Chapter 381: The Truth About The Ghost Bus (1/2)
Perhaps the murderer was inspired or triggered after reading Zhou Yang’s post and decided to kill everyone on the ghost bus that night. The first people he located were the hostesses of the nightclub. Zhang Bing must have kept their information on his cell phone so he contacted them using Zhang Bing's phone.
At the time, I assumed the murderer stole one of the hostess' cell phones out of greed but now it seemed he had another reason. There must have been chat records that he didn’t want the police to find.
Then, the next easiest thing was to locate Zhou Yang. The murderer fabricated some reason to trick Zhou Yang out and kidnapped him, forcing him to call Luo Youyou. He probably obtained Dali’s name from looking at her cell phone.
This all made the murderer less mysterious and fantastical. His murder pattern had its own rules, and now, the trail has gone cold for him! Yet, we had acquired much information!
Upon listening to my analysis, Xiaotao said, ”I think we should start with Zhang Bing! The murderer could be someone who has past grievances with him.”
”Since he’s already killed Zhang Bing, why keep killing?” Bingxin wondered out loud.
”Maybe he’s addicted to killing. From his sophisticated modus operandi and careful thinking, this man definitely has experience in committing murders. A man like him regards killing as a game and a challenge!”
”So, the case has nothing to do with the ghost bus?” asked Bingxin.
”Let's take a two-pronged approach!” Xiaotao declared. “We have to find out more about the ghost bus. This suspicious bus haunts Nanjiang City late at night, causing unwanted rumors and panic among the public. We can use this opportunity to take it out!”
Dali and Luo Youyou returned to the store, while the three of us headed to the station. We held a case discussion and summarized the information in our hands.
Zhang Bing had quite a lot of enemies, and his many debts had him running from loan sharks. He had to hide and stay on the move with no fixed place of residence. It was probably for this reason that he cooperated with human traffickers to partake in such a contemptible business.
Zhang Bing's laptop was filled with debt transactions. The police made a list and were ready to investigate each and every one of those transactions.
The police were also investigating several chemical plants in Nanjiang City. Officers were also assigned to investigate the original crime scene of Zhang Bing’s murder, focusing on passing vehicles at the time. However, due to the remoteness of the location, no witnesses were found.
On the third night, the five of us headed to Redbud Road once more. By this time, we had completely lost our initial enthusiasm. After two consecutive late nights, we were exhausted. As soon as the clock struck midnight, Xiaotao sighed, ”Looks like we waited for nothing again.”
”It's boring to stand around here doing nothing,” grumbled Bingxin. “Let's play a word game. I’ll go first... Too big a tail.”
”Amateur…” mocked Xiaotao. “Luring the tiger out of its den!”
The two got into the game, finally stopping at “do whatever you please” when they failed to find a corresponding idiom.
Luo Youyou suddenly pointed into the distance and shouted, ”Look over there!”
Fog enveloped the street as the outline of a bus gradually appeared. Seeing the ghost bus for the first time, Xiaotao opened her mouth in amazement, “How can this be!”
We stood next to the stop sign so the bus pulled up right in front of us. As we filed in, I grabbed a small vial to store a sample of the fog.
After getting on the bus, we immediately found our seats. Bingxin watched in surprise as I studied the contents of the vial. ”Can you keep a sample of the fog?” she asked.
”Look carefully at what it is,” I urged.
After further examination, Bingxin analyzed, ”This gas is heavier than air.” She reached out and touched the vial, ”It’s cold... It’s carbon dioxide!”