RNP Chapter 33 You're Smarter Than Your Master
Chapter 33 You're Smarter Than Your Master
Cheng Jing's hand trembled slightly as she took the cigarette.
A cigarette slipped out of the pack and fell to the ground, completely unaware of its presence.
What is this director trying to do with this scene?!
The arrogant mastermind behind the scenes treats everyone as tools, materials, and trump cards in his hand... Now, he has to run!
Cheng Jing calmed herself down.
"Team A, prepare to move out on my orders!" she immediately commanded, then asked, "What's the situation at Building 7?"
"Team B reports: There is a faint light coming from the window of Room 403 in Building 7, but the door remains tightly closed. A crowd of onlookers and social media users have gathered downstairs, and a cordon has been set up. The SWAT breaching team is in position and ready to storm the building at any time."
storm?
Cheng Jing recalled her mentor Zhou Zhigang's warning: the person who set this up must have anticipated the police's reaction and prepared a trap.
What will happen if we launch a strong attack?
If we wait, there are only a few minutes left until 3 o'clock.
Dilemma.
"Captain Cheng, what are we waiting for?" Chen Ming's anxious voice came through. "The people inside could be in danger at any moment! Who knows what's below that secret room! They seem to be being guided by that voice, and there are those strange weapons... that die... I feel like this is a huge conspiracy!"
"Wait a minute." Cheng Jing suddenly remembered something. "Chen Ming, contact the technical department immediately. I need to know the details of the live stream signal's transmission path. In particular, is there any signal delay?"
"Delay?"
"Yes! Is the live stream footage real-time, or is there a delay of a few seconds or even minutes?"
This question pierced through the fog like a lightning bolt.
If there is a delay in the live stream, the operator will have time to adjust their next move based on what is happening in the room.
It is even possible to create the illusion of "prophecy" or "synchronization" through delay.
Both of them realized the importance of the problem. Chen Ming, being a man of action, immediately contacted the technical department and received a reply within a minute:
"Team Leader Cheng, the tech team says the live stream signal has two sources: the one from Cheng Tan's computer has a delay of about 30 seconds, and the mobile signal source... has intelligent buffering, with a delay between 1 and 3 minutes, and it's unstable!"
1 to 3 minutes!
That's enough!
Enough for the operator to see what's happening in the room and then react—
For example, knocking on the door, throwing in an imported red box, or activating those miniature speakers!
"So the manipulator is nearby, watching in real time, and then 'directing' all of this. Now he's making a running motion, what's he trying to do?"
Cheng Jing's eyes sharpened instantly, her long eyelashes fluttering. "Group A, be careful, the target might try to escape, but it could be bait. Group B, don't launch a full-scale attack for now. Try to establish contact with the people inside first."
"How can we contact them? We all know we're on the outskirts right now, and even if we did get there, the doors are locked and the windows are sealed..."
"Let's try something, we can use a megaphone," Cheng Jing said. "Shout out the window. Tell them the police have surrounded the area, and tell them to stay calm and not to do anything rash. Especially remind them... to be mindful of the time."
"Pay attention to the time?"
"Yes, tell them that 3 AM is the time they need to initiate the ritual. If the ritual thirteen years ago happened at 3 AM, then tonight's 'reenactment' might also trigger something at 3 AM." Cheng Jing looked at her watch. "Go quickly!"
A response came from the walkie-talkie.
Just then, Cheng Jing's phone vibrated.
A text message from an unknown number contained only one sentence:
"You're smarter than your master. But you're not fast enough."
Cheng Jing's heart clenched suddenly.
The other party knew of Master Zhou Zhigang's existence, had dealt with him before, and knew that she was talking to him.
The other party also knew about her actions.
The other party... was watching all of this from nearby.
This is too dangerous! She immediately dialed the number back, but it was switched off.
"Technical Department! Track this number!" she shouted into the walkie-talkie.
The thought of her master suddenly made her feel flustered.
She turned around and picked up the public phone again:
"Master, the other party knows we're on the phone. They might be spying on me, or... spying on you."
Zhou Zhigang was silent for a few seconds on the other end of the phone, then said, "Xiaojing, there's something I haven't told you yet. When I was investigating Li Wan's case, I received an anonymous letter. It said that if I wanted to know the truth, I should go to Building 7 in Anping Lane tonight, thirteen years from now. The letter also included a five-pointed star with five dates written on its five apexes—the dates of death of Zhao Jianguo, Wang Bin, Wu Guodong… and… two other future dates."
"What are the other two dates?" Cheng Jing asked anxiously. "You didn't say just now..."
"One is tonight, September 3rd, the anniversary of Li Wan's death," Zhou Zhigang said in a heavy voice. "The other... is three days later, September 6th."
"September 6th? What day is that?"
"I don't know. I checked, it's not Li Wan's birthday, not her family's birthday, and not any obvious anniversary."
On the other end of the phone, Zhou Zhigang paused, his inner voice seeming to struggle, "But I have a feeling... that might be the date the ritual is finally completed. Or rather, the date of the last 'sacrifice'."
Five vertices, five dates, five people.
Has the reasoning changed again? Has it overturned the previous conclusions...?
Three have already died.
The fourth one tonight... lipstick, or Liu Li who is already dead! Or is she not dead?
Am I going to die again tonight?
Or... the fifth one will die in three days.
And the pliers in the center... who do they correspond to? When?
"Master, do you still have that anonymous letter?" Cheng Jing asked.
She didn't want to question her master; she knew that her master must have his own reasons for doing everything.
"Yes. But I've looked at it many times, and besides the five-pointed star and the date, there's no other information. The letter paper is ordinary A4 paper, the handwriting is printed, and there are no fingerprints. The envelope has a local postmark, but there's no surveillance footage to verify it," Zhou Zhigang said. "Xiaojing, I'll tell you the specific times for the five dates now, please write them down..."
Cheng Jing quickly wrote it down:
Zhao Jianguo died: around 1 a.m. on August 15 (three weeks ago).
Wu Guodong died: around 12 noon on August 28 (five days ago).
Wang Bin died on August 30th, around 4 PM (three days prior).
Unknown: Around 3 AM on September 3rd (tonight)
Unknown: September 6th, time unknown (three days later)
and many more.
Cheng Jing suddenly noticed a pattern.
The time of death was... earlier than expected?
Zhao Jianguo's appointment is at 1 AM, Wu Guodong's is at 12 PM, Wang Bin's is at 4 PM, Liu Li's is... tonight's appointment is at 3 AM, and the time three days later is unknown but likely...
"From late night to daytime, then to evening, and back to late night..." Cheng Jing murmured, "Like a cycle? Or... covering different times of the day?"
"Covering..." Zhou Zhigang repeated the word, then suddenly gasped, "Xiao Jing! It might not just cover a day, but an entire 'ritual time period'! If the crime back then lasted for a period of time, then these times of death might correspond to different points in time when the crime occurred!"
This hypothesis was terrifying, and for the first time, Cheng Jing, a seasoned police officer, felt a chill run down her spine.
She turned around, gritted her teeth, and issued a command:
"Most importantly, do everything in our power... to find a woman named Liu Li!"