The monkey trainer confessed and was imprisoned, and most of the stolen goods were recovered.
Regarding the key, the monkey trainer had no clear recollection, saying that the monkeys would often bring back all sorts of trinkets. He would usually discard them if he saw no value.
As for Hu Jia's residence, the monkey trainer only thought for a moment. "I did steal from Jin Tang Street, but I'm not sure which house the monkey specifically entered."
Hu Jia was speechless.
The case was a great success, and Tong Meng received a lot of acclaim, even being awarded a commendation by the training institute.
However, none of this was of interest to Lü Qingqing and the others, who were entirely focused on Hu Jia.
Hu Jia searched everywhere the monkey trainer had indicated. Although he knew the chances of recovering the key were slim, he had to try.
Whether on the streets or in alleys, on the front or back of shops, in roadside grass or foul-smelling garbage heaps, among shopkeepers or playful children, Hu Jia searched, rummaged, and asked.
He couldn't eat properly, couldn't sleep, and his emotions were unstable.
This worried Lü Qingqing greatly.
She knew that solving the shooting case and finding the killer of Hu Shilong was a deep obsession for Hu Jia.
Driven by this obsession, he had once become gloomy and irritable, even falling out with Ouyang Wen.
Now that he had finally recovered, only to lose the clue he had obtained, such a blow could very well cause Hu Jia's personality to change drastically again.
"It will be better after tonight. When he wakes up tomorrow, he'll forget about the lost key," everyone comforted Lü Qingqing before leaving.
In the empty living room, Xiao Bao obediently climbed onto his bed, while Lü Qingqing sighed as she looked at Hu Jia's closed bedroom door.
She had no other options now, only to wait, waiting for midnight.
Hu Jia knew that Lü Qingqing was waiting outside his door. He longed to step out, force a smile, and say, "I'm fine," but he lacked the courage to get up.
He looked at his desk, filled with regret. Why hadn't he put the key in a separate place?
At the same time, he cursed the monkey, wondering why it had to like boxes so much.
Monkey, monkey.
Hu Jia muttered the word to himself.
Alas, suddenly, he seemed to recall something. He sat up abruptly, threw open the door, and exclaimed, "Qingqing, Qingqing!"
This startled Lü Qingqing. "What is it? What happened?"
"Something is wrong with this matter. That monkey is strange." Hu Jia said with an anxious expression. "No, the monkey isn't strange, the timing is strange."
Hu Jia asked Lü Qingqing, "Do you still remember all the alarm records we checked?"
"Yes," Lü Qingqing nodded.
"There were a total of 34 burglaries in the city, 33 of which occurred late at night. Only one occurred during the day, and that was my home."
Lü Qingqing frowned. It seemed to be the case. "The other homes were wealthy households with many people. It was easier to steal at night. Your home was empty, so it happened during the day?"
"As you said, the other homes were wealthy households, but I'm not. Why did that monkey choose wealthy households and then pick my modest home?"
Seeing Lü Qingqing remain silent, Hu Jia continued, "It's understandable that the monkey was too well-covered to shed any fur. But it was barefoot! It jumped onto my bed and stepped on my quilt, yet we didn't find a single footprint?"
"No footprints were found in the other victims' homes either," Lü Qingqing replied.
"That's different," Hu Jia mused. "Those wealthy households had many people helping to sort through their belongings after the theft. More importantly, the monkey never climbed onto their beds."
Hu Jia's meaning was simple: the crime scenes at the other victims' homes were not as well-preserved, while his home had no such issue.
"So you suspect?"
"I suspect that the theft at my home was not the work of a monkey, but of a person."
...
Tong Meng was very happy today. Not only did she receive a reward from Master Six, but Master Six also assigned the "knife-wielding people" to her management.
She was now someone with real power.
"You did very well. This plan was brilliant. Such a great accomplishment deserves to be recognized." Master Six laughed heartily, so much so that he choked and coughed.
Tong Meng raised her eyelids slightly, hearing that cough?
"Thank you for your guidance, Master Six," Tong Meng said without much thought, stepping forward to pat Master Six's back and fetch him tea to soothe his throat.
"It's a shame about that monkey. With its intelligence, it could have helped us with many things in the future." Master Six said this, but there was no trace of regret in his tone.
"Its value has been fully realized. Its death is the reward for your long-term feeding, Master Six," Tong Meng flattered.
"Hahaha, you're right. Value must be realized; otherwise, no matter how intelligent, it's useless." Master Six touched Tong Meng's cheek. "You are a very valuable person."
"Master Six..." Tong Meng panted coyly. Haha, Lü Qingqing, you would never imagine that I am the one who defeated you.
Tong Meng was proud. She didn't care about stealing the key; what mattered to her was getting one over Lü Qingqing and causing them some trouble.
This entire plan originated from her. The monkey trainer was merely a tool.
She didn't know how the "knife-wielding people" organization knew the key's whereabouts.
But from the moment she received the mission to steal the key, Tong Meng had set a trap.
Previously, Lü Qingqing and Tong Meng had investigated the monkey murder case together. In the end, Lü Qingqing solved the case, while Tong Meng received a warning for her carelessness during the investigation.
After the case was concluded, Lü Qingqing let the monkey go. However, the monkey could no longer adapt to life in the wild and often returned to the village to steal food.
Once, while chatting with Master Six, she casually mentioned this. Unexpectedly, Master Six was saddened and proposed adopting the monkey.
As a result, when the mission to steal the key arose, Tong Meng decided to use the monkey to commit the crime, causing a stir throughout the city and making everyone aware of a furry thief who specialized in stealing boxes.
When the time was ripe, she arranged for a skilled thief from the organization to steal the key from Hu Jia's home while he was away.
Then, she personally exposed the monkey, not only enhancing her own prestige but also hiding the thief who stole Hu Jia's key behind the monkey.
This made everyone believe that the monkey had stolen the key.
She just hadn't expected things to go so smoothly, far beyond her expectations. Due to pressure from the powerful, the city police department dispatched all officers to patrol the streets.
It was like a form of assistance, not only making the matter of the furry thief widely known but also diverting everyone's attention.
Just now, Tong Meng handed the key to Master Six. Master Six praised her greatly.
Tong Meng had never inquired about the key's purpose, but she knew that something Hu Jia and Master Six had spent ten years searching for could not be ordinary.
Therefore, now.
Tong Meng opened her own drawer, and there lay a bronze key.
This was the genuine article; the one handed over was a replica.
...
"So you mean the key has already fallen into the hands of the knife-wielding people?" Lü Qingqing was stunned by Hu Jia's deduction.
"Yes, no one else would covet this key except them," Hu Jia frowned.
"But how did they know the key was in your possession?" Lü Qingqing asked, confused.
"It must have been a problem during our surveillance; they found out I went to Huayan Village."
Lü Qingqing agreed with Hu Jia's inference; it was the only possibility.
For a moment, they looked at each other in silence. This outcome was far more terrifying than losing the key.