Li Cu found a very obvious strange point in the video: there was a break in the footage between his father in the bedroom and the conference room.

Ordinary people might think that his father hid the phone in his sleeve, which resulted in a completely black screen. However, Li Cu did not think so. He knew his father had a drinking problem, and his hands weren’t that nimble; he couldn’t make such smooth movements. At home, his father sometimes couldn’t even hold a cigarette properly.

He believed that the latter part of the meeting must be real, but the conversation between his father and him at the beginning and the subsequent meeting were two different videos that had definitely been edited.

During the meeting, he only saw what was happening under the table and did not see the person holding the phone. The person filming could be anyone.

As for the father in the hotel room, he was 100% certain it was fake. Others might not notice, but Li Cu could tell. He knew the expressions on his father’s face during moments of emotional agitation; this impersonator had done a remarkably similar job, but clearly, no one could understand what it was like for Li Cu as a child, hiding alone in a room, watching his parents argue through a crack in the door, seeing the various ugly expressions on their faces year after year, and later witnessing his father’s fierce demeanor when he returned home drunk in the middle of the night, sitting on the couch.

It was jealousy; his father was jealous of the man who was now with his mother. He never let it go, and after drinking, that jealousy would resurface.

Li Cu had to read the stories on his father’s face—whether they were about troubles at work, jealousy, fatigue, or dissatisfaction with life. If he misread them, his nights would be difficult to endure.

So, no one could pretend to be his father in front of Li Cu. This person was fake. Others couldn’t see it, but to him, it looked absurdly unreal. It was like two different people.

The connection between the two video segments was clearly intended to make Li Cu mistakenly believe that his father was also part of the investigation team, to make him think that his experiences were not coincidental but rather interconnected.

Li Cu suddenly sneered.

What was the other party’s purpose?

He understood that the only reason for this was to make him continue to investigate, to prevent him from backing down. He suddenly found it amusing.

He looked at the keys in his hand; by normal logic, he would definitely try to find that hotel, where there would surely be other clues. All these clues were interconnected, leading him into a mystery that captivated him.

Was it interesting?

Li Cu sighed, suddenly realizing the malice behind it. This wasn’t about making the fish struggle to escape the net; it was about keeping him trapped in it forever.

If this malice went unrecognized, it was truly vicious, but once seen through, it became somewhat ridiculous.

Li Cu pulled out the keys and the USB drive and tossed them into Su Wanquan’s trash can, which was filled with toilet paper. He didn’t understand the other party’s motives, but he instinctively felt a strong aversion.

He thought of Su Wan and everything he had experienced. Was all of this malicious? The other party had not only harmed him but also hurt his friends. And the intent was so malicious.

Li Cu stared blankly for a while, finished a cigarette, and then left Su Wan’s house. He thought to himself, with a somewhat sinister feeling, that the other party had put in considerable effort to design this scheme, clearly indicating that he was important in their plans. “I’m sorry, but I will never let you have your way,” he thought.

It should be noted that years ago, Wu Xie only began to counterattack after two years of entanglement. No one knew that within 30 days, Li Cu, who had become embroiled in the mystery, had already traversed the long suffering that Wu Xie had endured. His current thoughts would ultimately disrupt everyone’s plans.

After leaving Su Wan’s house, Li Cu did two things. The first was to return home and check under his bed. Sure enough, his father’s money and cards were hidden there, indicating that the person behind this forgery knew their family well. He did not touch the money, knowing that in these circumstances, if any part was designed by the other party, it would lead to a chain reaction.

For example, if the other party wanted him to reach a certain place within a few days, having that money might force him into various situations. The other party could use various tricks, but if he did not take that money with him, neither the other party nor he would have any way to proceed.

If the other party had a purpose, they would inevitably find a way to deal with the fact that he “had no money.” This would exponentially increase the difficulty.

The second thing he did was return to the warehouse, where he took a folding submachine gun, some ammunition, and some exploration equipment, including a tent and compressed biscuits. He organized the remaining cash on him and returned to Su Wan’s house, skillfully driving Su Wan’s father’s car out.

He was familiar with the roads and had been driving without a license for many years, making him somewhat of an experienced driver. He directly got onto the highway, heading towards Inner Mongolia based on his memory and road signs. However, at the entrance of the Fifth Ring Road, he was stopped by traffic police.

Fortunately, the police did not check his trunk. He was taken to the police station and given a harsh lecture, while the car was sent back to Su Wan’s house. Later, he reflected on his actions and realized that driving to Inner Mongolia was too far without a license; if he got caught once, all his efforts would be in vain.

But taking a plane, train, or bus would require passing through security checks. Although the security checks for trains and buses were quite rudimentary, it would be difficult to sneak through with such a large bag. Unless he got incredibly lucky, and being in Beijing, there were plainclothes officers at the station. If he did anything suspicious even once or twice, and was discovered by the plainclothes officers, it would be completely over for him.

The initial enthusiasm gradually faded, and a week passed without any incidents. Su Wan was discharged from the hospital. The kid had recovered quite well; aside from walking a bit unsteadily, he was as lively as before. The three of them gathered several times to discuss the issue, and Su Wan felt that Li Cu was being a bit too rash. In his view, that person was Li Cu’s father, and they should immediately go to that hotel.

Li Zu shook his head and told them that, based on all the current circumstances, these incidents were interconnected. First, someone had sent him the entire expedition team, including their equipment and members, cut into pieces. Second, someone had carved a strange pattern behind his back. Third, among the items that were sent, there was a video enticing him to Inner Mongolia’s Alashan League, which recorded the state of an expedition team before their departure.

Setting aside all distractions, he wondered if the team they saw in the video was the same group that had been cut up in the warehouse, those fragments of bodies. The woman who filmed the video and the person speaking were all in his freezer.