Zhou Tong Detective Series

Chapter 43 Zhou Tong Detective Series III: Paper Burner (2)
Yan Yongjie couldn't help laughing when she thought of her meeting and acquaintance with Zhou Tong.A year and a half ago, I was entrusted by my mentor to take care of her precious son Zhou Tong, but I never expected him to be involved in a bizarre murder case, but what surprised me was this seemingly frivolous and mischievous The young man has amazing wit and bravery, and even helped him solve the strange case in one fell swoop and made great contributions.Not long after this case ended, it was Zhou Tong again, who once again used his wisdom and bravery to solve a transnational theft of cultural relics and even deal a major blow to the Russian mafia.

Yan Yongjie's views on Zhou Tong are really contradictory. She agrees with Zhou Tong's wit and bravery very much, but she does not hesitate to think that he is a lustful and shameless little bastard.What made Yan Yongjie even more embarrassing was that she herself had a strange feeling towards Zhou Tong, although she denied and avoided this feeling all the time.Fortunately, the work of the special criminal investigation team was so busy that she didn't have more time to think about those complicated personal issues.

As for Zhou Tong, a nearly single-celled animal, he would not understand Yan Yongjie's strange feelings, or the thoughts of a girl.Whenever he was in trouble, he would call Yan Yongjie without hesitation.

"Beauty, miss me?" A lewd but still magnetic male voice came from Yan Yongjie's cell phone.

"Why don't I miss you, the sandbag at home has been broken for a long time."

Hearing this, Zhou Tong felt a flock of crows flying over her head... so she laughed dryly.

"What's the matter, tell me quickly, I'm busy!" Yan Yongjie was not talking nonsense, there was a thick pile of difficult cases reported from all over the country in front of her.

"I don't know if you are free, Yong Jie, but I would like to treat you to coffee!" Zhou Tong said in an ambiguous tone.

"Do you have the money to buy me coffee?"

"..." Zhou Tong touched his pocket and was silent for five seconds before saying, "You put it on for me first, and I will pay you back later!"

Big beads of sweat appeared on Yan Yongjie's forehead.

"The old place, at eight o'clock in the evening, see you there!" Zhou Tong hung up the phone after finishing speaking.

Vanilla Coffee is not far from Neptune University. It is located in a secluded alley. Although it is not big inside, the environment is very good. The soothing light music is accompanied by the strong aroma of coffee. It is indeed a good place for chatting.

Zhou Tong had finished drinking a cup of coffee before Yan Yongjie appeared.

"Please help me get a glass of iced cappuccino." Yan Yongjie said to the waiter standing aside.

"What a woman who has no concept of time!" Zhou Tong looked at Yan Yongjie with some complaints.

"It's good to be able to come. Well, tell me, what else do you need my help for?" Although Yan Yongjie's words were not pleasant, but her sitting posture was extremely elegant and charming, and Zhou Tong couldn't help being stunned for a while.

At this time, the waiter brought Yan Yongjie's cappuccino, and Zhou Tong managed to recover.

"If every policeman is as beautiful and attractive as you, Yong Jie, many criminals will not call themselves."

"Don't use the trick you used to coax your little sister on me." Although Yan Yongjie said so, her heart was still sweet.

Seeing Yan Yongjie's icy expression, Zhou Tong stopped joking and said with a straight face: "Actually, I have asked you out this time, and I do have something to ask for your help."

With that said, he took out the express mail he received today and put it on the table.

Yan Yongjie was not surprised at what he said, took a sip of coffee, picked up the express mail on the table, and read it.

"You shouldn't be looking for me, you should be looking for Ai Chen, I believe she will know better than me." Yan Yongjie said very calmly after reading.

Zhou Tong sighed and said, "Sure enough, it's what I thought, but Ai Chen is missing!"

Yan Yongjie's face was like a boulder being thrown from the calm water.

"She disappeared? What happened?"

Zhou Tong told Yan Yongjie exactly what he found today.

"Do you suspect that the person who sent you the express mail and the person who wrote the letter to "You Tiandi" magazine are the same person?" Yan Yongjie asked.

"That's right, so I hope you can help me find out where this express mail is sent from." Zhou Tong nodded.

"It's not difficult to find out, but I don't understand one thing. Since this person wants you to help her, but doesn't leave you any contact information, not even an address and name, it's really unreasonable!" Yan Yongjie said Out of my doubts.

"It's not that she left no clues at all. She seems to know that I will definitely find out who the reporter in the letter is. It just so happens that Ai Chen has disappeared again. The whole thing is full of weirdness. If you want to know the answer, it seems that you have to find the reporter who wrote the letter first." People!" Zhou Tong smiled wryly.

"Then you plan to go to Phoenix Ancient City?" Yan Yongjie asked knowingly.

Zhou Tong said very positively: "That place is the only clue now, whether it is to solve the puzzle or track down Ai Chen's whereabouts, we must go there, so... so there is one more thing... I also need your help ...".

"Hesitating, say something quickly!" Yan Yongjie urged impatiently.

"Lend me some travel expenses!" Zhou Tong said with some embarrassment.

Section 3 Ancient City
According to legend, after the god bird "Phoenix" of Tianfang Kingdom (ancient India) reached the age of [-], he set himself on fire with incense wood.Later, it was resurrected from the ashes, and it was delicious and immortal.This bird is the phoenix, the king of all birds in China.There is a mountain in the southwest of Fenghuang ancient city that resembles a phoenix flying with wings, so it is named after it.

The ancient city of Fenghuang is divided into two urban areas, the old and the new. The old city is surrounded by mountains and rivers, and the shallow Tuojiang River passes through the city. The city wall made of red sandstone stands on the bank. The rusty iron gate can still see the mighty appearance of that year.

It was already dusk when Zhou Tong arrived at the ancient city of Fenghuang after going back and forth several times.As the sun was setting, many women were washing clothes with wooden mallets on the banks of the bridge.The urchins stripped naked and played in the water, and some girls dipped their bodies in the shallow water to enjoy the gentle touch of the running water.There are many tourists on the shore, strolling leisurely, a scene of a paradise.

Zhou Tong has no time to appreciate the scenery, all he can think about is how to find clues to Ai Chen, but there is only one way right now, that is to take Ai Chen's photo and ask around.

Yan Yongjie borrowed him a considerable amount of travel expenses. Zhou Tong is not a person who saves other people's money, so he found an antique stilted building next to the Tuojiang River and full of Tujia charm. The facilities are not comparable to five-star hotels, but the style is unique, the location is excellent, and it is clean and tidy, so the price will never be cheap.

Zhou Tong randomly found a small restaurant, first ordered a bowl of rice noodles to fill his stomach, and then began to take Ai Chen's photo and kept asking the passing tourists, passers-by, and shop owners.I worked hard for four or five hours, but got nothing.

As the night darkened, there were fewer and fewer people on the road, and the entire ancient city of Fenghuang became peaceful, except for occasional dogs barking from a distance.There was no moonlight, dim lights were scattered from the old houses in the distance, and a cold wind from the river was blowing, Zhou Tong couldn't help shivering.

"What the hell, this is a tourist attraction, why is it only after eleven o'clock, and I can't even see a ghost!" Zhou Tong complained while walking.

But just as he finished speaking, a person came out from the dark alley in the distance.Zhou Tong looked at the past in the dim light.That person was an elderly Miao woman, with a black cloth wrapped around her head, a Miao dress embroidered with a large placket, and a bamboo basket on her back, but what made Zhou Tong angry the most was the glowing handle in the hand of the old Miao woman. Cold light hatchet.

On the quiet street, the cloth shoes of the Miao old lady hit the ancient stone road slowly and rhythmically, walking step by step towards the direction where Zhou Tong was standing, and Zhou Tong's heartbeat also fluctuated with the footsteps.

After the sound of "pa", the footsteps stopped abruptly, and the old woman bowed and held the knife, standing firmly in front of Zhou Tong.

Zhou Tong's heart also seemed to stop beating with a "bang". The face of the Miao old woman in front of her was like a dry dead wood, and her dark eyes were even more breathtaking.

"Young man, there's so much blackness on your face, go away, go away." The old woman shook her head, her voice deep and steady.

Zhou Tong didn't understand how an old man who had never met would say these things to herself, unless she knew something.

"Grandma, do you know where the person I'm looking for is?" Zhou Tong tried hard to overcome the fear in his heart, and asked with Ai Chen's photo.

"Pigs eat piglets, ducks eat duck eggs, go farther, go farther..." The old woman said something that Zhou Tong couldn't understand at all, then picked up her steps again and walked in the direction Zhou Tong came from.

Zhou Tong looked at the disappearing figure of the old Miao woman, and wondered if he should chase after her to find out, but at this moment, he felt an extremely depressed feeling in his heart, which he couldn't get rid of.

When the Miao old woman reached the entrance of an alley, she turned in again.

At this time, Zhou Tong finally cheered up and decided to catch up and ask again, but when he ran over, the alley was empty, only the cold wind blowing past.There was a chill in Zhou Tong's heart, and cold sweat had already oozed from his forehead.

At noon the next day, Yan Yongjie called Zhou Tong, but Zhou Tong was still lying on the bed at this time. What happened last night gave him a nightmare. As for what he dreamed of, he didn't remember it either. , It was not until the morning that I fell asleep in a daze.

There is no sunshine in the ancient city of Fenghuang today, and the hazy mist accompanied by a little drizzle makes this ancient city with a long history even more mysterious.But because of this, Zhou Tong, who was awakened by the phone ringing, thought it was early morning.

"Please, don't call me so early!" Zhou Tong lazily picked up the phone and said.

"It's still early? It's already high in the sun. Did I give you the money to let you go on vacation?" Yan Yongjie didn't expect Zhou Tong to be still sleeping at this time.

Zhou Tong heard the words and looked up at the clock in the room, and it was already 11:30 noon.

"I worked too hard yesterday." Zhou Tong laughed awkwardly.

"I've already found out where the express mail for you came from!" Yan Yongjie returned to the subject.

"Oh, where is it?" Zhou Tong immediately raised his spirits and asked.

"As we previously speculated, it was sent from the ancient city of Fenghuang by a private courier company called 'Lutong'. I think you can go there and check, and you should be able to find some clues."

"Well, okay, I'll go right away!" Zhou Tong said as he got up from the bed.

"You... Be careful, I feel that this matter is a bit unusual, in two days, I will rush over after finishing the matter at hand!" Yan Yongjie said with some worry.

"Don't worry, I won't mess around!"

Yan Yongjie wanted to say something more, but in the end she didn't say anything, so she said "um" and hung up the phone.

The "Lutong" express company is on the first floor of an inconspicuous small building, a room of about tens of square meters, except for a desk and two chairs, other places are full of packages.Zhou Tong also took a little effort to find the position.

A middle-aged man in his 40s, wearing glasses, was writing with his head buried. He didn't even look up at Zhou Tong before he asked, "Are you here to pick up the package?".

"I'm here to check a shipment!" Zhou Tong corrected.

"Oh!" The middle-aged man finally raised his head and glanced at Zhou Tong, "What's the odd number?"

"714514814" Zhou Tong recited the tracking number of the shipment fluently.

The middle-aged man put down the pen and paper in his hand, and entered the tracking number in the computer beside him.

"Neptune University!" The middle-aged man had a frightened expression on his face after seeing the express mail information on the computer, as if some kind of terrible memory came to mind.

"It was you that night?" The middle-aged man suddenly stared at Zhou Tong.

Zhou Tong was confused by his question, and didn't know how to answer for a while.

"Impossible, impossible, that night... that night... what I saw..." The middle-aged man stood up, his face was pale even though he was excited.

"What did you see?" Zhou Tong asked quickly.

"Paper...paper man!" The middle-aged man said in a trembling voice.

"Are you joking?" Even though Zhou Tong said that, thinking of what Chen Feng said to him, he still "thumped" in his heart.

The middle-aged man sat down, picked up the cup on the table, took a big sip of water, and calmed down a little.

"About twelve o'clock that night, I had already closed the door and went to sleep in the back room, but at this moment there was a knock on the door. I shouted twice, but no one answered, but the knock on the door remained It kept ringing, and in desperation, I had no choice but to get up from the bed and turn on the light, and then went to open the door, but there was no one outside the door. With the light in the room, I only saw a sealed door on the ground at the door. Express paper bag, with 20 yuan on it. I picked it up, and saw the address and recipient written on the paper bag. I still remember it was "Neptune University, received by Zhou Tong". At that time, I was holding the paper bag, instinctively Stick your head out and look into the corridor." The middle-aged man took another sip of water, glanced at Zhou Tong, and then continued: "It's dark in the corridor, but it's near the entrance of the stairs. , through the dim streetlights outside, I saw... I saw a life-sized paper doll. The paper doll looked like the kind used for funerals in the countryside. I was so scared that I dropped the express paper bag It landed on the ground, and almost at the same time, the paper man seemed to be blown away by a strong wind, and floated out of my sight."

The middle-aged man finished speaking in one breath, his whole body was already drenched with sweat, and he wiped the sweat from his forehead. He suddenly remembered something, looked at Zhou Tong and asked, "Who are you?"

Zhou Tong swallowed, and said, "I am Zhou Tong!"

Chapter 4
Zhou Tong went to the "Lutong" express delivery, but not only did not find any useful clues, but instead heard a story that was too bizarre and too terrifying.But no matter what, it didn't help in finding Ai Chen or the weirdo who wrote the letter.

The strange letter, a woman who is about to die, the scary paper figurine, and the missing Ai Chen, what is the connection between them? Zhou Tong seems to be in a strange maze and can't find the exit.

Zhou Tong suddenly remembered that weird old Miao woman. What did she mean by the words she said to herself, "Pigs eat piglets, ducks eat duck eggs", and she asked me to go far away. Did she want me to leave, or Is it to let me go to other places to find Ai Chen's whereabouts?Zhou Tong began to blame himself, why didn't he stop the Miao old woman to ask clearly.

Unknowingly, Zhou Tong went to the place where he met the Miao old woman last night again, but it became noisy at this time. Although it was raining, it did not reduce the enthusiasm of tourists for shopping.

Not far from Zhou Tong is the alley where he has horrible memories.

Zhou Tong is definitely a staunch atheist, but this does not help him reduce the slightest sense of fear.He picked up his steps, stepped on the wet stone road, and walked in.

This is a very ordinary alley, with side walls of ancient buildings on both sides, and uneven stone slabs under the feet, which are just wide enough for a person to walk through.

Zhou Tong walked a dozen steps in the alley, then stopped suddenly, and then couldn't help laughing.There was a corner on his right hand side. The Miao old woman who "mysteriously" disappeared last night must have walked into this corner, but I was so scared that I almost peed my pants. It was so embarrassing!But this can't be entirely my fault. I met a weird old woman on such a night, and if I didn't walk in this corner, I wouldn't be able to see it from the outside of the alley.After Zhou Tong comforted herself in this way, she finally felt a little more relaxed.

Zhou Tong turned around, walked into the corner, and there was another long and narrow alley. At the end, he turned left again, and there was a bar in front of him.

"Is there a bar here?" Zhou Tong didn't think it was a wise choice to open a bar in such a remote alley.

(End of this chapter)