NOVEL WEB Chapter 23: Teacher
The time rewinds to late last night.
Eerie darkness fills the underground workspace, illuminated by the glow of seven or eight screens, with the LEDs on the routers and servers blinking incessantly. The constant hum of cooling fans is the perpetual backdrop of this place.
The man in the wheelchair, 'Gray Shark,' sits in front of the computer, the cold light from the screen accentuating his gaunt and mysterious face.
Wearing headphones, he speaks with Zhou Qingfeng, his bony fingers pushing the mouse rapidly, opening several documents and images on the screen with each crisp click.
"Besides the recovered recording, I found several clues, all pointing to the White Beach Town police station, pointing to William Congers."
'Gray Shark' is now as excited as a hunter who has found their prey.
"I contacted Amazon's operations staff and easily found William Congers' purchase records in the e-commerce database.
He bought a drone a month before the incident, and it's the high-end model, capable of remote control."
"And," Gray Shark quickly switches pages, "I found his delivery information in the FedEx database.
The goods list shows he purchased a prepaid phone, and the purchase time of this phone was within a week of the drone purchase.
Prepaid phones are usually used to hide one's identity. Why would he buy one unless he had some specific use for it?"
'Gray Shark' leans back in his chair, arms crossed, waiting for Zhou Qingfeng's response on the call.
Zhou Qingfeng is standing outside a car wash, raising his head blankly to look at the night sky, scalp tingling and heart racing, a growing sense of unease spreading inside him.
The details of the "Bar Lottery" case keep flashing in his mind. He couldn't have imagined that behind the seemingly peaceful town lies such a dark side.
"Also," Gray Shark's voice rings out again, "William Congers was one of the first to be aware of the 'Bar Lottery' case. He is most likely the one who could have made advance preparations.
He's worked at the police station for years and is very familiar with the town's situation. Making early arrangements would be a piece of cake for him."
'Gray Shark' is convinced he has found the key person blackmailing Zhou Qingfeng. "The FBI has listed him as the prime suspect for a reason."
Zhou Qingfeng breaks out in a cold sweat as he listens. He can't believe Gray Shark's judgment but finds no evidence to refute it.
The drone and the prepaid phone were bought before the 'lottery' case and could be said to have been prepared for something else.
But the voice on the blackmail call was unmistakably Congers.
A month after the "Bar Lottery" case, he remained completely silent, like a beast lurking in the darkness, waiting for the perfect moment.
It wasn't until Zhou Qingfeng went to cash the lottery that he made the threatening call.
But, what does he want? Is he worried that Zhou Qingfeng might sign his name on the back of the lottery ticket, making it useless if stolen?
Even though the lottery ticket is unregistered, the owner can still sign the back to confirm ownership. After all, no one named John Doe would sign Jane Doe's name on their ticket.
But if Zhou Qingfeng quietly cashed the ticket and made a quick getaway, Congers would be helpless, unable to get anything.
After all, a whole month had passed, which is enough time for anything to happen.
"Something's not right, there's definitely something wrong here." Zhou Qingfeng mutters to himself, feeling like his mind is a tangled mess that he can't unravel.
He keeps feeling that it's too illogical for Congers to be the mastermind, but his chaotic thoughts can't find any clear direction.
He paces back and forth in the night breeze, feeling his heartbeat accelerate with each step, the unease and tension becoming more intense.
"I have to find Congers." Regardless of whether Zhou Qingfeng believes it or not, the current investigation focus is William Congers.
"Don't rush to find anyone just yet," Gray Shark continues, "Chief Inspector Karl's surgery will be over before dawn. The 'Hourly Worker' I found for you will call you anytime.
You'd better find a place to hide first. After dawn, the police will increase their search efforts. If you drive around aimlessly, you'll definitely get caught."
Hide? Cat.c@h+ the f.ormat$t@e^d& ve+rsion* at M|V|^L^E$M$_+P!Y.R#.^
Zhou Qingfeng really doesn't know where he can hide.
This White Beach Town looks familiar, but at this moment he has nowhere to go. The people he can trust are very few, and places to hide are even fewer.
'Gray Shark' continues, "By the way, your original phone number is no longer in use, but I'm monitoring it from the backend of the telecom provider.
A lot of people tried to contact you, like Kelly who introduced me to you, and your lawyer, Beck Hughes.
Most calls were abandoned after failing to connect. But there's one number that not only called repeatedly but also sent several text messages."
Kelly and Old Beck are savvy; they know Zhou Qingfeng is probably not in a position to take calls right now and wouldn't blatantly call to discuss anything.
They know that 'Gray Shark' is in contact with Zhou Qingfeng, so they aren't anxious. But who is that other number?
"Texts?" Zhou Qingfeng asks curiously, "Who sent them?"
'Gray Shark' reveals a teasing smile in front of the computer, "I did a random search online and found the owner of that phone number on a dating site.
It's a high school history teacher named Helen, who seems to be looking for a life partner, though her activity suggests she hasn't had the courage to take that step."
The computer screen shows a poised and mature woman, gentle in appearance, with a faint smile, exactly the image 'Gray Shark' had dug up from the dating site.
"She was my history teacher." Zhou Qingfeng says immediately upon hearing the name, remembering the few times he was called to the office after class. Helen had been quite nice to him.