Guzman’s photo album was even stranger. There were no selfies at all, only a few occasional landscape photos that looked utterly unremarkable. It was impossible to find anything related to the man’s personal life within them.
However, the usage logs of the phone were real. There were call records and text messages, most of which were work-related. The man appeared to be a total workaholic; aside from professional matters and looking at photos of beautiful women, he seemed to have no other life.
"Not even scenery photos?" Wang Qi asked, incredulous. "A place like Liucheng Island is nestled between mountains and the sea. Anyone who comes here would at least take a few pictures!"
Lu Linjiang shook his head helplessly. "It’s a total blank. Otherwise, I would have known exactly what he was doing in Tuocheng without having to go look for Liu Zizhe."
Wang Qi gripped the steering wheel and shook his head in disbelief. "Is it just that foreigners think differently? Maybe he’s particularly focused on privacy?"
"The level of cleanliness on his phone has nothing to do with privacy anymore. Maybe he just has a very solitary personality?" Yang Bo suggested. "He’s a strange one. We checked—he’s never been married, and we don't know if he even had a girlfriend."
The road leading to the suburban pier was different from the morning rush hour; traffic was excellent and unobstructed. Gradually, the roadside greenery, which clearly didn't belong to any unified urban planning, began to increase. Looking at the plants so different from those in Jinghai, a thought suddenly occurred to Lu Linjiang: would Guzman—a man whose life appeared so dull and work-oriented through his phone—really travel over an hour from the city to Liucheng Island just for a taste of something fresh?
Under the high noon sun, the trio finally arrived at Liucheng Island after a ten-minute ferry ride. Just as they were disembarking, Lu Linjiang’s phone vibrated. Cheng Hao had sent the second test results as promised: negative. His heart settled. He forwarded the message to Guo Junyi and Jiang Cheng, then sent a very formal, official-sounding thank-you text to Jiang Langmin.
None of the three responded. Lu Linjiang figured they were all busy at this hour. He put away his phone and began to survey Liucheng Island. Even on a weekday, a tourist spot like this wasn't exactly deserted. The scenery leaned toward a rugged style; the houses were intentionally weathered, and every front gate sported a sign with a name full of rustic charm.
The main roads were paved with asphalt, but the paths leading to individual households were dirt. In front of each house was a small plot of land, no bigger than a palm, with greenhouses growing seasonal vegetables. If guests were willing, they could go into the fields and pick the produce themselves; if not, they could stand by the edge of the field and point out what they wanted for the proprietor to prepare. The houses weren't built according to a unified plan but were scattered along the road, giving the place a sense of crisscrossing rural lanes.
It was said that the coast was less than a twenty-minute drive to the east. A section near the shore had been fenced off to allow tourists to catch crabs, gather shellfish, or go fishing. To the northwest were the "mountains," though these mountains were quite delicate, looking no taller than mounds of earth. Their saving grace was that they were well-preserved and appeared lush and green. All in all, it seemed like a fairly entertaining place.
Lu Linjiang checked his phone and found that this small area actually boasted dozens of restaurants, large and small! Yang Bo looked on, somewhat dumbfounded. "How are we supposed to find anything here?"
"One by one," Lu Linjiang replied, feeling a bit of a headache himself. He asked Wang Qi, "Is there any backup available?"
Wang Qi said calmly, "It’s fine. Didn't the CDC people blow up yesterday? They’ll definitely be coming here today. We’ll just follow them when the time comes."
Lu Linjiang breathed a partial sigh of relief. Wang Qi pointed ahead. "Look, they’re already here." He led Lu Linjiang over. "Doctor Lu!"
After Wang Qi performed brief introductions for both parties, he asked, "Has Doctor Lu discovered anything?"
Lu Zhen was sweating profusely from the heat. "It’s not that easy. Every shop says they are law-abiding and follow all directives; it’s like they’ve rehearsed their lines. We can’t speak about this openly, or who knows what kind of chaos might break out." She looked around to ensure no one was paying them any mind before asking Lu Linjiang, "Captain Lu, are you sure that guy hasn't been to Southeast Asia?"
"We wish he had; it would explain a lot of things. But he really has only been traveling around Europe, and only recently came to China." Lu Linjiang’s words extinguished Lu Zhen’s lingering hope. She rubbed her temples. "We’ll just have to search slowly and do some public health education while we’re at it."
Lu Linjiang observed the surroundings. "Let’s split up. You guys take the overt route, and Yang Bo and I will stay in the shadows to see if we can find anything."
He and Yang Bo pretended to be tourists, strolling leisurely down the street. It was nearing lunchtime, and many people could be seen in the greenhouses everywhere. From time to time, people would emerge excitedly carrying vegetables still clinging to soil.
Lu Linjiang and Yang Bo spent an hour giving the town a cursory look-over, but they didn't see anything out of the ordinary. Occasionally, one or two blonde-haired, blue-eyed foreigners would appear in the crowd. Their throats were parched from walking when they spotted a foreigner sauntering into a farmhouse restaurant called "Xileyuan." The two exchanged a glance and followed him in.
Before they could reach the entrance, a person suddenly bolted out of a side alley. He was running in a frantic panic as if a tiger were chasing him—though in reality, it wasn't much better than being chased by a tiger. A long string of people was pursuing him, everyone shouting, "Catch the thief!"
Lu Linjiang calmly extended a leg. The man was likely a habitual offender; even in this situation, he managed to leap nimbly, intending to jump over Lu Linjiang’s leg. He hadn't expected Lu Linjiang to lift his leg higher, bringing it right up to the level of the man's groin. Caught off guard by this "rising leg," the thief tripped and went flying, crashing into and collapsing a nearby greenhouse.
The pursuers quickly surrounded him. A middle-aged man, panting heavily, rushed up to reclaim his bag and gave the thief a vicious kick. "Stealing! I’ll beat you to death!"
The emotions of a mob are particularly infectious. As soon as the victim spoke, the bystanders joined in with several more kicks. Fearing someone might be killed, Lu Linjiang and Yang Bo hurried forward to intervene. "That’s enough, that’s enough! Hand him over to the police!"
Amidst the commotion, a sharp voice suddenly cut in: "Oh my! My vegetable garden!"
The thief, who had been curled up on the ground playing dead, suddenly twitched. Lu Linjiang was quick and stepped on the hem of the man's trousers. The voice had already pushed through the crowd. "You’re going to be the death of me! You brat again! Idling around all day—I’ll beat you to death!"
Yang Bo stepped up to hold the woman back. "Don't, don't, Boss Lady. It’s not worth it. Send him to the police and make him pay for the damages!"
"Pay with what?!" The woman, who was quite attractive, was now flushed red with rage. "If he had three coins to his name, he’d be considered rich! He spends all day loafing around, doing nothing but stealing and mugging. He’s practically become the scourge of Liucheng Island!"
Someone had already called the police, and a mobile patrol car arrived shortly after. The young local officer who stepped out looked at the scene with resignation. "Cui Bin, why is it you again?"
The young officer hauled the man up from the ground, looked around, and asked, "Whose things did he steal this time?"
The victim, clutching his bag, raised his hand. "Officer, he’s terrible! I just turned away for a second to grab my milk tea, and he snatched my bag! He even made me spill my tea!"
"Check it. Is any money missing?" The young officer shook his head at the thief. "Alright then, come with us to the station to process the paperwork."
The middle-aged man began to hesitate. A police station was hardly a good tourist attraction, and since he hadn't lost anything and his food at the restaurant was probably almost ready... a look of hesitation crossed his face. "Officer, he was caught red-handed with the goods. Do I really have to go to the station?"
The young officer had seen many people like this. Just as he was about to persuade him, the boss lady of Xileyuan jumped out. "Xiao Zhao, Cui Bin collapsed my greenhouse. I’ll go with you. This brat is annoying as hell—can’t you lock him up for a few more days?"
"We can't; there are regulations," the officer named Xiao Zhao said politely. "He just swipes a few dates or steals a melon. According to the rules, we can't hold him for very long."
The boss lady looked dejected. "Then what about my greenhouse?"
"We’ll see," the young officer said. "I’ll make sure he fixes the greenhouse for you and pays for the vegetables at market price. But mind you, the price will be the market average, not the prices on your restaurant menu."
The boss lady pursed her lips, clearly dissatisfied, but she didn't say anything further.
This young officer looked as soft as dough, yet the fiery boss lady didn't dare talk back to him. Lu Linjiang looked at him with interest. The officer held the thief, Cui Bin, with one hand without using much force, yet Cui Bin was as silent and compliant as a cat caught by the scruff of its neck.
The young officer dispersed the onlookers and led the thief away.
Seeing that the excitement was over, Lu Linjiang sent a message to Wang Qi, telling him they were at Xileyuan. The boss lady still looked a bit indignant, but fortunately, business had arrived. She put on a smile and asked, "How many in your party, guests?"
Lu Linjiang looked inside. Several tables were set up in what used to be the main hall, and they were almost all full. The boss lady thought Lu Linjiang found it too crowded. "We have private rooms, but we usually don't give them to small groups."
Lu Linjiang didn't mind. "The main hall is fine." He walked toward a table for four. The table was finished with a simple clear lacquer and covered with a disposable tablecloth, set with four sets of wrapped utensils.
The boss lady followed. "There’s a menu on the table. Order whatever you like."
Lu Linjiang didn't even look at it. "Bring us three or four signature dishes, and whatever vegetables you have."
This kind of straightforward, non-fussy guest was the best. The boss lady left with a beaming smile. Lu Linjiang and Yang Bo looked around and noticed many conch shells and seashells displayed on the shelves on both sides. He stood up to take a closer look.
"Those are for sale," Wang Qi said as he walked in, happening to run into Lu Linjiang near the door. "Every shop has them. They’re like Liucheng Island souvenirs; young couples love buying this stuff."
Lu Linjiang and Wang Qi sat down. "Did you find anything on your end?"
Wang Qi shook his head. "You can't get anything by asking directly; no one will admit to it. We can only check them one by one. Besides, people around here can't really distinguish foreign faces. I showed the photo to a few people, and no one remembered him."
Lu Linjiang thought of the young officer named Xiao Zhao. "I’ll head to the local police station after dinner." As he spoke, his phone rang. Jiang Cheng had replied to his message: "Then everything should be fine." Before he could reply, Jiang Langmin’s message popped up right after, still in that very polite tone: "You're welcome, it's only what I should do."
Lu Linjiang was silent for a moment, highly suspicious that Jiang Langmin was pestering Jiang Cheng again. He couldn't quite figure out his own feelings for Jiang Cheng, but he was thoroughly dissatisfied with Jiang Langmin’s intentions. He felt the guy was up to no good, and it was irritating enough to make him grit his teeth.
