Chapter 72: Another Voice in the Brain – 9
“Okay, please give me the IP address…”
The call ended, but Tang Yingli’s brow was furrowed.
“With this number, we should be able to find out where he logged in from, right?”
“Yes.” Jinglin was about to hand the IP to Jian Minggui. “It’s just…”
“Just what?”
“The administrator said that after the professor logged into his account, he cleared all his research data.”
Jinglin was taken aback. Clearing his research data… for a scholar, his research results must be as important as his second life. “What do you think?”
“The unknown organization went to great lengths to win over the professor, just to get his research data, so they would have absolutely no reason to delete it. After the incident, I not only contacted Dartmouth, but also his family. He must have known his account was being monitored, but he still logged in.” Tang Yingli pursed her lips. “I think he did it on purpose… he must have prepared for the worst. Even if his account was hacked, he wouldn’t let anyone else get his data.”
Running her hands through her hair, she couldn’t hide her anxiety. “Oh my god… what on earth happened to him?”
“Don’t forget you’re worrying about a murderer,” Jinglin couldn’t help but remind her.
“I…”
She waved her notebook. “I’ll ask the senior to check the IP first. We’ll talk about the rest later.”
Looking at Jinglin’s back, Tang Yingli suddenly felt dizzy. Her thoughts were in a jumble, and she couldn’t find any reason to explain Chomsky’s actions.
Suddenly, the door to the chief’s office was opened. “Attention, everyone.”
The entire station fell silent. Fang Zijun looked around and said, “We just received news that the culprit’s phone has finally been turned on.”
“Turned on?” many people repeated in unison.
“That’s right. We’ve locked on to the target.” He nodded with certainty and a hint of a smile. “Everyone, get ready immediately. We’re moving out in two minutes.”
“Yes, sir.”
The police were in high spirits, but Tang Yingli was stunned. “Turned on…” right after deleting all his research data.
First, he had logged into his university account, and then he had turned on his phone, as if he were openly telling the police to come and get him.
But before that, he had been perfectly hidden for three days… why?
“It seems we don’t need to investigate anymore.” Crumpling the note, Jinglin returned to her side. “Teacher, let’s go.”
She, who was lost in thought, didn’t react for a moment. “Huh?”
“To get him.” Her eyes were firm as she took Tang Yingli’s arm and ran to the main door.
**
After finally receiving the exact information, the service vehicles of the Criminal Investigation Division set out one after another.
“Are you sure it’s not a trap?”
Sitting in the passenger seat, Tang Yingli spoke to Fang Zijun through the radio. “Don’t forget he was perfectly hidden for three days before. Now he’s clearly deliberately releasing information for the police to catch him.”
Although Chomsky was a murderer, he was also a scholar who was familiar with the criminal mind. If he really had the intention to commit a crime… he would be a very formidable opponent.
‘I understand your concerns, Teacher, but according to a reliable source, a tall foreigner has indeed been spotted near the MRT station, and his characteristics match Chomsky’s.’ Fang Zijun took a deep breath. ‘We absolutely cannot miss this great opportunity to catch him.’
A reliable source? Could it be… “Where is the exact location of the signal?”
‘Near T University, at the junction of the MRT station exit and the interior.’
He actually went back to the university? He must be going back to find George Miller.
She glanced at the clock in the car. “The seminar has started…” Chomsky probably didn’t know that the seminar Miller was hosting had been changed to this time. Because of the major murder case, security had been deployed at the hotel and the conference hall, so he would never be able to get close to Miller.
“What seminar?”
“The seminar my teacher is hosting. It was originally scheduled for Friday, but it was moved to the last day because of the murder…” she lowered her head and gritted her teeth, “if it weren’t for these accidents, I should have been there.”
“So he went back to find your teacher?”
“That’s the only possibility.” Her index finger on her glasses, her expression was serious. “At this point, we have to catch him quickly.”
With a sharp turn of the steering wheel, Jinglin deftly changed lanes. “He can’t get away.”
On their way to the pursuit, Fang Zijun had already contacted the precinct police for assistance, and by the time they arrived, police had been deployed around the MRT station.
“Chief, do we need to evacuate the area first?” The coffee shop must be full of ordinary people.
‘Besides the folding knife, the mad professor shouldn’t have any other lethal weapons, right?’
They looked at each other. “Probably not.”
‘Then don’t alert him. You two go in quickly and subdue the suspect.’
“Roger that.” Taking off her earpiece, Jinglin casually checked the pistol hidden in her jacket. “The chief has signaled us to go in… wait a minute. Does he recognize you?”
“Because of the speech translation, we’ve been in contact by message this week.” Although she had mostly been in contact with the deceased Müller. “It’s been four or five years since we last met… maybe he still has some impression of me.”
“I’m worried he’ll recognize you and blow our cover.” Jinglin raised an eyebrow. “Hasn’t your baby face not changed since high school?”
“This is not the time to be teasing me about my looks.” Tang Yingli pursed her lips. “Besides, if I’m not there, who’s going to communicate with him?”
Well… she has a point. Jinglin tactfully shut up, and they quickly ran past the exit corridor. As they approached the gate, they could already smell the aroma of coffee.
“I’ll go in and confirm his location first. You stay outside.”
The coffee shop had large floor-to-ceiling windows with good lighting. “No need for that.” Tang Yingli’s gaze locked on a certain point inside. “I see him.” He had chosen the farthest corner from the entrance, the only place where he could have a full view of the room.
But that also meant he had nowhere to run.
“The suspect is in the corner of the coffee shop… the teacher and I are going in, over.”
Pushing open the glass door, Jinglin quickly scanned the other corners, but found no suspicious individuals. “You pretend to order, and I’ll get close to him.”
“Officer Zhou…” Tang Yingli trailed off, only able to silently grab her.
Shaking her head, Jinglin gave a playful smile. “Don’t worry, leave it to me.”
Ignoring her worried eyes, Jinglin pretended to look for a seat, but was actually keeping an eye on Chomsky and secretly approaching.
He was wearing a dirty, old coat, was well-built, and had a thick head of white hair. There was only a cup of coffee on the table, and he was scrolling through his phone with a relaxed posture.
Besides the round table, there were only wooden chairs in the corner. Jinglin was calculating how to subdue him, and when she saw a couple less than a meter away from him, she couldn’t help but frown.
As she continued to approach, he suddenly looked up as if he had a premonition, and their eyes met.
Not good, Jinglin thought, and in the next second, he quickly took out a revolver from his coat and pressed the muzzle to the head of the girl in the couple.
“Police?” he said to her in English.
The other people in the room were all stunned. Someone shouted, “He has a gun,” and panic instantly spread through the coffee shop. Besides the staff and the hostage, the scene was suddenly left with only him and the three of them.
How did he know? Jinglin was sure she wasn’t wearing any identification. She wanted to draw her gun, but Chomsky immediately grabbed the hostage by the neck and shouted at her, “Don’t move.”
“Professor.” Tang Yingli quickly came to Jinglin’s side. “Calm down. Put down the gun.”
Chomsky squinted, his gaze lingering on her face for a long moment. “You… I seem to have seen you before.”
“I’m Charlotte. Five years ago, when you presented your paper on the genetic decoding of criminals, I was also at that seminar.”
“Charlotte…” he chewed on the name, “George’s student?”
Tang Yingli hesitated for a moment, and although she was afraid of provoking him by mentioning Miller, in order to jog his memory, she still nodded in acknowledgement. “Yes, I am.”
“I remember you.” The corners of his mouth lifted. “George said you were very outstanding. Did you pass the agent training?”
“I did. Thanks to your theory, Professor, the director of the bureau even thought you were my advisor.”
This made him relax for a moment, but the situation quickly took a turn for the worse. “No… that’s not right. If you passed the agent training, then why are you here now?” he asked, waving the gun at Jinglin. “Are you two together?”
Jinglin had intended to stand in front of Tang Yingli, but she resolutely stepped forward. “I know why you risked coming back to the university.”
She did not answer the question, but chose to look directly into his eyes. “We’ve been looking for you for these three days. We first cracked the password on your laptop and understood the pressure you’ve been under from being stalked and threatened. I also called Dr. William and discussed your condition in detail.
“You came back for revenge?” her rose-colored lips pursed, “to contact Miller by turning on your phone.”
“You…” Chomsky’s surprise was written all over his face. “You know what George did?”
“Although I don’t want to believe it… I do know.”
Jinglin was completely unable to get a word in, but thanks to the opportunity Tang Yingli had created by standing in front of her, she took out her gun and was ready to shoot at any time.
“Then why don’t you call him here? If you ask him face to face, the whole case will be clear.”
“I have a general understanding of his involvement. As long as we have your testimony, Professor… I guarantee he will not be able to get away with it. But before that, I must confirm one thing with you.” Tang Yingli’s tone turned gentle, and she no longer took a high-pressure, direct gaze. “You were the one who killed Ms. Müller, right?”
He flew into a rage. “Do you understand my relationship with Meta? I would never have killed her.”
“That’s under normal circumstances.” She gave a wry smile. “That tracking photo was leaked from Ms. Müller’s phone. As an expert in psycholinguistics, Teacher Miller skillfully pressured you, who had already lost your normal judgment, and convinced you that Müller was the one who was leaking information to the unknown organization, and forced you to react abnormally.”
The image of Müller’s neck being cut flashed through his mind, and a strong tinnitus erupted in his right ear. He gritted his teeth and endured it.
“The alarm clock rang.”
