Shen Jingye arranged the documents page by page and walked into Li Qi's office.
"Director Li, Du Wenming has gone on leave."
"When did he take it?"
"Yesterday, starting Monday. In fact, it actually began last weekend—he asked for a full week off. In other words, when Yu Yaoming was abducted, he had no alibi!"
Li Banfeng said, "Wasn't it Du Wenming who called you today to attend the meeting?"
"That was because something happened at the lab, so the higher-ups canceled his leave. When he called me, he had only just returned to his office."
Li Banfeng spoke with earnest gravity. "Comrade Du is someone we know fairly well. Isn't it a bit uncalled for to treat him as a suspect just because he took a couple of days off?"
Shen Jingye looked at Li Banfeng. Words like that clearly weren't what Li Banfeng would normally say; they sounded like something coming from the higher-ups.
Li Banfeng was helping Shen Jingye prepare his responses. If he wanted to formally investigate Du Wenming—or even arrest him—someone would definitely step in to obstruct it. These were questions he would have to face.
"I don't just have the lack of an alibi. I have other leads as well."
"No matter how many leads you have, we can't wrong an innocent person," Li Banfeng said, his tone turning even more solemn. "Our colleagues all know Xiao Du isn't a dark-energy user. He can't use dark abilities!"
Shen Jingye handed Li Banfeng a dossier. "According to his official resume, although Du Wenming isn't a dark-energy user, he worked at the Garrison Office for a long time. Most of his career was spent in Puluo Province, which gave him the prerequisites to become a craft cultivator."
"Prerequisites aren't enough. Where's the evidence?"
Shen Jingye produced another file. "Du Wenming is an amateur radio enthusiast. He belongs to two amateur radio groups."
*A radio enthusiast?*
Li Banfeng wanted to ask about it, but held his tongue. Asking might reveal his true age.
Radio enthusiasts—hams—were a unique subculture that flourished in the 1980s. Possessing a certain level of technical knowledge, they used self-assembled radio equipment to communicate with fellow hobbyists across different frequency bands.
In an era before the internet became widespread, while this method of communication didn't allow people to meet face-to-face, being able to hear each other's voices made it far superior to traditional pen pals. However, because the technical threshold for the amateur radio circle was so high, its reach remained quite limited.
Li Banfeng skimmed through the materials. "In this day and age, people still mess with radios?"
Shen Jingye said, "The community has always been quite active. It only feels unfamiliar to us because we know so little about it. Just last month, Du Wenming purchased a batch of components through an amateur radio organization. Here is the list."
Li Banfeng looked over the inventory. "He's actually using vacuum tubes? Equipment like this belongs in a museum."
Shen Jingye replied, "I only just learned that within the radio community, there's a retro trend of using primitive gear. The groups Du Wenming joined are legitimate, and the components he purchased are completely legal. However, many of these relatively primitive electronic parts aren't standardized factory products. Operating and assembling them is exceptionally difficult, which indirectly proves Du Wenming possesses a certain level of craft."
Li Banfeng frowned. "Xiao Shen, that's a bit of a stretch. You can't claim someone is a craft cultivator just because they can tinker with radio equipment, can you?"
This tone sounded remarkably like some of Shen Jingye's superiors. Li Banfeng was right; if they wanted to launch an investigation into Du Wenming, these objections were unavoidable.
Yet this was as far as Shen Jingye could go. "Given the current situation, these are all the leads we can gather. With Du Wenming's standing, bringing him in for interrogation is unrealistic, and a search warrant for his home would never be approved. Even our inquiries into the people around him and the related organizations have to stop here. Du Wenming is an insider. If we push any deeper, we'll inevitably startle the snake."
Li Banfeng glanced over the component list once more.
Was Du Wenming's fondness for radios truly just a hobby?
Did it have any necessary connection to Yu Yaoming's kidnapping?
Racking his own brain wouldn't yield any answers. A matter like this required a specialist.
The Dark Star Bureau had its own communications specialists. Shen Jingye summoned Cheng Zhiyuan, a key member of the communications division.
Cheng Zhiyuan studied the list for a good while before walking them through the functions of each component: "The main function of a rectifier tube is to convert alternating current into direct current. The amplifier tube amplifies audio signals. The converter tube is used to—"
Shen Jingye frowned. "Who asked for a lecture? Did I call you here to give a class? I'm asking you what can be built from the components on this list!"
Cheng Zhiyuan looked at it a moment longer and shook his head. "I can't tell."
Li Banfeng asked, "You really can't tell, or do you just not dare say?"
Cheng Zhiyuan shook his head with a bitter smile. "Director Li, you're putting me on the spot."
Both Li Banfeng and Shen Jingye understood the technician's position.
It was like someone buying several panes of glass and a tube of glue. They might very well be building a handmade fish tank, or perhaps an ornamental mirror, or maybe neither—they might simply want to place a sheet of glass over a desk.
In casual banter, offering a speculation was harmless enough. But in the Dark Star Bureau, a wrong inference could lead to dire consequences. Therefore, without a formal order, Cheng Zhiyuan would say nothing.
Under the present circumstances, Shen Jingye wasn't in a position to issue a formal directive either. Li Banfeng decided to take the list and tap into his own channels.
He had his own expert. That person might not be well versed in modern equipment from the Outer States, but when it came to antique machinery, Luo Zhengnan was an expert among experts.
Returning to his residence, Li Banfeng gave Luo Zhengnan a phone call and went over the contents of the list with him.
After hearing it, Luo Zhengnan found himself in a bit of a quandary as well. "Seventh Master, the parts this fellow bought are rather piecemeal. I can only make a rough guess.
"These things could be used to build a television antenna, or a radio. If you wanted to get fancier, you could even assemble a radio telescope.
"Going by my experience, though, a radio is the most likely. I happen to have a radio like that on hand. I can show it to you another day."
"No need to wait for another day. I'm in a hurry on my end. I'll head over to see it today." Passing through Tiemen Fort, Li Banfeng arrived in Lüshui City, where Luo Zhengnan already had the radio set out.
In the eyes of young people, a radio was either mounted on a car dashboard or held in the palm of an old man strolling through a park—a palm-sized gadget.
The radio Li Banfeng saw this time was taller than he was, roughly the size of a wardrobe in his home.
Luo Zhengnan swung open the cabinet's rear door and introduced the components one by one.
"Electrical signals in Puluo Province are exceptionally weak, so semiconductor materials from the Outer States don't work here. Vacuum tubes have great frequency response in the high ranges, and they're remarkably stable. They aren't picky about their environment, unlike the delicate modern equipment from the Outer States.
"Tube equipment is also easy to repair. If one tube blows, you just swap it out. It's not like those sophisticated modern devices where losing one part means replacing an entire module."
Li Banfeng understood the gist. He switched it on, only to hear a harsh burst of static.
"Seventh Master, don't rush. Relying purely on electronic components will only pick up very limited signals. If you want to listen to a broadcast in Puluo Province, you need a special material." Luo Zhengnan brought out a wooden box, retrieved an antenna from it, and connected it to the radio.
This antenna was extraordinary—it was the very one he normally kept plugged into his own brain.
With the antenna plugged in and the knob carefully adjusted, the radio finally locked onto a station.
To a lively tune of gongs, drums, and flutes, Li Banfeng heard an advertisement:
"Brother, why haven't you harvested your sorghum yet?"
"I don't dare harvest it! Just two days ago I hacked Sixth Uncle at the village entrance to death. His corpse is still lying in the field. The moment I cut the sorghum, the body won't stay hidden, and Sixth Aunt will never let me off!"
"Just hiding it like that won't solve anything. Haven't you ever used Old Third Ma's Corpse-Dissolving Miracle Powder? A single spoonful and everything's clean—not a trace left! Just a puddle of sludge that seeps straight into the soil, so you don't even have to clean it up!"
"Is it really that good?"
"A time-honored brand with a time-honored reputation! I'm a regular customer of his—would I lie to you?"
Listening to the advertisement, Li Banfeng's jaw dropped. "Medicine like this can be openly advertised?"
Luo Zhengnan chuckled. "That's just the way things are in our Puluo Province. Whatever we do, we like to keep it straightforward."
Li Banfeng was incensed. "This isn't about being straightforward! A medicine like that is fundamentally senseless! Do you know how precious a corpse is? Melting it away with a single spoonful of medicine is a wanton waste—it squanders valuable resources!"
Luo Zhengnan was somewhat baffled. "Then after killing someone, how else should they deal with the body—"
"You hand it over to me! I have plenty of good methods! Tomorrow, we'll put up an advertisement too—"
Before he could finish, a sweet voice came over the radio.
"Hello, dear listeners. I am A'hui. The annual busy farming season is upon us once again. First, allow me to say to all our plow cultivator friends: thank you for your hard work."
Hearing this voice, Li Banfeng froze for a long time.
Luo Zhengnan grinned. "Seventh Master, sweet voice, isn't it? She's the best host in all of Puluo Province."
"The best?"
"Of course! Listen a bit more."
The radio's sound quality was a bit scratchy, but it truly couldn't conceal the sweetness of her voice: "During busy seasons, moods are prone to shifting. When conflicts arise with others, please think twice before you act.
"In two months, the snowy season will arrive. Whether dealing with old grudges or new vendettas, it is best to settle them in the snow, making it easier to dispose of corpses and handle other clean-up matters..."
Li Banfeng examined the antenna on the radio closely. "With this antenna, could someone in the Outer States pick up this broadcast as well?"
Luo Zhengnan nodded. "You can call me from the Outer States—it works on the exact same principle."
"What material is this antenna made of?"
Luo Zhengnan hesitated for a moment.
Li Banfeng said, "If you don't want to say, that's fine. I won't force you."
This antenna was the cornerstone of Luo Zhengnan's livelihood, but since Li Qi asked, Luo Zhengnan told him anyway: "Setting aside the iron, manganese, and nickel, the most crucial material is Heavenly Heart Stone.
"When this antenna was forged, a small piece of Heavenly Heart Stone was smelted into it—just a fingernail-sized scrap. Without that scrap, this antenna would only be worth sixty Huanguo notes. With it, even six thousand silver dollars might not buy it."
Heavenly Heart Stone possessed guiding properties. Li Banfeng was well aware of this—back then, Chu Shaoqiang had relied on Heavenly Heart Stone to steer Daogui Ridge to Sage Peak.
Perhaps it could guide electromagnetic signals as well.
If Du Wenming possessed equipment similar to a radio, did he also have Heavenly Heart Stone?
Of course, investing so much capital couldn't have been merely to listen to the radio; he was likely conducting other kinds of research.
Kidnapping Yu Yaoming proved that Yu Yaoming's work overlapped with his own, and Yu Yaoming might have even obtained the results he wanted.
Results couldn't be limited to mere theory. What else had Yu Yaoming developed?
Li Banfeng immediately returned to Yuezhou. Arriving at the Dark Star Bureau, he summoned Shen Jingye. "Who is currently guarding Yu Yaoming's laboratory?"
"For now, personnel from the Dark Matter Research Lab are still guarding it. But since the task of locating Yu Yaoming fell to us, we can take over the lab at any time." Shen Jingye prepared to place a call to the lab.
Li Banfeng shook his head. "Don't take over just yet. After such a massive incident, no matter how incompetent the research lab may be, they are bound to have heightened security right now. They won't easily leave an opening for their opponent."
Shen Jingye asked, "Are you certain Du Wenming will strike the lab?"
Li Banfeng shook his head. "I can't say for certain, only that the probability is very high. Arrange a place for me to stay near Yu Yaoming's lab without alerting the people from the research lab. I'll go keep watch tonight. Right now, what worries me is that Du Wenming won't dare approach the lab easily."
Shen Jingye asked, "Is there a way to lure him there?"
"Yes," Li Banfeng said after a moment's thought, a plan taking shape in his mind. "Coordinate with the research lab. I need to interrogate Yu Yaoming's students."
Shen Jingye said, "If necessary, we can take custody of all his students."
Li Banfeng shook his head. "No need to take custody. Just arrange a single interrogation. That way, someone will deliver the message to Du Wenming. When the time comes, Du Wenming will call you. You must handle it properly."
Shen Jingye went to arrange lodgings near the laboratory, while Li Banfeng headed to the hospital to visit his high school and university classmate, Fang Yufei.
Before going, Li Banfeng specifically put on a disguise, affixing a fake beard. In addition, he had his lady apply some clay to his face, making his facial contours look considerably rounder.
Once certain he wouldn't be easily recognized, Li Banfeng went to the hospital, presented his credentials to the agents posted by the research lab, and entered Fang Yufei's hospital room.
The research lab agent hadn't gotten a clear look at Li Banfeng's credentials and hurried to the door to ask, "Could I trouble you to sign the register?"
Li Banfeng looked back, staring expressionlessly at the agent.
The agent felt a sudden chill, didn't dare press further, and quietly closed the door.
In truth, there was no need to ask anyway. The higher-ups had already given notice that someone from the Dark Star Bureau would be coming. This was an authorized assignment—why meddle in other people's business?
Reassuring himself with these thoughts, the agent sat back down outside the room.
Li Banfeng pulled up a chair and sat across from Fang Yufei.
Just as expected, Fang Yufei didn't recognize him—her glasses had been confiscated by the Dark Star Bureau. She nervously watched the bearded man before her and asked cautiously, "Who are you?"
Li Banfeng waved his badge before Fang Yufei. "I am an investigator in charge of this case. I'm here to ask you a few questions."
Fang Yufei shook her head. "I've already told you everything I can. What more do you want to ask?"
"Don't be nervous. Just a few simple questions. You were present at the scene on the day of the incident. Were you trying to assist your advisor at the time?"
Fang Yufei bowed her head. "At first, we did have that thought. But later, when we saw Teacher being arrested, we were terrified."
Obsessive, yet genuine.
After spending so much time around Yu Yaoming, similar changes seemed to manifest in everyone.
Li Banfeng asked again, "After your teacher was arrested, did you ever consider rescuing him?"
"No, absolutely not!" Fang Yufei flatly denied it. "After Teacher was arrested, we were arrested too. We don't have that kind of ability, nor do we have the courage."
"Aside from you students, were there other members in Yu Yaoming's organization?"
"What organization are you talking about?" Fang Yufei shook her head repeatedly. "We don't have an organization. We just have an ordinary student-teacher relationship."
"Still making excuses!" Li Banfeng sharpened his tone. "At the academic symposium, who was the person sitting next to you?"
Fang Yufei said, "It was Han Yuelong. We attend the same university and have similar research focuses, but he isn't our advisor's student."
"And besides him?"
"Sitting on the other side was a man. I don't know him."
"You don't know him?" Li Banfeng frowned. Was she deliberately covering for him? She had seemed to say she would never forget him.
"I really don't know him! I feel like I spoke with him a bit, and he seemed to have done some research on wormholes, but what we actually talked about, I've really forgotten!"
She didn't look like she was lying.
It seemed someone had wiped away part of her memory.
What method had that person used?
The purpose of doing so was likely to protect him. If Fang Yufei's memory hadn't been wiped, during the investigation both the Dark Star Bureau and the Dark Matter Research Lab would have arrived at the conclusion that Li Banfeng was Li Qi.
Li Banfeng fixed his gaze on Fang Yufei, a hint of imposing presence radiating from him. "I know your organization is still trying to rescue Yu Yaoming. You can keep quibbling, but if you continue to refuse to cooperate with the investigation, you will face the severest punishment—just like Yu Yaoming!"
Sitting on the bed, Fang Yufei's body shuddered with tremors.
Li Banfeng stood and walked out.
Before he had gone far, he heard Fang Yufei shrieking hysterically, "I didn't! I didn't lie! I told the truth! It really is the truth..."
Hearing the screams, the agent outside rushed in, calling for the doctor, and together they restrained the agitated Fang Yufei.
Li Banfeng looked back at Fang Yufei once.
She was beautiful, and remarkably brilliant.
He hoped she would remember this terror and not end up like Yu Yaoming, reaching for power she could never control.
Would Du Wenming learn of what happened at the hospital?
Li Banfeng was certain he would.
Because the agent standing guard had already taken out his phone to report to his superiors.
Shen Jingye had just picked out lodgings near the laboratory when Du Wenming's phone call arrived.
"Director Shen, what is going on with you people? It was supposed to be a routine interrogation, and you drove the witness out of her mind?"
Shen Jingye quickly offered his apologies. "We sent a newcomer who may have been a bit rash."
"Fortunately, this was at a hospital where the doctors could bring Fang Yufei's condition under control. If this had happened at your Dark Star Bureau, I'd like to see how you would clean up the mess!"
"Director Du's reprimand is well-taken. I will handle this matter strictly."
"I really don't know what you people are thinking. Do you suspect Yu Yaoming was abducted by Fang Yufei? Do you think she has that kind of capability?"
"Director Du, we believe Yu Yaoming has more than just Fang Yufei working under him. There is an organization of considerable scale beneath him. Yu Yaoming is the head of that organization, and Fang Yufei and the other students are key members. This organization mounted a rescue operation and snatched Yu Yaoming from the lab. There are bound to be vital clues regarding Yu Yaoming among Fang Yufei and those students!"
Du Wenming pondered for a moment. "I agree with your reasoning, but you must pay attention to your methods during the investigation. Tomorrow, I will transfer all of those students to the Dark Star Bureau. I'll take the heat for this incident on your behalf—now hurry up with your investigation."
Hanging up the phone, Shen Jingye wiped the sweat from his forehead. He reviewed the conversation in his mind and confirmed he hadn't revealed any slips.
Behind his desk, Du Wenming tapped his fingertips lightly against the tabletop.
Shen Jingye was directing his spearhead at those students.
When it came down to it, the Dark Star Bureau only had these same three moves.
That evening, Li Banfeng arrived at the lodgings Shen Jingye had arranged.
Yu Yaoming's laboratory was in an out-of-the-way location. Nearby were two faculty dormitories, both of which had been cleared out by the research lab. A bit farther off stood a warehouse. The warehouse staff had all been evacuated, leaving it without dedicated guards; this was the only suitable lodging available.
Li Banfeng wasn't picky—he stayed inside the companion dwelling anyway.
Shen Jingye had also assigned Li Banfeng an assistant: special operative Geng Congyi.
The man was around fifty years old, powerfully built, and extremely courteous toward Li Banfeng. "Director Li, I am a Severer—known in Puluo Province as a blade cultivator. I have a certain counter-advantage against craft cultivators."
"Blade cultivator?" Li Banfeng had heard the name, but knew little about this pathway. "What means do you use to counter craft cultivators?"
Geng Congyi answered, "By severing the connection between a craft cultivator and their weapons. Blade cultivators excel at cutting. We can slice through physical matter, and we can sever the bonds between energies."
Shen Jingye chimed in to clarify: "To put it simply, if we encounter that marionette again, Old Geng can slice its strings, and the puppet will naturally become useless!"
Li Banfeng nodded. "That truly makes you a great asset. Old Geng, keeping watch here will take some endurance. Can you handle it?"
Geng Congyi stood at attention. "Rest assured, Director. Mission guaranteed."
That night, Li Banfeng had Old Geng stand by in the warehouse while he went to the lab to conduct an initial investigation.
Slipping past the guards, picking the lock, and using the projector to control the surveillance equipment, Li Banfeng began his work.
He brought out the glove and asked, "Anything valuable?"
"Yes! There's good stuff here!" The glove circled from machine to machine, pulling an iron box from inside the resonator, a glass tube from the spectrometer, and unscrewing a resistor from the interferometer...
After stripping over thirty parts, Li Banfeng asked the glove, "What are these used for?"
The glove replied, "I don't know what they do either. All I know is they're worth a fortune."
Li Banfeng took all the paper documents in the lab and copied all the data from several computers. The glove cleaned up afterward, restoring document boxes and folders to their original appearance, padding them with blank sheets of paper so that nothing looked out of place from the outside.
With everything properly handled, Li Banfeng left the laboratory and brought the items into the companion dwelling.
Looking at the components, his lady didn't see much use in them, though she took an interest in the experimental data Li Banfeng had brought back.
The glove felt a little slighted. "Mistress, look closer! These things are worth a fortune!"
The companion dwelling shuddered slightly, and the Old Master spoke up: "Ah Qi, bring them to the Third Chamber and let me have a look."
The glove wagged its index finger. "Old Master, looking is fine, but make sure you speak up before you touch anything."
The companion dwelling grew impatient. "Hurry up and bring them in! Making such a fuss over a pile of scrap!"
Li Banfeng and the glove carried the pile of parts into the Third Chamber, set them on the floor, and waited for the Old Master's assessment.
The Old Master offered no commentary; Li Banfeng only watched as the components vanished one by one.
When the last circuit board disappeared, the Old Master let out a sigh of appreciation. "You have a conscience after all, boy. You've finally brought good things home. Every last one is a priceless treasure."
The glove let out a long breath. "Master, hear that? I told you my eyes weren't playing tricks on me! Old Master, we gave all the good stuff to you—at least tell me where these treasures came from!"
The Old Master said, "These are all Heavenly Heart Stone."
The glove was startled. "All Heavenly Heart Stone? Can Heavenly Heart Stone grow like this?"
"It's not intact Heavenly Heart Stone. Heavenly Heart Stone was smelted into these items. I don't understand much about the electrical craft methods of the Outer States. Once I study them for a few days, I should be able to figure out a few clues."
The glove nodded. "Even if you can't find clues, maybe you can build a station out of them! Old Master, Heavenly Heart Stone is prime material for building major stations, isn't it?"
*Smack!*
A broom flew across and swatted the glove to the floor. In a grave, earnest tone, the companion dwelling exhorted, "Ah Qi, these things undoubtedly have an extraordinary origin. Clean up the aftermath thoroughly; whatever you do, don't let anyone trace this back to us. We aren't greedy people, but once something reaches our hands, we can never let anyone take it back!"
Li Banfeng took the Old Master's teachings to heart and returned to the laboratory with the glove.
He had spent so much time inside the laboratory without the agents of the Dark Matter Research Lab noticing in the slightest. It wasn't that they were derelict in their duties, but rather that their abilities were simply too limited.
Li Banfeng handed a newly arrived bottle of lens oil to the projector. "From here on, we'll be counting on our new friends."
"Director Seven, do you also believe they have lives?"
"I do. As long as they are my friends, they will enjoy blessings and never suffer a loss."
The projector felt immense confidence in this assignment. "Director Seven, from this moment on, dozens of eyes will join together to fulfill the mission you have entrusted to us."
The following night, the marionette with the large brown hat, yellow hair, blue eyes, and long nose entered the laboratory.
It still walked sideways between the instruments, its body showing no bobbing motion, its footsteps eerily smooth and steady.
It opened the resonator first, raised its left arm, and fumbled around inside the spectrometer for a moment.
It didn't find the resistor it was looking for.
Pulling out blueprints from its chest, it checked them against the machine. It hadn't picked the wrong machine, but the key components inside were missing.
It checked the spectrometer again, yet still found nothing it wanted.
It crawled beneath the resonator once more. Just as it opened the bottom cover, a shout came from outside the door: "Someone has entered the lab! All personnel, to your stations—prepare for combat!"
Agents from the research lab were the first to storm the scene, with Li Qi and Geng Congyi arriving right behind them.
Still beneath the resonator, the marionette's feet couldn't help a slight twitch.
P.S.: Oh, Xiao Shen, did you really think Li Qi worked for nothing? He's only just started helping himself!
Chapter 568