Chapter 147: Finding a Thread

Under the tea shop's sun umbrella, Wei Xiangzuo smoked and asked softly: "Did these people appear anywhere else?"

"This group stayed at Xishui Ting Foot Massage City the first day, then rented a house on Third Street in the port on the second day, paid one month's rent," Little Feng replied softly. "After Old Gu was shot dead, this group never showed their faces again."

Wei Xiangzuo considered for a while: "Are you sure the ones who went to the foot massage place and the ones who rented the house were the same people?"

"Sure," Little Feng replied confidently. "People from both the foot massage place and the rental house told me there was a man about 1.78 meters tall, crew cut, small eyes, missing half his left ear - the physical characteristics match."

Wei Xiangzuo took a sip of tea and immediately instructed: "Call the person who rented out the house, let's go take a look."

"Alright," Little Feng took out his phone.

......

The dock gang had many members, with disciples throughout the port, and had contact and interactions with all walks of life - some were even the dock gang's own businesses. So it wasn't difficult for Wei Xiangzuo to find out some information in such a place - perhaps even easier than the Police Bureau coming to investigate blindly.

In the afternoon, around 2 PM.

Wei Xiangzuo's car stopped at the intersection of Third Street in the port. After everyone waited in the car for a while, a middle-aged man in his fifties came running over and pulled open the door to get in.

"Old Wei," the middle-aged man smiled and greeted Wei Xiangzuo.

"Ah," Wei Xiangzuo nodded at him. "I have something to ask about."

"Still about those tenants?"

"Yes. What kind of people were they?" Wei Xiangzuo asked directly.

"I don't really know exactly how many people," the middle-aged man recalled and replied. "They rented through an agent, only two people came to talk to me. One of them was about 1.78-1.79 meters tall, crew cut, small eyes, missing half his left ear. Hehe, you know, I have quite a few run-down houses in this area, so we discussed the price, and since it seemed fine, I signed a contract with them."

"Didn't keep any ID or anything?" Wei Xiangzuo asked.

"What ID do you need in this dump? Thieves, contraband car dealers, drug users all hang around here - what ID do they have? Hehe, just rent if they pay," the middle-aged man paused before replying. "Oh, right, one morning when I went shopping, I saw people in that courtyard. I saw five people then, and the one with half an ear even greeted me."

Wei Xiangzuo pondered for a while: "Can you be sure when they left?"

"Can't be certain of the exact time," the middle-aged man paused and said. "But definitely after Old Gu died. To be honest, Old Wei, when I heard Old Gu was shot dead, I felt quite uncertain. We heard there were six or seven gunmen, and they hadn't been caught, so I thought about these renters. Who knew, when I went to check the next day, they really had left - the room was cleaned spotless, even the garbage outside the door had been cleared away."

"Even the garbage was cleared?!" Wei Xiangzuo was somewhat surprised.

"Yes."

"You didn't report this to the authorities?" Wei Xiangzuo asked.

"Am I sick?!" the middle-aged man replied helplessly. "Wouldn't reporting this just be asking for trouble? To be honest, if you hadn't come asking, I wouldn't tell anyone about this! Wait until they investigate to say anything."

"Hehe, thank you."

"No problem, we've known each other for many years," the middle-aged man grinned in reply.

"Alright, I understand," Wei Xiangzuo nodded.

"Old Wei, do you think Old Gu... was really killed by these people?" the middle-aged man asked somewhat worriedly. "I won't get caught up in this, right?"

"You just rented a house, what could you get caught up in?"

"That's true," the middle-aged man nodded.

"Alright, we'll go first then."

"Good, see you."

After their conversation, the middle-aged man got out of the car, and Wei Xiangzuo and his people left.

A little while later, Wei Xiangzuo and his people went to Xishui Ting Foot Massage City and met with the duty manager from that day.

This foot massage place wasn't large and also provided some special services, so the duty manager had a deep impression of the customers who came that night.

During their conversation, Wei Xiangzuo learned there were six people who, after entering the foot massage place that night, had foot baths and massages in private rooms, and finally three of them called for young girls.

Xishui Ting had surveillance cameras, but only in the corridors and public areas. Since the staff were awesome, they couldn't possibly install cameras in the bath areas and pink rooms, so there wasn't much surveillance footage of these six people. When Wei Xiangzuo watched it, he discovered one detail - these people all walked with their heads down in areas with cameras, never showing their faces clearly.

A series of details all indicated these people were somewhat abnormal.

The cars used in the crime were stolen from Tianhong Port. These people had paid a month's rent but only stayed in the house for a few days before leaving, and very possibly didn't return the night Old Gu was killed.

They left nothing in the room, even took away the garbage, and when they went to Xishui Ting Foot Massage City, not one of them left footage showing their full face.

After sorting through all this information, Wei Xiangzuo felt he had finally caught hold of a thread.

......

In the evening.

Wei Xiangzuo took his brothers to a restaurant in Tianhong Port for dinner.

"Big Brother, these people really seem like the gunmen who killed Old Gu," Little Feng said softly. "If they really did it, then they might have been in Tianhong Port longer than we thought. Analyzing it this way, it's very likely not the Yu family's doing."

Wei Xiangzuo ate his fish without responding.

"Not only does it not seem like the Yu family did it, but these people arrived exactly the day after Xu Er was killed," Little Feng turned to look around. "Think about it - the sea goods were seized, six million worth of incoming goods turned out to be eight million in volume, Old Gu must have been unhappy about this at the time. Big Brother, if you combine the timing of Xu Er's killing and when these people entered the port... isn't this getting quite terrifying to think about?"

Little Feng's words were already very pointed, and Wei Xiangzuo listened with furrowed brows.

"Those above were dissatisfied, and his brother was killed - calling in a batch of gunmen to enter the city for backup is very normal," Little Feng added again. "The cars used in the crime, the rented house, and those people's activity tracks were all within the port... think about it, think carefully."

"Damn it, you're like Conan!" Wei Xiangzuo cursed helplessly.

"...It's too similar, Big Brother!" Little Feng replied with a serious expression.

Wei Xiangzuo fell silent.

"Big Brother, anyway we brothers are definitely unhappy. This old man died, and he hasn't made any moves, but instead is networking internally, wanting to grab power, doing something with new channels. Most hatefully, all our profit payments have been stopped," Little Feng said through gritted teeth. "Old Gu was your master - when he was alive, we had to endure any dissatisfaction, respecting teacher and valuing the way! But now that the old man is gone, what right does Xu Hu have to carry the banner? What right?!"

Wei Xiangzuo took a drink of baijiu and looked up to ask: "What time is the meeting tonight?"

"Seven thirty, in Longkou. Heard Old Gu's wife and son are going too," Little Feng said.

"We'll go too," Wei Xiangzuo finished his cup and replied calmly.

......

In Longkou urban area, Su Tianyu, Kong Zhenghui, and Bai Hongbo had already drunk quite a bit accompanying the Public Affairs Bureau leader.

In the bathroom, Su Tianyu's face was red as he immediately instructed Big Bai: "Damn it, quickly arrange a place, if I drink anymore, I'm going to drink myself to death."

"Stick your finger down your throat."

"I don't know how..."

"Come on, I know how, I'll do it for you," Big Bai wiggled his two fingers very professionally. "Come on, open up."

"Get lost!"

Su Tianyu pushed Big Bai away and took out his phone, looked at the text message he had just received, then replied with four words: "Take care of him."