The weapon by the pillow

Chapter 80 The Key to Murder

"Ptooey, it stinks...it stinks!" After the minor surgery, Cheng Jing joked with Cheng Tan while cleaning the key with alcohol.

Lying on the bed, Cheng Tan felt even more distressed.

"You mean this key might be the murder weapon from thirteen years ago... I... I've been carrying it with me for so long!" He deeply regretted why he had the sudden idea to put it in his own hands back then... Thinking about this, the wound on his buttocks started to burn.

He remembered a dream he had, which seemed to be related to keys!

His head swayed, and he vaguely remembered that the key in his dream seemed to have pierced straight into the woman's chest, and he could almost feel her heartbeat in his palm...

His face turned deathly pale!

"Are you alright?" Cheng Jing asked softly, trying to comfort her. "You were just kidding, weren't you? This might just be Liu Li's house key. Don't overthink it!"

"Ah! Another, another dead person! I... I'm going to get infected with corpse poison!" Cheng Tan's voice changed.

"Come on! Liu Li isn't really dead! Besides, if it weren't for this key, you'd probably be like those seven people, disappearing into who-knows-where!"

Cheng Jing stopped abruptly after saying that.

The seven people are still missing, neither alive nor dead. This is no joke!

"Where do you think they might be hidden?" Seeing that Cheng Tan didn't speak, Cheng Jing took out the key to dry, opened the cigarette case with her other hand, took out a cigarette, and lit it for herself.

"You said... the woman in black who got her head blown off also had a key?" Cheng Tan didn't answer, but instead asked, "Have you found any clues?"

"It has a number! It looks like a key to a locker in some public area!"

As she was saying this, Cheng Jing's phone rang.

It was my master calling.

After hanging up the phone, Cheng Jing hesitated for a few seconds, somewhat dazed:

"I need to go back to that murder scene on the film set to hand things over with Yang Hong, and also..."

"And incidentally, satisfy this woman's lust for power! Let her get arrogant... right?" Cheng Tan sighed. "These little schemes might not be enough to catch her. To lure her into a bigger trap, you have to be willing to use your ultimate weapon!"

"What big move are you planning to make?" Cheng Jing asked quickly.

Seeing that Cheng Tan remained silent, Cheng Jing grew impatient. She angrily threw down the lighter, "Say it or don't, your injury isn't serious anyway. Take care of yourself from now on, fend for yourself!"

"No, no! I'm poisoned by both metal and corpse poison!" Cheng Tan cried out anxiously. "I was thinking, could we throw the key you're holding to Yang Hong and see what she does with it? We can keep an eye on her from the shadows... and use her against her!"

"This...this is the most important thing that woman in black has, it's a crucial clue!" Cheng Jing picked up the key, somewhat reluctantly.

"You've taken this key, but does anyone know? Don't you understand the saying 'Those who possess a treasure are guilty'? If you don't give it away now, many people will be watching you, and you won't be able to move an inch! Besides..."

Cheng Tan turned to the side and pointed with difficulty to the keys in the tray.

"We still have this, don't we!"

...

Tunnel entrance.

The scene was even more chaotic than Director Li had described on the phone.

The cordon has been set up, and dozens of media reporters have aimed their cameras and microphones at the core area inside the cordon. Flashes of light are going off one after another, and questions and noises are mixed together.

Cheng Jing stood inside the police cordon, not far from the body of the woman in black.

She was pale as she listened to the initial report from the head of the local criminal investigation team in charge of the scene.

"...The deceased was a woman, aged approximately 30 to 40, about 1.65 meters tall, and weighing approximately 55 kilograms. She was dressed casually in a dark tracksuit and had no identification. The fatal wound was a gunshot wound below the occipital bone at the back of her head, resulting in immediate death. The shooting distance was approximately three meters, and the angle was slightly upward, consistent with the position and shooting posture described by Special Officer Zhao..."

Just then, an even bigger commotion came from outside the cordon.

"Make way! Make way!"

"The city bureau leaders are here!"

The crowd parted, and Yang Hong, accompanied by two inspectors, strode in.

She was wearing a crisp uniform, her face serious. Her gaze swept across the chaotic scene before finally settling on Cheng Jing.

Cheng Jing met her gaze, and their eyes briefly met in the air.

There were no sparks, only a cold stare.

"Comrade Cheng Jing." Yang Hong walked up to Cheng Jing. "As instructed by the bureau leadership, you are hereby notified that due to your improper handling of this escort mission, which resulted in significant casualties and adverse social impact, it has been decided that you are suspended from all duties and immediately placed under internal investigation. Please hand over your identification and service weapon and cooperate with subsequent work."

As soon as he finished speaking, the surroundings fell silent.

Cheng Jing looked at Yang Hong, offering neither argument nor explanation. She calmly took out her police ID from her inner pocket, then retrieved her service pistol from its holster and handed it to a nearby inspector.

"The firearms and documents will be temporarily kept by us," the inspector said routinely as he took them.

Looking at the items Cheng Jing handed over, a complex emotion flashed across Yang Hong's eyes. "Comrade Cheng Jing, please return to the Municipal Bureau now to cooperate with the investigation."

Cheng Jing nodded: "Okay. But before I leave, I need to make some necessary handovers regarding the site investigation and follow-up work."

"No need," Yang Hong interrupted directly. "I will take over the on-site investigation and subsequent investigation. Your task is to cooperate with the investigation, explain why you changed the action plan without authorization this morning, brought witnesses to the film studio, and provide a detailed account of what happened."

Her words effectively shut down any possibility that Cheng Jing might want to get involved in the subsequent investigation.

Cheng Jing paused for a moment, then said, "Okay. But I need to point out one thing: the deceased's identity is unknown, her motive is questionable, and her appearance and death may be related to the Anpingli live-streaming case I'm currently investigating. That key..."

"A key?" Yang Hong keenly caught this key phrase. "What key?"

Cheng Jing didn't hide anything. She took out an evidence bag containing the brass key and showed it to Yang Hong: "It was found on the deceased. I think this could be an important clue, possibly related to the truth of the Anpingli case."

Yang Hong's gaze fell on the key, and her pupils involuntarily contracted.

She reached out, took the key, examined it carefully, and then held it in her palm.

"We will handle the evidence according to the law." Her tone became somewhat urgent. "It will be examined by a specialist as evidence in this case. Comrade Cheng Jing, what you need to focus on now is your own problem. Let's go."

Cheng Jing glanced at the keys that had been taken away, then at the body covered with a white sheet on the ground, and finally, her gaze swept across Yang Hong's face, through the crowd, and she said slowly:

"Keep this key safe, it's... been used to kill someone!"