Blank Charge

Jin Zhou’s auto repair shop was located in the old street area, not far from the People’s Court, about a ten-minute walk away.

Every evening, people would pass by the front of the shop, including office workers heading home and old men walking their dogs.

Jin Zhou stood by the window of the second-floor law firm, smoking a cigarette to rid himself of the frustration he experienced earlier in the day with Yang Shiyu. He watched the people below, occasionally seeing familiar faces passing by, but he didn’t feel like acknowledging them.

After a while, Sun Yi handed his tablet to Jin Zhou, enlarging the image on it, and asked, “Is this the person?”

Jin Zhou glanced at it briefly and replied, “Yes.”

The photo was an ID picture of a man in his forties, with an ordinary face that wouldn’t stand out in a crowd.

“Isn’t this the truck driver from the news?” Sun Yi switched to a web page, opening the headline from the morning’s news. He glanced at the news content and then at Jin Zhou, saying, “And this Judge Jin Wei…”

“He’s my father,” Jin Zhou clarified, “This truck driver killed my parents.”

Sun Yi’s body leaned to the other side upon hearing that, seemingly unsure of how to react to that tragic news. After a long pause, he managed to say, “Jin Zhou, I didn’t know your father was a judge.”

Jin Zhou responded vaguely “mmmh’.

Among his friends, only Liu Yongchang knew about this. It took Jin Zhou a year or two to handle all the funeral arrangements for his parents, and Liu Yongchang helped him a lot during that time.

“It should be easy to find him, but…” Sun Yi opened the group chat and sent Wang Darong’s information, saying, “Since this matter has been reported, he’s probably already been invited for a chat, right?”

“Or he heard the news and left early,” Jin Zhou said, “The possibility of him leaving is even greater.”

Jin Zhou had a keen mind, and many details didn’t escape his eyes.

For example, the previous day when he asked Ren Wenli if the police had found Wang Darong, and Ren Wenli’s response was that it wasn’t convenient to disclose.

If they had already found him, Ren Wenli would have readily admitted it because Wang Darong was in the hands of the police, and she wouldn’t be afraid of any unnecessary actions from Jin Zhou.

And based on Jin Zhou’s experience dealing with the police, they liked to disclose positive progress to reassure the family members. Therefore, Ren Wenli could have easily told Jin Zhou, “We have apprehended Wang Darong and will provide you with an explanation.”

But Ren Wenli didn’t say anything, which could only mean that the current progress wasn’t going smoothly.

In addition, Ren Wenli knew about Jin Zhou’s connections and methods, so her answer of “not convenient to disclose” was probably to prevent Jin Zhou from finding Wang Darong himself before they did.

With just a simple answer, Jin Zhou was already eighty percent certain that the police’s visit to Wang Darong might have been in vain.

“If you find him,” Sun Yi put away the tablet and looked at Jin Zhou, asking, “What do you plan to do?”

He hesitated and added, “Jin Zhou, don’t forget we’re also lawyers.”

Implying that they should rely on reasoning instead of taking matters into their own hands, and especially not getting themselves into trouble.

Jin Zhou chuckled, “You still remember that you’re a lawyer?”

The small and shabby law firm wasn’t very formal, with only a few regular employees, and the boss was often absent.

A few years ago, due to the slow business, Sun Yi had considered resigning. But then he took on a divorce case and managed to find solid evidence of the man’s affair, securing many rights for the woman. Since then, many clients who wanted to catch their husbands cheating came to him, and he had gone further down the path of a “private investigator.”

“There are many types of lawyers,” Sun Yi said, “Leave the job of finding people to me.”

After nightfall, the summer heat eased slightly, and a cool breeze carried a hint of autumn.

Jin Zhou drove to the largest bar in the city. From the entrance to the VIP private room at the back, he greeted acquaintances along the way.

The private room, which could accommodate about twenty people, only had Liu Yongchang sitting there. There were many bottles of liquor on the table, giving the impression that they intended to drink heavily.

Jin Zhou knew that Liu Yongchang wanted to accompany him to relieve his emotions, but honestly, he didn’t feel particularly upset. After all, the period of grief had long passed.

“Liu Yongchang.” Jin Zhou sat down beside Liu Yongchang and handed him a cigarette.

Liu Yongchang, who was thirty-nine years old that year, was dressed in a champagne-colored suit. Although he had gained a little weight, he had a pocket square neatly folded on his chest and exquisite cufflinks on his sleeves, giving off an air of sophistication.

“Is business still good here lately?” Jin Zhou took out a lighter, lit cigarettes for both Liu Yongchang and himself, and then exhaled a puff of smoke before throwing the lighter on the coffee table.

“It’s okay, same as usual.” Liu Yongchang handed a glass of wine to Jin Zhou. “How’s it going with your auto repair shop?”

“Not much business.” Jin Zhou took the wine glass and took a big sip. The spicy liquor slid down his throat, and he considered it a way to soothe his voice.

“I’ve said it before, let me find you a place in a busy area, but you wouldn’t listen.” Every time he saw Jin Zhou, Liu Yongchang couldn’t help but nag him a few times, “Or should I find another place for you?”

“No need to trouble yourself.” Jin Zhou smiled. “That place is close to home.”

The city changed every year. The former central urban area gradually became deserted, turning into an old district with narrow streets and poor planning.

However, until now, Jin Zhou still lived in his old house, and most of the items inside remained as they were.

Liu Yongchang didn’t persuade further and took a sip of his wine before changing the topic, “I saw the news. Can they report this kind of thing?”

Jin Zhou replied helplessly, ‘Well, the reporters were right there at the trial.’

Usually, unrelated people rarely attended the trial of a case. However, the rape case had gained significant public attention, so there were many reporters present during the trial.

The accused had neither confessed earlier, but conveniently chose to do so during the trial. The content was overheard by numerous journalists, and the prosecution couldn’t possibly silence them, so the details of the trial were inevitably reported.

However, after that, it would be almost impossible to understand the progress of the case through the media.

‘What are your plans next?’ Liu Yongchang asked.

‘First, I’ll find that driver,’ Jin Zhou said. ‘I haven’t thought about the specifics yet.’

When a judge in a criminal court was targeted, it usually had something to do with the cases they were handling. However, Jin Zhou didn’t know much about his father’s work, and Yang Shiyu refused to disclose any details about the case. He could only take it one step at a time and adapt as he went.

‘If you need anything, just let me know,’ Liu Yongchang said. ‘I’ll help you with whatever I can.’

After drinking for a while longer, Jin Zhou’s phone suddenly received a message from Sun Yi. It was an address, and it was within the city.

‘Liu Yongchang,’ Jin Zhou put down his glass and stood up, frowning at his phone. ‘I’ll treat you to a drink another day.’

Sun Yi’s efficiency was quite impressive. He had provided results within a few hours of being given the task.

Although according to Jin Zhou’s speculation, Wang Darong should have already fled, at the moment he only had this lead, so he could only go and check it out.

The address in his phone led to a shanty town, not far from the old neighborhood where Jin Zhou lived, within the same jurisdiction.

When Jin Zhou used to go to Liu Yongchang’s bar for drinks, he would always have one of his men drive him back. However, that day he was leaving for personal matters and didn’t want to explain too much, so he called a different driver.

The car stopped at a dimly lit intersection. It was already past 9 p.m., and there were few people on the road. Jin Zhou fumbled around following the navigation for a while, returning to the starting point several times, but finally managed to find the apartment building where Wang Darong stayed.

The building was pretty old; each floor had a long corridor connecting all the households. The living space for each household was very small, only about twenty square meters. People with money wouldn’t choose to live there.

Not long after, Jin Zhou followed the house number and arrived at Wang Darong’s door. The house was pitch black inside, with the yellowed wooden door slightly open, showing several fresh footprints. The lock had been broken.

Forcing open the door wasn’t the police’s style. Jin Zhou suddenly realized that there was another possibility – the mastermind behind the scenes had silenced Wang Darong, who had already been approached by the police.

He immediately felt a sense of unease. If Wang Darong was dead, how could he continue the investigation?

However, as he entered the dim living room, he breathed a sigh of relief for the time being.

The wardrobe in the living room was wide open, empty. Several socks had fallen onto the floor, indicating that Wang Darong had left in a hurry, probably before anyone came looking for him.

Walking into the innermost bedroom, the light was slightly brighter. With the light from the street lamp outside shining through the window, Jin Zhou noticed a pile of familiar things on the table – dice and poker chips.

Jin Zhou immediately understood. Wang Darong was a gambler.

Finally, there was progress in the blank chain of logic. Jin Zhou casually picked up a chip and flicked it with his thumb, but perhaps due to not having touched one for a long time, he used too much force. The chip bounced off the ceiling, then fell to the ground, rolling all the way to the kitchen.

The kitchen was adjacent to the corridor. The corridor’s lights were sound-activated, and since Jin Zhou hadn’t made any noise, the kitchen had remained pitch black.

The house was already in a mess, and Jin Zhou couldn’t be bothered to pick up the fallen chip. However, when he reached the kitchen and prepared to leave the house, he suddenly heard the sound of the chip being stepped on in the silent area.

There was someone in the house.

Jin Zhou’s heart tightened suddenly. He quickly turned around and saw a figure dressed in black emerging from the shadow beside the refrigerator. Before he could react, the person in black rushed towards him.

Jin Zhou narrowly dodged a punch, his side hitting the dining table. Using the momentum, he straightened his upper body and punched back at the person in black. However, the person’s skill was much more tactful than he had imagined. Jin Zhou’s punch missed, and the person in black seized his wrist, twisted it behind his back, and pressed him onto the table.”

In his early twenties, Jin Zhou had trained at a boxing gym for a few years. If it weren’t for the sudden attack, he wouldn’t have been given up so quickly.

But who was the person?

Jin Zhou didn’t have time to think as he struggled with all his might. The dining table and chairs made a noise, triggering the sound-activated corridor lights outside.

The dim yellow light shone through the doorway, casting deep shadows on the furrows of Jin Zhou’s brow.

Suddenly, Jin Zhou felt the person in black behind him loosen their grip. He immediately retrieved his restrained wrist and propped himself up from the table. Just then, a cold voice sounded from behind him, “Jin Zhou?”

Jin Zhou paused, turning his head to look at the person in black.

Taking advantage of the corridor lights that had yet to turn off, Jin Zhou recognized his face, and his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. “Yang Shiyu?”