Lu Ming went to the police station early the next morning and met the chief. The police station dispatched a large number of police personnel, but Zhang Ziyang's whereabouts had not yet been found.
"Mr. Lu, please rest assured that Zhang Ziyang is the best detective under my command. We will never give up looking for him. Whoever kidnapped him will have to pay a heavy price," the director said.
Lu Ming knew that the director was telling the truth, but he didn't know if he could do it.
He didn't say much. After all, the police chief only met him because of Sheng Youde's sake. Otherwise, because he was an unknown person, the chief, who was busy with official duties, could completely ignore him.
Mr. Director is an important official of the Republic of China government. He was born in the army. He was once a famous general in the Northern Expeditionary Revolutionary Army. He has made many military exploits, so he got the job of Chief of Shanghai Police.
Managing the army, managing the police, and governing a city, especially a world-famous city like Shanghai, are completely different things.
There are many different forces in Shanghai, and the Republic of China government can only mediate and balance among the various forces. It does not have the majesty of the government at all.
As the police chief, naturally he can only act as a peacemaker and seize the opportunity to personally gain more benefits.
This was a smart move on his part, otherwise he would have been killed sooner or later under the encirclement and suppression by various forces.
Lu Ming asked the policeman who notified Zhang Ziyang and the gate post who received the fake note. He didn't get any valuable clues. It was just a note sent by an ordinary rickshaw driver.
He went to the place where Zhang Ziyang's car was found, which was a deserted area. Obviously, Zhang Ziyang was not kidnapped here, but someone kidnapped him and then drove the car here and abandoned it.
Lu Ming knew that what he was doing was in vain. The kidnapper was very smart and knew Zhang Ziyang very well. He could even imitate Cai Lian's handwriting very realistically. If it weren't for something happening, Lu Ming would have thought that the note was really fake.
In the hands of picking lotus.
He visited some nearby places and found that no one had seen Zhang Ziyang's car. In this way, the kidnappers should have abandoned the vehicle after dark.
So where should the crime scene be?
If Zhang Ziyang came to find Cai Lian according to the address on the note, he would definitely take this route. The other routes are all small roads and cannot be passed by vehicles at all.
This note is the only clue left by the kidnapper, but what can the note mean? It can only be concluded that the kidnapper has a relationship with Cai Lian, and intentionally gets close so that he can obtain Cai Lian's manuscripts and imitate her handwriting.
Picking lotus sometimes also writes some ancient poems. This is a compulsory course for the girls in Changsan Apartment, and it is also one of the important skills for them to exchange for rewards from nobles.
They don't just rely on their faces and youth to please men, but their pen, ink, painting, poetry and dance must reach a certain level in order to gain a firm foothold in this man-eating industry.
Lu Ming searched from morning to night, but still found no clues at all. Even the original crime scene could not be found.
Lu Ming thought deeply and thought of a trap. His opponent must have set up a trap in advance. This trap should be the place where Zhang Ziyang was kidnapped, which is also the crime scene.
So, how did the opponent lead Zhang Ziyang into the trap step by step?
His mind was racing, it couldn't be anything else but that note.
What's on the note?
There was only one address, and a message left by someone pretending to be Cai Lian: Come quickly.
These two words expressed eagerness and panic. It was this feeling that caught Zhang Ziyang, so he couldn't think clearly at all. He didn't even bother to call Cai Lian to confirm, and immediately drove to the place.
But...that's not right.
Only then did he realize that he had also been misled.
He chose the route based on the place where the kidnappers abandoned the vehicle, thinking that Zhang Ziyang must have had an accident on this road, but the address on the note and the address where the kidnappers abandoned the vehicle happened to be in two directions, like two branches.
He looked at the address carefully and suddenly understood, wasn't that address exactly where Xia Heng was poisoned to death?
Of course it's not the address of the loft Xia Heng rented, but it's nearby.
Zhang Ziyang must have discovered something strange here. He might have got off the car and wanted to call to confirm, but unfortunately it was too late.
This is what he deduced, but it is very close to the reality. This is because he knows Zhang Ziyang too well. Based on the way Zhang Ziyang behaves, he can roughly infer his behavior.
Lu Ming originally wanted to walk along that route again, but it was getting late and another day passed before he knew it.
In fact, he didn't have much hope of finding the location of the trap. Even if there was a trap, the kidnappers would definitely clean up the scene after they succeeded, leaving no clues behind.
Just like in Tongren Hospital, after the killers left, it was as if they had never been there. Lu Ming asked all the people who were imprisoned, but in the end he was unable to find out how many killers there were.
The shell casing that fired a bullet was also taken away by the killer.
This group of people have received strict professional training and are flawless in their work. It is definitely a luxury to expect them to leave any traces to help solve the case.
He called the Japanese consulate, found Eikichi Kenta, and made an appointment to meet him at a cafe near the consulate the next morning.
Now he can only hope that Kenta can tell him some useful information.
The two met soon.
"This must have been done by people from Manchuria. Only they can be so professional. Lu Sang, you are in quite a lot of trouble." After listening to Lu Ming's account, Qiantian immediately made a judgment.
"Isn't Mantetsu engaged in business? Are they still engaged in kidnapping and killing people?" Lu Ming asked.
He had only heard about the Manchuria Railway Company and did not know much about the inside story.
"Mantetsu is more than just doing business. They are a large organization that integrates intelligence collection, assassination, sabotage, instigation of rebellion, etc. They are also our largest intelligence organization in your country. However, the targets worthy of their attack are very limited. This also shows that the road
Sang carries a heavy weight in their hearts, so I said you are in serious trouble."
"Why are Qiantian-kun telling me this?" Lu Ming was a little strange, feeling that Qiantian was too honest with him.
In any case, Kenta is a Japanese, and he is an employee of the Japanese Consulate in Shanghai, but he has revealed all the secrets of his country to an outsider.
"There are two reasons here. One is because you are Muto-kun's classmate and friend, and you also know my reputation as an absolute pacifist. I hope that the people of Japan and China can always live in peace and have true good-neighborly friendship.
, instead of being like this now, calling them friends on the surface and stabbing them secretly. Although this will cause deep harm to the Chinese people, in the long run, it will also bring huge disasters to the Japanese people."
Kenda works in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan and has a lot of internal information. He knows that the Japanese military has been plotting for a long time. There will definitely be a war between China and Japan. When the war will start is only a matter of time.
As a pacifist, he firmly opposed all acts of war, so he was willing to devote himself to any cause that could contribute to peace.
Although he came into contact with Lu Ming because of Mu Teng's entrustment, he also knew Lu Ming's background, knew that Lu Ming had a profound background and was a staunch patriot. He also wanted to bring Lu Ming into his camp and work together for the cause.
Peaceful struggle.
In the late 1920s, the international situation was turbulent and full of dangers. As the German Nazis gained power and Hitler gained unscrupulous followers, the entire Europe was shrouded in the shadow of war. The economic crisis sweeping the world accelerated the pace of the war.
.
Just like a plague and cholera outbreak will inevitably follow a flood or tsunami, a comprehensive economic crisis will inevitably lead to a full-scale war that affects the world.
However, the Republic of China government seemed slow to respond to all this. After the victory of the Northern Expedition, counter-revolutionary coups took place in Shanghai and Wuhan one after another.
The warlords have fallen, and the emerging big landowners and big bourgeoisie have stolen the fruits of the revolution and made their appearance. The Chinese nation is still in danger.
Kenda, who saw all this in his eyes, was worried all day long. Unfortunately, he had too few comrades, especially in Japan. People who held pacifist views were extremely rare. It would not be an exaggeration to say that they were alternative.
Public opinion in Japan has now been coerced by the military. What people sing every day is to spread the emperor's power to every place where the sun shines, and to let chrysanthemums bloom in every corner of Asia.
In Kenta's view, this is the prelude to self-destruction. As people often say, if God wants to destroy it, he must first make it crazy. Now the Japanese military is running wildly on the road of madness, and the entire country is also crazy about it.
.
In the eyes of his compatriots, Kenta's behavior was tantamount to betraying the country. Only he knew in his heart that he was a true patriot and that everything he did was to save the country.
Of course, even his most moderate colleagues would not agree with his actions, but the diplomatic community can tolerate him for the time being due to its purpose of confronting the military.
"I will go back and inquire to see if I can find out the whereabouts of your friend, but don't hold out much hope. There are many ruthless executioners in Mantetsu. There is a group of people in our Yamato nation who, once they are in a foreign country,
, It’s like he has changed his species." Qian Tian laughed at himself.
"Thank you very much." Lu Ming bowed and saluted.
"I can't help you much, I just hope I can do my best. In addition, I will send a telegram to Mr. Muto and ask him to say hello to those bastards in Mantetsu, so that they will at least have some scruples about you.
, will not attack easily." Qian Tian said.
"Oh, Mr. Muto also has influence on Mantetsu?" Lu Ming was surprised. Mantetsu didn't have a strong background.
"Of course, he is an upstart in the General Staff Headquarters of the base camp. Although the Manchurian Railway is arrogant, it is still under the jurisdiction of the military," Qiantian said.
Qiantian's attitude made it difficult for Lu Ming to speak.
Originally, he was wary of Japan's actions, but was not afraid and was mentally prepared for a fight. Kenta said he would help him, but he was speechless.
It's never good to express your contempt for a friendly person. Chinese people have etiquette in their bones and are never used to slapping their friends in the face.
"Lu Sang seems to be very skilled and was able to escape from Mantie's killers twice. It seems that my assessment of Lu Sang has gone a step further." Qiantian said and bowed.
What kind of words are these? Lu Ming blushed and swallowed the words back in his mouth.
He was really in danger this time. If Yuan Mingzhu hadn't arrived in time, it would have been absolutely impossible for him to escape unscathed.
After bidding farewell to Qian Tian, Lu Ming followed the same route and walked all the way to the address written on the note. When he got there, he saw that it was just an ordinary grocery store.
He walked into the grocery store, and only an old man came over to ask him what he bought. He asked the other person if a policeman drove to the area yesterday.
The old man thought hard for a long time and just shook his head.
After Lu Ming went out, he visited nearby residents and businesses, and they all said that they did not see any police driving over.