Chapter 840

Seven days passed in the blink of an eye.

Su Qingyu was like a drop of dew evaporating in Wuzhou, leaving not a trace.

Documents piled up in the office with no one to sign them; the secretary called nonstop, but the other end always gave the mechanical voice prompt: "Sorry, the number you have dialed is turned off……"

Zhao Linlin went to the few teahouses and clubs he usually frequented, asking around, but all she got were head shakes.

Only on the third day did Zhao Linlin faintly sense something was off—this good-for-nothing husband, even if he were dodging debts, shouldn't stop using his credit card; something major must have happened!

The fourth day.

Zhao Linlin went to the police station, her tone impatient: "My husband's missing; he hasn't come home for three days, I can't reach him by phone—I suspect he's disappeared."

The officers registered the case according to procedure.

They asked a few simple questions: "Has he recently had any feuds with anyone? Any financial disputes? Anything unusual before he disappeared?"

Zhao Linlin thought: "Feuds? What kind of enemy could that coward make? Financial disputes—the company's accounts seem a bit off. As for abnormalities…"

She pursed her lips: "When is he ever normal?"

After taking her statement, the police said they would investigate and told her to go home and wait.

Zhao Linlin walked out of the police station, stood on the steps, and lit a cigarette in frustration.

What truly vexed her was the pile of work waiting at the company, her son's school needing a parent‑teacher meeting, and now she also had to deal with police questioning.

As for her husband Su Qingyu, let him die wherever he wants.

Zhao Linlin didn't care whether Su Qingyu lived or died.

Now, the only person who truly cared about Su Qingyu's fate was probably Lin Dongfan.

The seventh day of Su Qingyu's disappearance.

Lin Dongfan summoned Luo Zhiwei to his office—a man over fifty, the current deputy mayor of Wuzhou and also the chief of the Municipal Public Security Bureau.

Luo Zhiwei sat down on the sofa, his back ramrod straight, but the bloodshot eyes revealed days of fatigue.

"Chief Luo, Su Qingyu has been missing for a week." Lin Dongfan got straight to the point: "What's your take on this?"

Luo Zhiwei pondered for a few seconds.

He spoke solemnly: "Mayor Lin, based on the current clues, the situation looks grim. Su Qingyu was last seen in the underground parking lot of Kaiyue Hotel; the surveillance never caught him leaving. At the same time, Zhao Tianyu checked into room 404 using a fake ID. Our technical unit examined the room and found signs of a struggle."

"Any evidence?" Lin Dongfan asked.

Luo chief replied: "We extracted a trace of blood from the crack in the coffee table; the technical team is currently running a DNA comparison."

Lin Dongfan pressed: "What's Zhao Tianyu's side saying?"

"He denies everything."

Luo Zhiwei said gravely: "He claims that day he was alone at the hotel, drank a little, felt upset and smashed the coffee table. Asked if he'd met Su Qingyu, he said no, that he hadn't seen Su Qingyu in days. As for using a fake ID to get the room, he said a friend gave it to him, that he only uses it occasionally for some peace and quiet."

"Peace and quiet?" Lin Dongfan chuckled: "Using a fake ID to book a room for peace and quiet? Chief Luo, do you believe that?"

Luo Zhiwei said nothing.

"Let's form a special task force." Lin Dongfan said: "Su Qingyu is a well‑known entrepreneur in our city; missing for a week, the social impact is terrible. You take the lead, pick capable personnel, and solve the case within a deadline."

"Understood."

Luo Zhiwei stood and replied: "I plan to have Zhou Zheng of the Criminal Investigation Detachment handle this case; he's rich in criminal‑investigation experience and had some prior contact with Su Qingyu, so he knows the background."

"Zhou Zheng?"

Lin Dongfan mused over the name, a faint impression forming: "I've heard he's cracked a few big cases."

"Exactly, the serial robbery case last year was cracked by his team." Luo Zhiwei said: "Zhou Zheng is tough‑handed and meticulous in his work."

"Then you handle it." Lin Dongfan added: "Report any progress directly to me."

2:00 p. m.

Municipal Public Security Bureau Criminal Investigation Detachment meeting room.

The person standing before the whiteboard was the detachment chief—Zhou Zheng, thirty‑five years old, crew‑cut, square face, his uniform crisp.

He pointed to the photos and relationship chart stuck on the whiteboard.

His voice was steady and powerful:

Su Qingyu, legal representative of Green Wild Landscaping, brother-in-law of Zhao Group CEO Zhao Tianyu, was last seen at 7:50 p. m. last Friday in the underground parking lot of the Hyatt Hotel. Hotel surveillance only captured his entry, not his exit, and his whereabouts remain unknown.

Zhou Zheng changed pens and drew a circle around Zhao Tianyu's name.

He then continued:

"Key figure Zhao Tianyu, at 7:55 p. m. that night, registered using a fake ID under the name 'Wang Jianguo', checked into room 404 of the Hyatt Hotel. At 9:07 p. m. he called room service; when the attendant entered, they found the coffee table glass shattered and the carpet stained with a lot of liquor. Zhao Tianyu explained it as a drunken mishap and compensated the hotel two thousand yuan."

Seven or eight criminal investigators sat in the conference room, each with a solemn expression.

Zhou Zheng further explained the case: "The technical unit extracted trace bloodstains from the crack in the coffee table; DNA comparison will take time."

As he spoke, he put down the pen in his hand.

He then shifted focus: "But we can first do a few things: first, take the hotel as the center and review surrounding surveillance within a ten‑kilometer radius; second, investigate all of Zhao Tianyu's recent contacts, especially his movements around last Friday; third, investigate Su Qingyu's social connections to see if there are any other enemies or disputes."

He looked around at everyone present.

His voice grew heavy again: "The missing person is the son‑in‑law of the Zhao family, yet the prime suspect is Zhao Tianyu of the Zhao family, the missing person's older uncle. The higher-ups attach great importance to this case; Mayor Lin personally ordered the formation of a special task force. Everyone present must stay focused and strive for a breakthrough within a week."

"Yes!"

After the meeting adjourned, Zhou Zheng returned to his office and closed the door.

He walked to the window, watched the police cars coming and going in the courtyard below, lit a cigarette. Amid the curling smoke, his expression grew somewhat complex.

Su Qingyu's disappearance case.

Zhao Tianyu.

These two names kept turning in his mind for Along time.

He recalled the anonymous call last night from a number that did not display; the caller only said one sentence: "The winds and waves are growing stronger; stay alert in your conduct and actions, and don't slip up at critical moments."

At the time he wanted to ask: "Who are you?"

The phone had no reply, and it was hung up directly.

Zhou Zheng took a deep drag of his cigarette, then pressed the butt out in the ashtray. At this moment his deepest feeling was: some cases aren't something he can investigate just because he wants to.