Holographic Bodyguard Log

Chapter 10: Invisibility, Invisibility

“Xu Zong, you came just in time. The bomb has been cleared, it was just a brick.” When Xu Jiayun went to find Director Long, Director Long happened to be walking out from the lobby and pulled her aside.

Xu Jiayun was fuming. “I told you it was a case of malicious competition in business. And it was our security guard, Zhang Yi, who found the bomb. But why are you still suspecting him?”

“This is part of our procedure, Xu Zong. The biggest issue is why he was able to find the bomb so quickly. We just reviewed the security footage. Your hotel’s little security guard went to the second floor, wandered around the corridor and restaurant for less than a minute, then went up to the third floor and found the package with the bomb in the western restaurant. What shocked us the most was that after he found the bomb, he didn’t leave immediately. Instead, he sat on the chair next to the bomb and smoked a cigarette. Why did he have such courage? Doesn’t he fear the bomb might explode? Or maybe he knew the bomb was fake, so he wasn’t afraid?”

“But intuitively, it doesn’t seem to have anything to do with him,” Xu Jiayun’s voice wavered. Zhang Yi had helped her out earlier, but he had only been in the hotel for a month. She didn’t really know what kind of person he was.

“Intuition can be misleading, Xu Zong. You can’t let emotions cloud your judgment. That security guard still needs to be brought in for further investigation. Also, you need to pay attention to your own safety. We found a note in the package.”

“A note?” Xu Jiayun frowned.

“A printed note. It says: ‘This is just the beginning.’ That’s why I suspect the person who planted the bomb might still have follow-up actions planned, even possibly targeting you for retaliation. You’ll need to come with us to the station and tell us about your recent business dealings. It will help with our investigation.”

“Alright, but about Zhang Yi, he...” Xu Jiayun still felt disconnected from Zhang Yi. If he were really involved, why would he have personally found the bomb? And how did he find it so quickly? Moreover, as a security guard, he would know that the hotel was covered by cameras, so every move he made was on record.

“Don’t worry, we won’t wrong an innocent person, and we won’t let the guilty get away. The results will be clear soon. Also, pay attention to your personal safety.”

...

Meanwhile, in the police car where Zhang Yi was being transported, Li Yong and Vice Captain Liu Jiang had pulled Lu Xiaoyun away, who had been beating Zhang Yi. Li Yong warned Zhang Yi not to make a scene, or he’d charge him with assaulting an officer.

Zhang Yi’s forehead had two large lumps, and he had stopped his earlier defiance. He became quiet, not cursing or retorting, but instead, he looked at Lu Xiaoyun with a more provocative gaze. This guy was really a hard nut to crack.

“Let’s go first.” Liu Jiang, afraid of causing a scene and worried others would see them beating Zhang Yi, immediately ordered Li Yong to drive Zhang Yi back to the station.

By the time Xu Jiayun and Director Long returned, the police car had already disappeared into the distance.

Half an hour later, Zhang Yi was locked in the interrogation room at the substation. Liu Jiang had ordered Li Yong and Lu Xiaoyun to conduct a thorough investigation into Zhang Yi, including checking his phone records, bank transactions for any large or suspicious transfers, and searching for any other suspicious clues.

Director Long and the others returned to the substation and held a meeting. Although the bomb was fake, its nature was still malicious. It was a public safety threat, and since this was the capital, the case had to be resolved quickly.

After an hour of giving her statement, Xu Jiayun left the station. She didn’t ask about Zhang Yi anymore because she believed that if he was innocent, he would be released soon. Once Zhang Yi returned to the company, she would reward him for finding the bomb. After all, he was the hero who had saved the day.

But if Zhang Yi was involved, there was nothing she could do.

After being locked in the interrogation room, Zhang Yi was ignored. Of course, he was also chained to a metal chair, unable to move his arms or legs.

The entire afternoon passed, and by nightfall, Zhang Yi hadn’t had a drop of water. His stomach growled with hunger, but he gritted his teeth and endured, determined to get out of here.

At around 7 PM, Li Yong and Lu Xiaoyun returned after their investigation and went with Vice Captain Liu Jiang to Director Long’s office.

“So, what’s the result?” Even though it was after working hours, many people at the substation hadn’t left. Director Long was also waiting for updates, unwilling to go home until he had more information.

“There’s no issue with his phone records or bank account information. We also went to the security department of their company, and after some investigation and interviews, we found that Zhang Yi hasn’t left the premises in the past two weeks. His colleagues also claim he hasn’t displayed any suspicious behavior recently. In fact, this morning he was even given a reward of 10,000 yuan, and he transferred 9,000 yuan into an account. Our investigation shows that the recipient of the money is his younger sister, Zhang Jia, who studied in Beijing.”

“However, we are still having our colleagues in Shandong verify their identities. We should have some news in the next day or two.”

“Knock knock knock.” Just as Li Yong was reporting the investigation results, there was a knock on the door, followed by the door opening.

“Director Long, good news. The person who planted the bomb has confessed.” The person who entered was the captain of the criminal investigation division and also the deputy director in charge of criminal investigations.

“Oh? A confession?” Director Long immediately stood up. This was a surprise. After planting the bomb and scaring everyone, the person came forward to confess?

“Yes, they’re currently undergoing intense questioning. It should be about done by now.” The deputy director smiled.

“Let’s go and see what’s going on.” Director Long said as he walked toward the door.

Vice Captain Liu Jiang, Li Yong, and Lu Xiaoyun were all curious. They had been working all day, and now the suspect had voluntarily turned themselves in?

The group did not go directly into the interrogation room, but instead, they went to the monitoring room. After listening for a few minutes, they got the basic details.

The person who confessed was named Gong San, a former thief from Beijing with no job, a lazy man. A few days ago, he received a phone call from a stranger who asked him to do a small job. After completing it, he was promised 3,000 yuan. The “small job” was to place a package under a table on the third floor of the Guodu Hotel.

Director Long didn’t listen further, as it was clear that Gong San was just a hired runner, and someone else was pulling the strings.

“Keep digging. We need to find out who’s behind this.”

“By the way, release that security guard. Calm his emotions and don’t let this escalate. Xiao Lu, you need to fix that habit of drawing your gun all the time. If it happens again, I’ll confiscate your gun and transfer you to a desk job to type reports.” Director Long shot Lu Xiaoyun a glare. She was a troublemaker, always pulling out her gun and pointing it at people’s heads. She’d been complained about several times, but Lu Xiaoyun had connections, so Director Long didn’t want to get on bad terms with her backers.

“I can’t be blamed! She insulted me, and both Captain Liu and Brother Yong were listening. It was really harsh! I got so angry,” Lu Xiaoyun pouted.

Director Long’s expression darkened. “That doesn’t justify hitting someone, especially not pulling a gun and pointing it at their head. If someone saw that or recorded it on their phone, think about the consequences.”

“I understand. I won’t do it again.” Seeing Director Long’s stern face, Lu Xiaoyun quickly kept her mouth shut.

At 8 PM, Vice Captain Liu Jiang and Criminal Investigator Li Yong entered Zhang Yi’s interrogation room, removed his handcuffs and shackles, and told him he could leave. However, they warned him to be available at any time and that he couldn’t leave Beijing without their permission.

They were following standard procedures. In reality, Zhang Yi’s suspicion hadn’t been cleared up. Whether he was involved with Gong San or the bomb still needed further investigation. Plus, Zhang Yi had a criminal record, so it wasn’t surprising that Liu Jiang and the others didn’t fully trust him.

Zhang Yi didn’t say anything. He didn’t argue or speak a word. He simply turned around and walked out of the police station.

However, as soon as he exited the gates of the substation and turned a corner, under the cover of night, when no one was around, his body suddenly disappeared into thin air—he had activated his invisibility skill for the first time.

“Whoosh~” He quickly ran back toward the police station.

He had suffered a big loss today. If he didn’t settle the score tonight, he would be spitting blood.