The lights were still on. I moved into the main hall of the house and felt around the tabletop, finding it covered in dust. The candlelight flickered, and some fruit was placed there. From the looks of it, the person who lived here hadn't left long ago.
I instructed the others to continue their investigation. To my surprise, everyone came back with similar findings: the house seemed to have been inhabited recently, but the occupants had apparently just left.
I immediately had an idea. I told Li Fan and the others to lead the police officers in a continued search, while I took a group of men towards the back mountain. With people stationed in all four directions, any sign of trouble on the mountain would prompt us to call for backup and surround the area.
Near a waterfall on the back mountain, I discovered numerous footprints. Li Fan said, "They're likely hiding behind the waterfall!"
"Everyone be careful, stay alert!" I ordered. The officers divided into several lines and marched steadily into the cave. The water splashing on us drenched our clothes, but we pressed on. Behind the waterfall, we found even more footprints in the mud. These guys were moving fast; they must have been in the village just a moment ago. "They must have taken the villagers hostage!"
"Yes, when we see people, we must prioritize the villagers' safety!"
"Understood, Captain Li!"
Among us were dozens of police officers, most of them detectives. Liu Yuning and Gao Mingqiang were also present, while others were still searching elsewhere in the village. We continued forward, entering a cave with water flowing on both sides. We followed the water marks on the ground, the deafening roar of the water around us making our ears tingle. Still, we persevered until we saw several figures in the distance. One of them raised a submachine gun and threatened, "Don't come any closer, or we'll kill these villagers!"
My guess was right. I saw Guo Dafu and several others holding guns to the heads of some villagers, who were now kneeling on the ground like dogs, completely subservient for fear of their lives.
I raised my gun and said, "Guo Dafu, you can't escape. I don't know if this was your idea, but you've escaped from prison. If you surrender now, we can still talk!"
"Haha, I was already facing death. You know what the consequences of being sent back will be. We will never surrender. We'll take a few cops with us even if we die!"
"But those villagers are innocent. Don't you think about their families? If they..."
Before I could finish, Guo Dafu cursed, "Don't tell me useless things. Do you think people like us still have any concept of family, friendship, or love? We are heartless, just cruel beasts!"
"But you can't impose your selfish desires on others. What you don't want done to yourself, don't do to others!" I reasoned. I knew a desperate criminal couldn't be reasoned with, but I had to buy time. Another SWAT team had already been positioned by Li Fan to enter the cave from the back, and they would soon appear behind the criminals!
"Heh, your words sound good, but they're useless to us. Alright, I don't want to waste any more time. I'm going to kill all of you, and then kill these hostages too!" Guo Dafu shouted, raising his submachine gun. Just as he was about to act, I raised my hand and said, "Don't be rash. Don't you want to live anymore? I can let you go!"
"Heh, you police are all liars. The moment we let go of the hostages, you'll all swarm us and arrest us!"
"Not this time. We're only concerned about the hostages. Believe me, I won't break my promise!"
"Haha, I don't believe you. I don't want to run anymore either. Running is too painful. It's better to die. Goodbye!" Guo Dafu raised his gun, pointing it at me. Just as I thought I was doomed, over a dozen SWAT officers suddenly burst from behind. I also spotted Xiao Yuande among them. He was the first to tackle Guo Dafu to the ground. During the struggle, the submachine gun accidentally discharged, hitting an elderly woman in the shoulder. The villager screamed and clutched her wound. The other SWAT officers quickly subdued the remaining criminals.
We sent the elderly woman to the hospital and apprehended Guo Dafu again. He cursed, "You won't find any evidence to send me back this time, hahaha. Let me tell you something interesting, my entire record has been erased!"
"What nonsense are you talking about? Do you think the provincial department is your home? They can just erase your records?" Li Fan retorted. At the time, I also thought Guo Dafu was just talking nonsense. But the moment we returned to the provincial department and checked the records, we found that the man indeed no longer existed.
I excitedly went to the interrogation room. Guo Dafu looked at me with a wicked grin, "Surprised, Officer He? I actually didn't intend to die just now. I also knew you had people ambushed. I was just acting. I knew you were trying to buy time, and at that moment, I was also buying time!"
"You..." I was completely outplayed by a criminal, infuriated, and speechless.
"Don't be nervous, Detective He. My records have vanished. I don't exist in this world, so you can't convict me. Let me go immediately!"
"How did you do it?"
"Heh, I didn't do anything. This world never had me to begin with."
"You..."
This guy had likely used some means to achieve this bizarre outcome. Although such situations are rare, I had heard of cases where the black market or dark web could alter a person's records, change their identity, or even make them disappear from the world. I never expected to encounter something like this.
I had initially thought such things only existed in novels or movies, but now I saw they could happen in reality.
It seemed that many things depicted in artistic works were not entirely fictional but had some basis in truth.
It was like the novel I had previously read, "The Tomb Raider Saint," where the content was presented as factual.
I was at a loss for how to respond. At that moment, Liu Yuning entered. She had probably learned about the missing records as well. She didn't speak to Guo Dafu but pulled me outside. "He Sheng, it seems these people are truly extraordinary. Do you know what else I discovered?"
"What?"
"The surveillance footage we took earlier, as well as some witness testimonies, have all become problematic. First, the surveillance footage shows a different person. The witnesses also claim that Guo Dafu was not involved in the crime and was somewhere else at the time, not at the crime scene!"