I was a rookie reporter in the 00s

Chapter 309 The next target?

Zhang Wanqing and Fu Siyuan quickly rushed to the dock. After the three of them met up, Li Wei whispered, "The killer is in the cabin. We have to be careful."

The three men quietly approached the hut, with Li Wei being the first to break in. The room was dark, damp, and filled with a musty smell. Li Wei quickly turned on his flashlight and scanned the surroundings, only to find it empty. They were a step too late; the killer had already fled the scene.

"He may have noticed us coming." Fu Siyuan whispered, his eyes scanning the room, looking for any possible clues.

Zhang Wanqing's eyes fell on the ground and she found a piece of paper. She bent down to pick it up. On the paper was a familiar symbol, exactly the same as the one at the previous crime scene. In addition, there was a line of scribbled words:

"The truth is always hidden in the darkness."

Zhang Wanqing's heart tightened. She whispered, "This was left by the killer. He must be hinting at something."

Li Wei took the note, examined it carefully, and said, "This symbol is the same as the previous one, but we don't know its specific meaning yet. The words he left behind could be a provocation to us, or it could be a hint."

Fu Siyuan frowned and said, "We have to contact Dr. Chen quickly to see if we can find more clues from this symbol and text."

The three of them quickly left the cabin and returned to the dock along the pier. Li Wei contacted Zhao Mingxuan, informed him of the situation, and requested reinforcements. They then rushed to the Municipal University to find Dr. Chen, hoping he could decipher the symbols and text on the note.

Dr. Chen took the note and studied it carefully. He said, "This symbol is the same as the previous one. It could be some kind of coordinates or date. But this time, the killer seems to be hinting at a deeper meaning."

He pointed to the words on the note: "'The truth is always hidden in the darkness'. This sentence may mean that the killer believes that everything he did was for some kind of 'justice', and we are on the side of 'darkness'."

Zhang Wanqing shook her head. "This is ridiculous. He killed so many people. How could he possibly think he was righteous?"

Dr. Chen sighed. "Sometimes, killers believe their actions are justified by some twisted belief. This statement could be a hint at his motives, or it could be a provocation to us."

Fu Siyuan said, "No matter what, we have to find our next target as soon as possible. This symbol may point to a certain location, and we need to go there immediately."

After some analysis, Dr. Chen speculated that the symbol might point to an abandoned church in the city center. This church has been abandoned for many years, but it plays an important role in the city's history.

"This church was once one of the city's landmarks," Dr. Chen said. "It has witnessed the city's changes and carries the memories of many people. The killer may have chosen this place because it has some special symbolic meaning."

Zhang Wanqing nodded. "We have to go there immediately. The killer may have set a trap in the church or prepared his next target."

The three of them quickly bid farewell to Dr. Chen and rushed to the abandoned church. The night was as dark as ink, and the city center seemed especially quiet. The outline of the abandoned church loomed in the night, looking particularly eerie.

The three approached the church cautiously and found the door closed and all around silent. Fu Siyuan gently pushed the door open, and it creaked harshly. They quickly entered the church, illuminating their surroundings with flashlights.

The church was empty and dim, with only the occasional wind blowing the tattered curtains, making strange noises. Zhang Wanqing glanced around, looking for any suspicious signs.

"It's too quiet here." Fu Siyuan said in a low voice, his eyes scanning the surroundings vigilantly.

Zhang Wanqing nodded. "The killer may have noticed us coming. We have to be careful. He may be hiding somewhere."

Just then, a light sound of footsteps came from the basement. The three of them looked at each other and quickly walked towards the basement. The basement door was closed. Fu Siyuan pushed it open with force, and a damp smell hit him in the face.

The basement was dark and damp, filled with old furniture and debris. The three of them searched carefully, and suddenly, Fu Siyuan spotted a familiar figure - Wen Jing.

"Wenjing? Why are you here?" Zhang Wanqing said in surprise.

Wen Jing raised her head, a trace of fatigue on her face: "I knew you would come. The killer brought me here and forced me to help him. But I have already led him here, he is nearby."

At that moment, footsteps echoed from the darkness. The killer slowly emerged, a hint of madness in his eyes. "Do you think catching me will end this? You're naive. This has only just begun..."

Li Wei quickly stepped forward and tried to subdue the killer, but the killer suddenly pulled out a knife from his back and stabbed him. Zhang Wanqing and Fu Siyuan immediately rushed forward and started a fierce fight with the killer.

Amidst the chaos, the killer sneered and suddenly turned to flee deeper into the basement. His movements were incredibly agile, as if he had already laid out a retreat route in the darkness. Li Wei immediately gave chase, but the basement passages were complex and intricate, and in the blink of an eye, the killer disappeared into the darkness.

"Damn it!" Li Wei cursed and turned back to Zhang Wanqing and Fu Siyuan. Zhang Wanqing was squatting on the ground, carefully examining the note left by the killer. There was a familiar symbol drawn on the note, but this time, there were some strange lines around the symbol, like some kind of guidance.

"This is the clue to the next target, right?" Zhang Wanqing whispered, with a hint of trembling in her voice.

Fu Siyuan nodded, a hint of uneasiness flashing in his eyes: "He always leaves symbols after committing a crime. This time the symbols look more complicated. He must be hinting at something."

Zhang Wanqing quickly took the photo and stood up. "We need to contact Dr. Chen immediately to see if we can decipher this symbol."

The three of them quickly left the basement and returned to the church's main hall along the dilapidated staircase. Zhang Wanqing immediately called Dr. Chen, informed him of the situation, and sent him the photos via WeChat.

"This symbol looks different from the previous ones," Dr. Chen said on the other end of the phone. "I'll analyze it as soon as possible, but be careful. The killer may have set a trap."

After hanging up the phone, Li Wei frowned and said, "The killer always leaves marks after committing crimes, but this time he dared to escape under our noses. This is very unusual."

Fu Siyuan nodded: "He must be planning something bigger. We must quickly find the next target location and stop his conspiracy."

Zhang Wanqing raised her head, her eyes determined. "We can't let him hurt any more people. This time, we must catch him."