Chapter 188: Trapped in the Wall (1/2)

Xiaotao and I re-entered the classroom. I sniffed at the walls, but the wallpaper appeared to be scented, so I couldn’t detect the presence of any human body inside.

“Are you sure the rich lady is hidden here?” asked Xiaotao. “Wouldn’t she be easily discovered here?”

I tore down the wallpaper and a layer of soundproofing material was exposed.

“With the soundproofing material,” I said, “no one would suspect anything.”

Xiaotao ripped the wallpaper on the other wall down and was shocked. “Song Yang!” she shouted. “There’s no soundproofing material on any of the walls except that one! She must be in there!”

A janitor heard the commotion and rushed into the room. He was stunned when he saw us tearing down the wallpaper. He demanded to know who we were, so Xiaotao showed him her police badge and said, “We’re investigating a case. Please go get some people in here and bring along some tools to break down the wall!”

The janitor froze for a moment, then argued, “But Officer, must you break down the wall? How will I explain this to the headmaster?”

“Don’t worry about that,” Xiaotao reassured him. “I’ll take responsibility for everything that happens here. You’ll be noted for your contribution too. And you might even be featured in the newspaper!”

The janitor’s heart melted when he heard that. He shook his head modestly and said, “The newspaper? No… I’ll be too embarrassed to have my picture on the front page! Right, I’ll go get help straight away!”

Soon after that, the janitor returned with a few other men and some tools. I reminded them to be very careful because there could be someone hidden behind the wall. They were taken aback when they heard that.

“Is it a corpse?” asked the janitor.

If the rich lady really was behind that wall, then it would be pointless to hide the fact from these people, so I answered, “No, it’s a living person.”

The men were horrified. They carefully tore down the layer of soundproofing material, exposing newly-laid bricks behind it. When I saw that, I was convinced that we’d found the rich lady. The school would’ve been empty during the holidays, so Xu Gang could very easily sneak into the classroom and hide the rich lady behind the wall.

More importantly, this would be fitting revenge for Xu Gang. He would’ve wanted the rich lady to slowly die while she was separated from her daughter only by a wall. She would be able to hear the sound of her daughter’s voice reading and talking and laughing, yet she would not be able to see her or to speak to her, and she would have to endure it for two long years—it would simply be a fate worse than the tortures of hell!

When the men broke down a few bricks, the wall suddenly vibrated. Everyone backed away in fright.