on the side.

"As you all should know, the Bureau attaches great importance to this case. The purpose of this meeting is to gather everyone's thoughts and strive to solve the case within three days. At the very least, we need to find out who... or what... could cause such a manner of death."

...

The emergency meeting concluded quickly. Liu Hai immediately checked his phone, only to realize he had missed four or five calls, all from his younger brother.

As soon as he remembered that both the deceased and his younger brother attended the same university, Liu Hai's heart skipped a beat, and he hastily returned the call.

"Hey? Xiaoyang, are you okay?"

"Bro, I've been trying to reach you for ages, why didn't you call back sooner?"

"I was in an emergency meeting just now," relieved to hear his brother was fine, Liu Hai sighed, "I'm busy at the moment, make it quick!"

"Oh, I see," Liu Yang coughed, "Bro, since you work in the Criminal Investigation Brigade, you should know about the car accident involving several girls from our university last night, right?"

Liu Hai's expression changed immediately, "Why are you asking about that?"

"Bro, tell me, was it really just an accident?" Liu Yang lowered his voice, sounding mysterious, "Don't lie to me."

"Of course, it was an accident. What's with these questions?" Liu Hai glanced around, looking somewhat uneasy.

"Really?" Liu Yang was skeptical. "If it was just a regular accident, why hasn't any local media reported it yet? And if it was a regular accident, you shouldn't even know about it, because it would be under the jurisdiction of the traffic police."

"You're trying to trick me!" Liu Hai suddenly snapped.

"Bro, don't be angry," Liu Yang quickly tried to placate him, "But you probably don't know that all the girls who died were from our class. I just want to know the truth."

Liu Hai took a deep breath, hesitated for a moment, then sighed, "Xiaoyang, I can tell you what happened, but..."

"You can tell me..." Liu Yang's tone became serious.

"But this case, you mustn't inquire about it randomly, let alone leak out what I tell you," Liu Hai solemnly warned, "If you don't want your big brother to be suspended, remember, don't let it slip!"