《Case Files 013》


 Chapter 1: The Lady in the Rain

    Chapter 1: The Lady in the Rain


    Night, heavy rain.


    "Captain Zhao, are you sure you want to meet that kid?" Through the constant pattering of rain, a shrill voice came from the other side of the corridor. "Are you sure it''s him? There''s something psychologically wrong with him, or else he wouldn''t be registered at our asylum!" The soles of the leather shoes tapped rhythmically against the tiles. A female voice then added, "Wu Meng, an orphan, hasn''t attended any police academy but was often consulted by thew enforcement, he has helped solve many big cases but"


    "During one of the cases," The man called Captain Zhao said, "He caught himself. He surrendered because he believed he was the murderer but in reality the real killer is still out there." The nurse exined, "The man suffers from paranoia."


    "Captain, do you think he might actually be the" The woman suggested.


    "We won''t know for sure." Captain Zhao said, "In any case, let''s go meet this extraordinary police consultant."


    And that was how the trio appeared before me. I nced at them through the iron bars and studied them closely. The one with the shrill voice was a nurse at the mental hospital, I interacted with him quite often. The other two I had not met before. One was a man around 40 and the other a female around 30.


    "What is the case this time?" I asked directly.


    Captain Zhao raised his brow at me and I noticed satisfaction in his eyes. "Mary, go and handle the procedure."


    "You''re taking him just like that?" The nurse gasped in disbelief. Captain Zhao nced at the nurse and then nodded. "He''s exactly the person I''m looking for."


    Midnight. Heavy storms came and went quickly during summer but this rain did not look like it was abating anytime soon. Captain Zhao drove me and Mary towards the crime scene. It was hard not to believe that the killer had purposely chosen this day tomit his crime because the rain would have washed away all the evidence, except well the body.


    There was a train track that went through western countryside. To prevent kids from ying around the tracks, it was guarded by iron fences on both sides. And on one of the fences strung a female body. Both of her wrists were snapped out of shape as they were forcibly stuffed into the gap between the iron links. She was left dangling there like a macabre art piece. A giant cut spliced through her stomach and all of the internal intestines had been dug clean. She basically only had her skin left of her existence. Due to gravity, the weight of the feet almost tore the human skin apart. The body swayed madly in the storm. The pair of high heels tapped against the iron fence, the constant tutting sounded like she was still walking. Cast by 2 yellow street lights, this crime scene was strange and grotesque.


    Moving up further, one would notice that her eyes had been dug out as well and only 2 hollow holes remained. The first people to discover the body were 2 repairmen who were there to fix the wiring. The sudden storm had torn apart the nearby electric lines. Afraid that the electric lines might cause damage to the passing train, the department sent out 2 personnel in the heavy rain to fix it. When they arrived, the ce waspletely dark. Their shlights barely did anything to cut through the extreme darkness. The howling winds and whipping rain made their jobs difficult. They had to edge along the fence and examined the electrical line above them inch by inch. Thankfully the power had been cut off so they did not need to worry about electrocution.


    Eventually they found the broken line. The line entangled into the fence and the end was lying close to the train tracks. Thankfully it did not get wrapped around the tracks itself. The two worked together to disentangle the wire from the fence and after they were done, they nned to report back to their superior. But at that moment, one of the workers asked, "Brother Liu, did you hear that? It sounds like someone is heading this way."


    Brother Liu turned his shlight left and right. There was no one around. Brother Liu cursed, "Stop talking nonsense, why would there be someone out in the storm sote at night" But before Brother Liu could finish, he too heard the tapping sound. This was definitely not the sound of rain. However, there was only a muddy road around them. A normal shoe wouldn''t cause such a clear ringing when stepping on mud unless of course that person was walking on the train tracks?


    Brother Liu was about to turn his shlight towards the tracks when a sudden lightning did the job for him. He saw that on the fence not that far from them, there was a dead body fluttering in the wind! The two of them got the fright of their lives. They ran for about several hundred metres before they calmed down enough to call the police.


    Taking in the two still frightened adults, I raised my hand to wipe away the rain from my face. Even though I was wearing a raincoat, it did nothing to prevent myself from gettingpletely soaked. I knelt on the ground to examine the space underneath the hanging body. There was no blood and no internal organ in sight. But more importantly there were no footprints. The ground around the train tracks was all muddy dirt, but there was no footprint around the body. The closest footprints were the ones that belonged to the 2 workers. But those were at least 4 meters away. In that case, how did the murderer manage to hang the body on the iron fence, kill the poor woman and leave the crime scene without leaving behind any trace? Was this even the first crime scene?


    "Have you seen enough?" Captain Zhao asked. "I''m going to have my people pull the body down now." I nodded


    "Bring the body back to the morgue to the coroner" Captain Zhao looked at the body and added, "Even though it looks like the murderer has already begun the autopsy for us."


    I frowned and voiced the question in my mind. "Captain Zhao, I remember you have a finance, who is a famous coroner. The department even provided her with her own tool kit so she can conduct autopsies at the crime scenes, why isn''t she with us?"


    Captain Zhao gave a long sigh. Regret seemed to cross his face for a moment. "The world will belong to you young uns soon. Eventually the tool kit will be inherited by one of you. But that''s not important, how did you know so many things about me?"


    "Captain Zhao and Mary over there." I pointed at the woman who was carrying a backpack. "You are like the modern day Holmes and Watson, your name precedes you. But why would you ask me for help, I''m a basket case." Mary at the side borated, "Self-usation paranoia aka delusion of guilt. The patients will believe that they havemitted great sins for no reason. They should be punished with death. As someone who has worked for thew enforcement, your mental illness though worked in your favor. You can manipte it to see the cases from the murderers'' perspective, like you havemitted the crime yourself."


    I scratched my head and asked confusedly. "So wait, I didn''t kill those people?"


    Captain Zhao stopped Mary. "Stop toying with him or he might act up again. In any case, tell me what you think."


    It had been months since I got administered into the mental hospital, the daily endless routine almost bored me to death. I closed my eyes and with the thunder in the background, I considered who was the killer.


    I hate women the most because I''ve been abandoned by women before. This woman carried my child but she refused to give birth to my baby. She chose to opt for abortion instead. She left and said that I was useless. All the women in the world are the same. I am indeed useless, I survive on collecting scraps and trash. But when there is a chance, I will prove them wrong. I''ll show these women who are the real useless one!


    I will split open her stomach because she refuses to bear my child anyway. I will dig out her eyes so that she won''t have the chance to leave me for another man.


    "The killer is a drifter around 40. He has long and dirty hair, he doesn''t have the time or money to keep it clean. He likes the color ck and he has long fingernails." Opening my eyes, I announced to the group.


    "How did youe to those conclusions?" Mary looked at me with pure suspicion.


    "Imagination." I smiled and added, "I''ve examined the woman''s stomach wound. The skin around the wound isn''t smooth so it wasn''t made by a sharp tool. If I have to guess, the killer used his own fingernail to tear open the woman''s stomach. And then he used his own hands to pull the internal organs. Finally, he also used his hands to pluck her eyeballs out." After a pause, I continued, "And I believed that was probably the best dinner he has ever had in a long time. He is a drifter so he doesn''t have much chance to taste meat. This would have been a scrumptious dinner for him."


    At this point, all the police officers grew green with disgust. Indeed, the picture was quite revolting. In the dark of the night, someone was kneeling on the ground and used his own sharp nails to tear open a woman''s stomach. When lightning shed and lit up his face, he was shovelling human organs into his mouth.


    Captain Zhao patted me on my shoulders and told the rest. "Send out a BOLO for this drifter within the city. If he is really the killer, he won''t have the means to leave this city so soon!"


    "A possibly cannibalistic drifter." Captain Zhao shook his head. "The rain has washed away almost all of the evidence or else we wouldn''t have gone to get you. Seeing as you''ve been stuck in the mental hospital for quite some time already, I''ll offer you this olive branch. If you can help us solve this case, I''ll spring you out of there, deal?"


    "Yes sir!" I quickly saluted. The mental hospital was really not a ce I would like to call home. Even though my illness did not make me aggressive, which meant that I was allowed free time to wander the grounds but the people I interacted with were either grumpy nurses or imunicable patients. Of course, there were murderers kept at the facility as well but I was not dangerous enough to meet them.


    "Then again." I sighed. "Until now I cannot determine where is the first crime scene and there is no telling how the murderer managed to escape from this ce."


    "After we capture the drifter, everything will be exined." Captain Zhao consoled. While we spoke, a train whistle came down the distance. The people dispersed from the tracks. Soon a train rolled by. Captain Zhao stared at the train. An iron fence, a broken electric wire, disappearing footprints, a cannibalistic drifter, this case was indeed interesting.


    "The coroner''s report is out!" Suddenly someone announced.


    "Get it over here!" Captain Zhao ordered.


    A phone was passed to Captain Zhao. As he read the report, the frown between his brows deepened. Eventually he said, "This is indeed the first crime scene, the woman has been dead for more or less 2 hours. We took one hour to get here and the workers were running for about 30 minutes before they called the police. This can only mean that"


    "When they discovered the body," I finished the sentence for him. "The killer was still at the crime scene!"

 Chapter 2: I Had the B*tch

    Chapter 2: I Had the B*tch


    "Quick!" Captain Zhao ordered, "Search along the tracks on both sides, he might still be around!"


    "Hmm, so this is really the first crime scene." Mary considered, "In that case, how did the killer manage to kill the victim, dig out her internal organ, and both eyes and leave the scene without leaving behind any footprints when the crime scene is practically a mud plot?" Even though I hadn''t been to the police academy and hadn''t learned any theoretical knowledge but I grew up inside a prison and I was taught many criminal skills and the most important one was, a good criminal knows how to see things from the other perspective. The same could be applied for the police. Professionally, this was called crime scene simtion.


    After I gave the suggestion, some of the officers were already itching to try it out. There were 2 keys to this simtion, 1, how was one able to traverse the muddy ground back and forth without leaving any trace; 2, how was one supposed to disembowel the body without leaving behind any trace. Blood could be washed away by the rain but not pieces of the internal organs.


    Some of the officers started the simtions while the rest of us stood to the side to observe. The first to take the stage was a young police man. He gripped the fence bytching his fingers into the holes between the iron fence links and using his feet to find purchase along the same webbing. This meant that he had to put all of his weight onto the fence. This was harder than expected. The gaps between the iron links were small and applying force on them would cut painfully into one''s finger. And that was without carrying a human dead weight on the back. Furthermore, the gaps were also too small to allow any shoe to fit in. This was impossible for a normal person.


    Furthermore, that did not exin how the culprit managed to disembowel the victim without leaving behind a mess. A second officer tried toy the road with pebbles but that would leave the pebbles embedded in the mud. Others suggested that perhaps the disembowelment was done before the body was staged but that brought up further questions In any case, the simtions were going nowhere.


    "Stop trying." I told them. "When we find the drifter, we''ll know how he did it."


    "Do you have an idea in mind?" Captain Zhao asked me.


    "We wait." I answered. Early the next morning, after breakfast, there was still no clue about the drifter. The police had spent the night scouring the area around the crime scene in their cruisers to find the drifter in the raining night but it was difficult because these people were creatures of darkness.


    "Come, I''ll bring you to a ce!" I announced.


    "Where are we going?" Captain Zhao asked.


    "The train station." I said, "But I can only bring one person with me, preferably someone who knows how to fight." In less than half an hour, Captain Zhao found me a partner. He was the same age as I was, about 20 plus. He was definitely muscr based on the muscles that bulged through his uniform. He saluted everyone present before turning towards me. "Reserved officer, Gu Chen reporting for duty, sir! What can I do for you, sir?"


    I quickly waved my hands. "I''m not your sir, I''m just a mental patient... But you''ll do, we''ll depart immediately." Birds of a feather flocks together, people of certain calibre would naturally gather together. Just like how people on the upper rung of society would mingle and socialize at high-end clubs, the bottomfeeders of the society had their usual haunts as well. And if there was amon haunt for drifters in a city, that would be the train stations. In a vast country like China, people travelled mostly through trains between districts and train stations had less security than airports. People from different walks of life could be found at this ce, doctors, professors, businessmen, beggars, thieves and stray kids


    Standing in the middle of the station, the crowds passed me by. Most just ignored me and went on with their daily business. Suddenly, a child pulled on the corner of my shirt. I turned to smile at him and he smiled innocently back at me. I examined him further and realized that one of his elbows was twisted. He was handicapped.


    "Please, sir, pity me and spare me some" Before he could finish, I grabbed him harshly, "You''re the one!" The child was startled and then he started to scream. That instantly gathered the attention of the people around us. However, most of the normal people hurried away lest they got embroiled in our conflict. Instead, a few of the adults in tattered clothes turned inquisitively towards us. They cursed under their breath. "Someone help me!" I shouted, "I recognize this child as a missing person. I need help to call the police."


    As expected, no one came to my aid. Instead, the group of individuals in dirty clothes started to drag me away to prevent me from causing even more of amotion. At most cities, of the 10 children who were begging on the streets, 8 of them were controlled by a crime ring, of the 8 of them, 6 would be handicapped. None of the 6 would be locals, they were instead shuttled there by human traffickers. This boy whom I had osted was clearly an experienced beggar, his eyes belied a numbness that was beyond his age. Perhaps his arm was already snapped when he was 5 or younger. The beggar industry was no different from the modelling industry, they knew how to make use of their image to their biggest advantage. Clearly a child with a handicap would garner more pity than an adult, and for them, pity was money.


    After many shoves and pushes, I was led into a small alley. The boy about 8 spat at me and ordered, "Motherfucker, how dare you ruin our business?! Get him!" There might be honor among thieves but rarely any empathy among the victims of tragedy. They wished to drag others down into the hellhole with them so that they could feel better about themselves. Human nature was always selfish.


    Just as they were about to pounce on me, I lifted a finger. "New fish to the forest, forgive my impunity." This was thenguage of the underworld. I learned this when I was growing up. While I studied Chinese, I also picked up this unique system ofnguage. It was codes used by members of underworld. In this case, it meant that it was my fault for identally crossing into your territory.


    The beggar who appeared to be the leader responded, "The birds have their forest and the fish have their water, each mind their own." He meant, since you know this is not your territory, why create trouble in the first ce? Since he knew the underworldnguage, this was not amon beggar, this was a beggar organization, one with a system. They might not look the party but this kind of professional beggars existed in every city and sometimes they might earn more than a normal working ss.


    "Get him." This time it was me who spoke. Instantly a figure jumped out from the mouth of the alley. The well-trained officer took down the small group of beggars quite easily. Gu Chen held the lead beggar up by the back of his cor. "The rest of them got away before I could get them. This is the only haul I got. Is that okay?"


    After drinking 3 sses of water inside the interrogation room, the lead beggar couldn''t have looked more surprised. "Wait, so I suffered such a beating simply because you are looking for a drifter?" The beggar clearly thought we''ve made a mountain out of a molehill. I nodded. One''s worldview differed depending on one''s perspective. A piece of biscuit fallen to the ground would be trash for a wealthy kid but for a beggar child, that could be their lunch for the day. Simrly, now we needed someone who could see a forest not for a forest but for its individual trees to locate the drifter.


    That afternoon itself, we found out about the drifter''s location. I was not ashamed to say that I was quite right. The drifter had one memorable property about him, he had very long and sharp fingernails. Furthermore, unlike most drifters, there was not much grime underneath his nails because they would have all gone into his mouth. Therefore, to be a good criminal, one had to have amonce face, you couldn''t be too ugly or too handsome, the worst would be the kind who would stand out in a crowd. Secondly you couldn''t be too unique, you mustn''t have a signature motion or slogan or else you''d be remembered too easily.


    When we found this drifter, he was sleeping naked in a makeshift cardboard house. The man stink horribly. He had long hair, and unknown bugs crawled all over his body. He was like a living dumpster. The lower part of the man''s body suffered severe burns. He had wooden legs and his genital organ was shriveled.


    "He''s not the killer." Both Captain Zhao and myself announced at the same time. We looked at each other while Mary looked on in confusion. I exined, "He fits my description of the killer but there is one key difference."


    Captain Zhao added, "From the details, we can glean many things. His hair is still wet and his artificial legs have traces of mud so it is most likely that he has been to the crime scene yesterday night. He was naked because the clothes he wore were too wet and he had left them out to dry. However, the main reason why he''s not the killer is" Captain Zhao pointed at the man''s lower body, "ording to the coroner''s report, the victim has been sexually vited before she was killed, do you think he can manage that?"


    Mary stared quite directly at the man''s sensitive parts, that interested me quite a bit. Mary seemed to notice my eyes on her so she chided, "I was already in the special crime unit when I was your age. I''ve seen crazier things than this. Also, mind I remind you that you got us the wrong killer?"


    I shrugged. "What if I said that I still found you a killer who was simply toote to the scene? The only reason he isn''t the killer is because the woman was already killed before he arrived. Even though he is not the killer, he should be the one who desecrated the body. Also do you need to keep staring at that spot? What else are you checking for anyway?"


    Mary gestured at my crotch and mocked, "Is someone feeling a little bit insecure there?"


    Captain Zhao sighed helplessly. "Stop bickering, and focus on the case. We''ll bring him back for interrogation for now. If the actual killer murdered the woman and it was only after then that this man arrived to disembowel the body, wouldn''t that be too much of a coincidence? Furthermore, how did the killer and this drifter escape the crime scene without leaving behind any footprints?"


    Next the officers shook the sleeping drifter awake.


    The first thing the drifter said was, "Yes, you got me. I had the bitch."

 Chapter 3: Sin and Sinners

    Chapter 3: Sin and Sinners


    5 years ago, deep inside a mountain vige. This was the poorest ce one could find in China, the percentage of single male at this ce was as high as 70 percent and most of the females came from outside. There was a constant emigration of female vigers because the ce was too poor and they felt like they could find better chances at life in the city. ording to rumor, the vigers once encountered a creature in the back mountain which had the body of a pig but the head of a human. Thus the rumors began that it was because some of the bachelors got too desperate ofpany that they were forced to turn to their bred pigs. In reality though, due to the different structure of the two species'' reproductive systems, that would have been impossible. However, this was a backwards vige and they were definitely not privy to that knowledge.


    Once the rumors started to gain a life of its own, the vige head had to do something about it because some of the male vigers were caught with their pants down in the pigsty. The vige head came up with a solution. Each of the family would pool some money to buy women from the human traffickers. The traffickers told them that they would only supply the vigers with the most qualified women. They were university students from the big cities. After you had finished your husbandry duties with them, you could even get them to provide you with free education. The vige head was very happy about this. "That is perfect, they''ll fit the roles of teachers for the children they shall bear."


    50000 RMB to trade for 3 young university female students, meaning around 16000 RMB each. These hapless young women were walking down the streets when they were pulled into idling vans. They were out shopping or going to meet with their friends when they were captured and brought to this vige. The 3 girls cried for mercy, they said that they would give each of the vigers 50000 RMB as long as the vigers let them go. That way they could go and purchase more women for the vige.


    Some of the vigers believed them while the others did not. In the end, they went to the vige head and thetter said, "They''re clearly bluffing. We have 13 single men at the vige and if they''re going to pay each of them 50000 RMB, how much money that''ll be?! Even the richest man in the country can only earn 50000 RMB in a month. These girls have gone to university so how can they be so dumb?" The vigers were instantly persuaded by the vige head. After all, they had cleared every savings they had just topile that 50000 RMB for the human traffickers.


    Just like that, the 3 girls were forced to be the wives of every man in the vige. They did not need to work because it was their job to be worked over. They had tried to escape but it was futile. There were 13 men lining up to have a go with them, so how could they have escaped? Several monthster, one of the girls couldn''t suffer this humiliating life anymore. While no one was paying attention, she rammed her head into the wall and died. This life was worth 16000 RMB for the vige. Furthermore, this dead girl had not even given them a single child. Thus, the security on the remaining two girls tightened even further. They were kept with the pigs because the pigsty had mud walls and running into them wouldn''t cause fatal injury.


    Lee Chunzhuang was an honest, hardworking farmer. Every viger had contributed their part to purchase the girls and he was no exception. Therefore, these 2 remaining girls were technically his wives as well. Lee Chunzhuang spent most of his time watching over the 2 girls, to prevent them from escaping ormitting suicide. Of the two, he favored one of them. Her name was Zhang Xutong. Zhang Xutong told Lee Chunzhuang that the world beyond the vige was magical, there were many impressive things. For example, there was a rectangr object that you could use to talk to someone at the eastern end of the vige while you were at the western end of the vige. Lee Chunzhuangughed. He countered, "My voice is loud enough that no matter where I am, everyone in the vige can hear me!"


    Not long after that, Zhang Xutong became pregnant. Zhang Xutong told Lee Chunzhuang that it was his child. Lee Chunzhuang chuckled blithely but then Zhang Xutong told him, if he did not bring her to safety, the other men would eventually cause the baby to die in her stomach. Lee Chunzhuang believed him because it had happened before. The other girl, Zhang Hui was raped when she was pregnant and it caused a stillbirth. Zhang Xutong pledged her undying love to Lee Chunzhuang, she would not live with any other man. She persuaded Lee Chunzhuang to go to the city with her. She had a house there, they could stay there together. Lee Chunzhuang was slowly convinced, after all, having a wife and sharing a wife were twopletely different experiences.


    Lee Chunzhuang eventually made his move. On the day he was tasked to guard over the girls, Lee Chunzhuang told Zhang Xutong that it was time for them to escape. Zhang Hui who was there pleaded for them to take her as well. Zhang Xutong considered it for a while and then told Lee Chunzhuang, "We mustn''t take her, it''s already too dangerous for us to leave on our own. Having another person will only increase our risk of being spotted. Furthermore, if two of the wives escaped, who would stay to serve the rest of the vige men?"


    Lee Chunzhuang agreed with Zhang Xutong. His wife was thinking of him and the vige. Lee Chunzhuang used a towel to tie up Zhang Hui''s mouth and to bind her limbs so that she could not foil their escape. Thest thing Zhang Hui ever said was, "Zhang Xutong, curse you. You''ll have a horrible death!"


    No one expected that the honest and hardworking Lee Chunzhuang would be audacious enough to escape with Zhang Xutong. When they discovered the bound Zhang Hui, the couple had already escaped from the vige. They travelled by taking rides from kind strangers.


    This was the first time Lee Chunzhuang had been to the city. It was his first time taking the train. On the train, Zhang Xutong bought a packet of instant noodle for Lee Chunzhuang. Then she excused herself to use the toilet. That was Lee Chunzhuang''s first time having instant noodles and he wanted to eat that for the rest of his life. And then he realized Zhang Xutong did not return. And he spent the next 3 years not encountering Zhang Xutong anymore.


    Lee Chunzhuang did not hide anything from us. Whenever we pushed, he would reveal everything. Lee Chunzhuang stayed for 3 days at the city, waiting for Zhang Xutong but she was nowhere to be found. He eked out a living by rummaging through the garbage cans and sleeping by the roadside. That was how he got initiated into the homeless lifestyle. In a strange stroke of luck, he realized the trash thrown out by city dwellers was much more delicious than the food he had back at the vige.


    After he failed to locate Zhang Xutong, and after emptying all the avable garbage cans, Lee Chunzhuang sought his way back to the vige. When he returned, he was instantly brought to the vige tribunal. Everyone scolded and berated him. For his own greed, he had been fooled by Zhang Xutong. Now he had lost them anothermunal wife. There was only one wife left, how could she alone service all the men?


    Lee Chunzhuang cried, it was the first time for him to have shed a tear. However, the vigers refused to forgive Lee Chunzhuang unless he could buy them another wife. But of course, Lee Chunzhuang did not have that money. Therefore, they decided to take punishment on Lee Chunzhuang. Since he had deprived the other vige men from enjoying bedroom pleasure then they would take them away from him as well. They tied Lee Chunzhuang up and aimed to cut off his thing.


    It was then that Zhang Hui stepped out to stop the mob. Lee Chunzhuang looked at his wife with appreciation. Then Zhang Hui told the crowd, "Let me teach you all something, even if you cut off the penis, the two dangling organs can still produce sperms. To fully take away his manliness, you''ll have to remove everything. Hand me a brand, I''ll sear off everything that he has!" Hate was a strong emotion. Even until the end of time, it would still hang strong. Thus Lee Chunzhuang ended his life as a real man. He was chased out from the vige. When he left the mountain, he tripped and broke his legs. Eventually, he reced one of them with a wooden one. With no skills to support him at the city, he became a real drifter.


    "Is Zhang Hui still at the vige?" Captain Zhao was silent for a long time before asking the first question he had since he started the interview.


    Lee Chunzhuang nodded. He smiled naively. "I believe she is still there. I haven''t been back there for a long time already. I wonder if they have forgiven me."


    Captain Zhao turned around to say, "Mary, arrange a team to head to the vige and find Zhang Hui. If she is willing, bring her back home."


    Lee Chunzhuang continued his story. After milling his way around the city for 3 years, he finally came across Zhang Xutong. The chance of that was extremely small. Lee Chunzhuang wanted to reunite with his wife but she moved too fast for a man with a wooden leg to follow. Since that chance encounter, he started to squat around that spot where Zhang Xutong appeared. It was not until yesterday night that he found Zhang Xutong again. This time, he would not let his wife leave him anymore.


    Lee Chunzhuang had no idea where Zhang Xutong was going on thiste, stormy night. The drifter resisted the pain from his fake limb and tailed his wife. The wind snapped the electric wire and the streetlights snuffed out immediately. He could only rely on the lightning to trace his wife''s movement. However, the rain was too heavy that night. A blinding shter, Lee Chunzhuang was shocked to discover that Zhang Xutong had disappeared. In that few seconds, she had vanished. How could that be?


    He slowly edged ahead. Finally he found Zhang Xutong, or more precisely, he found Zhang Xutong''s body. Zhang Xutong''s body was strung on the iron fence and underneath her body was a wooden board. Atop the board was a chair. Therefore, he stood on the chair to take a better look at Zhang Xutong. The more he looked at her, the angrier he got. It was this woman who had fooled him. His mother taught him that lying was the biggest sin a person couldmit, he, Lee Chunzhuang had never lied in his life.


    Lee Chunzhuang used his sharp and long nail to slowly cut open the body''s stomach. Zhang Chunzhuang said that she carried his child and he wanted to rescue the child. Lee Chunzhuang was furious to realize that he had been lied to again. There was nothing inside the woman''s stomach. The baby was not there.


    Lee Chunzhuang learned from the other drifters that eating a woman''s flesh was very good for a man''s body, the yin to even out the yang. Perhaps by consuming Zhang Xutong, he would be a man again. Therefore, Lee Chunzhuang started to stuff himself with everything he could dig out from his wife''s body. This was all for the sake that he would regain his manliness. The internal organs sttered onto the wooden board. He ate until he could not eat anymore. Of course, there was always space for desserts.


    Lee Chunzhuang always heard from the health-conscious city dwellers that you are what you eat. Unfortunately, Lee Chunzhuang took that a bit too literally. He was also taught not to waste anything. He gouged out Zhang Xutong''s eyes and popped them into his mouth.


    After the feast, Lee Chunzhuang felt quite empty. He spent most of his life searching for Zhang Xutong but now that he had found her, he couldn''t find anything within his heart to feel for the woman after the hate had left him. He couldn''t care less how Zhang Xutong died and who killed her. Actually he just wanted to know whether Zhang Xutong was lying or not when she said she loved him


    He retraced his steps and returned to his makeshift home. He was soaked so he removed his clothes and went to sleep. Before he woke up, we already found him.


    ording to Lee Chunzhuang, he had tasted many things in his life. You could find many half-eaten delicacies in trash cans around the city. He had had chicken, duck, fish, pork, beef, rabbit, mutton, venison, he had even tasted abalone and shark fin. These were leftovers that he had fished out from the dumpsters. But the man said that the tastiest thing he ever had in his life was Zhang Xutong''s meat. The woman''s flesh was supple and soft. Especially her pair of eyes, they were rather salty, they reminded him of pickled pig''s brain, a local delicacy from his vige.

 Chapter 4: Bloated

    Chapter 4: Bloated


    Clearly Lee Chunzhuang was the cannibal but he was not the killer. ording to the coroner''s result, the victim was raped before she died. Even though there was not enough semen to draw DNA, it did prove that the drifter was not the actual killer. Based on vaginal tearing, the victim was forcibly entered before she was killed and strung on the iron fence. For some unknown reason, after doing that, the killer left. Half an hourter, Lee Chunzhuang saw the body through shes of lightning. He stood on the chair, sliced open the woman''s stomach and started to gorge. ording to the man, he feasted for 10 minutes before he was full and left the crime scene. This whole process took less than 1 hour. In the next 10 minutes before the body was discovered by the electricians, the killer had to do 2 things, 1, clean up the mess left behind by Lee Chunzhuang and 2, wipe away Lee Chunzhuang''s footprints and eliminate the wooden board and chair. How did he manage that?


    The world that you live in, do you really understand everything about it? You live in the light but there are always people working in the dark. In the unknown darkness, people take away the garbage from the dumpsters; people clean the public toilets; there are many things that happen in the dark corners of the world and you will be none the wiser about them because that is not your world. If someone was able to disappear without leaving behind much of a trace, then he lived not under the sun but in the dark.


    "There has to be some kind of hidden passage near that stretch of train tracks," I told Captain Zhao and the rest. "We should return to the crime scene and inspect it again." Since the day was darkening, Captain Zhao decided to gather a big team. "Xiao Liu, call for some back-ups." Captain Zhao told one of the officers.


    Xiao Liu nodded and grumbled, "There are too many incidents that ur recently. We have a murder on one hand and a missing person case on another. There are also public disturbanceints, our manpower is already stretched too thin as it is."


    "Well you know what they say, with great poweres great responsibility." Captain Zhao patted Xiao Liu on his shoulder. Everyw enforcement district had their own case clearance rate quota to fulfil. However, a murder definitely took precedence over the other cases. After gathering all the avable officers, we departed for the crime scene again.


    On the way there, Marymented, "If we can find this hidden passage, then" I finished for her, "It''ll help zero down the suspect a lot." After the heavy rain yesterday night, it had been sunny the whole day. The ground at the crime scene had dried up and became a lot morepact. We discovered a strange footprint about several hundred metres away from the crime scene. There was a normal footprint apanied by a circle hole. This verified Lee Chunzhuang''s story. Someone had cleaned up the drifter''s footprints around the dead body. In other words, if there was a secret passage, it would be within these several hundred metres.


    After reassessing the crime scene, Captain Zhao observed, "Due to the time of day and rain, we had limited visibility yesterday night, but now looking at the crime scene again, it''s actually quite simple how the killer had left without leaving behind any footprint. We''ve spotted it easily if the crime was reported in daylight." The trick was done with a simple wooden board. The killer dragged a wooden board behind him as he walked, that way the board would smooth out his footprints.


    Once you looked closer, you would notice two indented tracks that led away from the fence. If you follow the track, it would lead you to a wooden lid that was buried underneathyers of mud and dirt. Once you open the lid, you would be greeted by an underground world.


    Captain Zhao had people guard aboveground while the rest of us opened our shlights and entered the hole. At the bottom was a dark corridor. Dampness was everywhere. The heavy rainst time turned this ce into a storm drain. The water that was at knee level gave off a horrendous stench. Rat carcasses floated on the water. They were the size of amon house cat. If not for the rain, this ce would continue to be their haven. A millipede about 10 cm long flitted across the water surface. Even though Mary had over a decade of experience, she still flinched when she saw that. Noticing this, Captain Zhao added, "Mary, why don''t you wait for us up here"


    Captain Zhao, Gu Chen and myself waded into the underground passage. Then we heard a ssh behind us. Turning back, we saw that Mary had joined us. "What are you looking at?" Mary challenged, "Do you think some dirty water is going to stop me from doing my job?"


    I shrugged as we wade deeper into the rancid water. The water was mixed with mud and trash. It was too muddy to tell what we were stepping on. Each of my steps felt slippery like I was stepping on balls of cotton or some rotting meat. The further we went from the hole, the darker the world became. A roaring sound suddenly came from above us. It echoed endlessly inside the small space, the whole world appeared to be shaking. Mary suddenly screamed and she fell into the pool of dirty water. I quickly reached back to grab her arms and pull her up from under the surface. Seeing how flustered she was, I couldn''t help myself with a jibe. "It was just the train passing, what''s so scary about that?"


    Mary though was not in the mood to argue with me. She widened her eyes and said, "There''s someone underwater, I felt someone pull at my feet!" That sent tremors through my body. Someone had been hiding under this pool of murky water while we were treading through it? While I was thinking about what this meant, Gu Chen already plunged headfirst into the water. Momentster, he surfaced while carrying a human hand. It was an extremely fat and fair hand. It was hard to tell how long it had been soaked in the water. The fingers and palm were wrinkled from being in the water for too long. The hand was connected to an equally fair and wrinkled arm. I aimed my shlight towards it and a human head surfaced into view. The head was half-submerged in water.


    Although calling it a head human was quite a stretch. The head was about the size of a bull''s head. The cheeks were puffed up and the singr eye was bulging from the socket. The lips were white and folded outwards. The swollen tongue was lolling from his chin


    A bloated corpse. It was not often one woulde across such a unique corpse. The heavy rain yesterday and the warm, highly contaminated as well as enclosed space contributed to this unique formation. It would take only one day to turn a fresh corpse into this grotesque being. The body was so bloated that it appeared like it could explode with a little squeeze.


    "Did you choke on the water when you fell earlier" Seeing how tense the situation was, I tried to lighten it with a joke. Mary was already holding her hand over her mouth and when she heard my question, she instantly threw up


    The body was carried out by Gu Chen. In the daylight, we finally could see the whole body. The body had grown at least twice its usual size. His limbs were expanded and his skin had a green hue. The vessels under the skin were clearly visible, they were purplish green in color. The clothes were wrapped tightly around the body. The man wore a uniform and it allowed us to identify him quite easily. This was a railroad worker.


    While a team was sent to the body for autopsy, another team went to the railroadpany to verify the dead man''s identity. While we waited for the report, Captain Zhao mobilized a water pump truck. Since the body was found inside the underground tunnel, there might be other evidence down there. After Mary vomited 2 more times, the water was finally drained. The 3 of us entered it again but this time, Mary couldn''t be persuaded to join us. Without the pool of water, we soon reached the end of the tunnel. Opening the wooden board above us, we exited on the other side of the iron fence, the side without the tracks.


    At that moment, another train whistled past and soon disappeared from our sight. I caught something in my mind but the fragments were not strong enough to form actual useful information. Soon the coroner''s report arrived. The railroad worker died around yesterday midnight, 2 hours after the woman was killed. The cause of death was drowning. There was arge amount of alcohol residue in his bloodstream. He had drunk a lot before he died. In conclusion, the worker died from an ident or suicide. In confirmation, we did encounter many empty alcohol bottles in the underground tunnel. Based on the timeline, we could confirm this fact, when we were here scanning the crime scene yesterday night, there was a railroad worker underneath us, drinking in the dark. He drank until he passed out. The rising water submerged his hands, his face, his nose and eventually his whole body. He died in his sleep, right underneath us, not making even a single sound.


    "Bag everything in the underground passage and go over them one by one." Captain Zhao ordered.


    "Captain, we''ve already confirmed the man''s identity." One of the officers rushed over to report.


    Luo Yongjun, 45 years old, railroad worker, he was responsible for maintenance of this stretch of the train track where the woman''s body was found. His daily schedule required him to walk along this stretch of tracks until he reached a tunnel that was not far ahead. He had worked this job for about 20 years. By listening to the metallic echo of the tracks underneath his feet, he could tell whether the track was safe or not.


    "Thepany has provided him with a simple wooden hut for his work not far from here. We were told we can find Luo Yongjun''s work records there."

 Chapter 5: A Railroad Workers Freedom

    Chapter 5: A Railroad Worker''s Freedom


    There was solitude and then there was loneliness, one was voluntary and one was not. When you could tell whether the tracks had malfunctioned from sound alone; when you had worn the pages of a porn mag until it was fraying, you had officially crossed from the former into thetter.


    Now let us view a day from a railroad worker''s perspective. At 5 am, he woke up from the simple wooden bed, he perused the porn mag while he had his breakfast. Why? Because the pages were stained with oil, saliva and of course semen. He then left the humble abode to inspect the tracks, he needed to check this stretch of road, that reasonably no one would ever visit, daily. Because even if there was a small problem with the rail, a whole train of people could die. It would take 2 hours to cover the entire track within his responsibility, which went from the crime scene to the tunnel and back. He had to make these rounds twice a day, once in the morning, another at night.


    5 years after he started this job, he uncovered his wife cheating on him and they divorced. 15 yearster, his son was 17 and fell by the wayside to join a gang. If he stayed at his post for 3 more days, he would have worked the job for a full 20 years. But as fate would have it, this hardworking railroad worker died underneath the train tracks that he inspected every day.


    When his son was 17, his son raised his fist at him for the first time. He looked at his son which was at least a full head taller than he was and the father was silent for a long time. This was his first time being a father and he had no father when he was a child, so he had no idea how to be a good father. He did not smoke but his son did, he did not drink but his son did. He wrote in his work diary, from that day onwards, I feel like I''ve failed my son.''


    As we mentioned earlier, there was loneliness and solitude. In the first 15 years when he started the job, he was lonely but in theter 5 years, he was solitary. He had a family home but he chose to spend the rest of his life inside this wooden hut. He would purchase a week''s worth of food even though most of the vegetables would wilt on the second day.


    When you did not know how to face a person, the best solution was to avoid thempletely. That was Luo Yongjun''s choice of method. For the 5 long years, other than to ce his sry on the table at his family home on the 1st of every month, he never returned home. In other words, Luo Yongjun had not seen his son since he was 40. If not for the fact that the money would disappear every month, he could easily imagine that he never had a son. If you could spend 5 years in solitude without any interaction with anyone, congrattions, you were either a genius or a madman.


    In any case, every individual faced with loneliness needed some kind of method to unwind. Some turned to movies, others to music and naturally Luo Yongjun had his own channel as well. 3 years ago, for ack of things to do, Luo Yongjun tried to jerk off while he stood beside the tracks. He did it sometimes in the day and other times, at night. Whenever a trail howled past him, a unique sensation flowed through Luo Yongjun, he had never felt freer and more courageous in his life. He found courage through exhibitionism. Riding on this high, he would gather the courage to curse at the wife who cheated on him and to confront the son who had disappointed him. He became the most courageous individual in the world. He unloaded at the trains, as if challenging the passengers inside them to look at him.


    However, the high would leave him before he could ever do anything that he set out to do and he returned to the same old Luo Yongjun. He tapped on the train tracks and used his ears to ensure the train passengers'' safety. In the long 5 years, Luo Yongjun had considered suicide before. He knew how powerful a train was. He knew that by lying down on the tracks, everything would be over before he knew it. He would think about it for 3 minutes and then give up. He was afraid of life but he was even more afraid of death.


    Sin was sometimes only a thought away. The rain soaked her clothes and they enhanced the woman''s voluptuous curves. Drawing from an unknown store of courage, Luo Yongjun decided to follow and take advantage of this hapless woman. He had worked at this ce for almost 20 years, he knew every nook and cranny. He hid inside the underground passage that he knew the woman would have to pass. When she did, he opened the lid and dragged the woman down into the darkness. The lighting blinded Lee Chunzhuang and that was the moment Zhang Xutong disappeared from his sight. Luo Yongjun was then mbering over his prey''s delicious, supple body. Zhang Xutong struggled but naturally it was to no avail. The thunder swallowed out her screams. Lee Chunzhuang never heard his wife''s calls for help.


    Initially, Lee Yongjun never intended to kill Zhang Xutong but lust got the better of him. He vented his 20 years of helplessness and cowardice onto Zhang Xutong. Asphyxiation was Zhang Xutong''s real cause of death. The coroner believed that the killer cut off Zhang Xutong''s air supply by forcing wet clothes over the woman''s face. After killing Zhang Xutong, Luo Yongjun hanged her on the iron fence aboveground.


    In the blurriness of the rainy night, he saw someone approach. In his panic to escape, he did not have the time to remove the wooden board and chair. He hid inside the underground passage to observe and then he was given a show that he would never forget. He saw someone stand before the woman''s body and started to feast on her. Luo Yongjun vomited. Compared to this new arrival, what he did was nothing. Eventually the munching sound stopped, the man appeared to be full already. When Luo Yongjun poked his head out, he saw the man dig out the woman''s eyes and swallowed it down into his gullet. Luo Yongjun felt like his heart was about to stop. That day, he had killed someone for the first time and witnessed cannibalism for the first time. Not long after that, the man left.


    Luo Yongjun realized that if he did not remove the chair and wooden board, the crime could be easily traced back to him. He cleared away the footprints and buried the residual food'', chair and wooden board under the tree beside his wooden hut. He sat inside his hut for a long time. Things were mulling through his mind. There were many strong alcohols inside his hut even though he was not a drinker. He had this store because his colleague told him that it was best to have a little alcohol in him before he went out to patrol at night. He never understood the reason why. When he asked for the reason, the person said it was to gather courage to face ghosts lurking in the night. Luo Yongjun chuckled, he was more afraid than humans than ghosts. Thus the bottles of alcohol remained untouched at his hut that was until yesterday when he took all the bottles out and downed them in go. The man probably drunk himself to his death because thest sentence in his work diary was, I finally found the courage to die today.''


    Luo Yongjun had 2 work diaries, one to record the details of his daily work report and the other to record his daily emotional journey. We found out about the man''s crime and confession in the second workbook. If a person had no one to talk to, they would have to talk to themselves. Luo Yongjun wrote down everything that he had to say inside the second book. If not for the murder, Luo Yongjun would never have surfaced on our radar, he was destined to be forgotten.


    The officer closed the book and concluded, "That was how the crime happened. Zhang Xutong came here, was raped and then killed by Luo Yongjun. She was then eaten by Lee Chunzhuang. After Lee Chunzhuang left, Luo Yongjun reappeared to clean up all the traces. In the end, under the pressure of guilt, hemitted suicide."


    "That does look like it." Captain Zhao said, "At least ording to that book."


    "He is not the killer." I said with certainty.


    Captain Zhao turned to nce at me. "Indeed there are many questionable points. Even though I cannot confirm whether Luo Yongjun is the killer or not, the evidence stacks up against him. So how did youe to your conclusion?" Director Zhao''s question was clearly aimed at me. I looked around and shrugged. "You wouldn''t believe me but it''s because I cannot see myself as Luo Yongjun. He''s not the killer in my imagination. How about this, I''ll tell you how I manage to determine why Luo Yongjun is not the killer after we have solved all the loopholes and questions?"


    Mary rolled her eyes at me, "Your mind trick is clearly unreliable, that has been proven already. I don''t see how it''ll be any different this time."


    Captain Zhao though found this quite interesting. He said, "If our investigation does prove that Luo Yongjun is not the killer, I''ll do one thing for you, how about that?"


    "You have a deal!"


    "Loopholes?" Xiao Liu couldn''t see any loopholes. "Luo Yongjun has exined the whole process, including how he murdered the woman, where he buried the evidence and his story coincided with what Lee Chunzhuang said and saw. Where is the loophole?"


    Captain Zhao exined, "There are plenty of them, if you can rify all of them, I''ll close this case immediately. 1, why would Zhang Xutonge to this secluded spot sote at night while it was also raining heavily?; 2, why would Luo Yongjun hang the woman''s body on the fence?; 3, after burying all the evidence, why did Luo Yongjun return to the underground passage?; 4, the crime scene is so close to the spot where the electrical wire got cut off, was that just a coincidence?"


    The 4 questions stumped Xiao Liu. He stammered for a long time before saying, "Erm, I''ll keep my mouth shut"


    I was impressed by Captain Zhao''s ability to see these incongruities. There was a reason he was the special crime unit leader. He had listed out all the main problems with this case. If they were not answered, the case couldn''t be closed.


    Finally Luo Yongjun''s managers arrived, they perhaps did not know Luo Yongjun existed in theirpany roster. After being exined the case details, arge-bellied manager scratched his head to say, "This Luo Yongjun is so dumb, why did he string the body up on the fence, wouldn''t it be easier for him to dumb the body on the tracks and have the train do the rest?" Captain Zhao and I lifted our heads to look at the manager at the same time. He quivered under our gaze and exined quickly, "Of course, I was just rambling. I wouldn''t know what was going inside a crazy man''s mind"


    I went to shake his hand. "Sir, do you have any intention of joining thew enforcement?"

 Chapter 6: Crime Scene Simulation

    Chapter 6: Crime Scene Simtion


    The identalment by the manager shed a new light on the investigation, it might even be able to solve some of the loopholes. However, the sun was setting and it was too dangerous to verify my hypothesis, I had to settle with the day after. On the way back, Captain Zhao engaged me in conversation while Mary kept on chiding me about the failure of my paranoia, as if to take revenge on me causing her to vomit.


    Things were going fine when suddenly Captain Zhao asked me a question that got me stumped, "I know you''ve always been wishing to be a police officer but you can''t due to your unique background, but can you tell me why you are so insistent on joining thew enforcement?" Mary''s interest was piqued. "Unique background? What do you mean?" Captain Zhao had always been amiable with Mary but this time he warned sternly, "Mary, you''ll eventually find out. Now is not the time to dig through the man''s history." Mary pouted as if miffed. Seeing how this 30-year-old woman was still acting like a teenage girl, I couldn''t help but wonder where did the legendary officer find the courage to marry her.


    I shrugged and said, "My background is not anything confidential. My dad was a criminal, my mom left me at the gate of a prison when I was 1 and ran. Theughable thing was she got the wrong prison, that was not the prison where my father was incarcerated." I continued self-deprecatingly, "So until today I have no idea who my parents are. Before I was legal age, I spent my childhood inside a prison."


    Upon hearing my history, Mary''s mouth fell open as if she could not believe her ears. To be honest though, I was already used to it. I was called a bastard child since I was a child. The prison master only allowed me to explore the world on my own after 18.


    "You still haven''t answered my question." Captain Zhao pulled one hand off the steering wheel to light a cigarette. I didn''t know the answer and I couldn''t give an answer. Due to my childhood, I grew up around thieves, prostitutes, robbers, killers, rapists and so on. ording to behavioral science, I should grow up to join their ranks so why would I have the urge to be a police officer? I answered as honestly as I could, "I cannot answer that question at this moment."


    Captain Zhao took a hit of the cig and heughed. "I couldn''t answer that question when I was your age either."


    "But what about now?" I pressed.


    "There are people who are born for crime and vice versa, there has to be those born forw enforcement as well. Some are partial to darkness, while others like to seek light among the darkness. I am lucky to find my among thetter, what about you?" Captain Zhao answered.


    "I think I''m half in darkness and half in light." I scratched my head and said.


    Captain Zhao appeared to have heard this answer for the first time. He nced at me through the rearview mirror, "So half evil, half good? That''s interesting."


    "Have you met a natural criminal before?" I asked.


    "Yes," Captain Zhao answered.


    "Where are they now?"


    "In prison." Captain Zhao answered matter-of-factly.


    When the first ray of the sun fell on the ground, we found ourselves back at the crime scene. Today we were here to test out my theory. I wanted to conduct a crime scene simtion. After sharing my thoughts with Captain Zhao, he agreed. I would y the killer, Mary yed Zhang Xutong, Captain Zhao yed Luo Yongjun and Gu Zhen yed Lee Chunzhuang. To make the simtion as authentic as possible, I even invited the two electricians who discovered the body. I told them everything would progress simr to that rainy night, using the timeline provided by Lee Chunzhuang''s testimony and Luo Yongjun''sst writing.


    I was currently standing before the door of the wooden hut. I saw a woman through the yellowed lights, a woman with a delectable body. I smiled and pulled on the electric brake. Interestingly enough, all the streetlights went out. Mary was startled but she did not panic, instead she continued to move ahead. I crawled into one of the underground passages which I found due to my once familiarity to this ce. There were supposedly a lot more underground passages like this but I never stumbled across anymore of them. However, this passage was already good enough because it allowed me to approach Mary without being noticed. As I reached the end of this passage, I raised the lid a small gap to observe Mary, eventually she stopped above me. I reached out to grab Mary by her legs and dragged her down with me. She screamed but not louder than the thunder.


    Gu Chen followed Mary from far behind. But suddenly he could not see her anymore. He was confused and was looking around for her trail. I stayed inside the passage for about 10 minutes with Mary. Then it was time to emerge from the ground alongside Mary. We appeared on the outside of the fence.


    I ced a wooden board on the muddy ground and moved over a chair to ce Mary on it. The aim was to tip the body over the fence but the fence was too tall. It was impossible to climb over the fence with Mary on my back unless I didn''t want my fingers anymore. Then I came up with a brilliant idea. I climbed onto the electric pole and severed some of the lines. I tied one of them around Mary and threw another line over the fence. Climbing down from the pole, I hooked the line on the other side of the fence through the fence link and made a tight knot, a makeshift rappel was thus formed. After maneuvering myself down the rappel with difficulty, I was already exhausted but my work was not yet done. I yanked on the end of the electrical wire that was tied around Mary''s waist.


    The top end of the fence chafed into my inner thighs as I pulled on Mary''s dead weight. To ensure that Mary would not slip back down and ruin all of my progress, I stuck her solidifying hands through the iron links to act as stopgaps. Of course, the living Mary would not cooperate with me on this.


    Then lightning lit up the night and I saw Gu Chen walking this way. In my panic, I fell on the other side of the fence where the train tracks were. I knew I was trapped then because the only exit on this side of the fence was through the backdoor of the wooden hut. Gu Chen wasing closer and closer. I ran to the tracks and lied down in the middle of it. The rain and night provided me with a good camouge as I witnessed something that I would never forget. After Gu Chen left, I slowly stood up from the ground. I had to get over to the other side of the fence and deal with the body. I undid the knot on the fence and intended to use it to pull myself over the fence when I heard a rattling sound. It was particrly hair-raising in the dark.


    "Yes, that was indeed the sound that we heard that night!" The two electricians confirmed.


    My fingers slipped from being frightened. Then I saw a familiar face. He shushed me with a gesture and pointed at the two points of light in the darkness. Then we heard screams. The points of light disappeared and got swallowed by darkness. After the echoes of their voices couldn''t be heard anymore, the familiar face waved at me, he told me to follow him. I did as I was told and he led me to a spot where another one of those underground passages could be found. Unlike the one I used earlier, this one connected the areas outside and inside the fence. If I had known the existence of this passage, life would have been so much easier for me!


    When we crawled up from the hole on the other side, he went to untie the wire around Mary but he did not pull her down from the fence. She was left hanging on the fence. He used the wooden board to clean away all of the footprints. While he was picking up Mary''s internal organs, I used the chair to mark the entrance of the new underground passage because it would be useful to me in the future. I picked up the chair and the wooden board as I followed him to the wooden hut. He found a shovel and buried all the mess under the tree. Then he sat down before his desk and started to write. For reasons unknown to me, he told me to grab all the alcohols and toe with him.


    When we left, we could hear the police sirens already. We decided to hide back underground to avoid detection or at least that was what I thought. He tossed me a bottle and he opened one for himself. Then out of a sudden, he said, "I will help you surrender to the police."


    I panicked, I would never surrender, the police had no way of telling I was the one who killed the woman, I didn''t ejacte inside her. Right, this man doesn''t know how to drink, he doesn''t handle liquor as well as I do. If I can push him to drink more, he would drown in this passage, then no one would know I''m the killer anymore. As I expected, he had horrible tolerance for alcohol. After finishing a mere bottle, he copsed and fell into the water that was only ankle-deep. However, the water level was continuously rising.


    I left, I wore gloves when Imitted the deed, yes they would never find me.


    The one who fainted was Captain Zhao, or more precisely Luo Yongjun, then who am I? The answer was very simple.


    At that moment, Captain Zhao received a call. After he hung up, he said, "We just received a tip from outside the district. It was a female caller, she said when she took the train yesterday night, she saw a terrifying scene. It waste at night and most passengers were sleeping. She, though, was woken up by the rain. She pulled back the curtain to check how heavy the rain was but she saw instead a young man carrying a woman standing outside the fence. He was trying his best to throw the woman onto the tracks" Captain Zhao continued, "The caller searched the map for a long time before she confirmed that the incident she saw probably urred in our district."


    Justice prevailed after all. Whether that person was the culprit, we only needed to show this tipster the picture of him.


    "By the way." I asked, "What did you find on the alcohol bottles."


    Xiao Liu said, "I was about to tell you that. Half of the bottles had fingerprints that matched Luo Yongjun, the others were clean. Either they had been wiped off or the person was wearing gloves."


    I snapped my fingers. "I know who is the killer."


    Captain Zhao shook his head. "What has the worlde to? Go and investigate Luo Yongjun''s family home address and apply for the warrant."


    When we got Luo Yongjun''s home address, we also started searching for the criminal. However, when we arrived at Luo Yongjun''s home, something unexpected happened. A grown man copsed on the ground. He had no breathing left in him and on the table beside him, there were several bags of white powder. Captain Zhao strode forward and used his fingers to pinch the residual powder on the table. He frowned and said with an expression of disbelief, "Guys, we might have snagged a big fish this time."


    "Is that" I let my question linger.


    Captain Zhao nodded. "Yes, it''s the devil''s dust!"

 Chapter 7: The Truth Behind the Death

    Chapter 7: The Truth Behind the Death


    The dead man''s name was Luo Zhongcheng, 22 years old, the son of Luo Yongjun. He was found dead in his own home. Based on the coroner''s report, he died yesterday night, from around 5 to 6 am. The cause of death was drug overdose. Since a new element was introduced into the case, it had be more than a murder. The main question was, where did Luo Zhongcheng get the heroin; whether he had the drug habit in the past; and what happened after he got home? How did so many things happen in the span of one rainy night?


    Actually with close analysis, it was quite easy toe up with the conclusion that Luo Zhongcheng was the killer. First, the real killer had to possess knowledge of the details only made privy to the railroad worker, like the location of the underground passage and the electrical brake... Or they were closely rted to someone who worked the rails. Secondly, if the real killer was Luo Yongjun, he wouldn''t have to go through so much trouble toe up with a way to dispose of the body. He was the only person who had the key to the wooden hut that connected both sides of the fence, plus, he also knew of the whole underground passage system. He could have easily used them to throw the dead body on the rails. There was no reason to waste time on the rest of the hoo. Thirdly, the rattling sound that the two electricians heard was actually the sound of Luo Yongjun tapping against the rails. Luo Yongjun identally encountered the crime in action while doing his job. ording to his schedule, he shouldn''t have reached this stretch so soon but he probably returned home early due to the pouring rain. Fourth and this was the nail in the coffin, the police had a witness. Probably Luo Zhongcheng did not expect that someone would have caught himself red-handed from the passing train. We found a picture of Luo Zhongcheng when he was alive and had Xiao Liu send it to the witness. Soon the witness came back with the affirmation that the young man whom she saw that night was indeed Luo Zhongcheng.


    Even though we had solved the case, the killer was dead. Xiao Liu shook his head and sighed, "This is one hell of a case. If the witness hase forward sooner, we probably would have skipped many steps. But then again, you guys did manage to solve the case without the witness'' testimonial, that''s quite impressive." Xiao Liuid on more praises before adding, "But I guess no one saw this endinging. This Luo Zhongcheng died from an overdose; I wonder how Luo Yongjun would have reacted when he saw his son down there. The man had drowned his father alive, what kind of son is this?"


    Seeing how heated Xiao Liu was bing, I chimed in, "Xiao Liu, have you ever considered that Luo Yongjun actually has known about his son''s n? And he walked into the trap on purpose?"


    "He did it on purpose?" Xiao Liu shook his head. "Why would you say that?"


    I shrugged and exined, "I''m an orphan so I''m no expert on familial rtionship but riddle me these, why did Luo Yongjun invite his son back to the underground passage with all those alcohol; and why did he stop to write before he left his home? Do you remember the work diary we found in the wooden hut? The man wrote that he hadmitted the crime himself, he did not bring up his son in any way."


    "Then why did you advise Captain Zhao to surrender in your simtion?" Xiao Liu was clearly confused.


    "Because that is what I believed happened." I rified, "I suspect Luo Yongjun said that to instigate his son''s desire for patricide. Luo Yongjun didn''t know how to educate, he was a cowardly person but at the end of the day, he was still a father." Indeed, from Luo Yongjun''s diary, this railroad worker had been cowardly for most of his life. His wife cheated on him and he said nothing; his son beat him and he did not dare to fight back, but on that rainy day, Luo Yongjun summoned all the courage and brilliance he had in him. Luo Yongjun had unleashed all the courage that he had gathered in his long life. He removed all trace of his son''s murder, he wrote down a fake confession, he purposely drank himself to a stupor beside his son. Not many could have done what he did, especially when you consider it was all done within the scope of 2 hours. At the moment of his death, this railroad worker was indeed more courageous than the man jerking off at the passing trains.


    However, Luo Yongjun never would have expected, 2 hours after his death, his son would have followed in his footsteps.


    Luo Zhongcheng''s body was moved away. After a series of interviews and investigations, it was clear that Luo Zhongcheng was no drug addict. In fact, he was buff and muscr or else he wouldn''t have been able tomit all those physicalbor like climbing the electric pole and so on. In other words, this was Luo Zhongcheng''s first heroin hit, it would exin why he overdosed. He did not have experience or a mentor to guide him. Now that the murder was solved, the question became, where did Luo Zhongcheng get the bags of heroin?


    Captain Zhao said, "In any case, the heroin demands us to open a new file. What we need to do now is toplete the paperwork on the current case before we move onto the next. By the way, before we reach this point of investigation, you already predicted that Luo Yongjun was not the killer, how could you be so sure?"


    I sighed. "Have you guys carefully examined Luo Yongjun''s first work diary? The man is a very detailed-orientated person, he recorded his work condition in it every single day. Actually, I have a question for you. Do you guys know why the iron fences were built around the train tracks in the first ce?" The group shook their heads.


    "It was because of Luo Yongjun." I answered, "A few years ago, there were a series of train idents. Luo Yongjun had seen the mess in person so he told his superior to build the fences to prevent children from identally wandering onto the tracks. Afraid of the potentialwsuit, the managers agreed and thus the iron fences were up."


    The group nodded as the truth dawned on them. Marymented, "So it was out of Luo Yongjun''s concern that we have the safety fences today. Now that you think about it, of course a good person like Luo Yongjun wouldn''t rape and murder an innocent woman. Luo Yongjun is solitary fighter, he is a good man."


    "Are you sure about that?" I didn''t agree with Mary. "I''ve looked through the files on the train ident victims and discovered something interesting. All the train idents urred around that stretch of tracks where Luo Yongjun worked. And all of the 3 victims share the same property that they were all pretty, young beautiful women from 18 to 22. Now these were all healthy, sane adult women. Death of 1 might be called an ident but all 3 of them?"


    What I was implying chilled everyone''s hearts. Their faces grimaced with difort. Mary coughed twice and began cautiously, "You mean these girls"


    "Yes, I believe this was not Luo Zhongcheng''s first kill." I continued, "But there is no way to confirm that anymore. If I''m not mistaken, Luo Zhongcheng started this crime spree a long time ago. He used this secluded area and the underground passage near his father''s wooden hut to entrap passing victims. After he was done, he wouldy their bodies on the train tracks. Then, the trains would grind the bodies into meat pieces and bone chips, scattering them all around the tracks. Luo Yongjun''s job scope required him to clean up the tracks so he definitely would have noticed this a long time ago. Considering the many details of the crime, it wouldn''t be hard for Luo Yongjun to figure out the truth." I sighed. "But he was too cowardly to put a stop to his son''s actions so he applied to his superior to construct the iron fences instead." I shrugged, "I''m sure he didn''t expect the fences did nothing to deter his son."


    "Still, that doesn''t exin how you could be sure that Luo Yongjun was not the killer." Mary pressed.


    Iughed, "Because he liked to be dominated and not to dominate others."


    "How on earth would you know that?"


    Captain Zhao then cut in to answer for me, "It''s because of that porn mag, yes?"


    "Bingo!" I nodded. "If you look closer at it, you''ll realise the pages with BDSM elements, especially those with female dominatrix, would have more crusted semen. Therefore, it was not in Luo Yongjun''s nature to be a rapist." Everyone looked at me with awe. Mary shook her head and told Captain Zhao, "This basketcase does resemble you when you''re young. I mean, his analytical mind and attention to details reminds me of you when you were young."


    Captain Zhao added, "You are indeed the person I''m looking for."


    Just as we nned to wrap up the case, the team of officers who were sent to the mountain vige came back with news. Zhang Hui was still at the vige but she was now a mother of four. Who were the fathers, no one could tell. She brought a new meaning to, you need a whole vige to raise a child. When Zhang Hui saw the arrival of the officers in their uniform, she first cursed at them. Shempooned them with every bad word she knew before she eventually copsed crying to the ground and howled, "Motherfucker, why only have you arrived now?!"


    Captain Zhao believed these details should be written into the case file. Then he was reminded of something. He turned to Xiao Liu, "By the way, what is the name of our tipster, we need to thank her in person. Without her, we wouldck the damning evidence, and we would have to pull a few more all-nighters." Xiao Liu responded, "Let me call to ask."


    After a while, Xiao Liu returned with a deep frown between his brows.


    "What''s wrong?" I chided him. "Did you identally look at yourself in the mirror?"


    Xiao Liu began slowly, "Wu Meng, if you can ensure that your expression doesn''t change when I tell you the name of our witness, I''ll jump from the 6th floor."


    "Oh? Who is it?" I asked.


    "I just went to check with our operator. She said the witness gave her name as Zhang Xutong!" Xiao Liu repeated in emphasis, "She said she was Zhang Xutong!" Xiao Liu was right. When we heard the news, everyone''s expressions, including my own, shifted. Zhang Xutong? Zhang Xutong was the witness? Did shee back as a ghost to report her killer? Or was this a coincidence? The witness had the same name as our victim? The questions exploded in my mind.


    "Quick, go and get the coroner''s report for the woman!" Captain Zhao ordered. Xiao Liu hurried away. Soon the coroner''s report of thedy in the rain arrived at our office. Captain Zhao studied it for a long time before he cursed, "Fuck, based on the bone density, this woman is only 20."


    "When Zhang Xutong was captured by the traffickers, she was already in university. She had to be at least 18 then. 4 years had passed since then so she had to be at least 22 now. In other words, this victim is not Zhang Xutong, we were all misled by that drifter, Lee Chunzhuang!" I sighed.


    "Then, then who is the woman in our morgue?" Xiao Liu asked the question which was on all of our minds.


    I was silent for a long time before I uttered, "Xiao Liu didn''t you mention there were missing person reports that the station received a few days ago? I remember youining about theck of manpower."


    "You mean, the victim is one of them?"

 Chapter 8: Who is She?

    Chapter 8: Who is She?


    It was Xiao Liu''s responsibility to confirm the victim''s identity, the guilt weighed down on his shoulders. He almost wept. "Due to Zhang Chunzhuang''s story, I had the preconception that the victim had to be Zhang Xutong so I did notunch a more detailed investigation. Furthermore, everyone was so busy at the time" Xiao Liu meant that since Captain Zhao had summoned everyone with him to the crime scene so Xiao Liu couldn''t do so many jobs on his own. Captain Zhao coughed twice and then said, "Well, we have enough manpower now. Go and investigate the real identity of the victim. Compare the notes with all the missing person reports, we have to find out who this woman is." Now that the murderer had been captured, a lot of pressure was off even though there was now a gaping problem.


    Xiao Liu did not return even after noon.


    Captain Zhao, Mary and myself chatted while we ate at the canteen. To begin a conversation, I threw out a question, "Mary"


    "It''s Sister Mary or Senior Mary to you." Mary picked a piece of braised meat and rolled her eyes.


    "Erm, Mary." I insisted, "Howe I''ve not seen your husband at the station before? I heard he''s already a unit leader when he was just 25." Hearing that, Mary bit on the meat with more force than necessary. After swallowing, she grumbled, "The man said he had to go on some kind of secret mission. I haven''t heard from him for weeks myself. But, kid, how did you know so much about us, my husband is not known to most of my colleagues as he keeps a low profile."


    I shrugged. "Well, your husband was responsible for sending a lot of people into the prison where I grew up"


    Xiao Liu finally returned in thete afternoon with a long face. "Boss, none of the missing person cases match our victim. She has been dead for 2 days already, normally speaking, someone should have called in her disappearance already but no one did. This is quite strange." That was indeed strange but stranger was the fact that she went to that secluded spot sote at night while raining. As I scratched my head, I pondered this in my mind. Suddenly a detail jumped out at me. When we found Luo Zhongcheng, he had died from a heroin overdose. We found 3 bags of the drugs, that was not a small number. But more importantly, there were balls of tissue at the crime scene. It showed that Luo Zhongcheng had carefully wiped down the packaging of the drugs before he used them.


    "Get me a time table of the train schedule." I told Xiao Liu, "Especially the ones which have the old-fashioned coal-operated trains." When we were at the crime scene, we witnessed many trains passing by us. There were a few older trains among the faster e-trains. Perhaps we could find some clues on these older trains. Even though Xiao Liu had no idea what I was up to, since I was someone his boss invited into the team, he did not dare to not listen to me.


    "Xiao Liu, stay here." Mary cleared the space before her table. "Let me." Then, Mary took out an ultra-thinptop, it was a model that I had not seen before, it was probably custom-made. Then I realized Mary was a hacker, a very good one at that. It was the reason why Captain Zhao valued her so greatly. ording to rumors, there were only 5 people better than her in China. Soon a time table appeared before us. It even contained the name of the conductors and train drivers for each train.


    The woman died around 2. 10 am. 10 minutes were used to rape and suffocate her and then 10 more minutes to deal with the crime scene. The speed, the departure time of each train, as well as the distance of the train station to the crime scene, after we got all these data, we could tell whether a train was passing by when the woman arrived at that fated spot two nights before. The witness Zhang Xutong took an express train, these kinds of trains would only stop at big city stations. In other words, it would not stop at a small city like ours. When Zhang Xutong saw the crime, the woman was already dead and Luo Zhongcheng was cleaning up the scene. Therefore, we did not need to concern ourselves with this train and the ones after it. We needed to focus on the trains that came before this one.


    As I expected, an old-fashioned train passed by this stretch about 13 minutes before Zhang Xutong''s express train did. The woman had to be at the designated spot before the train arrived or else things would be hard to arrange.


    I almost pulled out my hair from the amount of thinking. Rainy nights, women, slow-moving trains and bags of heroin. At this juncture, there was still a big question that was unanswered, why would these womene to this stretch of unattended track sote at night? This was already the 4th recorded one. So far, thew enforcement had deemed their deaths as pure idents. But since they were already nothing more than meat pies, it was impossible to derive anything from their carcasses. Their actions were definitely anomalous.


    Seeing theplicated emotions on my face, Captain Zhao walked towards me to whisper, "Did you discover anything?"


    "Nightclubs, bars, KTVs." I listed out 3 ces. Mary rolled her eyes and said, "That is such a leap in thought. Earlier, you asked for the train schedules and now you''re talking about nightclubs. What is it that you are doing anyway?"


    "I''m looking for something."


    "What?" Mary asked.


    "The victims'' identity." I answered.


    At 12 midnight, most people had already gone to bed. Tonight, an officer came across a sneaking shadow with a haggard look. He shouted at the person, "List out 3 active metals!" The person was startled and stammered out the answer, "lithium, sodium, and rubidium!" The officer waved him away. "Truly, only criminals or students will still wander the streets sote at night."


    But in reality, at ces like nightclubs, KTVs and bars, life was just beginning. Gu Chen and I were standing in front of a nightclub called ck Forest. We could see all sorts of activities around us. There were young men and women vomiting by the streets, some evenid t out drunk on the ground. Of course, what was notcking were the kissing couples.


    This was also the ce for a rising phenomenon called, drunk rape. Drunk rape meant bringing back home vulnerable individuals who were too inebriated and then have sex with them. Of course, the offenders were mostly males. Due to intoxication, most females had no idea where they were brought and when they awakened, only then they realized they were assaulted and they had no idea whom their assaulter was. Facing this kind of criminal, the victims normally would keep mum about it. With a low cost in crime and a low risk in capture, it was a non-shocker that drunk rape had be moremon. In fact, there were 3 youngsters with spiked hair sitting across from us in a darkened alley, watching the people who came out from the nightclubs.


    Going to nightclubs was not a male privilege but females should reconsider beforeing here alone. s this was not the reason I was here, I was here to look for someone.


    It was just a door but it was two different worlds inside and outside the door. Outside the door, there were the asional vomits but mostly it was silent. Inside the door, it was as noisy as a market. Shouting, bottles clinking, banging music created a hypnotizing cacophony. The smell of cocktails, sweat, perfumes, colognes created a mist that was intoxicating. You''d feel instantly rxed once you stepped through the door. Those who burnt the midnight oil often were those who did not have the courage to see the sun rise another day. Captivated by the neon lights and possibility of sin, most of the people here lived on the edge of reality and dream. They lost themselves in alcohol, money, lust and power.


    "Sir" A server came over when he saw me enter the ce. I looked around and picked up a nearby bottle. Before the owners of the bottle could get angry at me, I mmed the bottle on the table. The waiter instantly understood the real reason I was there. He spoke into the mic attached to hispel. "Brother Lee, I need you here." Soon a bald man and his group appeared before me and Gu Chen.


    "Kid, was it you who came looking for trouble?" The big baldie demanded.


    "Would you believe me if I say Ie in peace?" I said sincerely. "I''m here for Sister Mao but I know I won''t get her attention without using this method."


    "Sister Mao?!" The baldie undid his shirt to show off the dragon tattoo on his chest and a de scar on his back. "Who are you to see Sister Mao? If I don''t beat the crap out of you, my name is not Baldie Biao!" I sighed helplessly, sometimes people just refused to believe the truth.


    "Please go easy with the aggression." I warned.


    "It''s toote to beg for mercy now." Baldie Biao growled.


    I shrugged. 1 cigaretteter, Baldie Biao and hisckeys were all groaning on the ground. I passed a cig to Gu Chen and then said, "Job well done, brother. Leave the rest to me." Gu Chen epted the cigarette and added, "These people are easier to handle than the beggars at the train station, they are all bark and no bite." Beggars might not really be beggars and bouncers might not really be bouncers. Actually most bouncers were just street ruffians, what they had was the advantage in number. When they ran into actual fighters, they were like children fighting an unfair war. This Baldie Biao before us was one of those.


    "Well, have you had enough? Do you want more?" I asked. The baldie shook his head. "Then you better call Sister Mao." The baldie nodded.


    An hourter, Sister Mao finally appeared before me. I studied this woman carefully. Just like what Brother Huang Er told me in prison, this woman over 30 oozed sexiness. She wore an extremely tight-fitting dress, had long curls and the garter belts poked out from her slitted dress. She carried a small purse and had a small cigar dangling on her lips. The smoke dissipated in the neon light and covered the group of people behind her.


    "Sister Mao?" I asked politely.


    "So you''re behind this clutter?" Sister Mao began, "Even though ck Forest is not my main territory, I wouldn''t let any random kide here to create problems for me. Go and teach these two young children a lesson, make it a lesson they won''t forget."


    I raised my hands in surrender and then quickly added, "I''m not here for trouble, I''m here to ask Sister Mao for help."


    Sister Mao dropped the cigarette on the ground and squashed it under her heels. She askedzily. "You want me to help you?"


    I nodded. "Brother Huang Er told me that, should I find life difficult in this city, I can alwayse to Sister Mao for help."


    "Ol'' Huang Er?" Sister Mao looked at me with shock. "Who is he to you? What can I help you with?"


    Ol'' Huang Er was a prison inmate, he was sentenced due to organizing a sexual crime ring.


    "I guess you can call him my big brother." I exined, "I came to Sister Mao because I need your help to look at a picture for me." Then I took the dead woman''s picture. I walked forward to show her. "Sister Mao, is this girl a prostitute?"


    Due to the nature of the story and ease for my editing, the chapters will be released in episodic manner (several chapters at once) instead of daily chapters.

 Chapter 9: Women

    Chapter 9: Women


    When Sister Mao saw the picture of the desecrated corpse, she did not even flinch. The expression remained unchanged like she was examining a painting. This reminded me of a story Brother Huang Er told me about Sister Mao. Sister Mao and Brother Huang Er were childhood neighbours. Out of boredom, the kids among the vige decided they would elect a boss among themselves, and from then on everyone at the vige would need to listen to his or her orders. How did they decide it? The kid who dared to sleep in the graveyard for the night would be the boss. None of the kids took up the challenge, only Sister Mao went towards the graveyard alone. Based on what his family told him, when Sister Mao''s parents went to find her, she was sleeping soundly hugging a gravestone. This proved that it wasn''t mere beauty that got Sister Mao to the height that she enjoyed today.


    "She''s not one of my people." Sister Mao said, "Leave me your phone number. I''ll call you when I know more."


    "Thank you, Sister Mao." I replied politely.


    After they left, Gu Chen regarded me with a frown. "Who are you exactly? It was clear that Sister Mao is not a simple character, she seems to be involved in some questionable business. How did you get to know people like her? Come, we should get back to the station and start an investigation on her immediately."


    I offered Gu Chen another cigarette and told him, "That does not fall within the scope of our case and if you want to build a strong case against her, it''ll take years. You''re still new to the force and you still have the belief that the world is ck and white but is that really true? When I showed her the picture, she already knew who we were. In that case, why did she choose to help us?"


    Gu Chen was shocked. "She knew that we work with the police? How?"


    I shrugged and lit my own cigarette. "Because she is not dumb. Only a professional, and not a civilian, will be able to produce a clean shot of a crime scene like the one I showed her."


    "Then why did she choose to help us? Aren''t she afraid of straying too close to the fire?" I appeared like I have given Gu Chen too little credit for his intuition.


    "Like I said, the world is not just ck and white." I puffed out a smoke ring. "We are all creatures of flesh and blood, who among us can really say that we harbour no evil thoughts, and at the same time have not done a single good thing in our lives? Even a prostitute and her client can fall in love, so what''s so strange about her helping us?"


    Gu Chen took a long time thinking before he sighed, "This world sure isplicated."


    "No, the realplicated thing is the human heart." I said, "In any case, there''s nothing else we can do now but wait. I believe we will have the news soon."


    Several hourster, Sister Mao gave me a call and the victim''s identity was finally confirmed. The woman was indeed an escort, she had a front working as a receptionist at a hotel called Royal Pce. She called herself Ye Zhi but of course that was a fake name. There were many reasons why one would choose to be an escort, some were forced into it, while others found it an easy way to earn money. In any case, like every other profession, there were rules to follow among the escorts. They had to be always ready with smiles and be kind to their sisters because the sisterhood was often the only source of support they had. The moment one of thedies started to act high and mighty, it either meant that she had lost her mind or she had bagged a rich man.


    ording to what Sister Mao heard, this Ye Zhi suddenly had a personality change recently. In the past, she was always apprehensive and soft-spoken around others but recently she started to raise her voice more often. She came to work carrying real LV handbags, put on expensive cologne and splurge on Starbucks coffee during breaks. In the past, Yu Zhi would bring instant coffee mix to work. Her colleagues naturally assumed that Ye Zhi had be some rich dude''s mistress, and that caused some real jealousy among her sisters.


    We continued our investigation with this clue and to our surprise, Ye Zhi had not bagged any rich dude but instead had been keeping a young man as her boytoy. When we found this man, the man was in the middle of having fun'' with his girlfriend. Ye Zhi sponsored him and he went to sponsor someone else. After some questioning, we found out the man was actually Ye Zhi''s former boyfriend, when he found out Ye Zhi''s real identity as a prostitute, naturally he chose to break up with her. That was all he ever heard from Ye Zhi until she suddenly appeared before his eyes a few months ago. She threw 10000 RMB on his face and said, "If you want to keep these money, you better start kneeling and kiss my toes."


    The man challenged, "What kind of person do you take me for?" And right after that, he knelt down and sucked on her toes while picking up the money. For certain people, money was much more important than pride. From then on, they became a sweet couple again. After knowing about Ye Zhi''s death, the only thing the man said was, "Now who is going to take care of me?"


    In any case, we still got something useful from the man. Ye Zhi would go out alone every Friday night and return the next day around 10 am. She never told him where she went but every time she returned, she would have an extra 10000 RMB in her bag. The man thought the visits were Ye Zhi going to see her rich sponsor. As long as the money kept flowing, he never questioned her movements.


    I shared a look with Captain Zhao. We said in unison, "You should be thinking the same thing as I do." Indeed, if our supposition was correct, it would exin why Ye Zhi would go to that deserted track sote at night. ording to the train schedule, there would be a train that passed by that stretch every Friday between 2 to 2.30 am. It was a coal-driven train. There was something unique about this train, it drove very slowly, offering the passengers a scenic view of the journey and its windows could be opened unlike most modern e-trains. The heroin came not from some unknown source but from the train itself. The women went there sote at night not for no other reason but to intercept the delivery.


    Thus, a hypothesis could be made. Someone would take this train every Friday and bypass the security by consuming the drugs or through some other methods. They rode the train until they reached this spot. 2 am was the time when the human body would be at its most tired. However, instead of sleeping, the mule would use the toilet on the train to pass out the drugs. Then when the train passed the stretch of track where Luo Yongjun worked, the mule would toss the drugs out the window. At the same time, Ye Zhi would be waiting beyond the fence to wait for the dispatch. The fence was not that far from the tracks, considering the weight of 3 bags of heroin, a child could have easily tossed them beyond the fence. That would exin perfectly why Ye Zhi appeared at this secluded ce that rainy, dark night.


    However, Ye Zhi would never expect that this time, there was something else other than a drug deposit waiting for her in the darkness. Darkness was the best protection for Ye Zhi but it was also the reason for her death. The thing that was intercepted by Ye Zhi thus found its way to Luo Zhongcheng. We had no idea why Luo Zhongcheng decided to take a hit of heroin. Was it because he had killed someone? I personally did not think that was the case, after all, he had at least murdered 3 more women before Ye Zhi. Perhaps he was feeling the prick of conscience for the first time after killing his father? Or he was just searching for the high? We would never know because he was now a cold body in the morgue.


    "Check the passenger list for someone who would take this train every Friday." Captain Zhao ordered. Mary took out herptop. This required some time, first she had to filter out the passengers who would take the train every Friday and then inspect which among them were suspicious. Even if Mary had the best equipment, sifting through the mountain load of data required time. Xiao Liu looked numbly at the screen as the numbers flew by, after a while, he felt his head spinning. He turned to pick up a book and flipped through it casually. Then he sat up and said, as if he was reminded of something, "By the way, Captain Zhao, we''ve confirmed the identity of the tipster. That Zhang Xutong was indeed the girl who was kidnapped and sold to the mountain vige several years ago!"


    "Things are really that coincidental?" Captain Zhao said as he took a sip from his china tea cup.


    "I know right?!" Xiao Liu continued, "We looked into her background because we needed her for the testimony. We found out that she was a student from Jing Zhong Teacher''s Academy and she had a ssmate called Zhang Hui. She and Zhang Hui took a taxi home one day after school, but the driver took them somewhere they did not recognize." With a shrug, Xiao Liu continued, "When they noticed something was wrong, several big burly men already surrounded the car. Their phones were confiscated and they were gagged. 3 dayster, they found themselves at the vige and the rest was simr to what Lee Chunzhuang, the drifter said. During the night of their kidnapping, the moon was out. The taxi driver took small alleys so there were no cameras that picked up on their trace. The two girls were reported missing but no one could find out where they had gone."


    As I looked at Mary''sputer, I asked, "Even after she escaped, Zhang Xutong did not call the police?"


    Xiao Liu nodded and said incredulously, "It has been years since Zhang Xutong escaped from the vige but during this time, she did not even consider calling the police, knowing the kind of life she had condemned her friend, Zhang Hui to. She chose to selectively forget all about it. When asked about that specific period, Zhang Xutong would say she had gone overseas. When Zhang Hui''s parents came to ask her about their daughter''s location, she revealed nothing either.


    "But this time Zhang Xutong was just a passenger on a train and she had gone through all that trouble reporting a crime done against a person she did not even know." Xiao Liu shook his head. "I really cannot understand what is going through her mind."


    There was truly no answer to that question, after all, I was not Zhang Xutong. Zhang Xutong chose to keep silent when it was her friend who was in trouble; but for a random stranger, she was the one who called in to provide us with the damning evidence. This proved that perhaps we were often cruelest to the people we know.


    "How did Zhang Xutong react to the news about Zhang Hui... in fact, was she even notified about Zhang Hui''stest update?" Captain Zhao asked.


    Xiao Liu shook his head. "Zhang Xutong did not know we haveunched a background check into her and she also did not know we''ve already rescued Zhang Hui. Actually, that is why I brought this up. Captain Zhao, should we tell Zhang Xutong the truth?"


    Captain Zhao was silent for quite some time before saying, "Perhaps human nature is sin. People are all selfish. Now that we know the whole truth, what can we do, should we arrest Zhang Xutong? I say just let it be. Let them live in their own bubbles, after all, not everyone can survive knowing the truth."

 Chapter 10: The Drug Mule

    Chapter 10: The Drug Mule


    Early the next morning, Mary found the suspect on the train. There was a passenger who would ascend the train at Long Ze Train Station every Friday and descend at different stations. Sometimes, he would leave at the next immediate stop, other times, he would go further. The day after, he would take a different train back to Long Ze City and then repeat the whole exercise every week. Viewed on the surveince, this was a very thin young man. He had serious eye bags like he had not slept in days already. He always came in suit and tie, carrying a briefcase in his arms. He looked just like a salesman bustling over the city. There were many other young men just like him taking the train every week so the disguise was perfect. Long Ze Train Station was not a big station, perhaps that was why he selected this station to purchase his tickets.


    "He is the mule." I said, "There''s no need to check anyone else. Contact the local police and have him arrested as soon as possible."


    "How could you know that?" Captain Zhao asked. I shrugged. The man on the surveince wouldmit to a subconscious gesture, he''d keep touching his own stomach like there was something hiding inside there. To be frank, the journey of every drug mule was equal to a dance with Death. If the package leaked, he would end up in the same state as Luo Zhongcheng. Of course the man was privy to the risk but sometimes you got to do what you got to do.


    "Alright, I''ll contact the local police now. We need to move fast." Captain Zhao turned the china cup in his hand. "For such a dangerous deal, they will often have a follow up after the delivery was done. Since Ye Zhi is no longer reachable, they might have been spooked and gone underground already. After all, 2 days have passed since her death."


    The drug mule''s name was Lin Su, male 24 years old. He was a drug addict for 4 years. He was forced into rehab several times and he had fallen off the wagon every time. After he left rehab, he was never seen around his hometown anymore. In fact no one knew where he had gone until today when he reappeared at Long Ze Station and in the police''s sight. The police sent out a BOLO for Long Ze. The moment this man appeared on surveince, he would be detained immediately. But for many days, there was no news of this man, it was as if he had disappeared from the face of earth. There were only 2 possibilities behind this, 1, Lin Su had escaped from Long Ze City; 2, he had found a safe ce to hide at Long Ze City.


    "What we need to do now is to find an informant." I told Captain Zhao who was frowning deeply. "I''m very good with that." Captain Zhao nodded and told me, "Be careful." As I''ve mentioned earlier, I grew up in prison, the inmates there taught me many things that a normal person would have never approached in their lives and I was introduced to many individuals who spent their lives in the shadows. Using that knowledge, I had developed an extensivework of informants on my own when I was helping the police with their cases. Now I had to revisit mywork to find out more about Lin Su.


    Inside a dark alley, there were two flickering cigarette mes. I stood back to back with this informant. He wouldn''t show me his face because that was the rule. The rats'' lives depended on darkness because the dark provided them with the best camouge. I handed him 500 RMB. He chuckled and asked, "What do you want this time?"


    "I''m looking for someone from your circle." As I took a puff of smoke, I handed a picture to him. "The man''s name is Lin Su, he''s a drug mule. If you have more information on him, I''ll give you 1000 RMB." The moment I said that, the cigarette fell from the informant''s lips. My heart skipped a beat, thinking, It wouldn''t be so serendipitous, right?! Could this informant really be Lin Su?'' Not taking any risk, I turned around to grab him and demanded, "I''m sorry for breaking the rules but I need to know."


    The informant panicked and even though he tried his best to use his hands to shield his face from view, I confirmed that this was not Lin Su. In fact, through the weak moonlight, the face that I saw barely could be counted as a human face anymore. The sunken eyes were incredibly muddled, the cheekbones protruded greatly and his skin practically were showing through. His mouth opened to reveal apleteck of teeth. He looked more like a walking zombie than a human being. He tried his best to struggle loose from my grasp but of course a drug addict wasn''t powerful enough to shake me off. "You''re still on drugs? Haven''t I told you that you''ll die from the habit before your enemies catch up to you?!"


    The informant cried helplessly, "I tried, I really did but I can''t!" The man sniffled as the struggle went out from him. There was nothing I could do but sigh. Once you had taken the deal from the devil, there was almost no way to escape from it. However, it was not all lost hope. Among rehabilitated drug users, 90 percent would rpse, meaning only 1 of 10 addicts could rise over the addiction, the man before me was clearly not one of them.


    "So you do know Lin Su?" I asked.


    "He''s my supplier"


    When we arrived at Lin Su''s home, it was already 3 in the afternoon. The summer sun cooked the earth, a few steps and one would be covered in sweat. The old rental home had its door open, the 20 metres square space was stuffed with various crap and only a narrow passage was left usable. An old woman around 70 sat in the middle of the pile of garbage. She sat cross-legged and turned her face up to the ceiling like she was thinking about something. Beads of sweat flowed down her forehead but she did not appear to feel the heat. It appeared like this senior did not have anything else in her life to live for.


    "Madam" before Captain Zhao could say anything, the olddy turned around and then something unexpected happened. She suddenly bent over and kept kowtowing at us. Her head banged continuously against the wooden floor. When she turned towards us, we saw that she only had one hand. The ce where the other hand should be was a stump. Seeing the exposed wound, we believed her hand had been chopped off.


    "Sorry, I really don''t have any money on me anymore" The olddy wailed. Mary''s eyes watered. Gu Chen hurried forward and helped the olddy up from the ground. Captain Zhao''s expression shifted slightly and he exined, "Madam, we are the police."


    Hearing that, the olddy was silent for a moment before saying, "What did Lin Su do this time?"


    The olddy was Lin Su''s grandmother. Based on Granny Lin''s exnation, Lin Su''s parents always worked outstation so Lin Su grew up with her. Before the age of 15, Lin Su was always a good student. He excelled at his studies, all his teachers said that he was bound for great things. After school, Lin Su would help his grandmother collect empty bottles and paper cardboards on the street to help supply the household.


    But one day, an incident changed Lin Su and the life for this family of two.


    The olddy remembered it clearly, it was a hot summer day like today. Lin Su came home with a de dripping with blood. He told his grandmother, "Granny, I''ve killed a person."


    For that, Lin Su was arrested and sent to juvie. 2 yearster, Lin Su was released. By that time, he was only several months away to adulthood. Lin Su probably did not even consider having any ceremony to mark that date but as fate would have it, it had ended in a horrendous street fight. After he left juvie, Lin Su joined a small-time gang to his grandmother''s disapproval. He was valued by the boss for having brains.


    "Kid, you''re 18 now." His big brother said, "It''s time for you to have a taste of women." Lin Su only smiled. On their way to the club, they were ambushed inside an alley. Lin Su recognized them as their gang rivals. Inspired by the gang movies, Lin Su thought he could protect his brother from just loyalty alone. In reality though, he was cut by a cuss and tossed to the side. This was the first time Lin Su experienced death firsthand, as heid in the pool of his own blood, he saw his big brother die in a multitude of cuts. The memories from the day he turned 18 was forever branded in his mind.


    The first thing he did was not go to the hospital but to return to his grandmother''s home. He hugged his grandmother and both of them cried. Blood bound them together. At the end of the day, blood was thicker than tears. After some examination, his grandmother realized that the wounds on Lin Su weren''t serious, the gang rivals never wanted to im Lin Su''s life. After they finished crying, Lin Su''s bleeding had already stopped. Lin Su found a nearby clinic to buy some bandages.


    Lin Su reconnected with his grandmother but he couldn''t shake the nightmare from that gory day. One day, while at work, he asked, "Is there anything that can make you forget everything bad about life? Something that can make this hellish life more tolerable?" His friend took out a bag of something white. From then on, life did be more tolerable for Lin Su because he could no longer be said to be living.


    Lin Su was sucked into drug addiction. The trips to rehabs did nothing to help him. After 1 year of addiction, to supply his stock, he sold his grandmother''s house without her permission and that caused the olddy to be thrown out of her own home. 2 years after his addiction, his parents cut off ties to their son but his grandmother still stayed by him. She still carried hope for her favorite grandson. His parents stopped sending money to him and his grandmother could barely sustain herself from picking trash.


    The addictionpletely changed Lin Su''s personality. When he was in the grasp of withdrawal, he would violently snatch the money from his grandmother. He knew how his grandmother earned these money. She collected them with hard work, looking through trash cans, prowling the streets for recyble rubbish under the rays of the sweltering sun. Addiction turned Lin Su into a monster that couldn''t empathize with his own family anymore.


    One day, Lin Su ran out of money again and he came back to demand it from his grandmother. This time, Granny Lin tried to stop him. She grabbed him with her left hand. She couldn''t let him sink any deeper. Aiming to make her let go of the money, Lin Su pulled out a cleaver from his back pocket and it made contact with flesh and bone. A palm fell to the floor, it was his grandmother''s.


    Lin Su left without turning back once. Granny Lin was discovered by a passing Good Samaritan and she was sent to the hospital. And Lin Su was never seen by his grandmother again.


    At the hospital, when asked, Granny Lin said, "I did this to myself, I didn''t want to live anymore."


    After that, Lin Su never showed up but he would send his friends'' to extort money from his grandmother. Earlier, the olddy had mistaken us for Lin Su''s friends. By then, Mary was openly weeping. She cursed, "That bastard."


    I looked around the house of garbage. On the walls, there hung a few yellowed certificates. I could barely make out the few words on them. "Lin Su has been selected as the model student of the year. He is presented with this certificate to acknowledge his kind, filial, and hardworking nature."

 Chapter 11: A History Lesson

    Chapter 11: A History Lesson


    Captain Zhao pulled out his pocket and the only thing he could produce was a box of cigarettes and several candies. He turned to Mary awkwardly. We all knew what he meant. However, my allowance all came from Captain Zhao. I could only open my hands awkwardly. Mary and Gu Chen took out several hundred RMB from their pockets and ced them in my open palm. I took several steps forward and pushed it into the olddy''s only hand. The olddy pushed the money back to me. In our back and forth, several coins dropped to the ground. I bent down to pick them up and saw that there were several spoons and used cigarette butts under the simple bed. When we left, the olddy thanked us again and again.


    An once model student ended up as a drug addict, none of us knew what happened to him. Simrly, we had no idea why Lin Su killed when he was 15. To know more, Captain Zhao pulled up the case file. ording to Lin Su''s testimony, when he was asked for his motive, he only said, he deserved to die.'' Captain Zhao held Lin Su''s files and pressed his temple. "Lin Su probably has left Long Ze already, we''ve casted our a bit toote. He probably left by taxi or buses, public transport that doesn''t need id verification."


    Had Lin Su really left? I closed my eyes to ponder that question. If I was Lin Su, what would I do?


    Momentster, I came up with the answer, I will not leave Long Ze. First, I am a drug addict. If I leave this ce, where will I find a new drug supplier in short notice? I am most familiar with Long Ze City. Furthermore, my grandmother is here.


    I personally believed we should find out why Lin Sumitted that murder way back when, it might help us understand Lin Su better. "Captain Zhao, we should split up." I shared my views, "I wish to investigate Lin Su''s teenhood case further while the search for Lin Su continues. But I also think we should send a few people to watch over the olddy''s home. I found some spoons and cigarette butts under her bed. She might be lying."


    Mary rolled her eyes. "Everyone is a criminal in your cynical eye."


    I shook my head and exined, "I merely understand the human heart better." Captain Zhao was basically immune to our bickering already. He turned to Gu Chen. "I''ll leave you with the surveince of the olddy, if Lin Su everes back to see his grandmother, report to us immediately."


    Searching for someone''s information could be extremely easy or extremely hard. The hardest problem was that none of the schools wished to admit that Lin Su was one of their students, after all, no institution wanted to have their reputation tainted by having a murderer as their alumni, even though said student had also been their model student for several years. In any case, I still managed to contact Lin Su''s former ss teacher and from him, I got to know another version of Lin Su. A person could have different personas depending on the person they interacted with, all of thembined together might not even be their actual self. ording to his ss teacher, Lin Su had always been the perfect student. When Lin Su was sent to juvie, basically all of his ssmates and teachers went to send him off. They all wished him that he woulde out to be a better person.


    Clearly, juvie had left an opposite impact on Lin Su.


    When asked about the murder, the ss teacher sighed. It happened more than 10 years ago, the day was as hot as it was today. The students were clearly bored out of their mind, a boredom that was intensified further by the fact that it was a history ss. The teacher was teaching them the story about Jing Ke''s assassination attempt on the King of Qin. The story of historical and political intrigue became a dry and mind-numbing tale thanks to a monotonous lecture.


    To understand Lin Su''s crime, one first had to be introduced to another character called Wang Liqun. Wang Liqun was the supposed leader of the ss. The boy was already 1.8 metres tall when he was in secondary school, his physical stature lent weight behind his words. And his words carried more clout than the spiel of the boring history teacher on the podium. As an example of Wang Liqun''s tyranny, he once beat a student until he begged Wang Liqun for mercy simply because he did not bow to the king of the ss when they crossed paths. Wang Liqun''s favorite hobby, other than bullying, was to gather his gangs'' and block people''s way in the middle of the corridor. Whenever the girls passed, he would p at their butt. Seeing the girls all flustered as they ran away, Wang Liqun felt rejuvenated and validated. The people that Wang Liqun hated and looked down the most were the goody-two-shoes in ss because they were all brains and no brawns. They were just a bunch of flimsy bookworms.


    Lin Su was the best student in ss, a prime bookworm in Wang Liqun''s eyes. Therefore, Wang Liqun often bullied Lin Su for no other reason than because he wanted to.


    One time, Wang Liqun poured his own pee into Lin Su''s bottle. He and his buddies held in theirughter while they waited to see Lin Su make a fool of himself. Some of the girls wanted to warn Lin Su but under Wang Liqun''s warning gaze, none of them dared to speak up. Lin Su drank the water and instantly Wang Liqun and his gang burst outughter, "You just drank my pee."


    Lin Su did not react in any way, he merely stopped drinking and tossed the bottle away. Lin Su should be greatly humiliated but the fact that he wasn''t ced a greater humiliation on Wang Liqun instead. Even until his death, Wang Liqun never understood that you couldn''t humiliate someone who was fully secure in themselves. Lin Su did not even deign to give him a response. Each individual approached the world in their own different ways, that was justmon sense but so many people did not get it.


    Wang Liqun''s biggest idols were Bill Gates and Steve Jobs because they were school dropouts. However, in the end, they had people from famous universities working underneath them. But what Wang Liqun did not understand was these people gained sess in spite of being a dropout but not because they were dropouts. People always preferred an underdog story and that merely reflected the anxiety that was prevalent in all of us. The human mind was the best at finding excuses for oneself.


    Lin Su though knew perfectly well that to change his own fate, he had to rely on his own two hands and for now, education was his only way.


    "Jing Ke slowly unfurled the map." The teacher lectured, "And the dagger was shown." At the same time, the dagger hidden under Lin Su''s history textbook was shown as well. "Jing Ke grabbed the dagger and stabbed his target!" The teacher continued in a robotic drone. Lin Su grabbed the dagger and stabbed his target.


    Jing Ke missed but Lin Su''s dagger plunged right through Wang Liqun''s heart. They were both warriors prepared to face the consequences of their actions.


    One could learn from secondary biology ss that after one''s aorta was sliced, the blood would spurt out and stter everywhere. The textbook was correct because when Lin Su pulled out the knife, the blood inside Wang Liqun''s body gushed out like a fountain. Wang Liqun only had a few seconds to understand why he was attacked and why Lin Su dared toe after him. Before people could fathom what was happening, Lin Su dropped the weapon to the ground and turned to the teacher, "Call the police, I''ve killed someone."


    From then on, the history teacher''s ss was no longer robotic. She saw for herself an actual murder, it was gory and senseless. Finally she understood what exactly Ke Jing felt when he was on that one-way mission.


    Lin Su was sent into juvie and Wang Liqun died.


    "Sir, do you know anyone who was close friends with Wang Liqun back then?" I asked.


    "Matter of fact I do, I keep all of my students numbers." The ss teacher said responsibly, "But I''m not sure whether they''ve changed their number or not."


    The evening of the second afternoon, I found a ssmate from Lin Su''s ss. When I found him at the construction site, he was pouring two pails of cement into the foundation. When I asked him about Wang Liqun''s death, this young man who was supposed to be 20 but looked 40 sighed, "I didn''t get it at the time but looking back, I should have seen it sooner." I had no idea what he meant so I asked him to exin. A decade had passed since then but there were certain things that you would never forget.


    One day after school, Wang Liqun and his gang were hanging out at a stall near the school when an olddy appeared before them. She reached for Wang Liqun''s can of drink because there was only a little bit left in it.


    "Fuck, olddy, what are you doing?!" Wang Liqun cursed loudly, "Can''t you see that I haven''t finished the drink yet? Are you blind or senile?" The loud curses attracted the attention of a secondary school student, he was carrying a gunny sack of empty cans over his shoulders. Seeing him, Wang Liqunughed even louder, "Wait, isn''t this the model student from our school, the great Lin Su? So this garbage-picking hag is your grandmother?! Ha ha, an old garbage leading a young garbage, truly have you ever seen a sight sadder than this?"


    Lin Su ignored him. He pulled on his grandmother''s arm and ushered her away. Wang Liqun though still hadn''t had his fun. This was a rare chance that he got to ruffle Lin Su''s feathers so naturally he wasn''t going to let it go so easily. Wang Liqun ran forward and yanked at the sack Lin Su was carrying. Instantly, the bag of cans ttered noisily to the ground. The old woman never once imagined that her one act of carelessness could lead to such consequences, in any case, she apologized profusely to the young man, "I''m sorry, this is all my fault."


    Lin Su nced at Wang Liqun and then bent down to help his grandmother pick up the cans. But that was thest straw for Wang Liqun. Everyone at school would either show fear or admiration when they ran into Wang Liqun but this Lin Su acted like he couldn''t even see Wang Liqun, being ignored was the biggest offense to Wang Liqun. With a kick, he sent a can flying and its sharp edge knocked into the olddy''s head. Lin Su could take anything Wang Liqun did to him without retaliation but even the gentlest creature had their bottomline. However at that moment, Lin Su still did not do anything other than to straighten up and help his grandmother. Under the streetlights, amidst the crowd, with the delicious smell of food wafting around them, this young man wearing a tattered shirt had a barely discernible smile on his face when he told Wang Liqun softly, "Be prepared, I will kill you tomorrow."


    So many nightster, Wang Liqun''s former friend would still dream of that young man in his nightmare. The young man''s name was Lin Su, he was a person of few words but everything that he said hade true.


    The construction worker remembered striking up a conservation with Lin Su on the first day of school. At the time, no one knew anyone, the pecking order still hadn''t been established. Lin Su introduced himself by saying, "I came from a small vige, I don''t know much but I swear to be the first-ce student every year in ss."


    And Lin Su had never gotten a cement worse than that.

 Chapter 12: Closing the Net

    Chapter 12: Closing the Net


    If human beings were seen as a machine, then emotion was undeniably the fuel that kept us running. Human beings could create spaceships that brought us to space but they could not figure out what was inside the minds of the people beside them. Lin Su murdered for the sake of his grandmother, I believed that even if Lin Su did not tell his grandmother about it, she would have known the truth.


    "Therefore, there is no way Lin Su is on the loose, he won''t be leaving his grandmother behind." I told Mary confidently, "In other words, Lin Su is still at Long Ze City. When the police stop looking for him, he will surface toe visit his grandmother."


    As Mary typed on herptop, she countered without raising her head. "But ording to the olddy, Lin Su hasn''t been back to see for 3 years already."


    "That''s why I said she is lying." I leaned over to Mary''s side and noticed she was still trying to find an online trace of Lin Su. Hearing that, Mary closed theptop and then asked, "What if Lin Su does not return?"


    "How about a bet then? If Lin Su doesn''te back, I will streak and run all over the station." I tapped on the table lightly. "But what will I get if Lin Su doese back? It''s not fair to ask for a married woman to do something as inappropriate as streaking. How about this, when Captain Zhao asks for your opinion on whether I should be allowed to join the force, help me put in a few good words?"


    "You wish to join the force that badly?" Mary regarded me seriously.


    I nodded. "Of course, I don''t know what else I can do." I then looked around and questioned, "By the way, where is Captain Zhao and Gu Chen?"


    Mary answered, "Captain Zhao went to follow up on a lead and Gu Chen is still on a stakeout at the trash site near the old woman''s ce."


    "But almost half a day has passed already!" I couldn''t help but gasp. "He''s still squatting there? Has no one offered to take his shift?" Mary shrugged and chuckled helplessly, "I''ve contacted him through phone messages earlier. Gu Chen said that if there is a shift change, it''ll expose the stakeout so he''ll only opt for it when he can''t stand it anymore. This does remind me of a story about Gu Chen that Captain Zhao told me."


    "What story?"


    "When Gu Chen was still in the police academy, their instructor had them stand at military salute. However, in the middle of it, the instructor was summoned away by someone else. He had forgotten all about the new recruits. When he passed by the field at night, all the recruits had gone to rest but Gu Chen was still standing there in the most standard posture." Mary shook her head. "One of you suffers from paranoia, the other verges on monomania"


    Thus there were not only drifters but also a police officer sleeping at trash sites that week. Gu Chen stayed there for 5 days and saw no one. Gu Chen only requested for a shift change when thepressed biscuits and bottles of water he brought with him had run out. When Gu Chen returned, he looked half his usual size and a haze of stench surrounded him. Gu Chen plucked off a rotten leaf from his neck and reported, "In the five days I''ve been there, there was not even a dog that passed by, much less a person. Other than the olddy who came to drop off her garbage every day, this trash site has basically been abandoned."


    "You mean, in the past 5 days, no one other than the olddy came to throw their rubbish?" I enquired.


    Gu Chen nodded. "Yes, I can guarantee that." I took several steps forward and stood right before Gu Chen''s face. Gu Chen was startled by the sudden approach. Mary, with her fingers pinching her nose, demanded, "Wu Meng, what are you doing now?!" I picked out something from Gu Chen''s shirt shoulder, it was bone. To be more specific, a piece of rib bone. "What kind of rubbish does the olddy dump every day?" I asked Gu Chen.


    Gu Chen looked at me and then at the bone I was holding. Then he shook his head. "I don''t know. I was only looking for people, I wasn''t paying attention to that."


    "Come." I waved for them to follow. "I''ll bring you to go and find Lin Su."


    "You know where Lin Su is?" Gu Chen and Mary asked at the same time. Lee Chunzhuang, the cannibalistic drifter, had told us something interesting. He said in the years of being a drifter, he had enjoyed many good foods. The trash cans at high end neighbourhoods were often filled with delectable leftovers, Lee Chunzhuang had tasted abalone, shark''s fin because of this. What this told us was a person''s trash could tell us many things about someone.


    When we returned to the olddy''s ce, we did not enter but instead turned directly to the trash site behind it. The trash site wasn''t that big. A person''s foot was poking out from a tattered cloth. I chuckled within myself as I stepped on the foot. Then a familiar voice yelped, "Ouch."


    "At the very least you are Captain Zhao''s people, your disguise is so damn bad." I chided. Xiao Liu crawled out from his hiding spot and was startled when he saw us. "Fuck, it was just you guys. I just arrived here a few minutes ago, I haven''t evenpleted the disguise yet. Do you think this is a fun job? Plus, what else do you expect from me? Do you think I''ll be crazy enough to crawl deep into the trash pile?" Xiao Liu immediately shut up when he said that because he spotted Gu Chen behind us.


    "Thankfully, I worked on the stakeout until thest minute," Gu Chen berated, "Or else we''ve been discovered much sooner."


    "Do you remember where the olddy dropped her rubbish?" I asked. Gu Jun nodded and jumped into the trash pile without much hesitation. He surfaced with a few bags. I shook out the contents of the bags. Many different objects slid out. Then I started to rummage through them. Finally I found the thing I wanted. At that moment, I confirmed Lin Su''s location. "Call Captain Zhao, it''s time tounch an arrest."


    The group was confused. Mary asked. "Kid, what are you up to this time?"


    "Just trust me. When he was still in school, Lin Su never once fought back no matter how hard he was bullied, but the moment his grandmother was injured, he went straight to murder." I exined while taking in the pile of trash. "He wouldn''t have left his grandmother alone. If he does not return, then it can only mean that he has not left. I was looking for evidence to support that." I picked out another piece of chicken bone from the trash.


    "But people will change, much less a drug addict." Xiao Liu chimed in. "When one is desperate for a drug hit, they won''t hesitate to harm their closest family."


    But was that really true?


    The police had already surrounded the old woman''s house. The four of us visited the old woman again. She was still sitting on the ground. When she saw us, she turned to us with a big smile. "Oh, wee back."


    Captain Zhao sighed and signalled for me to continue. I studied the old woman slowly and then began, "Granny, do you know why Lin Su killed someone 10 years ago?"


    The old woman''s body shook as if she had been punched. After a long time, she said, "I have no idea. After he reached age 15, it was like he had changed into a different person. Look at my hand, I would never think he''d be cruel enough to cut it off."


    "Please stop lying to us, madam." I challenged, "You know exactly what kind of person your grandson is, you practically raised him. You know Lin Su''s personality and you have to know who Wang Liqun is, the person who turned your grandson into a convicted murderer. If not for Wang Liqun, no, if not for you, your grandson would still have a bright future. You must hate yourself, I''m sure you''ve asked yourself, why must you reach for Wang Liqun''s can of drink that night? If you didn''t, your grandson''s life wouldn''t have been ruined." I slowly walked towards the olddy. "It was because of you that Lin Su became a murderer. So you chopped off your own hand out of guilt and as punishment for yourself. It was that hand of yours that ruined your grandson''s life."


    The tears were turning in the olddy''s eyes. "No, you''re wrong. It was my grandson who cut off my hand. After that, he never returned to this ce." The olddy resisted the tears from falling. Her wrinkled face carried a firm defiance.


    "No, I''m sure you have cut off your hand yourself." I countered, "I''ve visited Lin Su''s ss teacher. He still remembers that Lin Su is a right-handed person. If your story about how your hand got cut off is true, then Lin Su would be wielding the de in his right hand when he turned around as you held him back. If he was really your assant, the direction of the cut would havee from your left to right but look at your wrist, the direction of the cut is theplete opposite." I gently picked up the olddy''s broken stump, "The cut went from right to left, the muscle grains show that clearly. Don''t tell me your grandson was hugging you from behind before he decided to chop your hand off? That makes no logical sense at all. That was why I started to suspect you after you told us your story." I continued, "Therefore, when I gave you the money, I purposely dropped the coin to see if there was someone hiding under the bed. There wasn''t but I did find some spoons and a few cigarette butts. Those in the know would understand that these are necessary tools to take drugs." I smiled weakly, "You said your grandson hasn''t been home for 3 years alread..., you were clearly lying. But I didn''t point it out at the time, because I knew that since you were lying, you had to be covering for Lin Su. You probably even knew where he was and he would return because everything he needed to get his fix is here." At this point, Mary finally understood why I insisted on having someone watch over the olddy house.


    "You purposely vilified Lin Su before us, so that we would be brought to believe that Lin Su is a heartless animal. The worse you described Lin Su, the safer it would be for him to return. I was confident that Lin Su would return but I have missed one crucial detail. When we came to visit you, it was already 2 days after the girl''s murder, Lin Su would have returned to see you already."


    "He was never here." The olddy levelled her muddy eyes at me. There was pleading in her eyes. "Really." At that moment, I considered perhaps stopping right there and then. What would I gain from taking this old woman''s only grandson away from her, that was the only light in her life. Sighing, I resumed. "The rubbish that Gu Chen carried back with him reminded me of my mistake. A drifter''s testimony provided me with a direction, a way to prove my hypothesis. Perhaps we can find the evidence among your trash and we did. It is this chicken bone."


    "Chicken bone?" Xiao Liu questioned, "What kind of evidence is that?"


    "A senior citizen with no teeth can''t possibly pick a bone as cleanly as this. Furthermore, a person who survives on garbage won''t be able to afford meat every day." Captain Zhao finished for me. "You''ve noticed such details as well?"


    I nodded as I slowly helped the olddy up from the ground. Then I tapped on the spot where the olddy was sitting. It was hollow. "You have a perfectly good bed but you insist on sitting on the cold hard ground." I raised my voice, "Come on out. At the end of the day, the only person you know you can always turn to is your grandmother."


    The wooden board moved and I helped eased it open. Lin Su appeared in my view. Inside a hole that was barely big enough for a person squatted a man. From hacking on the walls, the hole appeared to be freshly dug. Other than Lin Su, there were several stacks of money inside the hole. A cursory nce ced them at about several ten thousand RMB. I helped Lin Su up from the hole and reced the wooden board. "And here is our man."


    Lin Su looked at me with appreciation.


    "My son" A heart-wrenching wail came from the corner of the room.


    Lin Su''s eyes reddened and his tears started to flow. Lin Su had only cried twice in his life, the first time was when he saw his grandmother cut her hand off and this was the second time.

 Chapter 13: Lai San

    Chapter 13: Lai San


    There was nothing in this world which was perfectly ck and white. A drug addict could have something that was positive about him. If Lin Su had left Long Ze City, he might be able to escape. This reminded me of another drug baron whom I met in prison. When he was captured, he was ying with his daughter at a theme park. Those who could not abandon material and emotional ties would always have their weaknesses. Lin Su''s crime was enough to send him to the needle but he did not want to die. I told him, if he still wished to see his grandmother again in his life, he better tell everything he knew to the police. This was Lin Su''s weakness, the joy and tragedy of his life.


    In any case, Lin Su provided us with a name, Lai San. Lai San was Lin Su''s supplier. Lai San was also the one person Lin Su knew who had sessfully ovee drug addiction. With Lin Su''s help, we soon had in our hands Lai San''s files. Lai San was currently 32 years old but had already spent 5 years in prison. Lai San had a colorful history and it was something which was worth sharing.


    Lai San had 2 older brothers and 2 older sisters, he was the runt of the family. His family was poor, his brothers and sisters had to work menial jobs every day but Lai San would get buns every meal, his parents pampered their youngest the most. Out of their concern, Lai San''s parents decided to abandon Lai San. They dropped him off at the Shaolin Temple because the boy was getting older and the family couldn''t keep him fed anymore. At the temple, at least Lai San would be cared for, that was the best home Lai San''s parents could give him. And Lai San stayed at Shaolin Temple for 15 years.


    Lai San left Shaolin Temple with a mastery in martial arts when he was 18. Like the heroes in the wuxia novels he liked, he decided to travel around China. With the intention of spreading the glory of Shaolin Kung Fu, Lai San would challenge any martial arts centre that he came across. Armed with a cleaver, Lai San would stomp into any Taekwondo, Judo, boxing centres that he encountered. Even the strongest fighter would fear a de in a battle, furthermore, this was a normal, scientific world that we lived in, not a wuxia world. People practiced martial arts for health reasons, not to be the Jiang Hu Supreme. In any case, Lai San couldn''t care less about that distinction. The fact that none of the fighters he came across were willing to fight him boosted his ego further. When he left, just like any Jiang Hu fighter worth his salt, Lai San would bow and announce, "Thank you for the victory, I am Shaolin''s Lai San." Thus, the story of a strange and crazy man going around challenging random people with a knife to a fistfight started to spread among the martial arts circle.


    One day, after one too many wins'', Lai San examined his de and then his arms. For the first time, he asked himself, Are they afraid of my knife or my prowess?'' That day, Lai San had just arrived in a new district. From afar, he saw a big sign that said, "Hwa San." As a wuxia novels aficionado, Lai San naturally knew about Hwa San Sect, they were often praised as the sect most skilled in des. That got Lai San''s blood boiling. Through his year of journey, he had note across any big sects before, finally, this time the heroes at Hwa San would be able to show him where his actual abilityy. With a howl, Lai San charged into the building with the Hwa San sign brandishing his knife. Then he met his first loss in his life. Several guns pointed right at Lai San.


    "Who is so brave to rob a police station?" A senior officer questioned. What Lai San did not know was that while Shaolin Sect was a real sect based on a real ce, Hwa San Sect was a fictionalized sect but there was indeed a district in China called Hwa San. The Hwa San Sect'' that Lai San attempted to challenge was actually Hwa San Police Station. When the officers found out about Lai San''s real reason for being there, they had augh among themselves. They symbolically detained Lai San for a few days and then confiscated his knife. However, what they did to Lai San was more serious than that, they shattered his bubble and made him lose his purpose in life. Lai San then understood how easily he could be kicked out of Jiang Hu, they only needed to take away his knife. When asked about his home address, he had no answer. He had not been home for 15 years already. It was not that he hadn''t had the thought of going home but he had no idea where that was. After his parents sent him to Shaolin temple, they never expected him to return. They had nothing to feed him so for what would they want him back?


    After Lai San was released, the first thing he did was to find himself a new knife. Therefore, he came to a hardware store and told the owner, "I need the sharpest knife you have."


    The boss took out a cleaver. "This knife is incredibly sharp, it can be used to slice up vegetables and pick off the bones of any meat. It can help skin fish too. I assure you with 120 percent guarantee that you''ll never need a second knife after you buy this one. I''ll put it like this, if you find this de not sharp enough,e back and chop me with it. Then you''ll see how sharp it really is." The next day, his customers found the boss lying in the pool of his own blood. The assant was none other than Lai San. Lai San knew that the cleaver was not sharper than his old knife so he came back to take the boss up on his promise. Hended a square chop on the boss'' chest. Thankfully, the cleaver was truly not as sharp as the boss imed and he survived. This was the first time Lai San was sent into prison.


    Thinking about his close brush with death, the boss would still shiver. When the new customers saw therge scar on the boss'' chest, they would assume the boss had a background in the underground world and hoped that he would regale them with some stories. Often, the boss would just smile. In the end, he;d just say, "The biggest lesson this scar has taught me is not to rely on bluffing as a marketing tactic."


    Lai San lost his de again and this was his first time in prison.


    The second time Lai San was sent to prison, it was because he was desperate. He was robbing people because he was too hungry. Although Lai San did not see it that way. Lai San would approach young women on the streets and pleaded, "Miss, please be kind. I''m too poor, I have no car, no house and no money. I can''t afford any food, what I have is only this knife. Please spare some change for me." When the girls saw the knife, they would quickly open their wallets. Lai San had never felt such kindness in his life before. People would hand him money whenever he begged'' from them. But finally one day, a calm woman took out her phone to take Lai San''s picture after giving him some change and called the police. And that was how Lai Sannded for his second time in prison.


    After that, Lin Su met Lai San at rehab. No one knew how Lai San got into the drug habit but everyone at rehab woulde to know how he got off the habit. There were many ways to kick off the habit but mostly it revolved around 2 steps; 1, stop the physical reliance on the drug; 2, stop the psychological reliance on the drug. Many people could do the first but most failed the second.


    Lin Su and Lai San shared the same room, they were responsible to watch over each other. If the other was spotted to take drugs, they had to report to the worker immediately. After 2 months of living together, they had basically known about each other''s habits, things like withdrawal period and symptoms. One night, ording to Lin Su''s calction, Lai San would be suffering from rpse soon. So heid waiting in the dark. But there was no sound from Lai San''s bed. There was no hissing or groaning.


    Lin Su thought, perhaps the activity at the centre had worked and it had extended the period between each of Lai San''s withdrawals. With that in mind, Lin Su slowly drifted off to bed. When he woke up, Lin Su was shocked. How did he manage to sleep through Lai San''s withdrawal, which was often loud and noisy? But when he saw Lai San, he understood everything.


    Lai San''s bed was covered in blood and most of them had already dried. Lai San was sitting cross-legged on them. Based on Lin Su''s observation, the blood mainly came from Lai San''s limbs. Lin Su''s mouth fell open, he did not know how to describe this. Lai San''s skin was everted, only his face looked like a human. Lin Su had no idea where Lai San got a small nail but he had used the nail to carve out lines on his body. Lai San had turned the pain from withdrawal to actual physical pain. Lin Su could understand that feeling, when withdrawal hit, it was like your whole body was crawling with biting ants, the ants were under your skin and in your brain. Compared to normal physical pain, this mental torture was more painful unless of course you could top it further with more intense physical pain.


    Self-muttion was actually amon recourse among drug reformers, however, Lin Su had not seen anyone take it to such extremes before. Through the night, Lai San had not made a sound, the bed did not even shake or else Lin Su wouldn''t have slept so soundly. In the silent night, a man was sitting on his bed, holding a small nail in his finger. He cut lines on his body and peeled the skin back, just like how a farmer would plough his acres of field. When there was no skin left on his arms to work with, he moved to his legs and then his body. Thankfully, Lin Su woke up before Lai San died from blood loss.


    When Lai San saw Lin Su, he smiled and told Lin Su, "I think I just cured myself of the addiction." Lin Su always thought he was already quite a mentally strong person but now he understood, he was nothing. Lai San spent a whole month recuperating at the hospital and throughout that period, he never once touched drugs. Soon Lai San was released from the rehab.


    One yearter, Lin Su left rehab too. However, it did not take long for Lin Su to rpse. When Lin Su met Lai San again, thetter was already a drug baron. When former roommates met, Lai San was rich from drugs and Lin Su was poor because of drugs. Thus, Lai San provided an out for Lin Su. He would recruit Lin Su as a distributor and he could use that to fund his own drug use. Lin Su agreed.


    As mentioned before, mental reliance on drugs was the hardest hurdle to ovee for someone kicking the drug habit. A study was done at a rehab before, if pleasure could be measured, then sex was 3 and taking a drug hit was at 10. The sensation was indescribable. Therefore, if you are someone who cannot even handle something at a mere 3, better stay away from drugs.


    However, Lai San beat the statistics. He knew the taste of drugs but he never touched it again. Lin Su though couldn''t do it. Therefore, Lin Su agreed to be a drug mule for Lai San. Over the past 3 months, Lin Su had been doing that for money. After spending the necessary money on drugs, the rest he left for his grandmother. With Lin Su''s brilliance, he knew that he would eventually be captured, so he kept a store of money for his grandmother so she could look after herself after he was gone.


    With regards to Lai San, naturally he had left Long Ze City already. We were only responsible for the murder so the info on Lai San was handed over to the narcotics unit, and our case was officially over.


    "Lai San, now this man is quite interesting. I wonder if we''ll cross paths with him in the future." I studied the picture of Lai San in my hands, he looked like an honest farmer.


    Captain Zhao nced at me and said, "He will eventually fall in our hands."

 Chapter 14: The Child of Prison

    Chapter 14: The Child of Prison


    "Someone like Lai San takes months or maybe years of nning to capture, but now let''s talk about you." Captain Zhao ced Lai San''s files on the table and picked up his old tea cup instead, before continuing, "I said that if you helped me solve this case, I''ll spring you out from the mental hospital. You did, and so consider yourself free."


    Mary and Gu Chen stood on either side of Captain Zhao, they both looked at me. Xiao Liu had just found out about my background so he gasped, "Wait, you''re an actual mental patient?! I thought that was just an inside joke between you guys!"


    "I''ve contacted the hospital admin." Captain Zhao continued, "You''re no longer a patient there. You are free to do anything you wish now." Before I could say anything, Mary chimed in. "Zhao Shilin, I have no idea you are such a callous person, ughtering a donkey after it has exhausted its use is not something you''d normally do. Even though this basketcase can get annoying at times, he has been a big help to us. It is undeniable that without his help, we wouldn''t have found the killer so soon. Therefore, if you ask for my opinion." Mary sat on the Captain''s table and said, "How about we keep him around as a temp worker? If anything happens, we''ll just shove him out to take the me."


    This was Mary''s way of living up to her promise of helping me put in a good word if I could find Lin Su. Captain Zhao tapped on his cup lightly, "It''s only been a few days, and you two are already plotting behind my back?"


    Mary grabbed the tea cup away from Captain Zhao, "What do you mean by that?" Captain Zhao shrugged and then pulled out another file from his drawer. The name, Wu Meng was written clearly on the cover of the file. This was my file.


    "Wu Meng, a boy found abandoned at the doors to Qing Cheng Prison at age 1. When the prison master found you, you were already purple from the freezing temperature. At the time, the snow was so heavy that the roads were blocked, it was impossible to send you to the hospital. The prison doctor was off duty that day and the prison master had no idea what to do with a dying baby. The only thing he could do was to put a cover over you and pray for the best. But then a female inmate approached the prison master with a solution." Captain Zhao took a nce at me before he continued with my life story, "She had the prison master order the kitchen to boil a few pots of water and then ce them strategically near your armpits and crotch. The female inmate was not a doctor, this was merely something that she had seen on the documentary, the only channel that they had inside the prison. Apparently this was the way to save someone suffering from freezing if you had no ess to medical treatment." Captain Zhao exined, "None of the prison inmates or the guards had hope that you would survive the winter. The snow that year was heavy and the wind chilly but miraculously you survived.


    "A prison is often a ce of death but at this ce, a life was preserved and flourished. The guards and inmates were touched by this small miracle. The prison master even allowed the inmates to use the entertainment room through the night, a privilege that was only given at new year.


    "Just as the prison master sighed in relief and went to check on you, he found a note inside your clothes. The note said the following, This boy is yours, I can''t wait for you forever. I named the child Wu Meng (meaningck of dream) because I''ve been tortured by nightmares since you were imprisoned. I hope now that he is with you, I''ll be spared from them.'' From that, the prison master found out you were the progeny of a criminal. However, heter discovered your mother got the wrong prison. There was indeed a male prisoner with the surname Wu in his care but he was never married. Later when the prison doctor returned, he took your DNA andpared it with all the male prisoners at Qing Cheng Prison, none of them was your biological father.


    "That ced the prison master in quite a quandary. China was so big, where was he going to find your father? Looking into your blinking eye, this single prison master who was in his 40s decided to raise you as his own. He taught you the alphabet and sent you to school. Your childhood basically revolved around 2 ces, the school and the prison. Your whole life was thus linked to the word, criminal. Your father was a criminal, you were saved by a criminal and you were literally fed the milk of a female criminal. The criminals at the prison raised you and they taught you things that a normal person would never have learned.


    "You know how to make drugs, how to pick locks, you know basic human anatomy, and you know how to hide from thew enforcement. You were raised not on conventional fairy tales like Snow White and the Seven Dwarves but tales of the inmates'' pasts, colorful stories involving murders, rapes, street fights, brawls and gangs.


    "As your interaction with the inmates got more frequent, the prison master was afraid that you might be persuaded to walk on their path. So he rmended you to join the local police, to be a reserved officer. With your knowledge of criminology and ability to see things from the criminals'' perspective, you helped them solve a lot of cases. But starting from then, your superior already noted a burgeoning sign of your mental problem, which waster diagnosed as delusions of guilt. Probably you''ve ced yourself within the criminal mind too often that whenever a case was solved, your symptom would worsen.


    "Your mind finally copsed when you were faced with a very hard case. There were so many puzzles that you had to sink yourself deep into the killer''s consciousness to solve it. You eventually surrendered yourself to your superior and admitted to the crime. But all the evidence proved that you were not the killer. After a psychological assessment conducted by the police, you were confirmed to suffer from paranoia and schizophrenia. You were thus admitted into Qing Cheng Mental Hospital. I''ll be honest with you, if not for us, you probably will spend the rest of your life rotting in there."


    Xiao Liu sighed softly, "Jesus, what a life."


    Captain Zhao ignored Xiao Liu and continued, "When you were in the reserved force, you already showed plenty of ambition to turn official, to wear the uniform and be a real member of thew enforcement. However, due to your unique background and psychological issue, that is impossible."


    "There is not even a slight chance?" I looked at Captain Zhao with barely disguised hope. I prayed that Captain Zhao would deliver me some hope but I knew that it was not possible. As the captain said, that day would nevere.


    "Yes, not even a slight chance." Captain Zhao confirmed. Seeing the disappointment on my face, Captain Zhao asked, "I''ve asked you this question before, why do you want to be a police officer."


    "I don''t know." I still answered honestly. Certain people had goals that they needed to aplish in their lifetime. However, when questioned about their driving force behind it, some of them couldn''t give you a straight answer. I was one of those people.


    "Then why did you go to get him out in the first ce?" Mary huffed. "You might as well let him rot inside the hospital." I knew Mary was being indignant on my behalf.


    However, I had my own analysis of the situation. Captain Zhao hauled me out from the mental hospital definitely not just to solve a simple case. To be honest, without me, Captain Zhao''s team would have found Ye Zhi''s killer eventually. "Sister Mary, since Captain Zhao had gotten me out of the hospital, I''m sure he has a greater purpose in mind for me. All I have contributed to this case is to speed up the progress, it would have been solved with or without me. If my guess is not wrong, this case is just a test for me, to see if I can reach his standards. Am I right, Captain Zhao?" I voiced my thoughts.


    Captain Zhao shook his head. He grabbed the cup from Mary and teased, "Mary, you''ve been with me for almost 10 years already but you still know me less than Wu Meng does. If I really help Wu Meng get out of the hospital just for that one case, then I wouldn''t be the leader of this unit until now."


    Mary asked, "Then what exactly do you need Wu Meng for? No, wait Is it?"


    Captain Zhao nodded and signalled for Xiao Liu to close the door. Then he said, "The case that broke Wu Meng and got himmitted to the hospital is a locked room mystery. After the incident with Wu Meng, the case got passed down to me. After I did some research, I realized the culprit might be our old friend."


    "Your old friend?" I repeated in confusion.


    "Do you remember the born criminal that I told you about?" Captain Zhao enquired. I nodded and exined, "But didn''t you say he''s in prison? How can hemit this crime then?"


    Captain Zhao borated, "It''s not him, but the culprit is very close to him. When we caught him many years ago, one of his people escaped from our grasp. I suspect she is the one behind this locked room murder. I am very familiar with her style. But I couldn''t figure out her motive." As mentioned above, I was part of that locked room mystery murder, but I couldn''t visualize the killer in my head. I pushed my mind and paid a heavy price. Now that I heard this new info from Captain Zhao, I realized perhaps I might not have been given ess to the full scope of the case yet.


    "I''ve fought with her too many times before." Captain Zhao stared at his cup and said softly, "Just like how I know it''s her doing, she also knows how to perfectly evade my detection, and that''s where youe in."


    "But why me?" I pointed at myself.


    Captain Zhao ced the cup on the table. "Because you have immense power of analysis and observation, you''re just like me 10 years ago." He paused before adding sternly, "However, the vice minister was adamant that a mental patient couldn''t be brought into this case again."


    "Then how did you manage to persuade him?" I asked.


    Captain Zhaoughed. "Simple. I told him if we do not get you on our side, you''ll be the second genius born criminal we''ll have to deal with down the line."


    "The woman that you said is behind the case." I probed, "Who is she?"


    "Zhao Mingkun." Captain Zhao said, "A very cunning woman."


    This marks the end of the first case. Based on the statistics, the story is quite unpopr on the blog, which honestly I''ve expected, cause this is niche beyond niche genre. If there is a genre more niche than horror, it''s true crime. lol. The book''s biggest strength is also its weakness. The book focuses a lot on characterization. Every character you meet has their own background, because any of them might contribute to the case somehow. However, for those unfamiliar with crime writing, it''ll be viewed as nothing more than info dump. Personally, I love this kind of book, they''re a rare breed among webnovels.


    I don''t know, what do you think? :)

 Chapter 15: Dog Carrying a Human Head

    Chapter 15: Dog Carrying a Human Head


    What is love that humans would relinquish life and death for it.


    Love is always something people yearn after, it symbolizes purity, beauty and kindness. But what if this promation of evesting love was written on a grey wall in blood?


    That was the situation Gu Chen and I found ourselves in at a building project. The apartment building had 30 storeys in total and the bloody Chinese love poem was left on the 15th floor, right in the middle. The building had no elevator so when poor old me reached the crime scene, I was about to cough out my own blood. The project was halted because there was an issue with budget. They were halfway through the construction when they realized they ran out of money so everything stopped. Ol'' Zhang had been working here for more than a month already. His daily job was to prevent people from sneaking in to steal the abandoned building materials. This building site was where he slept, ate and lived. Even though the contractor had run out of budget, they were still able to afford someone like Ol'' Zhang.


    Yesterday night, Ol'' Zhang killed yet another dog. He realized there had been an increase in the number of stray dogs and cats recently. Perhaps because the site wasrge and abandoned, it had be a heaven for the strays. They could have easily slipped in through the fence. Ol'' Zhang was a dog-eater, in fact he had devised a system to source this specific kind of meat. Ol'' Zhang would stay away from those with cors or came from an expensive breed, because clearly, they were someone''s pets. Speaking of which, Ol'' Zhang had some problems understanding the lengths that people had gone to pamper this species of animal that he saw as nothing more than sourced meat. One time, he was on the bus when he saw a young woman hugging a pet dog wearing clothes. On top of that, she was feeding it milk from a bottle too! She probably did not treat her own child that well. Ol'' Zhang felt like he was being bulldozed by the wheel of time.


    Ol'' Zhang though minded his own business, all he cared about was his own livelihood. And Ol'' Zhang showed no mercy towards stray dogs. The stray cats should consider themselves lucky because their meat was sour. Ol'' Zhang used old ham to attract the stray dogs and then used his own makeshift club to smash into their canine heads. Ol'' Zhang was almost 70 already but he was still as strong as an ox. The dog brain would often stter with a swing. After that, Ol'' Zhang would use his knife to skin his prey. The dog meat was cooked with other spices and they all ended up inside Ol'' Zhang''s stomach.


    In fact, when we received Ol'' Zhang''s report and arrived at the building site, we were greeted by sheets of dog skin and piles of dog bones beside Ol'' Zhang''s temporary tent. The ground was stained ck with blood and colonies of flies were buzzing around them. This abandoned site was Ol'' Zhang''s kingdom until yesterday night when he discovered an infiltrator.


    Ol'' Zhang''s job description involved him patrolling each floor of the 30 storey building every night, this was the rules given by his boss. Honestly though, even if Ol'' Zhang skipped the work, no one would have known. However Ol'' Zhang stillpleted his duty every night, not because he was a responsible person, because he needed to care for his stomach. Ol'' Zhang set dog traps at different spots of the building and his nightly patrol was basically him collecting his snares.


    Ol'' Zhang was doing his rounds like usual yesterday night but this time Ol'' Zhang caught not a dog but a person. The person got their feet tangled into a rope trap Ol'' Zhang set up near the first floor stairwell. When Ol'' Zhang was about to approach the person, thetter had just struggled loose from Ol'' Zhang''s rope snare. Ol'' Zhang had no idea what this person was doing at this ce sote at night. He was about to give the person a scolding when the person leaped up and ran. In the dark, Ol'' Zhang did not get a good look at the person. He only knew the person was young and around 1.7 metres tall. He did not even know whether the person was female or male.


    Ol'' Zhang was about to shrug it off, thinking it was just a petty thief who was dumb enough to fall into his dog trap. However, at that moment, Ol'' Zhang heard something moving in the empty corridor above him. Ol'' Zhang shone his shlight upwards and saw nothing. However, Ol'' Zhang definitely heard the sound, it was a dripping sound.


    The chill wind blew. The building site was dark, supplying electricity to power the lights would cost more than Ol'' Zhang''s monthly sry. Definitely the contractor would not do that. Therefore, the only source of light was Ol'' Zhang''s old shlight. Ol'' Zhang took a step back to inspect the building from arger picture, the dark windows looked like monster eyes. Ol'' Zhang was afraid but he still decided to go take a look. That''s why they say curiosity kills the cat. Ol'' Zhang took the step one by one. In the silent night, the only sound he heard was the echoes of his own footsteps. Ol'' Zhang moved slowly but eventually he reached the 15th floor.


    When he reached the 15th floor, Ol'' Zhang was hit by a heavy smell of blood. He used his shlight to look around and saw that someone had written something on the wall. Ol'' Zhang was illiterate. He didn''t even know how to write his own name. His parents died when he was young and he had never been to a day of school. However, Ol'' Zhang was a student from the school of life. The person that he encountered earlier was probably a vagrant, one of those graffiti artists. Even though Ol'' Zhang had no artistic cell in his body at all, he still leaned closer to study the characters that he could not understand. As he approached, his leg knocked into something and he immediately aimed his shlight at it.


    The light revealed a pail, the blood inside had sshed everywhere. Ol'' Zhang quickly righted the pail, this pail was something Ol'' Zhang could recognize. Due to his background, Ol'' Zhang never wasted food. As a master dog-catcher, Ol'' Zhang was also a master at preparing food using all parts of the dog. After eating the dog meat, he would reserve the dog''s blood to make blood tofu. When it came to cooking with dogs, Ol'' Zhang was a self-made expert. He normally used this pail to store dog blood. Ol'' Zhang cursed loudly at the young individual who had stolen his food ingredient to use as painting ink and left this unrecognizable scrawl on the wall. Concluding the whole incident as a minor nuisance, he carried the pail of blood and returned to his tent.


    On his way back, Ol'' Zhang couldn''t help dipping his finger into the pail to taste the blood. When he ced his finger into his mouth though, Ol Zhang froze to the spot. The day after, Ol'' Zhang decided to call the police and the first thing he said was, "I''ve tasted human blood."


    That was how Gu Chen and I ended up here, greeted by this love poem on the wall. It was confirmed that the writer used fresh blood because there were dried blood trails that flowed down the wall. However, we couldn''t make the fast judgment that this was human blood purely based on Ol'' Zhang''s statement, it still needed to be tested at theb.


    "I don''t know whether this is supposed to be romantic or crazy." Gu Chenmented.


    "Officers,e down please!" Ol'' Zhang shouted from outside the building, "This is bad, there''s a dog holding a human head in its mouth!"


    A dog holding a human head in its mouth?


    We stood at the 15th floor and looked down. A Husky was strolling through the streets with indeed a human head in its jaw. The head belonged to a female, her long hair covered her features so her face couldn''t be seen clearly. The neck stump was not dripping, so her blood had already dried. The side of the woman''s head was caved in like it was hit by blunt force trauma. The citizens were traumatized so much so that they forgot to scream. When the owner of the Husky saw her pete back with the head, her mouth fell open. She threw out a frisbee for her dog to fetch, she was not expecting a human head to return instead.


    "What the!" Seeing the human head in the dog''s mouth, I couldn''t help but gasp, "What in the world is happening?" When Gu Chen and I arrived downstairs, the Husky''s female owner was slumped down on the ground. She was in a state of shock. The people around finally started to scream. I shouted over them. "We''re with the police, please stay away. Hurry and get the head out from the dog''s jaws." I told Gu Chen who was still reeling from shock.


    "How do you expect me to do that?" Gu Chen groused.


    "I don''t know, but do something, it''s contaminating the evidence!"


    Gu Chen tried many different ideas but the Husky refused to let go without an order from its owner, which was of no help to us. Seeing as the crowd was gathering, Gu Chen decided that it was time for desperate measure. He jumped at the Husky and wrestled with therge dog. This was definitely not something you''d see every day. Thankfully Gu Chen was a trained officer and he ultimately managed to wrangle the human head off the dog. I removed my shirt, wrapped the head in it and jumped into the car.


    "The moving sound that Ol'' Zhang heardst night probably came from this human head." I told Gu Chen.


    With great difiture, Gu Chen tried to imagine what I was suggesting, "In other words, that youngster sneaked into this abandoned site at night with a decapitated head and used it to write a love poem on the wall?" Well, that was chilling to think about.


    In the dark night, someone sneaked into the site with a decapitated human head. They stole Ol'' Zhang''s pail, and ced the human head inside it. They moved up the stairs and slithered through the darkness. When they reached the 15th floor, they took the human head out and used it as a pen of sorts, to write down the love promation on the wall.


    About that time, Ol'' Zhang was setting up his dog trap. So when the writer descended the stairs, they stepped into Ol'' Zhang''s trap.


    Logically speaking, that sounded correct but if I was to ce myself in the culprit''s shoes, I couldn''t exin a lot of things. I see myself as a passionate and calm poet, I would never panic from falling into a dog catcher''s trap. So who was that young person from yesterday night and who was the actual writer?


    "Why are you barechested?" Xiao Liu asked when he asked me. "And what is that wrapped inside your shirt? It looks round like a watermelon! It has to be one! It''s the perfect summer dessert!" Xiao Liu followed me into Captain Zhao''s office. "Let me show you how to cut a watermelon, I''m an expert at this." Xiao Liu moved to unwrap the shirt.


    "What the fuck?! This, this is a human head!"

 Chapter 16: The Womanly Man

    Chapter 16: The Womanly Man


    A human head had appeared on the street, it was understandable that it would garner some attention. Half an hourter, a group of people ran out and shouted, "That shot was perfect!" Then the crowd realized it was just a movie stunt. A man who identified himself as the director came out to apologize to the crowd. They were making a horror movie and were surprised that someone''s pet dog had run out with their prop human head. Sensing the chance to capture people''s actual reaction, the director decided to run with it. They were all going to appear on television!


    In reality though, these were actors hired by Captain Zhao to contain the chaos. The real human head was now at the morgue.


    I studied the young woman who stood before me, she looked barely 18. She had a short bob that framed her pretty face, and unlike female characters in most webnovels, ack of giant peaks''. I heard from Captain Zhao that this girl was a forensic doctor still in medical school. Perhaps she was here for her internship. But then again, she still had a brighter future than I did. Like Gu Chen, this girl would eventually join the force but what would fate bode for me? This was truly a sad question.


    "Can you please stop staring? Your eyes are almost falling into her breasts already." Gu Chen whispered to me. "If I was her, I would''ve pped you already."


    "Gu Chen, you''re quite an interesting man. Is it not a man''s nature to appreciate a beautiful woman? Why are you paying your attention to me instead? Do you swing for the other team?" I countered, "Plus, do see any breast for me to fall into?" Guan Zhenglin''s scalpel shook but she did not say anything and continued with her dissection. With her silent consent, I continued, "In fact, Gu Chen, you might have a bigger chest than she does!"


    Before Gu Chen could make his move, Guan Zhenglin''s scalpel aimed right at me. "If you continue to run your mouth, I''ll make you a woman on the spot." She coupled that with a nce at my crotch.


    Gu Chen shrugged and made a chopping gesture. I instinctually shielded my family jewels away from harm.


    Eventually the dissection of the human head wasplete.


    "So can you tell us how this woman died?" I asked. Guan Zhenglin looked at me like I was dumb. She slowly rolled off her gloves and then added, "Are you really a cop? Who told you this head belongs to a woman? Everyone with long hair has to be a woman? This is clearly a man''s head."


    "A man?" I could not believe my ears. The long hair did make me believe the victim was a woman but the thing that convinced me was before I wrapped up the head, I took a good look at the person''s face, that was a woman''s face. Guan Zhenglin scoffed, "Men and their prejudices." Then she rolled her eyes and exined, "Males haverger cranial bone, cranial cavity, a lower eye orbit and their corniculi maxiris will be smaller than 120 degreespared to females. But most importantly, male skulls will have a more protruding exipital bone." To help her exnation, Guan Zhenglin lifted the head. "Feel it for yourself!"


    I ced my hands on Guan Zhenglin''s face. "I am asking you to touch the exipital bone, which is at the back of the head, why are you touching my face?" Guan Zhenglin shouted.


    Gu Chen and myself obliged. "Nowpare it to your own!" She ordered. I touched the back of my head and did feel the protruding exipital bone. With this evidence, I had to ept that this was a man''s head. However, the man''s facial feature was absolutely feminine. Had he gone for stic surgery or he was born with these feminine features?


    "Nowadays, men look like women and women are as pushy as men." I shook my head. Guan Zhenglin red at me. "Simrly, men are getting so sensitive like women nowadays. And if you must know the reason he looks like this is because he had gone under the knife. The surgery was probably done not too long ago but that does not change the fact that he was biologically male." The coroner''s report soon arrived. There was not much to tell from just a head alone, like how did he die, and the exact time of death. However, at least it was proven that the dents on the head were caused post mortem. Then my hypothesis was correct. Ol'' Zhang identally kicked the pail that was close to the head and sent it bumping down the stairs from the 15th floor. Then today it was picked up by a dog. So far, those were the only clues we had. The most imminent task we had was to find that young person who escaped from the scene. The three of us came to Captain Zhao''s office and we walked into Captain Zhao, Mary and Xiao Liu enjoying a chilled watermelon.


    "You three sure have a good appetite." I began slowly.


    "What''s wrong?" Mary asked, "I heard you guys were out to answer a civilian report this morning." I nodded and tossed out a few pictures for Mary to see. "Yes, it''s about these" Mary spat out the chunks of watermelon at me.


    Captain Zhao announced, "Since you''ve answered this call, then you''ll be responsible for this case. The three of you will head this task force."


    "Wait a minute, I need to work with her?"


    "Wait a minute, I need to work with him?" Guan Zhenglin and I eximed at the same time.


    After some stern staring from Captain Zhao, we both settled for his arrangement. I was the first to ask, "What is the victim''s time of death? I know you said you can''t be exact with the time, but at least you can give us a range, right?"


    Guan Zhenglin nodded. "It''s probably from yesterday''s 11 pm to today''s 1 am."


    "Are you sure?" When I heard that, I questioned subconsciously.


    "Of course, I am." Guan Zhenglin said confidently. Gu Chen was looking at Guan Zhenglin in disbelief. Was the killer the sh?!


    Based on Ol'' Zhang''s testimony, he discovered the thief roughly around 10.30 pm. We assumed earlier that the love poem was already on the wall by then but now Guan Zhenglin said the victim was killed after 11 pm. Then logically speaking, the culprit would have killed the victim after Ol'' Zhang discovered the thief. But how was that possible? After the assumed thief escaped, Ol'' Zhang took a step back to look at the building before he decided to go investigate the strange sounding from the building. That left the killer with only a small window of time to kill a person, decapitate him and then write down a love poem. Even if we assumed Ol'' Zhang moved as slow as a snail, it would take him no longer than half an hour to move from the first floor to the 15th floor. How could the killer manage all of that in less than 30 minutes?


    And how did the killer dispose of the victim''s body? Of course, the killer could have just dragged the beheaded victim up to the 16th floor to hide and wait for Ol'' Zhang to leave before they made off into the night with the headless body.


    Furthermore, if the murder wasmitted after the thief was discovered, where were the killer and the victim when Ol'' Zhang was going up the stairs? Ol'' Zhang would have noticed if the killer arrived at the scer than the thief. Therefore, there could only be one exnation, the culprit was already at the building site when the thief arrived. They kept the victim incapacitated andmitted the murder only after 11 pm. But what was the purpose in that?


    Regardless of the situation, the killer would have to hide inside the building site after theymitted the murder and only depart after Ol'' Zhang left or else they risked running into Ol'' Zhang carrying a beheaded body. However, Ol'' Zhang did not find any suspicious trace as he scanned through the dog traps that he ced between 15th floor and the first floor as he went down the stairs. Thus, the killer had to be hiding on the floors above the 15th floor. If we returned to the crime scene, we might still find some clues. Of course, all these were based on the uracy of Guan Zhenglin''s report.


    "Okay, let''s go!" I told the two.


    "Where are we going?" Guan Zhenglin asked.


    "Of course to find the clues about the killer."


    Before starting the crime scene simtion, I looked carefully around the building site. Abandoning the possibility that the killer was a superhero who could walk on walls or jump down from 15 floors uninjured, the hypotheses that I came up with sounded the most viable.


    "Gu Chen, I need you to check all 30 floors and see if you can spot any suspicious trace. Guan Zhenglin, I need you topare the blood of the victim with the blood on the 15th floor to see if theye from the same source." I delineated the job.


    "Then what about you?" The two of them asked.


    I smiled. "I need to think." Closing my eyes, I pulled on my hairs and submerged myself into character.


    If I am the killer, what the hell am I up to? I love you so I have to kill you. The promises of eternal love are nothing but lies before the threat of time. Because I love you, I make myself into you. The most romantic gesture I can think of is to slowly model my life into yours. I want to put on your favorite dress, to adorn your favorite essory. I will make my face look like yours, I can even assume your gender identity. I am so afraid of losing you, so when I be you, I will have to kill you. That way you will be mine forever. There is only one ce that will allow me to do all that.


    2 hourster, Gu Chen ran down from the stairs. He had just raced through 30 floors up and down but his face was not red from anyck of breath. The man was truly a beast. "There''s nothing. Other than the macabre scene on the 15th floor, there''s nothing on the other floors."


    How did the murderer manage to aplish this? This was basically a locked room mystery. Even though there were no walls and windows, the crime wasmitted on the 15th floor. Where did the killer hide so that Ol'' Zhang wouldn''t discover them and the body? And how did they manage that the body left no trace of blood?


    Guan Zhenglin came back to report. "I''ve done a quick analysis. The luminol testse up negative, there are no obvious blood traces on the other floors. The blood from the victim matches the blood on the wall of the 15th floor, so the writing on the wall was indeed done with the victim''s blood." After a pause, she continued, "From the handwriting, it would appear like the killer had held the head by its neck and used the hair as a brush. The floor is practically red but I did find a lot of spatter patterns that suggest that this is the first crime scene."


    Strange, this case just kept on getting stranger and stranger.


    "What should we do next?" Gu Chen looked at me with a deep frown.


    "I''ll bring you guys to a ce."

 Chapter 17: The Man and the Woman

    Chapter 17: The Man and the Woman


    When the third nurse came to ask Guan Zhenglin whether she was there for a consultation about a breast imnt and thetter was about to explode, we finally got the victim''s identity. Zhang Mingliang had undergone a gender reassignment surgery 3 weeks ago and he had stic surgery as well. Simr to what I expected, this was the only hospital in our city who would offer this surgery. During consultation, Zhang Mingliang pulled out a picture and told the doctor, "Make me look like her."


    The picture was that of a pretty young woman, she looked around 23. She wore a white summer dress and was sitting on a vine-knitted chair outside a caf, drinking coffee. Only 2/3 of the woman''s face could be seen and the picture was taken from a distance. Thus it was confirmed that this picture was taken without the subject''s consent. Certain individuals tried their whole life to try to be another person. When a man used all of his savings to be a woman, it was hard to imagine what kind of struggle he must have gone through. The doctor said he would only do his best and make Zhang Mingliang look as close to the woman as he could, the doctor couldn''t guarantee a 100 percent resemnce. Even so, Zhang Mingliang was already very d.


    "What do you n to do with this?" The doctor referred to Zhang Mingliang''s severed male genitalia. When Zhang Mingliang saw his former reproductive organs, his eyes watered. This flustered the doctor because they were most afraid of their patients having regrets the moment they finished the surgery. The doctor consoled quickly, "Look, you look so pretty now. I even threw in a free boob job for you"


    "I don''t need them anymore." Zhang Mingliang stared at the organs cut from his body and chuckled, "Feed them to the dogs."


    "Are you sure" Seeing the seriousness on Zhang Mingliang''s face, the doctor said, "Okay,e back 3 weekster for a follow up inspection." But 3 weekster, Zhang Mingliang returned as a head.


    "We need to find this woman." I pointed at the woman inside the picture. "Since Zhang Mingliang has chosen to model his new life after her, then we have to find out who she is and is she rted to Zhang Mingliang''s death? Furthermore, was Zhang Mingliang the killer''s intended target? What if the killer''s actual target is not Zhang Mingliang but this woman here!"


    "So this is a case of mistaken identity turned bloody?" Gu Chen questioned my supposition which was rather out there. I wouldn''t me him for it.


    With Mary''s help, we soon identified the woman in the picture. This beautiful woman was called Wu Jiajia, 23 years old and a postgraduate student. She was also interning as anguage teacher at a high school. When we found Wu Jiajia, she was lecturing a ss. From the side profile, Wu Jiajia indeed looked pretty and she had enviable body proportions.


    I whispered to Guan Zhenglin beside him. "How is it that both of you are the same age but she looks her age but you look like you''re 14?"


    "Do you mind?" Guan Zhenglin stepped away. "Do I know you?"


    Wu Jiajia had no idea who Zhang Mingliang was, but when she was told that Zhang Mingliang had undertaken stic surgery to look exactly like her, her face scrunched up with disgust. Then Wu Jiajia told us something interesting. For the past few weeks, Wu Jiajia noticed something unusual. Wu Jiajia imed confidently that someone was stalking her. Wu Jiajia did not stay at the shared hostels the school arranged for its staff, instead she rented a room not far away from the school. To quote Wu Jiajia, this was because she appreciated her privacy''. Her monthly sry was just enough to pay the rental.


    Starting from 1 month ago, whenever she went to and from work, she would notice someone trailing behind her. The person was always dressed in a trenchcoat and low cap so she could not see their face. The person was about 1.75 metres tall and their body was on the thin side. Whenever Wu Jiajia spotted them, they would hurry away. At the start, Wu Jiajia was afraid and she did call the police. However, since the stalker did not do anything harmful to her safety, there was nothing the police could do. It was not a crime to walk the same road every day at the same hour. Wu Jiajia had no choice but to ignore the person but things slowly escted. Wu Jiajia lived on the 2nd floor of an apartment, and recently, a few of her panties started to go missing. Other times, she would find her missing panties reappearing on her balcony, dirtied with unknown liquid, it gave off a horrible smell. That was it for Wu Jiajia, she called the cops. The police helped guard her ce for a few days and she finally had a few days of peace. However, the police couldn''t be her personal guard forever.


    When the police had no choice but to withdraw, Wu Jiajia felt like the sun had gone down on her world, she considered moving away but the internship at the school was a very rare opportunity, she did not want to lose it just like that. This was a very prestigious school. Liu Jiajia did not graduate from a famous university but she was offered an internship at a high calibre high school, this was a chance that people would kill for. Wu Jiajia appreciated the opportunity which was given to her by Headmaster Zhang, the 50-year-old Headmaster Zhang who was always gentle and kind to her. Despite their age difference, Wu Jiajia even found this mature man quite handsome.


    Without any other choice, Wu Jiajia moved away from her apartment and moved to a ce further from school. Wu Jiajia finally had her peace, the feeling of being scrutinized disappeared, she did not need to turn around every few seconds to check if someone was following her. She could move on with her life again, or so she thought One weekter, the stalker returned. She would run into them going to and from work again. Simrly, her panties started to disappear again.


    One night, when Wu Jiajia woke up from her sleep, someone was standing beside her bed. Wu Jiajia was so shocked that she was frozen in bed. When her mind started working again, Wu Jiajia pretended like she was still asleep and turned away from the figure in her bedroom. Wu Jiajia was a clever woman, she knew that if she screamed, then the person might harm her to keep their identity hidden. Through the wisp of weak moonlight, the person studied Wu Jiajia and Wu Jiajia was silently observing the person inside her room. Wu Jiajia couldn''t see the person''s face without giving herself away. She only caught the silhouette. The person stood facing Wu Jiajia''s bed and held one of her panties up against his nose. The man was breathing heavily. Wu Jiajia''s eyes wandered downwards and noticed the man was pumping something near his crotch area with his hand. Soon, the man stopped moving and he shivered. Then the man used Wu Jiajia''s panty to wipe off the semen as he slowly retreated backwards. The bedroom door closed with a soft click.


    That was the night Wu Jiajia lost her sleep. How did he get in? Would he return? Many questions kept Wu Jiajia awake. To solve this problem, Wu Jiajia found herself a male roommate. She believed that would stop the stalker from trespassing into her ce.


    "Wait, the new roommate is not your boyfriend?" Guan Zhenglin stopped the story to ask.


    Wu Jiajia shook her head. "No, he''s just a male friend of mine." Then as if to exin herself, Wu Jiajia added, "I know this is an unbing behavior for a teacher but I am running thin on options. The police have been to my ce several times already and they still fail to catch the stalker. Furthermore, I trust my roommate implicitly. He only has good intentions for me."


    "So did the stalking stop?" I asked.


    "Actually." Wu Jiajia sighed, "That was only the start of the nightmare." A male person moved in with Wu Jiajia. Even though they slept in separate rooms, this had clearly angered the stalker. The second day after her new roommate moved in, Wu Jiajia received a call, this number showed that the call came from a public telephone. "I will not allow you to stay with another man." The male voice growled angrily.


    Wu Jiajia demanded, "Who are you?" All she got was the dial tone. But she knew that it had to be her stalker. The stalker would not show himself but he would not allow Wu Jiajia to stay with another male either. When Wu Jiajia''s new roommate heard about this, he suggested that they y into the stalker''s psychology. Since Wu Jiajia''s stalker hated that they had moved in together, then they would continue doing that. In fact, they would make it look like they were a real couple. That would push the stalker''s buttons and cause him to be careless and maybe even appear in person. When that happened, they would be there to capture him.


    Unable to stand the harassment anymore, Wu Jiajia agreed. Wu Jiajia knew her every action would be captured by her stalker so Wu Jiajia purposely acted flirtatiously around her male roommate, the goal was to lure her stalker out.


    It worked like a charm, the stalker was incensed. One day, Wu Jiajia left her home and she found written on the wall the warning, Don''t push me.''


    Wu Jiajia ignored it. She continued with the charade. Soon Wu Jiajia received a letter, it was quite short. It said, One day, I will rape you and then cut off your head and write with it.'' The letter was pieced together using letters from magazines so the handwriting could not be traced. Wu Jiajia received the letter 3 days ago and she already called the police. However, since there was no actual murder, the case did not get pass to our unit. It was not until Ol'' Zhang discovered the intruder at the building site and we found the human head that all the links were tied together. However, we still had no idea where the actual victim''s body was.


    "Can it really be a case of mistaken identity?" Guan Zhenglin pondered.


    A stalker swore to kill Wu Jiajia and a different person made himself into Wu Jiajia. This stalker driven by mad jealousy killed a transgender woman who looked like Wu Jiajia. Zhang Mingliang was taken as Wu Jiajia. Zhang Mingliang was extremely unlucky, or rather, Wu Jiajia was extremely lucky.


    Even in broad daylight, Gu Chen and I thought Zhang Mingliang looked like a woman, much less at night. So it was not hard to believe that the killer had taken Zhang Mingliang for Wu Jiajia. But why would Zhang Mingliang make himself look like Wu Jiajia?


    My phone rang.


    "Mary, what''s up?" I joked, "Why are you calling me all of a sudden? Did you miss me?"


    "We''ve found the victim''s body."

 Chapter 18: Headless Body

    Chapter 18: Headless Body


    "He lives with such a beautiful woman and you''re telling me their rtionship is tonic?" I looked at Wu Jiajia''s photo and shook my head. "Either Wu Jiajia is lying or this new roommate is gay."


    Guan Zhenglin, who sat in the passenger seat rolled her eyes at me through the rearview mirror. "Do you think every male is as sleazy as you? There has to be some redeeming qualities about this roommate or else Wu Jiajia wouldn''t have allowed him to move in with her. Compared to this gentleman, you''re truly a shame to the male species."


    As Gu Chen drove towards the dump site, he said worriedly, "Does this mean Wu Jiajia is still in danger? If the killer has really gotten the wrong target, do you think he''lle back to rectify his mistake?"


    "I''ll give Captain Zhao a call to send some protection for Wu Jiajia until we capture the real culprit." I nodded.


    "Speaking of which." Guan Zhenglin hugged her chest. "This Wu Jiajia sure is unlucky to have attracted the attention of such a maniac."


    I shrugged. "Well as they say, beauty is the original sin." I turned my eyes to look at her and then added, "But you won''t have to worry about that."


    "Fuck you too."


    As Victor Hugo once wrote, the sewer is the conscience of the city'', but a constant maintenance and protection was needed to keep this conscience running or else it would have gotten clogged on its own sewage. Often you could find many interesting things in the city sewers from children''s toys to used condoms, from olddy''s teeth to newlywed''s diamond rings. Or perhaps in our case, a headless body.


    The underground sewer system at Qing Dao wasrge enough to fit a normal motor vehicle. Even though our city''s sewer system was not as grand as Qing Dao''s, it was still big enough to fit two people walking side by side. In fact it was 2 sewer maintenance workers who first spotted this carcass. Sewer maintenance worker was not an enviable career. They had to live with a stench that would permeate deep into their bones, a stench that could not be washed off even after 8 showers a day.


    Recently the weather was hot and there was little rain. The sewer was hot and smelly like a toxic room. The two workers held down their nausea and hurriedly tried to finish their job. Actually this job had its own hazard too, but not from a sudden rise in underground water like most would expect but an unlucky encounter with the disenfranchisedmunity that might call the sewers home. The two workers had wondered more than once what they would do if they ran across another person in the sewer. This was because they knew that other than themselves, there were people like the homeless and most dangerously, the escaped convicts who used the sewers.


    Therefore, as they turned around the next fork, both of them stopped. Just beyond their shlights, there was something ck crawling on the ground. They halted even their breathing. Their legs turned leaden because upon closer inspection, there was a human shape that was lying on the ground.


    Maybe it''s not an escaped convict, it could be a homeless person who needs our help. We''ll just run if it gets too dangerous.'' Xiao Gao remembered thinking this to himself. However, Xiao Gao did not do any running, he could not even move his legs. Some people overestimated their own courage. Truth be told, humans had an innate fear of the unknown. 3 minutes passed and the human figure had not moved an inch.


    "Can it be a sex doll?" Xiao Gao turned to ask Ol'' Lee.


    "Well, you can go and find out!" Ol'' Lee whispered back.


    "We''ll go together." Xiao Gao said. Their footsteps reverberated against the sewer walls. Both of them felt like their hearts were about to jump out from their chests. As their shlights moved forward, the thing became clearer in their eyes. At the same time, a smell more horrible than normal sewage hit them. This was indeed a person, well, more precisely, a dead person.


    "Good God!" Xiao Gao''s scream travelled far down the sewer but only 2 people and 1 dead body could hear it.


    "Would you stop that? You''re just scaring yourself!" Ol'' Lee huffed even though his hand that held the shlight couldn''t stop shaking.


    "But, but this body has no head!" Xiao Gao stuttered. When we arrived, the body was still underground. Xiao Gao was regaling the officers with how disgusting the find was. A date with a dead body inside a stinking sewer? Yea, no one was volunteering for that job. Gu Chen scolded, "Bunch of wusses, grab me a scrub, I''ll go get the body." Half an hourter, Gu Chen emerged in our sight. "Jesus, the smell." After putting down the body, Gu Chen hurried to the side to vomit.


    The body was ced before us. When I saw the real thing, I realized Xiao Gao''s description did not do the body justice. The cadaver was more repulsive than Xiao Gao described and it was due to multiple reasons. In terms of appearance, this body was already showing signs of bloating. The stomach was bulging up like a balloon, the internal organs had been shoved out from the neck. The whole body was purple and some of the tissue matter had started to peel off. At some spots, white maggots were wiggling about, feeding on the putrefaction.


    In terms of smell, the unique stench of dposition was beyond what a normal human could handle. Before a dead body, even Surstrmming had to surrender. The pungent smell hit at the human brain like waves. Not all who were present at the scene could stomach such assault. Many had joined Gu Chen''s ranks. I resisted the churning acid in my stomach and asked, "Is there someone who can hand me a gas mask, a normal mask is not going to do much against the sewer gas"


    Ignoring the men, Guan Zhenglin walked towards and picked up a maggot from the festering body. Seeing the maggot trying to wiggle for its escape, I felt strangely sorry for it. After some observation, Guan Zhenglin announced, "These are young maggots but due to the unique environment of the underground sewer, I put the time of death around 2 to 3 days or maybe even less. After all, the sewer is quite damp and hot. Based on the wounds around the neck area, the decapitation should be done by some sort of sharp object. The striation matches the ones on Zhang Mingliang''s head. Thus I conclude, this should be Zhang Mingliang''s body." Guan Zhenglin continued with her analysis as she knelt beside the dead body, it was like the nausea did not affect her at all. "But to be safe, we should do a DNA check. So we should bring this back to the morgue stat." Guan Zhenglin stood up and brushed her hands off.


    Gu Chen and I shared a look. No wonder she was the coroner. Even though she was just 19, she was unfazed by this discovery which had taken down men much bigger and older than her. I couldn''t help but be impressed.


    "She''s quite amazing" Gu Chen then took another nce at the body. "Actually wait, I feel something elseing up. Excuse me"


    Throughout the autopsy, Gu Chen had visited the toilet more than 8 times but even so Gu Chenined that the stink of the dposition was still stuck on his hands. If you ask me, the smell was more psychological than factual. In contrast though, Guan Zhenglin felt even more in her elements when we were back at the morgue, if that was even possible I couldn''t help but wonder whether her career of choice had affected her love life but I knew that would earn me more than a re if I asked her about it.


    With this body, I couldn''t see the need for more dissection, most of the flesh had already dposed. To save my own stomach, I decided to leave the room. When Gu Chen came back again from the bathroom, he sighed with defeat. "I don''t know what to do anymore. The smell is still there."


    "I''d advise you to go take a bath" I said sincerely. "I believe the main offender is not your hands but your body. After all, when you hauled the body out from the sewer, it came into contact with arge part of your body"


    Guan Zhenglin''s coroner report came out that night. As she rubbed corianders between her hands, she told me, "The body belongs to Zhang Mingliang alright, the DNA matches perfectly. Even though most of the surfaces have dposed, I can still see the result of Zhang Mingliang''s gender reassignment surgery. She did have all of her male genitalia removed before she died. The time of death is still hard to ascertain, it should be between 11 pm to 1 am the night beforest. The cause of death is decapitation with a sharp instrument. That is also confirmed by the blood stter at the crime scene. There is one thing that struck me as rather strange. There is an exorbitant amount of blood at the crime scene for a body her size, but that can be a simple exnation for that."


    "Thank you for your hard work." I said with sincerity. "It is quite impressive for a girl to face such a highly dposed body alone, a normal person wouldn''t be able to do that."


    Guan Zhenglin continued rubbing the coriander leaves and mocked, "Is the sun rising from the east today? Or did I seriously hear a word of praise from Mr. Gu? That is harder than winning the lottery. By the way, where is Gu Chen?"


    I shrugged, "He''s still showering. I believe he has scrubbed off ayer of his skin already"


    "He has just joined the unit from the reserved force, there will be more cases like this. I hope he''ll be prepared for that." Guan Zhenglin dropped the coriander inside the trashbin and materialized a bottle of vinegar from thin air. She dipped a few drops between her palms. "Right, there was another discovery that I forgot to tell you about. It might be crucial to the case."


    "What is it?" I asked.


    As Guan Zhenglin washed her hands with vinegar, she exined, "To be honest, this is my first case with a transexual victim too so I was quite curious about the surgery. I dug around herher region and guess what? Someone raped Zhang Mingliang before she died. I collected some minor samples of scabbed semen inside her reconstructed vagina."


    Instantly, the threatening letter that Wu Jiajia received popped up in my mind. One day, I will rape you and then cut off your head and write with it.''


    The world was crazy. The killer did not realize that he had raped the wrong person, more precisely, a trans woman with the same face as the woman he was stalking.


    "Looks like we will have to refocus our attention back to Wu Jiajia." Guan Zhenglin said, "Perhaps she''ll help lead us to our stalker."


    "Let''s not forget about that young thief, they must know something." I pulled on my hair. "We do not have enough manpower, we need to ask Captain Zhao for help."

 Chapter 19: Gentlemanly Teacher Gao

    Chapter 19: Gentlemanly Teacher Gao


    2 Questions:<ol data-offset-key="1lkd6-0-0"><li data-block="true" data-editor="br9bu" data-offset-key="1lkd6-0-0">


    Did the killer know that he had killed the wrong person?</li><li data-block="true" data-editor="br9bu" data-offset-key="c56ek-0-0">


    Would he kill again?</li></ol>


    To resolve these problems, we went to see Wu Jiajia once more and this time we met with her at her rental apartment. Wu Jiajia did not receive any threatening letters and the stalking had stopped since Zhang Mingliang''s murder. It felt as if the stalker had disappeared or at least disappeared from Wu Jiajia''s life. Wu Jiajia showed us the picture she had taken of her apartment wall. The message was written in red paint. "Don''t push me."


    In terms of handwriting, the message was much more legiblepared to the poem written with the human head at the crime scene. Of course, when one considered the different writing instrument used, it was quite understandable. Unfortunately, 3 words were not enough for a handwritingparison. Then we were handed the threatening letter which had the appearance of a ransom note. "One day, I will rape you and then cut off your head and write with it." She received this letter the day before Zhang Mingliang''s death. At the time, she called the cops and the police were building a case on it. However, they couldn''t do much with a letter. Furthermore, no harm came to Wu Jiajia. They assumed this was just a scare tactic. What they did not know was Zhang Mingliang was murdered the day after.


    "He wrote on the wall the first time so why did he switch to using letter cutouts the second time?" I was confused. True, he might have done this for safety''s sake. Using cutouts, we wouldn''t be able to trace the handwriting. Perhaps the stalker thought he wouldn''t be identified with just 3 characters but writing a long letter would risk his exposure. However, if that was the case, then we had to consider the possibility that Wu Jiajia might recognize the handwriting on the letter if it was handwritten and thus the identity of the stalker himself. He might be someone in Wu Jiajia''s social circle


    At that moment, there was clicking from the front door. A man had just opened the door with his key. Needless to say, this was the new roommate whom Wu Jiajia had invited to move in with her. This man was 1.87 metres tall and he was around 24 years old. He had a full beard but he kept it well trimmed. He looked stern and had an impressive presence. He was thin but through the rolled-up sleeves, one could see the clear lines of his muscles. Guan Zhenglin whispered to me, "Now look at him. That is a fine male specimen. The clothes fit him perfectly and underneath them, you can tell he has a muscr body. He''s also a teacher, that''s so handsome!"


    "Gu Chen has bigger muscles than him." I countered.


    "Yea, and that makes him look more like a gori than a fashion model." Guan Zhenglin tutted.


    "Gao Rui, you''re back." Wu Jiajia''s smile bloomed when she saw Gao Rui.


    "This must be your maaaaaale friend." I purposely dragged the word out. But my subtly was lost on Wu Jiajia. She nodded. "Yes, Gao Rui is my colleague and my friend from high school. He has been taking care of me since then, he sees me as his little sister. He''s such a good and neat person. In contrast, I''m very clumsy and have the habit of losing my keys so I gave him a spare key to this ce the day I rented it."


    "Wait, you mean he already had your spare key before he moved in with you?" I enquired.


    "Of course." She made the introduction. "Gao Rui, these are the police officers who are here to help me capture that stalker." The few of us stood up to greet him. I studied Gao Rui''s expression closely. As Gao Rui removed his shoes, he said, "Thank you so much for helping Jiajia. It''s now already 10.30 pm and you''re still working. That''s some dedication."


    "Well, we can say the same for you. You look like you''ve juste back from work too." I smiled. Gao Rui nodded. "I''m the ss teacher for the year 1 students. After they finish with their nightly tuition, it''s already 10 pm. At the start, I wasn''t quite used to it but 1 year has passed since then. It''s part of my life now."


    We asked Gao Rui about the stalker. Since Gao Rui moved inter, he wasn''t familiar with what happened at Wu Jiajia''s previous rental. However he did see the message on the wall and the threatening letter. Hemented that things had gotten better since the police had been brought in. The stalker had never returned since then.


    We did not n to inform Wu Jiajia about Zhang Mingliang''s death, after all, there was no need to cause the girl unnecessary panic. Furthermore, Captain Zhao already sent Xiao Liu to protect Wu Jiajia from the dark. On top of that, this Gao Rui could be a good bodyguard as well.


    "Your phone has rung multiple times already, aren''t you going to get it?" I nced at Gao Rui''s phone. "We''ve gotten everything we need for now."


    Gao Rui shrugged helplessly and exined, "I suppose this is the hardship of a long-distance rtionship. My girlfriend keeps getting angry at me every few days but she won''t say the reason why. I''m sorry but I think I''ll answer this in my bedroom. If you need me, just call my name." Then Gao Rui stood up and walked into the room. Once the call was picked up, a woman''s scream could be heard, "We''re definitely breaking up this time. Why didn''t you pick up"


    Well, everyone had their own troubles to face


    Wu Jiajia watched Gao Rui walk into his bedroom and sighed, "You know, I hate to say it but I don''t see a future for them."


    Guan Zhenglin nudged Wu Jiajia''s shoulder and whispered conspiratorially, "Sister Jiajia, from the looks of it, you have a crush on Teacher Gao, right?''


    Wu Jiajia blushed and said, "Of course not!"


    "But the blush on your cheeks disagrees!" Guan Zhenglin giggled. "Teacher Gao is handsome, tall and has a steady upation. Even I have a little crush on him so Sister Jiajia, stop acting. I''m sure there are many male friends in your life, there has to be a reason why you''ve invited Teacher Gao to move in with you"


    "He''s already taken." Wu Jiajia leaned into the couch.


    Guan Zhenglin shook her head. "But we all can hear that phone call. Do you think that rtionship willst? Sister Jiajia, I''m rooting for you! By the way, since you''re the only two persons living here, has he done anything to reciprocate your feelings for him?"


    Guan Zhenglin had disguised her interrogation perfectly under the cover of gossip. Being asked these questions, Wu Jiajia blushed harder. She turned self-consciously towards us two men. Gu Chen and I immediately turned to look out the window. "Gu Chen, look, the moon is quite beautiful tonight." "Yes, it''s so round."


    Once the girls started gossiping, it was like they had known each other for life.


    Wu Jiajia shook her head. "Xiao Lin, to tell you the truth. I''ve liked Gao Rui since high school but I was still too young for a rtionship back then, or at least my dad thought so. With a blink of an eye, the 3 years of high school passed. I was so embarrassed to say anything and Gao Rui had always treated me like a little sister. After high school, we were supposed to apply for the same university but for some reason, we got epted by different universities. Apparently, Gao Rui had his application forms mixed up. I almost cried my heart out, you know. But there was nothing I could do, it was toote to reapply.


    "Even though we were not in the same school, we kept in touch through 4 years of university. I found out from our mutual friend that Gao Rui had gotten a girlfriend from his university ss. I was so angry, I should have confessed when I had the chance. Regardless, as devastated as I was, I decided to wait. My parents finally had no issue with me getting a boyfriend so I would confess my love to him after he broke up. But Gao Rui''s rtionshipsted for the whole of his university life and I''ve been single throughout. Gao Rui and I came from the same city but the girl was from another city, eventually she would have to leave the picture, so I waited further.


    "After university graduation, Gao Rui came here for his internship while I joined a post-graduate program. However, I''ve been looking for the opportunity to seek an internship here as well. When I finally got the internship offer, I was overjoyed. However, when I arrived here, Gao Rui had found himself a new girlfriend. Sigh, when will it be my turn?"


    Guan Zhenglin suggested, "Sister Jiajia, you''ve liked him for so many years already, I think it''s about time you take more initiative"


    Wu Jiajia hugged the pillow and curled into the couch. She grumbled, "Gao Rui is a true gentleman. Honestly, I was hoping that some sparks would fly with us living under the same roof, but Gao Rui always keeps a respectful distance. Furthermore, the issue with the stalker has been taking up most of my mind But I did get inspired by the stalker on how to get Gao Rui''s attention." Wu Jiajia leaned closer to Guan Zhenglin to whisper, "The stalker clearly likes my erm personal clothing. So I wanted to use them to test Gao Rui''s reaction. I purposely left one of my bras in our shared bathroom to see if Gao Rui would do anything about it And, the bra was left inside the humid bathroom untouched for a whole week, it was almost moulding when I had to take it back"


    Guan Zhenglin''s eyes glowed with fireworks. "Wow a real gentleman, that''s a rare breed now always. Then, Sister Jiajia, what did you do next? Did you push further?''


    "I''m still a virgin~" Wu Jiajia mumbled shyly, "What else do you expect me to do?! Aren''t you a virgin too?"


    "Of course I am!" Guan Zhenglin said.


    "Jesus, why is that all the pretty girls are in love with other people and not me?" I whispered to Gu Chen, "Do you have a sister that you can introduce to me" Before I could finish, I could feel 2 eyes on me. Out of pure embarrassment, I quickly changed the subject, "Brother Gu Chen, the moon is quite beautiful tonight."


    "Indeed, Brother Wu Meng." Gu Chen agreed, "It''s quite round."


    At 11.30 pm, the 2 girls parted with unwillingness. If Wu Jiajia didn''t need to work tomorrow, I believed they would talk for another 2 hours. However, from their gossip, I did acquire a lot of information.


    "Gao Rui already has Wu Jiajia''s keys before he moved in." I began. "On top of that, I have reason to believe the stalker is someone Wu Jiajia knows."


    "The fuck?!" Guan Zhenglin stopped and challenged, "You''re suspecting Teacher Gao? Have you lost your mind? He is already living together with Sister Jiajia, does he need to stalk her? Furthermore, do you think Teacher Gao will mistake Wu Jiajia and Zhang Mingliang? Lastly, if Teacher Gao really wanted to, he could have easily acquired a rtionship with Sister Jiajia, there was no need for him to resort to threats and those other creepy actions!"


    Guan Zhenglin did have a point. With a frown, I said, "But is it possible that Gao Rui can''t tell that Wu Jiajia is in love with him?"


    Guan Zhengjin shrugged. "It''s hard to say. Love is alwaysplicated. Some men are as dull as rocks, while others would pretend to not notice the interest thrown their way so they could go on hunting for more conquests. Love is a real mystery!"


    "Sounds like someone is quite experienced in the field of love. Did he reject your confession? On what grounds? Was it because he preferred something more substantial?" I took a quick nce at her chest area.


    "I swear I''m going to kill you!"


    As I fended off Guan Zhenglin''s offence, a message came to my phone. It was from Mary. They had found Zhang Mingliang''s house address.

 Chapter 20: Gender Identity Disorder

    Chapter 20: Gender Identity Disorder


    We finally arrived at Zhang Mingliang''s home at 12.30 pm. "Now let''s see what the home of a 3rd sex person looks like." I said as we walked through the front door.


    "Don''t be crass. Medically speaking, they are people who experience gender identity disorder." Guan Zhenglin took pictures of the house as she started an impromptu lecture, "The individual exhibits marked and persistent identification with the opposite sex and persistent difort with his or her own sex or sense of inappropriateness in the gender role of that sex. They hope to use medical and hormonal assistance to fix that problem but there are not many who dare to make that transition in China, after all, the societal pressure will be enormous."


    "Is this congenital or acquiredter in life?" I asked while I took in the dcor. This was a very normal looking apartment, it had 2 rooms, 1 living room, 1 kitchen, 1 bathroom and 1 balcony. The size was small and the dcor was alright. A sectional couch took up most of the space in the small living room. Facing the couch was a big television and a television cab.


    "It differs ording to the individual." Guan Zhenglin answered. I nodded. I pressed the on button on the remote and the television switched on. Looks like Zhang Mingliang didn''t fully plug off her television set the night she died. This was not that umon of a habit. Most people these days only switched off the tv with their remote and did not turn off the power switch. "The match is heating up. An alley-oop dunk by James" The announcer''s voice boomed from the tv. Looks like Zhang Mingliang was watching the sports channel before she switched it off.


    As the tv continued to y, the 3 of us entered the first bedroom. The bedroom had arge closet and arge bed. Next to the bed was a small bookshelf. There were some philosophy books, romance novels and even some crime thrillers. Zhang Mingliang had an eclectic taste in reading. I picked up a few random books and flipped through them.


    "What is the sexual orientation of a trans person?" I asked.


    Guan Zhenglin continued to take pictures. "They might be gay or straight, it''s hard to say. Gender identity disorder affects only gender identity but not sexual orientation."


    The other bedroom had a yoga mat and aputer. In today''s age, to get to know someone, the best method was through theirputer. However, none of us there was an expert in this. We had to ask Mary for help. When I called Mary, she told me to log into my social media ount on Zhang Mingliang''sputer. "Go and investigate the other rooms, I''ll wait for the result on thisputer." I told Guan Zhenglin and Gu Chen. While I waited for Mary to work her magic, I stood there and pondered some questions. The timing when Zhang Mingliang chose to do the surgery both on her body and face was too coincidental with the time when Wu Jiajia received the threatening letter. It''s too intricately linked to be a coincidence. Furthermore, what was Zhang Mingliang doing at the abandoned building site that night?


    While the questions bounced through my mind, suddenly a groaning and moaning sound came from Zhang Mingliang''sputer. I was spooked and hurried to nce at the screen. Theputer was ying lesbian porn. Two women were in bed servicing each other.


    "The fuck." Gu Chen appeared behind me. "Brother Wu Meng, I know you have needs but can''t you wait until we''re done with the investigation first?"


    Guan Zhenglin also appeared at the bedroom door and scoffed. "Pervert."


    "I''m innocent!" I pleaded. I instantly knew what was the problem, I was being set up by Mary. As the best hacker in the country, remotely controlling aputer wasn''t going to be too hard. I immediately sent a message to Mary, "Big Sister Mary, can you please not do this to me? Did you find anything other than this video?"


    Right then, a hidden file popped up on screen. It had many word files and each of them was marked with individual dates. The earliest date started 4 weeks ago. When the 3 of us finished reading all the files, we were silent.


    17 years ago, a kid from primary one was kicked to the ground and berated, "Even at your age, you''re already stealing a girl''s skirt?! I need to talk to your parents about this! Someone needs to teach you better manners!"


    "We''re so sorry. We''ll teach our son better. Sir, please give him another chance." The boy''s parents pleaded.


    "Little Pervert, Little Pervert." All the other kids called him that. To be honest though, the kid''s parents were relieved because they had survived yet another close brush with the truth. The kid''s parents would rather their son be called a prevent than to face the actual truth. This was not the first time something like this had happened.


    In fact, when this happened for the first time, his father demanded in mock-sternness, "Why did you go and steal that girl''s dress?" Then the father turned to whisper to the boy''s mother, "Our son is already quite mature despite his age, huh." There was even pride in his voice. The boy''s parents tried to hold in their smiles. In the eyes of these two simple farmers, it meant that their boy had grown into a man. However, the answer from their son took that smile forever away.


    "The dress is pretty, I want to wear it too. I''m a girl."


    From then on, the boy''s parents had to help him find excuses for his behaviour again and again. They were the ones who released the rumors that their son was a pervert who had a penchant to steal other girls'' clothes. One time, his father finally lost it. The father undid his pants, pointed at his penis and testicles and told his son, "You have the thing that I do. How is it that you can''t tell whether you''re a boy or a girl?!"


    His father thought this would be a rude awakening for his son but he was the one who got the awakening that he did not expect. His son said, "Does that mean I will be a girl if I remove those things?"


    When the boy grew into a young man and entered high school, that was also the first time he stole his own mother''s dress to wear. He put on make-up and high heels. His father walked into the scene when he was twirling around the house. The father beat him for a full hour until he was exhausted. The father copsed to the ground and asked in a chokingly voice, "Are you a boy or a girl?"


    Despite the wounds all over his body, the young man pushed out with a determined breath, "I''m a girl."


    That was the first andst time his father hit him. Even though he had trouble with his gender identity, he was a clever student and understanding son. As he grew older, he could empathize with his parents further. How could he expect a pair of farmers from the countryside to understand gender identity disorder and that he was born with it. The young man knew that his parents loved him in their own way or else they wouldn''t have supported him for so long. On the young man''s 18th birthday, the family of 3 hugged one another and cried non-stop. The old father who never drank finished two bottles of strong liquor and his mother finished one. His father told him, "My child, this life is yours to live. You should be free to live it however you want to. No matter if you''re a boy or a girl, you''ll always be my child."


    From then on, the young man never brought up the fact that he was a woman anymore and he kept his crossdressing habits from his parents. The first year he entered university, his father passed away from an illness. 2 yearster, his mother went to join his father. His parents did not leave much for him. When he saw his mother for thest time, his mother told him, "For so many years, we know what you''ve been going through even though you''ve not uttered a word. Please don''t worry about us anymore. You can now walk your own path without us holding you back. Promise me that you''ll be yourself from now on, okay?"


    He cried by his mother''s bedside.


    After graduation, he moved to this city. He fell in love with a person, a man. The man was an intern teacher at a school, his name was Gao Rui. Gao Rui satisfied everything he was looking for in a partner. He was kind, gentle, handsome and surprisingly muscr. He did everything he could to dig up all the info on Gao Rui and he was devastated to find out Gao Rui already had a girlfriend. He thought about stealing Gao Rui away from his girlfriend but he knew it would be hard, especially when he still looked like a man.


    To rectify that, he couldn''t wait longer, he pushed his gender reassignment surgery ahead of time. To get to know Gao Rui, he stalked Gao Rui for a long time. Even just from afar, he was satisfied as long as he could see Gao Rui. He stalked Gao Rui for months (There were many pictures inside the hidden folder, they were all of Gao Rui). But one day, Gao Rui moved in with a woman. That woman was none other than Wu Jiajia. Therefore, 3 weeks ago, he finallypleted the lifelong dream that he had for 20 plus years. When Zhang Mingliang left the hospital, he had be her.


    Zhang Mingliang modelled her new appearance after Wu Jiajia. Her n was to confess her love to Gao Rui after she had fully recovered from the surgery. She was taller than Wu Jiajia and due to artificial enhancement, her boobs were bigger. She was a better version of Wu Jiajia, there was no reason Gao Rui wouldn''t pick her. The n was to get Gao Rui first, before slowly easing him into the truth that she was a transwoman.


    She continued to follow Gao Rui for a few more weeks and she noticed something interesting. While she was stalking Gao Rui, someone was stalking Wu Jiajia. This was not the first time she had run into this person who was doing the same thing as she was, plus his action was even more extreme than hers. Zhang Mingliang saw with her own eyes the man enter Wu Jiajia''s apartment with a pail of paint, but she had no idea what he was up to. But Zhang Mingliang believed that this man could help promote her own agenda, after all, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Therefore Zhang Mingliang dropped a note at themon locations where the stalker would usually hide, "I am Wu Jiajia, please meet me at the abandoned building site east of Yu Cai High School. I have something to discuss with you." That was Zhang Mingliang''sst word document. Inside the document, on ament tab, Zhang Mingliang appended this, "The stalker will be there when he sees my note. I will propose a cooperation. I''ll help him get Wu Jiajia and he''ll help me get Gao Rui. I''m so happy, I''ll be with Gao Rui soon."


    "Zhang Mingliang didn''t know the other stalker had sent Wu Jiajia the threatening letter, or else she wouldn''t have the audacity to use Wu Jiajia''s name to invite the killer. And the killer thought his threatening letter had worked and hence the invitation from Wu Jiajia." Guan Zhenglin gasped. "The killer probably couldn''t recognize Zhang Mingliang''s real identity at that dark building site, perhaps he has indeed killed the wrong person!"


    Gu Chen sighed. "This is as dramatic as a real movie."


    "But why would Zhang Mingliang ask the other stalker to meet her at an abandoned building site of all ces? Why was Zhang Mingliang so confident that the cooperation she proposed would be sessful? How could she be sure that this person wouldn''t harm her? Wouldn''t she be worried about her personal safety dealing with a stranger?" I frowned. "There is only one exnation."


    "What is it?" Both of them asked in unison.


    "Zhang Mingliang perhaps knew this other stalker."

 Chapter 21: The Missing Headmaster Zhang

    Chapter 21: The Missing Headmaster Zhang


    My mother named me Wu Meng, hoping that she wouldn''t have any more nightmares. I personally didn''t mind nightmares because I could converse with the other version of myself in them. ording to the doctors, that was a symptom of schizophrenia. So I supposed to be an actual officer, I would dly give up the ability to dream.


    The next morning, someone called the police. Yu Cai High School''s Headmaster Zhang had disappeared. It was the staff at the school who called the police because Headmaster Zhang had not been to work for 3 days already. We got the headmaster''s home address from the school staff and we all went along to see if he was home. We called his phone and knocked on the door but there was no answer. The police decided to break down the door. The officers and teachers poured into the house to search for the missing headmaster.


    When one of the teachers opened the cupboard inside the headmaster''s bedroom, she screamed because out tumbled Headmaster Zhang''s dirty little secret. When you realized the people beside you were not at all whom you thought they were, you''d start to question the world. That was happening with most of the staff from Yu Cai High School.


    "Well, our headmaster sure has quite a bit of collection." I shook my head with a mirthlessugh.


    "I never thought Headmaster Chang had such a nasty habit." Wu Jiajia said, "He normally looks so presentable and schrly. This is disgusting!"


    "This shows that you''ll never really know a person." Someonemented.


    There was nothing inside Headmaster Zhang''s cupboard that belonged to him, the cupboard was stuffed with female undergarments. In fact, when the doors opened, the room was instantly infused with the sour odour of sweat and human hormones. That told us that Headmaster Zhang was an avid collector of unwashed female undergarments. Wu Jiajia pointed at a few of the panties and gasped, "Wait, those are my missing panties! So the stalker is Headmaster Zhang?!


    "I did suspect that the stalker might be someone I know because he has returned to stalk me not long after I moved to a new apartment. I took rides with different people from work, and only the staff at the school would know about my new address" Wu Jiajia was stunned with disbelief.


    As the head admin at the school, it was not unusual for Headmaster Zhang to know about his staff members'' address but Wu Jiajia never once thought to suspect this respected member of staff.


    But staring at the pile of female undergarments, it was impossible that all of them came from Wu Jiajia. In other words, Headmaster Zhang might be stalking some other victims.


    "I need all the male teachers to vacate the room. We need to conduct a quick questioning." I told the room. Gao Rui gave me a look before he led the male teachers out. Naturally Guan Zhenglin and Gu Chen stayed. Out of concern for their beloved headmaster, all the staff members were helping the police find him. They definitely were surprised to find this hidden side to their headmaster instead.


    "Do any of you see your undergarment here?" I asked openly. Other than Wu Jiajia, the rest shook their heads. This was quite unusual. Was Headmaster Zhang stealing just from one person? But that did not exin the amount of undergarment inside the cupboard. I stressed again that it was important to be honest to help the police solve the case but still everyone shook their heads. I shared a look with Guan Zhenglin and Gu Chen. At that moment, Xiao Hui, who was also an intern teacher, raised her hand.


    After some urging, she finally told us her story. She started her internship at the high school just slightly earlier than Wu Jiajia. When she got the notification that was epted, she was overjoyed because she came from a normal university. She did not think her application would be epted. When she first met Headmaster Zhang, her impression of him was good. She found him schrly, humorous and intelligent. However, one month into her internship, her impression of him changed.


    Headmaster Zhang would call her into his office to give him her internship report. Whenever she handed her report over to the headmaster, thetter would let his hands linger on her skin. Initially, Xiao Hui thought this was the old gentleman being careless but she was proven wrong when Headmaster Zhang became more brazen. When Xiao Hui read her report, Headmaster Zhang would move to sit beside her. His arms would always find their way tond on Xiao Hui''s calves. Because she did not want to lose this job, all Xiao Hui could do was to try to move herself away from the offending hands. She did not dare to tell the other staff about this.


    However, during one of their sessions, Headmaster Zhang finally showed his ws. He pressed Xiao Hui under his body. The headmaster''s office was on the top floor and students were not allowed to go to that floor without the headmaster''s permission. Even the teachers had to make appointments before they could meet the headmaster. Therefore, Headmaster Zhang was not afraid of being discovered. Xiao Hui did struggle and scream but it was pointless, the headmaster''s office had incredibly good sound proofing. Xiao Hui thought that was it for her. In her mind, she told herself that maybe if she let Headmaster Zhang have his way with her, she might be able to be an official staff. That was the only constion she could give herself.


    However, right then there was a knock. Headmaster Zhang grunted with annoyance but Xiao Hui was saved. The intruder was none other than Wu Jiajia. Wu Jiajia was a new staff member and she lived outside the school hostel so she did not know about the rules and appointments.


    "So no wonder that day" Wu Jiajia said. Xiao Hui nodded. With the leading example from Xiao Hui, the other female teachers became more forting with their stories. From their tales, we knew that this was not the first time Headmaster Zhang had used the power of his station to take advantage of the female staff. He mostly targeted teachers with more reserved personalities like Xiao Hui. In fact, there were 2 female teachers who had already fallen under his mix of threat and coercion. However, they thought he was just a sleazy old man with too much power, they had no idea he was so perverted that he''d go and steal used female undergarments.


    "Okay, you can all leave now. Also we need to investigate the headmaster''s office after this. Can someone please get us a copy? Thank you." I told the female staff.


    "Right, I believe Gao Rui has a copy to the headmaster''s office." A 50-year-old teacher said before she left. "Gao Rui is heavily valued by Headmaster Zhang, he is always there to help Headmaster Zhang even with the smallest issue. But as the senior teacher at the school, howe I didn''t realize all these incidents of sexual harassment was happening under my eyes? Headmaster Zhang has never done anything improper towards me!"


    I took in the teacher''s aged appearance and outdated sense of fashion, and I could only chuckle helplessly, "Perhaps he hasn''t gotten to you yet? And we''ll make sure that he doesn''t. Anyway, tell Gao Rui to prepare the key, thank you."


    Finally, only 3 of us were left in the room. Guan Zhenglin took in the different styles of female underwear inside the cupboard and sighed, "Now that the cat''s out of the bag, do we need to search his office? It''s clear that Headmaster Zhang is the crazy stalker, he mistook Zhang Mingliang for Wu Jiajia, he raped and killed her before using her head to write on the wall." Gu Chen snapped his finger. "Also since Zhang Mingliang was stalking Gao Rui, she would have known that Headmaster Zhang was Gao Rui''s superior. Didn''t you say earlier that Zhang Mingliang might know Wu Jiajia''s stalker? Now everything makes sense!"


    "No, there are still things that don''t make sense." I walked forward and picked up a few random panties. "For example, we still don''t know who the young person who fell for Ol'' Zhang''s trap is."


    "Perhaps that was really just a petty thief." Gu Chen shrugged. "Someonepletely unrted to the case."


    I lifted the panties close to my nose and took a good sniff. "Things are not that simple."


    "The fuck!" Guan Zhenglin cursed loudly, "Wu Meng, have you gone crazy again? You pervert! Disgusting, you''re well on your way to be the second Headmaster Zhang."


    "The smell isn''t right." I confirmed.


    "Do you think this is some kind of wine-tasting?" Guan Zhenglin scolded. "What smell?"


    "I''ll tell you all about itter." I walked out the room and said with a smile. "Now let us go inspect this headmaster''s office."


    Guan Zhenglin followed behind me and berated, "Don''t think that will change the fact that you''re a pervert!" I turned back to look and see Gu Chen hesitate beside the female undergarment. Guan Zhenglin noted my eyes going over her shoulders and she warned without turning around, "Gu Chen, don''t follow this pervert''s example!"


    Half an hourter, with Gao Rui''s key, we entered the headmaster''s office. Mary handled theputer stuff remotely but now there was a locked safe that stood in our way.


    "We should get someone from the technical department." I suggested.


    "It''ll be toote when they get here." Gu Chen raised the safe and thus the long journey to trying to literally crack the safe began.


    Mary did not find anything useful from the officeputer. With raging breath, Gu Chen finally smashed the safe into smithereens. There was some cash and a USB drive inside the safe. The USB drive was choked full of photos taken secretly. They featured the school''s staff, but most of them were of Wu Jiajia.


    "Well, there''s even more evidence now. Headmaster Zhang is definitely the creepy stalker." Guan Zhenglin affirmed.


    I looked at Wu Jiajia and Wu Jiajia looked at me.


    Why was Headmaster Zhang so fixated on Wu Jiajia? None of the female staff lost their underwear, only Wu Jiajia. But Wu Jiajia was staying outside the school hostel while the other staff lived at the staff hostel. It would be too risky for Headmaster Zhang to sneak to the female staff hostel, that was a possibility.


    "Did Headmaster Zhang ever make advances onto you?" I asked Wu Jiajia.


    "No. He did nothing of that sort." Wu Jiajia answered.


    "You sure?" I pushed. Wu Jiajia''s eyes darted to the side before she repeated, "Yes."


    At that moment, Gu Chen rushed in. "Wu Meng, look at what I found." It was a stack of school documents handwritten by Headmaster Zhang. Gu Chen used his fingers to point out a few specific characters. "Don''t" "Push" and "Me".


    Someone had written a red warning message on Wu Jiajia''s wall before. Gu Chen pulled out the picture andpared it with Headmaster Zhang''s handwriting on these documents, they matched perfectly. Looks like it was indeed Headmaster Zhang who was behind the painted warning. He was our stalker. But there were still questions that were unanswered, I felt like something was missing.


    "Looks like you were right after all. Headmaster Zhang, the crazy stalker mistook Zhang Mingliang for Wu Jiajia and murdered her. Now, we only need to find Headmaster Zhang and the case will be closed. I wonder where this creep has disappeared to. Did he know we''re onto him?" Gu Chen tried to console me seeing how silent I was.


    Is that really the case?'' I thought to myself. "In any case, we''ll indeed know more after we locate Headmaster Zhang." I told them.

 Chapter 22: Headmaster Zhangs Body

    Chapter 22: Headmaster Zhang''s Body


    All the evidence pointed towards Headmaster Zhang, now we only needed to confirm one thing and basically the case would be over. Guan Zhenglin had found traces of semen in Zhang Mingliang''s vagina. If the semen matched Headmaster Zhang''s DNA, it was a done deal for Headmaster Zhang. Half an hourter, Guan Zhenglinpared the DNA found on everyday objects from Headmaster Zhang''s home with the semen inside Zhang Mingliang''s body and the answer was as we expected. They matched. Therefore, the conclusion was, 4 nights ago, Headmaster Zhang saw the note Zhang Mingliang left for him and he thought it was written by Wu Jiajia. He arrived at the abandoned building site as promised and he saw Zhang Mingliang in the dark. He assumed Zhang Mingliang was Wu Jiajia.


    Worried that they would be spotted by the night guard, Ol'' Zhang, Zhang Mingliang led Headmaster Zhang up the building. When they reached the 15th floor, Zhang Mingliang believed they were high enough away from Ol'' Zhang so they stopped. Headmaster Zhang had been following quietly behind her and Zhang Mingliang had no reason to be guarded around the respected headmaster.


    It was then that Headmaster Zhang put his promise into words. Headmaster Zhang mped one hand over Zhang Mingliang''s mouth and pulled down her panty with the other. When we discovered Zhang Mingliang''s body, she was wearing a dress. That would have been convenient for Headmaster Zhang. Zhang Mingliang was still recovering from her surgery so she was too weak to fight back. In the dark, Headmaster Zhang failed to tell he was not dealing with the real Wu Jiajia. Zhang Mingliang had a constructed vagina, therefore, she wouldn''t have the hymen. Then again, Headmaster Zhang wouldn''t know that Wu Jiajia was still a virgin. After all, she was living under the same roof with Gao Rui. Who knew what had happened between them? That thought angered Headmaster Zhang further.


    Before Zhang Mingliang could even say anything, Headmaster Zhang sliced her head off. The head rolled to the ground and blood sttered everywhere.


    Even after death, Zhang Mingliang had no idea why she was killed. Headmaster Zhang smiled as he picked up the bloody head. Dipping the hair into the pool of blood, he wrote down the famous love poem on the wall, What is love that humans would relinquish life and death for it.


    Then he dropped the body from the 15th floor. At the same time, a thief was ensnared by Ol'' Zhang''s dog trap. When Ol'' Zhang headed up the stairs, Headmaster Zhang went hiding on the 16th floor. After Ol'' Zhang left, Headmaster Zhang trailed behind him. Perhaps he thought about killing Ol'' Zhang to silence the possible witness but he didn''t. After they reached the ground, Headmaster Zhang sought out Zhang Mingliang''s headless body and entered the sewer through a sewer entrance near the building site. He dragged the body for about 1000 metres underground and then dumped the headless torso there. He believed the body would rot and never be found again. Even if the body was found, it would be hard to be traced back to him. Satisfied with his job andpleted promise, Headmaster Zhang left.


    "That''s your conclusion?" After hearing Guan Zhenglin''s analysis, I asked.


    "Yes, it''s logical, no?" Guan Zhenglin nodded. I shrugged and then sat up. I pulled up 3 fingers. "Regarding your analysis, I have 3 questions. If you can answer all of them, then I''ll admit perhaps you''re onto the truth."


    "Sure!" Guan Zhenglin sat opposite and raised her eyebrow in challenge.


    "First question." I began. "Where was the pail that Ol'' Zhang said he used to store the dog''s blood? Your story didn''t mention that at all."


    After giving it some thought, Guan Zhenglin answered, "I got it. Headmaster Zhang had to have brought with him a sharp weapon to decapitate his target, naturally he wouldn''t carry it on him, that would be too suspicious. So, he had to find a container for it. The pail with the dog''s blood was the perfect container, Zhang Mingliang wouldn''t have suspected anything."


    "If Headmaster Zhang came with a pail, wouldn''t that be even more suspicious? Regardless, now onto my second question." I continued, "In your story, Headmaster Zhang hid on the 16th floor after he murdered Zhang Mingliang but other than on the 15th floor, there was no trace of blood anywhere else. How is that possible? Furthermore, he had already killed one person, why did he spare Ol'' Zhang, why wasn''t he afraid that Ol'' Zhang might have seen something?"


    Guan Zhenglin''s face was drawn. Her chin was ced on her palm. "Headmaster Zhang''s obsession is only with Wu Jiajia. He won''t kill anyone else."


    "Okay, third question." I pointed out, "Since Headmaster Zhang believed no one would discover his crime after he dumped the body inside the sewer, why did he suddenly decide to go missing? We wouldn''t even have suspected him if he did not suddenly disappear. Now why would he do that?"


    "Erm, perhaps he thought someone had witnessed himmit the crime! Yes, Ol'' Zhang, the probable witness" Guan Zhenglin said with uncertainty as she scratched the back of her head.


    I shook my finger at her, "Then why didn''t he just kill Ol'' Zhang to eliminate that potential danger?"


    "Damn!" Guan Zhenglin threw a plush pillow at me, "You''re just enjoying this, aren''t you!"


    I hugged the pillow and continued to ponder the case. It was undeniable that Headmaster Zhang had raped Zhang Mingliang but he might not have killed Zhang Mingliang. Could the rapist and the killer be different people? Perhaps the killer was the young person who fell for Ol'' Zhang''s trap? No, the timeline didn''t match either.


    Ol'' Zhang discovered the thief around 10.30 pm. When he arrived, the young person had already shaken off the snare and took off running. Ol'' Zhang prepared to leave when he heardmotion from upstairs. Taking into ount Ol'' Zhang''s stamina, and the fact that he stopped at each floor to check the traps, he would reach the 15th floor at around 11 pm. Based on Guan Zhenglin''s coroner report, it was entirely probable that Zhang Mingliang had just died then. There were only a few minutes of difference. The young person caught in the trap couldn''t be the killer unless they knew how to fly.


    "Does the rapist have to be physically present to rape someone?" I tossed out the question that sounded absurd even to my ears.


    "Are you high?" Guan Zhenglin turned to look at me. "Are you talking about some kind telekic rape?" As I turned to meet Guan Zhenglin''s eyes, she suddenly crossed her arms before her chest. "Actually, I don''t need to hear more of this nonsense."


    I tossed the pillow back. "I''d rather target Gu Chen before Ie after you!"


    Gu Chen immediately crossed his arms to make an X. "I''m not Zhang Mingliang, I don''t like men."


    "Zhang Mingliang''s ideal type is someone like Gao Rui, even if you like him, he might not even like you." Guan Zhenglin chided.


    We were gathered inside Captain Zhao''s office. The police had started a search for Headmaster Zhang but there was no trace of the man at all. Mary checked all the public transport information and Headmaster Zhang didn''t use any of them. None of the street cams caught Headmaster Zhang either. The only strange thing was the cams near Headmaster Zhang''s home appeared to have been destroyed a few days ago.


    "Do you think it''s possible that Headmaster Zhang hasmitted suicide from guilt?" Mary mumbled through a mouthful of watermelon.


    "Captain, Wu Meng, we have a new clue." Xiao Liu burst through the door. Captain Zhao asked, turning his white china cup. "What''s wrong? You look so harried, is there a new body?"


    Xiao Liu wiped away his sweat. "Yes, someone found a dead body on the mountain, it has dposed quite a bit already."


    As we prepared to move out, Captain Zhao said, "By the way, Xiao Guan, bring the box with you."


    Guan Zhenglin''s eyes twinkled. "You mean Doctor Yang''s toolbox?"


    "Yes, the custom made one." Captain Zhao said, "I already told you, eventually you people will inherit the box."


    "Then what about Doctor Yang?" Guan Zhenglin asked, "I haven''t heard from her for years already."


    Captain Zhao waved his hands to end this topic, "Go, the dead body is waiting for you."


    The weather was still as hot as ever. Gu Chen and I had removed our jackets. We stayed under a temporary tent to watch Guan Zhenglin dissect a dead body. Compared to Zhang Mingliang''s body, this one was not much better. The face was so dposed, it was impossible to tell its identity. Part of the muscle tissues had already liquefied. The grave wax leaked out onto the clothes and they attracted many flies. However, with the lesson fromst time, Gu Chen and I fared better. Seeing the sweat pour down Guan Zhenglin''s face, Gu Chen and I felt rather embarrassed just sitting there, doing nothing. So I picked up a towel, doused it with water and walked towards Guan Zhenglin. While Guan Zhenglin continued with her dissection, I used the towel to wipe away her sweat. "Did you find anything?"


    Holding the tools in both hands, Guan Zhenglin allowed me to dab away her sweat. She then said slowly, "Yes, and it''s a big discovery. Do you know who this is?"


    "Who?"


    "Well, this is our primary suspect, Headmaster Zhang!" Guan Zhenglin looked at me and announced evenly. I made a double take at the body. Looks like Headmaster Zhang had been left here for quite some time already.


    "Can you tell the time and cause of death?" I enquired.


    Guan Zhenglin nodded as she rummaged through the toolbox. "The time of death is a few days ago, in fact, I believe it''s only several hours after Zhang Mingliang''s death. The cause of death is blunt force trauma to the head. This is definitely a homicide."


    Headmaster Zhang killed Zhang Mingliang and then someone killed Headmaster Zhang?


    "Xiao Liu, how was the body discovered?" I shouted at Xiao Liu who was taking the witness testimony.


    "Someone came across the body in a shallow grave. The person saw the body''s clothes poking out and called the police." Xiao Liu shouted back.


    "A shallow grave?" I asked to confirm.


    "Yes." Xiao Liu replied, "The viger said anyone would have spotted it but not many people use this particr track of the mountain road."


    More questions to solve. Who would be familiar enough with Headmaster Zhang''s movement to aplish something like this? It had to be someone very close to Headmaster Zhang and there was a name that immediately popped in my mind. Could he have killed Headmaster Zhang?

 Chapter 23: I Surrender

    Chapter 23: I Surrender


    As the headmaster of the city''s most prestigious school, his death was big news. The first thing we did was to inform the vice headmaster and the staff at Yu Cai High School. When they got the news, their reactions were distinctively different. The vice headmaster had tion crossed his eyes for a moment before turning into a blubbering mess. After Headmaster Zhang''s death, he would be the next in line to take his ce. Most of the male staff were unaffected by the news, they didn''t care who the next headmaster was. Most of the younger female staff sighed in relief, they were finally free from that monster''s ws.


    Wu Jiajia''s reaction was quite interesting. After she got the news, she looked fearful and then worried, like she had a secret to hide. Her reaction was not what I expected. To be honest, when I asked Wu Jiajia yesterday about whether Headmaster Zhang had made advances towards her, I already noticed the evasion in her eyes. However, at the time, I assumed that was because she was too ashamed to admit the truth but now, I had a different impression. Then we departed to inform Gao Rui.


    Gao Rui was currently in ss. Looking through the window, I found out Gao Rui was a biology teacher. When his ss was over and we told him about Headmaster Zhang, Gao Rui''s emotions were quiteplicated.


    Headmaster Zhang valued Gao Rui a lot when he was alive, that was what the other staff confirmed for us. However, now that we knew that Headmaster Zhang was secretly a stalker and pervert, things took on a more sinister hue regarding Headmaster Zhang''s heavy valuation of Gao Rui. Thatplication was clear on Gao Rui''s face. It appeared like the man wanted to say something but, in the end, he only shook his head.


    "This Gao Rui is definitely suspicious." I told the group when we returned to the station.


    "How is Gao Rui suspicious?" Guan Zhenglin rolled her eyes at me, "You''re just jealous he''s more handsome than you."


    I touched my own face and said, "What I''m missing is a beard. Plus why would I be jealous of that? In any case, Headmaster Zhang''s right hand man is Gao Rui, if anyone is to know Headmaster Zhang''s movement, it would be Gao Rui. Hear me out. Headmaster Zhang has been missing for 3 days already and Gao Rui did not do anything about that? If I remember correctly, it was a female teacher who called in the police and not him, right?"


    "Maybe he forgot. Do you have any proof of his suspicion?" Guan Zhenglin asked.


    I shrugged. "Nope."


    "Then why did you bring this up!" Guan Zhenglin roared.


    "That''s why we need to look deeper into Gao Rui''s recent activity." I told Guan Zhenglin, "If Gao Rui had been to the headmaster''s office or the abandoned site that night, then many problems can be solved. By the way, do you think it''s possible that the young person Ol'' Zhang saw that night was Gao Rui?"


    Gu Chen chimed in, "Well, that''s simple. We''ll just have Ol'' Zhange to take a look at Gao Rui. Even though he didn''t see the face, he did remember the thief''s general frame and silhouette."


    "Someone is here to surrender." Xiao Liu pushed the door open and entered the office.


    "What?" I was startled.


    "Someone is here to surrender." Xiao Liu repeated. I frowned. We had just told the school about Headmaster Zhang''s death and now we had someoneing to surrender? It had to be someone from the school.


    "Who is it?" I asked.


    "He said his name is Gao Rui." Xiao Liu answered.


    "What?" I was startled once more.


    "He said his name is Gao Rui!" Xiao Liu shouted in repetition. The 3 of us looked at one another as if we couldn''t believe our ears. Even though I had suspicion of Gao Rui, I had no evidence. Furthermore, Gao Rui looked like someone who was mature and steady. Why surrender and why now? I pulled out a cig and said, "I need to clear my thoughts first." Guan Zhenglin reached for my box. "I need one to calm down too."


    "A girl shouldn''t smoke." I pped her hand away.


    "You know what, I know you''re a pervert but I never took you as a prude. Give me" Guan Zhenglin swiped a cig from me.


    One cigaretteter, we met Gao Rui inside the interrogation room.


    "So you''re here to surrender to your crime?" I began carefully. Gao Rui gave a long sigh and told me a story. One night, Headmaster Zhang needed Gao Rui to stay back at the school to work on some documents. When Gao Rui returned to the apartment he shared with Wu Jiajia, he realized he left the documents back at school, therefore, he returned to fetch it. Since it was night time, Gao Rui spotted from afar that the lights at the Headmaster''s Office were on. Gao Rui was confused. Headmaster Zhang would have gone home by then. Soon the lights inside the office went off. When Gao Rui reached the school gate, Headmaster Zhang was walking out. The headmaster was casually dressed and most importantly, he was wearing a cap. It made Headmaster Zhang look several ages younger. Gao Rui smiled at Headmaster Zhang but his heart was actually bleeding.


    "Do you know why Headmaster Zhang valued me that much?" Gao Rui asked with a light smile.


    "Because you know about his secrets?" I suggested.


    Gao Rui nced at me. "You are very clever." Gao Rui knew earlier than everyone else about Headmaster Zhang''s perverted activity. Gao Rui knew that Headmaster Zhang would often use his power of authority to rape the new teachers. He knew this because he walked into the crime in action that one time. He intended to expose the man for his sin but the female teacher came to beg him. If he told everyone the truth, then her name would forever be ruined. Gao Rui was sorry for the teacher. She was the victim here but she was the one who had to plead on the rapist''s behalf. Gao Rui came across more and more such incidents but none of the victims was willing to approach the police to expose Headmaster Zhang. Since the victims did nothing, then why should he butt into other people''s business?


    And that was how Gao Rui became Headmaster Zhang''s right hand man. Keep your friend close but enemy closer, that was Headmaster Zhang''s n. Gao Rui silenced his conscience and went along with this arrangement. To be honest, he had taken some advantages with his position too. This continued until a person reappeared in Gao Rui''s life and became his new colleague, that person was naturally Wu Jiajia. Gao Rui and Wu Jiajia came from the same high school, he always treated Wu Jiajia as his own younger sister. With regards to why Headmaster Zhang had hired Wu Jiajia, Gao Rui naturally knew the real reason.


    However, this time, Gao Rui drew the line. He warned Headmaster Zhang that if he dared to make a move on Wu Jiajia, he would expose everything that he knew. He would not let Headmaster Zhang harm his little sister. Headmaster Zhang cowered under Gao Rui''s threat.


    But then, came the incident of the stalker.


    Initially, Gao Rui had no idea the stalker was Headmaster Zhang because he did not think Headmaster Zhang would put his own reputation and future at risk just for a woman. "You know, that night, as I walked from our apartment back to the school," Gao Rui exined slowly, "I came across a note. I saw that it was addressed to the stalker. I read the message and then ced the note back. I wanted to see for myself too, who was the stalker. I nned to head to the building site to catch the stalker after I grab the documents from school."


    I nodded. "Do you know who Zhang Mingliang is?"


    "No." Gao Rui shook his head.


    "It was Zhang Mingliang who left that note for the stalker." I exined. I considered telling Gao Rui about Zhang Mingliang''s love for him but I ultimately decided against it.


    On one hand, Gao Rui despised Headmaster Zhang''s action but on the other hand, he did receive a lot of benefits as Headmaster Zhang''s right hand man. He passed his days in conflict. This time, when he saw Headmaster Zhang leave his office sote at night, Gao Ruimented the poor fate of another female teacher. However, he soon realized something was off about Headmaster Zhang that night. Headmaster Zhang tried to hide it when he saw Gao Rui but thetter noted that Headmaster Zhang was carrying a knife.


    Since Gao Rui was often sent on errands to Headmaster Zhang''s house, he had Headmaster Zhang''s house key and knew his house address. As Headmaster Zhang left the school, Gao Rui stayed at the gates to watch the man''s movement. He knew that Headmaster Gao was not using the road to go back home. Gao Rui decided to follow him. Soon Gao Rui realized Headmaster Zhang was heading towards the abandoned building site, the location where the stalker was supposed to meet with Wu Jiajia''.


    "Headmaster Zhang is the stalker!" Realizing that, Gao Rui was overwhelmed by anger. Headmaster Zhang clearly had been lying to him. Headmaster Zhang had scouted out the building site before because once he arrived, he went to grab a paint bucket and hid the knife inside it. "The bucket contains dog''s blood, not paint." I corrected Gao Rui.


    Then Gao Rui saw someone that gave him the shock of his life. That person was Wu Jiajia. But he was certain that Wu Jiajia was still at home, so how could she be there? There was only one possibility, this was someone who looked very much like Wu Jiajia but was not Wu Jiajia. This "Wu Jiajia" hooked her finger and signalled for Headmaster Zhang to follow her. In the night, the pair headed up the stairs. Gao Rui had no idea what the pair was up to but considering everything that he knew, Gao Rui was scared. Gao Rui knew Headmaster Zhang came with a knife, what could a knife possibly be used for?


    Gao Rui left the site but halfway through, he felt pricked by his conscience and he returned. It was by then around 10.30 pm. Gao Rui knew the duo had not left so he decided to climb the stairs to check up on them. It was then that he was caught in the trap. He was afraid that he had alerted Headmaster Zhang so he struggled to unwind himself from the snare. Ol'' Zhang arrived about that time. We knew Ol'' Zhang assumed that the young person had left the site but in actuality, Gao Rui did not leave the site, he merely hid in the shadows. He watched the stairs closely. Headmaster Zhang was still up there, with a knife A knife, meant to kill.


    Around 11 pm, an object suddenly fell from the sky andnded on the cushion of abandoned construction sand. It made no sound. It was a body, a headless body. Gao Rui''s breath froze, he knew that Headmaster Zhang had justmitted murder.


    At around 11.30 pm, the old man left with the pail.


    At 12 am, Headmaster Zhang came out from the building. Headmaster Zhang was still holding the long knife, its de shimmering in the moonlight. Headmaster Zhang walked towards the sand dune and picked up the body. Gao Rui was on the other side of the dune. Gao Rui saw Headmaster Zhang open the lid of an abandoned well at the building site and dropped the body into it. Then the headmaster climbed down the well as well.


    "Then when did you decide to kill Headmaster Zhang?" Even though Gao Rui was there to surrender his crime, Guan Zhenglin still had trouble believing he was the killer.


    Gao Rui suddenly guffawed before whimpering with tears. "After observing everything, the whole incident became clear to me. The stalker was Headmaster Zhang and he was the one who left the threatening message at Jiajia''s home. He must have mistaken that person for Wu Jiajia and killed her. The body was beheaded and that was exactly what the stalker threatened to do to Jiajia in his letter. Therefore, I came up with a n."

 Chapter 24: Gao Ruis Plan

    Chapter 24: Gao Rui''s n


    Gao Rui firstughed then cried. We are all creatures of conflict, no one is an exception. When we saw someone on the road being beaten, we''d get the yearn to help but we''d also worry about getting beaten up ourselves. When we saw a mugger in action, we thought about crying for him to stop, but we''d be silenced by the dagger he held. When we saw a husband hit his wife, we might hope to stop the violence but we''d be reminded by society to mind our own business. Those who dared to do something were definitely heroes but we shouldn''t me those who did not step forward at the first moment either. They were courageous too, they just needed time to find that courage. At least, they had taken that courageous step in the end.


    For Gao Rui, this problem had troubled him for a very long time. He hated Headmaster Zhang for doing so many nasty things with his power, but at the same time, Gao Rui benefited from that knowledge of Headmaster Zhang''s secret. As Martin Luther King once said, "The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people".


    That night, when the headless body dropped down from the sky, Gao Rui decided not to be silent anymore. He chose not to call the police but to use violence to stop violence. As Gao Rui followed behind Headmaster Zhang, he could see the image of the teary-eyed female teacher who begged him to keep his mouth shut, and the image of Headmaster Zhang sneaking into Wu Jiajia''s room at night to jerk off while he thought she was asleep. Gao Rui followed him down into the well. Headmaster Zhang''s movement was slow because he had to carry a dead weight. It was easy for Gao Rui to follow him. With each step, the determination to murder Headmaster Zhang got firmer. The darkness of the sewer hid not only Headmaster Zhang but also Gao Rui who was silently staring at his prey.


    Tat tat tat. Gao Rui purposely made his footsteps echo against the floor.


    "Who is it?" Headmaster Zhang''s terrified voice came from ahead. But when Headmaster Zhang turned back to look, there was only darkness behind him. The underground sewer seemed to stretch into nothingness.


    Tat tat tat. The sound continued, it formed an echo chamber inside the sewer. Headmaster Zhang''s heart was already at his throat. He put down the headless body and tightened his grip around the knife. He stood where he was and tried to triangte the source of the sound. Headmaster Zhang stayed in that pose for a long time. "Motherfucker!" Headmaster Zhang cursed loudly, "I''ve already killed a person, do you think I''ll be afraid of you?!" With that, Headmaster Zhang headed towards the source of the sound.


    One step, two steps. The sound came from a fork in the sewer. When Headmaster Zhang was a step away from the corner, he stopped. Headmaster Zhang paused to listen but the sound stopped as well. There was 3 minutes of total silence. Headmaster Zhang chuckled to himself, "It was probably a mouse." With that in mind, Headmaster Zhang turned to walk back to the dead body.


    The next moment, a person appeared behind Headmaster Zhang. He was holding a mug. Headmaster Zhang''s knife dropped into the dirty water and eventually so did Headmaster Zhang himself. Gao Rui made sure he killed the man. Using the mug, he smashed into the back of Headmaster Zhang''s head at least 8 times. He only stopped when the handle of the mug snapped. When Headmaster Zhang was hit for the first time, he already fainted. He had no idea who his assant was. Headmaster Zhang''s brain matter and blood sttered all over Gao Rui.


    Energy drained out from Gao Rui, he copsed weakly beside Headmaster Zhang. He then realized how difficult murder actually was. However, he did not regret it. This time Headmaster Zhang had gotten the wrong target, but once he realized his mistake, he might kill again. But now, Headmaster Zhang would never have that chance. Gao Rui sat in the sewer for perhaps only 5 minutes but it felt like a century. He suddenly realized that once the moral weight had been lifted off his shoulders, despite the atrocious condition of his surrounding environment, he had never once felt so at peace with himself. He would no longer torture himself over another person''s moral quandary. He believed he had done the right thing, his conscience was silent.


    Headmaster Zhang had killed the fake Wu Jiajia, that was the undeniable truth. If Headmaster Zhang disappeared from school, then eventually the investigation would turn towards him. Inadvertently people would discover Headmaster Zhang''s real personality and he was the scary stalker who had been threatening Wu Jiajia. The police woulde to the eventual conclusion: Headmaster Zhang had escaped from guilt after killing Wu Jiajia''.


    Gao Rui went through with the n in his mind, as long as Headmaster Zhang was not found, then the case would end up a cold case. Naturally, no one would suspect him, it was perfect. Therefore, Gao Rui carried Headmaster Zhang''s body and went down the sewer. When he reached the end and climbed to the surface, he realized he was already in the countryside. He climbed up the mountain and used Headmaster Zhang''s knife to dig a hole, but since the de was too thin, it was not good at the job. It was gettingte and Gao Rui had to hurry home or else Wu Jiajia might start asking questions. Therefore, Gao Rui had to satisfy himself with a hole big enough to fit Headmaster Zhang''s body. After covering the hole, he dropped the knife at a random location and hurried home. He did not expect Headmaster Zhang''s body to be discovered so soon. Gao Rui knew that once the police found out Headmaster Zhang was murdered, soon the suspicion would fall on him. After all, his fingerprints were all over Headmaster Zhang and the knife. Therefore, he decided to surrender.


    Inside the morgue.


    "Indeed, I found a foreign fingerprint on Headmaster Zhang''s clothes." Guan Zhenglin said, "Afterparison, it is confirmed that they belong to Gao Rui. Furthermore, the marks on Headmaster Zhang''s head match his story. If we can find that mug, I can do furtherparison."


    "Tell the officers to split into 2 teams, one shall go into the sewers to look for that mug and the other up the mountain to look for that knife." I told Xiao Liu. "I want to bring Gao Rui to the building site to meet Ol'' Zhang, to confirm that he was the young person Ol'' Zhang saw that night. We shall split up."


    Gao Rui told me to go to the apartment he shared with Wu Jiajia to take the shirt that he wore that night. Even though he knew that the old guard would have seen him in these clothes and could identify him from it, it was a present from Wu Jiajia and he couldn''t bring himself to throw it away. I sighed and offered, "Do you want toe with? This might be thest chance you get to see each other."


    "Thanks, it''s okay." Gao Rui said softly.


    "Gao Rui asked you toe get a shirt for him?" When I exined my intention for being there, Wu Jiajia looked at me with confusion.


    "Yes, the one you gifted to him." I said with a smile. "I didn''t know I would share so many simr hobbies with him. He''s now ying games at my ce."


    Wu Jiajia sought out the shirt and said with some disappointment, "Now that Headmaster Zhang''s body is found, it''s only a matter of time until his killer is captured. There is no need for us to stay together anymore. So when you see him, tell him toe back home, I have something to discuss with him."


    "Okay." I promised. Indeed, the stalker was already dead, no one would harass Wu Jiajia anymore. Since Gao Rui was a confessed killer, naturally he would be tried byw. However, I couldn''t bring myself to tell Wu Jiajia about that. Her love interest was a killer, and the reason he killed was mainly because of her. How was I going to bring myself to exin that?


    "By the way." I epted the shirt and enquired. "Did Gao Rui return home veryte 5 nights ago?" Wu Jiajia hesitated for a moment as if wondering why I was asking her that. Eventually though, she answered. "Yes, he told me he was only going out for a while but he came home veryte that night. When he reached home, he was wearing this shirt and it was very smelly. He said he identally tripped and fell into a drain. I remembered washing this shirt for him." Looks like Gao Rui was not lying. Everything matched.


    "Okay, I''ll be going then."


    "Alright." Wu Jiajia leaned against the front door, like a wife waiting for her husband to return.


    At the abandoned building site.


    "Ol'' Zhang, can you be sure that this is the young man that you saw that night?" I asked Ol'' Zhang.


    Ol'' Zhang scratched his head. "He does look familiar. How about this, can he repeat his actions that night?" Before I could say anything, Gao Rui already moved to oblige.


    "Yes, yes, yes!" Ol'' Zhang pped his thigh. "He''s the one. His action is simr to what he did that night and he was also wearing this shirt! That''s him alright!"


    I stressed. "You''re sure?"


    Ol'' Zhang nodded. "If I get it wrong, you can dig my eyes out."


    "Bring Gao Rui back to the station then." I told the officer. "I''ll wait for Gu Chen here."


    As I chatted with Ol'' Zhang, I waited for Gu Chen''s team who went down the sewer to search for the missing mug. 1 hourter, Gu Chen surfaced, reeking of horrible smells. He held something in his palm like a prize, it was a mug with a broken handle. "Found it, it was not far from where we found Zhang Mingliang''s body." Gu Chen said, "And I''m not going down there anymore in my lifetime."


    Soon after we returned to the morgue, the knife was found as well. Guan Zhenglin did tests on everything. The knife was indeed used to kill Zhang Mingliang and the mug was the murder weapon which killed Headmaster Zhang. The injuries matched perfectly with the weapons and both of the weapons had Gao Rui''s fingerprints.


    "The motive, timing, evidence and we have a voluntary confession. It''s a m dunk." Guan Zhenglin sat on the stool and stared at the ceiling dumbly. "There can''t be another conclusion! But how can the kind and gentle Teacher Gao be a killer? You''ve seen him in ss before."


    Gu Chen added, "In this year alone, Gao Rui was selected thrice by the students as the most popr teacher. They say he can bring the most boring subject to life"


    I pulled on my hair. "But nothing exins how Headmaster Zhang managed to hide on the 16th floor without leaving any trace. He would be covered in blood after beheading Zhang Mingliang."


    "Headmaster Zhang is already dead." Guan Zhenglin uttered tiredly. "Perhaps he''ll visit you in your dreams tonight to tell you how he did it"

 Chapter 25: I Surrender Too

    Chapter 25: I Surrender Too


    "He is not the killer." Seeing Gao Rui who was pushed into the car like a criminal, I mumbled to myself. When Guan Zhenglin heard me, she scoffed. "Wu Meng, you really are schizophrenic. Yesterday, you were telling us that Gao Rui is suspicious. He came to surrender and now you are iming he''s not the killer? Are you suffering from fever?"


    "Stop it." I swatted away her hand that reached over to test my temperature. "If Gao Ruo didn''te to surrender, then it would have made more sense, but the fact that he did makes me feel something''s not right. Furthermore, there are still many unanswered questions."


    Gu Chen looked at me and Guan Zhenglin. "If Gao Rui is not the killer, how do you exin his intimate knowledge of the crimes'' details? Both physical evidence and witness testimony prove that Gao Rui is the killer. You''re not going to reopen the case, are you?" Honestly my mind was abuzz, it was like a colony of flies was inside there.


    "Wu Meng, we''ll bring the man to the station now." An officer told me from afar. "You guys better close the case, what are you still waiting for?" Sighing, I walked towards the car. Through the open window, I looked at Gao Rui and Gao Rui stared back at me.


    "It''s really you?" I asked.


    "It''s really me." He answered.


    I shook my head. "I don''t understand why you''d do this. Since you have witnessed Headmaster Zhang kill a person, you could have easily reported him to the police and he''ll be punished by thew. Why do you need to take matters into your own hands?"


    Gao Ruiughed. "Headmaster Zhang might be amon man but Yu Cai High School is not amon school. Many powerful individuals send their sons and daughters to study here. Even if Headmaster Zhang was reported, a case might not be made against him. Do you understand why?"


    Of course I did. "You''re too pessimistic, the world is not as unfair as you think."


    A sigh.


    "By the way, what about your girlfriend?" I changed the subject.


    Gao Rui shook his head. "I broke up with her. I can''t have her waste her future on me, can I? So I told her I''ve found someone else. Poor Wu Jiajia was my scapegoat." The irony was Wu Jiajia did love Gao Rui. Who knew how Wu Jiajia would react after she found out about this. Following this thread, I asked, "By the way, Wu Jiajia wanted me to tell you that she has something to discuss with you. If you have that intention, I can arrange a final meeting for you."


    "That won''t be necessary." Gao Rui stretchedzily. "I don''t know why you''re still wasting your time with me. I''m not your friend or anything. In any case, there are too many unfair people in this world, I hope you''re not one of them." Seeing the police cruiser speed away, an annoyance rose within me. "Let''s contact Gao Rui''s family and people at Yu Cai High School." I closed my eyes and rubbed my temples. However, as the news reached Wu Jiajia, the case started to crack open again.


    When Wu Jiajia appeared before us, her eyes were red, clearly she had been crying. "You''re telling me Gao Rui is the killer?! Impossible, you got the wrong person!" Wu Jiajia was emotionally distraught. Guan Zhenglin held her hand soothingly, "Sister Jiajia, I know how shocking this news must be to you but that is the truth. Gao Rui has confessed to the crime and all the evidence matches. We do not wish to do this but''


    "No, Gao Rui cannot be the killer." Wu Jiajia slid to the floor and she started to cry. "Because it was me who killed Headmaster Zhang!" Everyone turned to look at her. Guan Zhenglin knelt down to the ground and pulled on Wu Jiajia''s arm. "Sister Jiajia, this is not a joking matter."


    "I''m not joking, I did kill the man." Wu Jiajia said between tears. And so we were given another version of the story. This happened 10 days ago. By then, Wu Jiajia had been interning at the school for more than a month already, she felt it was the best month she had ever had in her life. She learned many things here, like how to deal with students and so on. Headmaster Zhang was very kind to her, he often called her to his office to enquire after her internship. Headmaster Zhang was an elder over 50. Yes, he had a pair of wandering hands but Wu Jiajia assumed that they were just unsteady hands caused by old age. But one day, everything changed.


    It was a Friday night. It was already over 10 pm when the students were done with night revision. The sky was dark. Wu Jiajia was ready to leave school and head home. At the time, Wu Jiajia was still living alone.


    "So Gao Rui hasn''t lived with you for that long?" I couldn''t believe I had forgotten about that.


    "Yes, he''s only living with me for about a week." Wu Jiajia answered.


    Coincidentally, Wu Jiajia ran into Headmaster Zhang when she was heading home. Headmaster Zhang greeted her with a smile, "Oh, it''s Xiao Hu. This is such a coincidence. How about this, do you minding over to my ce? I have a document that I need you to help me finish. I need itpleted by Monday. If you can do that, I''ll make your posting here official." Wu Jiajia had no reason to suspect the kind headmaster of ulterior motives. After all, he had always been professional and caring towards her. This became a night that she would never forget because her life was forever changed by it.


    Wu Jiajia followed Headmaster Zhang to his bungalow home. She rememberedplimenting him on his garden. "Wow, Headmaster Zhang, you have such green fingers. There are so many nts in your back garden."


    "Oh, it''s just a small hobby of mine." Headmaster Zhang smiled. Headmaster Zhang handed Wu Jiajia the document and he sat beside her. Headmaster Zhang exined the use one by one to Wu Jiajia, they sat closer and closer. Wu Jiajia could even feel the headmaster''s breath falling on her neck. It was already night time but it was curiously humid and hot inside the house.


    "Xiao Wu, see how sweaty you are. I''ll grab you a ss of water." Headmaster Zhang observed understandingly. Wu Jiajia epted the ss of water. Headmaster Zhang continued to exin the words on the document but Wu Jiajia only felt her body getting hotter. She sweated even more and she burned from inside. Headmaster Zhang leaned closer to her. Slowly she felt a pair of hands massaging her inner thighs. Headmaster Zhang blew into her ears, causing her body to shiver in goosebumps.


    "I, I think I aming down with a fever." Wu Jiajia said weakly.


    "Then, I better take you to the bedroom for you to lie down." Wu Jiajia felt herself being carried and then her clothes being removed. Before her consciousness faded, Wu Jiajia saw Headmaster Zhang remove his pants.


    When Wu Jiajia woke up the next day, she finally understood what happened. She looked at her naked body and then at the man beside her. She was raped by that schrly Headmaster Zhang. There was rape drug in that ss of water. She cried and screamed, "You, I''ll report you to the police. You bastard!"


    With a grin, Headmaster Zhang took out a USB drive and said evenly. "Are you sure you want to do that? You were begging me to fuck you ording to this video. Feel free to call the police but be mindful of the consequences. If your family finds out about this, your life will be over."


    Wu Jiajia crumbled in bed and she wept silently.


    "But don''t worry, Jiajia, I will take full responsibility." Headmaster Zhang said charmingly. "I did promise that I will offer you a permanent job, didn''t I?" Wu Jiajia nodded.


    "Come over here, Jiajia. Let me love you some more. Soon you''ll see that you should be thankful to be given this opportunity." Wu Jiajia sauntered over like a soulless puppet. Headmaster Zhang pulled Wu Jiajia into a rough hug and his tongue swirled around Wu Jiajia''s nipple.


    The next moment, blood sttered everywhere. Wu Jiajia picked up a mug, the very ss that Headmaster Zhang offered her the night before. She only swung once and Headmaster Zhang already stopped moving. But Wu Jiajia did not stop. She swung and swung. She hit 6 more times, until the handle of the mug broke and Headmaster Zhang''s head caved in. After Wu Jiajia put on her clothes, she buried Headmaster Zhang''s body in the back garden.


    "So, you''re telling me Headmaster Zhang died 10 days ago?" I asked with a frown.


    "But" Guan Zhenglin was about to say something but I stopped her. I knew what Guan Zhenglin was going to ask, based on her report, Headmaster Zhang died 5 days ago but Wu Jiajia imed that she killed him 10 days ago, a man couldn''t die twice, so basically Wu Jiajia had to be lying but in that case, how did she know that it was a mug that killed Headmaster Zhang? Gao Rui wouldn''t have told Wu Jiajia that, would he?


    As if sensing our disbelief, Wu Jiajia squeezed out the following, "Because of that, I''m not a virgin anymore. We can go to the hospital to check now!" So Wu Jiajia indeed lied to me when I asked her whether Headmaster Zhang had taken advantage of her that day. However, whether Wu Jiajia was a virgin or not proved nothing Nevertheless, it did remind me of a question I had several days ago. I asked. "Jiajia, this might be ufortable for you but I need you to be honest with me, okay?" Wu Jiajia nodded.


    "When Headmaster Zhang raped you, was he wearing a condom?" I asked.


    "Yes." Wu Jiajia said.


    "Then did you bring the condom with you when you left?"


    Wu Jiajia shook her head. "I just killed someone, I was so flustered that I forgot to even take the USB drive or the mug with me."


    "In other words, when you buried Headmaster Zhang, he was naked?" I asked.


    Wu Jiajia nodded. "When I woke up that morning, he was not dressed, yes."


    "What does that mug look like?" Finally, I asked the most crucial question.


    Wu Jiajia pictured it for a while and then said, "It was a white mug. It has a letter Z. I remembermenting on it. Headmaster Zhang said the Z was for Zhang, it was a gift from his daughter."


    "Which part of the back garden did you bury him in?" I pressed.


    "Haven''t you found the body?" Wu Jiajia frowned. "Then you should already know the location. It''s hard for me to describe without a map or being there in person"

 Chapter 26: The Boys on the Field

    Chapter 26: The Boys on the FieldWe were currently standing in Headmaster Zhang''s back garden. Half of the garden was tiled and the other half was soil. There were some scattered bushes in the yard, most of the flowers were already dead and wilting. It had not been taken care of in quite some time. Wu Jiajia took a deep breath and pointed at a corner south-western of the plot. I used my finger to dig away the surfaceyer, pinch a small soil sample from underneath and ced it in my mouth. This was another trick taught to me when I was still young. Based on the soil''s taste and moisture, you could tell whether the ground had been tampered with or not. While I was tasting the soil, I saw Guan Zhenglin stuffed a steel shovel into the ground."Fuck, why didn''t you say you have a shovel with you?" I groaned."You didn''t ask." Guan Zhenglin shrugged like this was not her problem. I sighed. "Save your energy. The soil underneath the ground is loose and of a more granr statepared to the soil on the surface. Plus, I also tasted root fibers. That means that this patch ofnd has been worked on recently."Guan Zhenglin folded the shovel over itself and reced it inside the toolbox. "Not bad. Looks like I don''t need to bring any tools with me in the future, we already have you.""But that means" Gu Chen looked at us and then at Wu Jiajia who stood beside him. It proved that the soil here had been tampered but whether it was genuine garden work or it was to bury a person, that was unclear. We found a tray in Headmaster Zhang''s kitchen but there was no mug. "The set of mugs sat on this tray. There''s another one with a letter W, meant to represent Headmaster Zhang''s loved one." Wu Jiajia stared at the empty tray and mumbled dumbly, "But there''s nothing here. But I remember him drinking from it. Where are those mugs now?" Wu Jiajia turned to look at us and we looked back at Wu Jiajia.Where were the mugs? Clearly they had been taken from the scene. The clues started to connect in my mind but there were a few that still eluded me. I pulled on my hair and plopped myself down on the couch where Headmaster Zhang once sat. When one was alive, everyone hoped that they''d die; but when they died, everyone hoped that they woulde back alive. The dead body might only be nothing more than a tool.Back at the office."Gu Chen, I need you to go and investigate Gao Rui''s long-distance girlfriend." I told Gu Chen. "Get it done in one day, I want to know everything between her and Gao Rui, no details are too small.""On it." Gu Chen nodded."Xiao Liu, I need you to bring some officers with you to find the main doctor who performed the surgery on Zhang Mingliang." I turned to Xiao Liu. "Desperate time calls for desperate measures. Get him to hand over all the documents rted to Zhang Mingliang''s surgeries, can you do that?"Xiao Liu grinned and said, "You know I am best with desperate measures, right?"After Gu Chen and Xiao Liu left with a team of their own, only Guan Zhenglin and I were left in the office."Then what about me?" Guan Zhenglin pointed at herself."I need you to answer this question for me." I told her. "How to make it look like someone who had died 10 days ago appear like he had perished only 5 days ago. You''re a coroner, you should be able to do that, yes?"Guan Zhenglin scratched her chin and stared at me. "Have you found any concrete proof? You''re certain that Sister Jiajia is the actual killer?""I think so." I nodded as I made to leave the office. Guan Zhenglin used her body to block the door. "Where are you going? How can Sister Jiajia be the killer? If you can answer all of my questions, only then I''ll let you go!" It was clear that Guan Zhenglin had bonded with Wu Jiajia. Humans were emotional creatures and these emotions could sometimes cloud our judgement."Okay, shoot.""Headmaster Zhang''s time of death was 5 days ago!" Guan Zhenglin extended her first finger. "I''ve checked."I shook my head and closed her finger back up. "Then check again. I believe someone in this case is brilliant enough to manipte Headmaster Zhang''s time of death. You''re a coroner, you should be more sensitive to this than I do. So I need you to redo the autopsy on the dead body and do not miss out on any detail."Guan Zhenglin nodded. "That is indeed possible, I''ll give you that. Then how do you exin the stalker activities on Wu Jiajia, the red warning paint on the wall and the threatening letter if Headmaster Zhang had died 10 days ago?""Because they were not Headmaster Zhang''s doing in the first ce!" I said confidently. "The stalker was never Headmaster Zhang to begin with. I took a sniff at the undergarments inside Headmaster Zhang''s closet. Other than the ones belonging to Wu Jiajia, the rest are brand new! Those were nted there! Furthermore, we did have confirmation from the other female teachers that none of them has lost any personal effects."Guan Zhenglin frowned as if trying to think back to that day. "But who would have nted the undergarment there if it was not Headmaster Zhang? This person would have to have the key to Headmaster Zhang''s ce. The thief wouldn''t have" At this point, Guan Zhenglin stopped. I believed it had already dawned on Guan Zhenglin who was this person who could enter Headmaster Zhang''s ce freely. Guan Zhenglin ced one hand on her forehead and the other was used to support herself against the wall. She thought about it for a while before saying, "You mean it was Gao Rui who nted the undergarment inside Headmaster Zhang''s closet? Gao Rui is the stalker? But Gao Rui was already living together with Wu Jiajia, why would he stalk her?""Easy, because he is not the stalker." I said evenly."Then who the hell is the stalker?" Guan Zhenglin demanded with exasperation. I moved Guan Zhenglin away from the door and started to head out. "If my suspicion is not wrong, that stalker should be Zhang Mingliang.""But Zhang Mingliang was only stalking Gao Rui. At the time, Gao Rui hadn''t moved in with Wu Jiajia yet so why would Wu Jiajia say that she has been stalked?" Guan Zhenglin finally caught the loophole in my exnation. "That doesn''t make sense. How are you going to exin that?"I shrugged and opened my arms. "That''s why I''m going out to verify that. After you''re done with the task I''ve given you, the truth should be out already.""You really think Sister Jiajia is the killer? She faked the crime scene and her story because she is in love with Gao Rui and doesn''t want him to go to jail!" Guan Zhenglin stressed.I sighed. "She literally came moments after Gao Rui was captured. How could she have faked the crime scene in such a short amount of time? If anything, perhaps the reality is the exact opposite of what you''ve described. Her version of the story makes perfect sense while Gao Rui''s version has one big problem. There are only blood traces on the 15th floor, there are none on the floors above that and the only footsteps on the staircase belong to Ol'' Zhang so how did the killer leave the crime scene?"Guan Zhenglin thought about it and answered, "Perhaps Ol'' Zhang didn''t check the ce as detailed as he thought, maybe the killer was hiding below the 15th floor. Or it was Ol'' Zhang who killed Zhang Mingliang!""Now why would Ol'' Zhang do that? Furthermore, haven''t you and Gu Chen inspected the building site yourselves? There are no other blood traces on the other floors. There can only be one possibility no matter how absurd it might be." I said softly."What possibility?" Guan Zhenglin asked.I walked out and turned back to say, "I''ll tell you after I confirm something."When the moon rose to the sky, I arrived at Gao Rui''s hometown. At Fourth High School where Gao Rui studied, I finally found the answer. Gao Rui''s retired ss teacher was now an old woman in her 60s. She shared with me a secret that she had hidden inside her for 8 years.8 years ago, she still hadn''t retired. As an olddy in her 50s, she liked toe to the school field for a walk after the student''s night revision even though it''d be almost 11 pm by then. Her husband advised her to take an early retirement, the work of a teacher wasn''t easy. She said since she still had her faculties, why should she retire early. The real reason though was she''d miss her students. This was the 10th batch of students she taught. When she was around them, she''d feel younger.This will be thest batch.'' Her official retirement would being next year. That was what she thought as she walked towards the field. Then she heard a rustling. As a high school teacher, she was familiar with teenage antics. She knew sometimes young couples woulde to the field to meet after revision. As long as they did not do anything too over the line, she would pretend not to see anything. She moved behind a tree and it was then that she caught sight of the offending couple. She recognized one of the couple as a student from her ss but she couldn''t recognize the other one.It was two boys.The clouds were thick and the moon dim. Suddenly the student from her ss knelt down to the ground before the other. Bullying, that was the teacher''s first reaction. But what happened next stunned this woman over 50. The student pulled down the other man''s zipper, yanked out the penis and ced it into his mouth. The male student from her ss was performing fetio on the other young man. She thought about announcing herself to stop this but her mouth was dry and her legs leaden. She watched dumbly as her own student wiped at the corner of his mouth. Then she heard him say, "I want to be with you forever, I can do anything for you."The other person though pushed him roughly away and said, "What''s the problem with you? I''ve already told you, this is thest time. I''m not gay. Forget about everything that happened in the past, that was because we were too young. How could you possibly think that two men could spend their lives together? This will be thest time I''m seeing you, I won''t return to this city ever again. Even if you threaten to die for me, it won''t change anything, do you understand?" The other person''s voice was heavy with fraying emotions. "We can never ever be together! What will make you understand that?!""Zhang Mingliang, I am willing to do anything for you, even if you want me to die for you!" The male student''s scream echoed around the field. The other young man did not respond and immediately disappeared into the night, worried that the shout had attracted the attention of the guards.The male student who was stranded alone at the field was Gao Rui.

 Chapter 27: Brothers for Life

    Chapter 27: Brothers for Life


    The next morning, Xiao Liu and Gu Chen returned. Gu Chen scratched his moustache and said, "Gao Rui''s so-called girlfriend is a fake. Gao Rui gave 5000 RMB to a woman to call and pretend to be his girlfriend every night. He came up with the phone content himself, which was to argue for a breakup. The woman was actually a middle-aged woman in her forties. When we found her and identified ourselves, she told us everything." At this point, Gu Chen sighed with disbelief. "This arrangement started about 1 week ago. If Gao Rui didn''t give her 2000 RMB as an advance, she would have thought Gao Rui was crazy."


    Hearing the mention of 1 week, Xiao Liu chimed in, "That is such a coincidence. I did some digging around at the hospital and I managed to get the doctor to tell me the real truth about Zhang Mingliang. Actually he did the surgery on Zhang Mingliang only 1 week ago. When you went to see him for the first time, he had lied to you." Xiao Liu sat on the couch and shook his head. "The reason he lied was because Zhang Mingliang had given him 10000 RMB under the table to speed up the surgery. Gender reassignment surgery normally requires at least a month of observation and preparation period but the doctor bowed before the lure of money.


    "There''s one more thing that confused the doctor too. Normally people who undergo this surgery would go for permanence but Zhang Mingliang wanted everything done quickly. He went for the quickest and not the stablest options, which is very unusual in such cases."


    I snapped my fingers and told the two. "Now we only need to confirm one thing and we''ll have the truth."


    "What is it?" The two of them asked.


    "How to dy the time of death of a dead body by 5 days." Through the office window, we looked at the lights which were still on in the morgue. One hourter, Guan Zhenglin entered the office with an ashen face.


    "So?" I asked. Even though I have already strung all the clues together in my mind, this was still the most important one. If Guan Zhenglin couldn''t confirm the body''s actual time of death, then everything I had was supposition and no proof. Guan Zhenglin nced at me and uttered with some frustration, "Fine, I was tricked. Someone has done careful instion on the body so I misjudged the time of death. The heavy dposition didn''t help. The conclusion I madest time was in close corrtion to Zhang Mingliang''s body and his time of death. I went in with a fixed perspective, I shouldn''t have done that." Guan Zhenglin''s index finger twirled circles before her. "I really didn''t expect someone would be so clever"


    I reached out and knocked on her head. "That was your punishment. Now you believe me? Gao Rui couldn''t have killed someone who is already dead. Gao Rui is the one behind everything else."


    "But Gao Rui only did all those things to protect Sister Jiajia." Guan Zhenglin sighed and then threw punches on the back of the couch. "This is all Headmaster Zhang''s fault. If someone hase out to expose him, then Sister Jiajia would not be raped and she wouldn''t end up killing him." However, there was no if''s in this world and Guan Zhenglin got it wrong.


    "Go and get both Gao Rui and Wu Jiajia. ce them inside the same interrogation room, I have a story to tell them." I said slowly. Gao Rui and Wu Jiajia finally met, this was the first time they saw each other after Gao Rui surrendered himself to the police. The moment Wu Jiajiaid her eyes on Gao Rui, tears flowed freely out of her eyes. "Why would you do this? I was the one who killed him, why would you take the fall on my behalf? You''ll take the needle if you''re convicted, you know? How can you be so stupid? A woman like myself doesn''t deserve someone like you." Wu Jiajia said between sobs.


    Gao Rui looked at Wu Jiajia, no, more like he red at her. "I like you, Gao Rui, no, I love you!" Wu Jiajia proimed loudly. Strangely enough, people would only say the real thoughts in their minds at the veryst possible moment. It was like they couldn''t bring themselves to say these things unless the circumstances were dire enough. What was so hard about confessing your love? They had to wait until it was toote then they''d do something about it.


    In truth though, Gao Rui might not have done any of these for Wu Jiajia. Wu Jiajia silently loved Gao Rui for 8 long years and that was her 8 years wasted. If she could have picked up her courage earlier, then she wouldn''t have found herself in this awkward position.


    Gao Rui''s lips shivered. His eyes were huge and his whole body shook. "I hate you." Why would a man who had surrendered himself to save her from jailtime and possibly the death penalty say something like that?


    "But if I didn''t confess my crime, you''d die. How could I let you ruin your life while I go on living freely?" Wu Jiajia''s voice was hoarse from crying. "I can''t be that selfish." Wu Jiajia had gotten it totally wrong. Gao Rui was not doing all these for her. Gao Rui scoffed. "I hate you, I regret not killing you sooner. If I could have summoned the courage to kill you, then the rest of the tragedy wouldn''t have happened. You despicable, disgusting bitch!"


    Other than myself, everyone inside the interrogation room was shocked, especially Wu Jiajia and Guan Zhenglin. Their mouths fell open as they stared at Gao Rui. Did they just hear the gentlemanly Teacher Gao, who was voted the most famous staff at Yu Cai High School curse and mock his supposed lover?


    "What, what did you say?" Wu Jiajia immediately stopped crying. She looked at Gao Rui with disbelief.


    "I said," With a horrid expression, Gao Rui squeezed out the word one by one from between his teeth. "I should have killed you, tortured you, dismembered you earlier. You fucking bitch!"


    "If you hate Sister Jiajia that much, why did youe to surrender on her behalf?!" Guan Zhenglin couldn''t believe it.


    I tapped on the table to get everyone''s attention. "Because Gao Rui was looking for death. Truth be told, the whole n was not even Gao Rui''s n, it was Zhang Mingliang''s n. I believe the only thing that Gao Rui changed in the n was surrendering himself to the police."


    The story had to be told from a long time ago. Zhang Mingliang was afraid that Gao Rui''s shout had alerted the guard so he disappeared down the other side of the field and imed that he would never return. However, Gao Rui had never given up the hope of reconnecting with Zhang Mingliang.


    Gao Rui was handsome, good at his studies and frequented the gym. Naturally he had the attention of many female friends, Wu Jiajia was one of them. The other teachers were worried that Gao Rui''s studies might be affected due to the attention from the female students but Gao Rui''s ss teacher told them not to worry. She knew that Gao Rui would not fall for any of the girls. The other teachers assumed Gao Rui''s ss teacher was being liberal, what they didn''t know was the fact that the ss teacher knew about Gao Rui''s sexual orientation.


    When the students applied for university, to everyone''s surprise, Gao Rui opted for a less than ster university. After all, with Gao Rui''s result, he could have easily entered a prestigious university. Gao Rui told Wu Jiajia he got the application form wrong but the truth was, Gao Rui applied for that school because Zhang Mingliang was going there as well.


    However, 3 years had to pass before Zhang Mingliang would meet Gao Rui again. Zhang Mingliang was quite nervous but Gao Rui was very open about it. Gao Rui said, "This is such a coincidence. We''ve not seen each other for 3 years already, right?"


    By then Gao Rui had learned how to hide his feelings deep inside his heart. During one of their drinking sessions, Gao Rui pretended to be drunk and brought up the past. He imed that he was being too juvenile back then and hoped that Zhang Mingliang would forget about everything. Let those secrets remain in the past. They drank through the night. With Zhang Mingliang beside him, Gao Ruiughed andughed but internally he was crying. He learned thenughter could be faked.


    From then on, Zhang Mingliang and Gao Rui became good brothers.


    "Who is this girl? She''s delectable." One day, Zhang Mingliang saw a picture on Gao Rui''s social media.


    "This one? Her name is Wu Jiajia." Gao Rui clicked on the picture. "She used to be from the same high school as me but now she''s studying at a different university."


    Zhang Mingliang shook his head and said, "Gao Rui, this Wu Jiajia is pretty and popr. She is a living goddess. She wouldn''t bat an eye at people like us." Gao Rui did not say anything. Zhang Mingliang did not know that if Gao Rui was willing, this living goddess in Zhang Mingliang''s eyes would instantly be his girlfriend but Gao Rui did not do that because in Gao Rui''s heart, no girl wasparable to Zhang Mingliang.


    To have a shared topic with Zhang Mingliang, Gao Rui purposely kept contact with Wu Jiajia. He would ask for intimate shots from Wu Jiajia to show Zhang Mingliang. Zhang Mingliang salivated over the pictures and often jerked off to them. If not for Zhang Mingliang, Gao Rui would have already disappeared from Wu Jiajia''s life.


    4 years passed and they both graduated. Zhang Mingliang moved to this new city and found a job in sales. His monthly sry was 2000 RMB. Gao Rui followed him to this city and used his own brilliance to pass the interview test for Yu Cai High School. Then due to the incident with Headmaster Zhang, his monthly sry plus bonus would easily go over 8000 RMB.


    "Dude, if not for me, you''d be rotting out on the streets. And you''re living here rent-free, shouldn''t you do something to thank me?" Gao Rui told Zhang Mingliang. The hint was quite obvious.


    "Well, from now on, we''ll be brothers for life!" Zhang Mingliang grinned.


    Since we can''t be lovers for life, I''d settle for brothers for life. At least I''ll always be beside you,'' Gao Rui thought sweetly to himself.


    However, that arrangement was rocked 3 yearster. A postgraduate student came to this city and became Gao Rui''s colleague. Because of that, she also entered Zhang Mingliang''s life. That person was Wu Jiajia.


    "I have no car and no house, no one will want someone like me." Zhang Mingliangmented while he assigned a task for Gao Rui. He wanted Gao Rui to take candid pictures of Wu Jiajia and if he could get her undergarments, it would be even more perfect. Zhang Mingliang had been jerking off to her picture but the freshness had worn off. "You''re colleagues with her, right? And I know that she is very close to you."


    Blinded by his own love, Gao Rui sneaked into Wu Jiajia''s apartment and stole one of Wu Jiajia''s panties to satisfy Zhang Mingliang''s lust. Like how Wu Jiajia would do anything to satisfy Gao Rui, Gao Rui would do anything to satisfy Zhang Mingliang. He did this again and again just to get on Zhang Mingliang''s good side.


    After she couldn''t stand the harassment anymore, Wu Jiajia moved. Only Headmaster Zhang and Gao Rui knew about her new address.


    One night, Zhang Mingliang appeared at Wu Jiajia''s bedside and used Wu Jiajia''s panty to satisfy himself. The key, he got from Gao Rui. When Wu Jiajia moved to the new ce, she gave Gao Rui a copy of her key. She said she lost her key too often and needed a trustworthy friend to keep one copy for her. And that key found its way to Zhang Mingliang.

 Chapter 28: One Life for One Life

    Chapter 28: One Life for One Life


    Gao Rui had never changed, his heart still belonged to Zhang Mingliang. A man fell in love with another man but the other man was not gay. Seeing his beloved slowly falling into the clutches of lust, Gao Rui''s heart bled. But he once promised he would do anything for Zhang Mingliang and that was what he did, he even considered drugging Wu Jiajia so that he could give her to Zhang Mingliang. However, he did not. He was jealous and he hated himself. He was doomed to forever be out of reach from his true love because he had one extra appendage than Wu Jiajia? Gao Rui hated himself but he hated Wu Jiajia even more.


    When Zhang Mingliang would stroke himself to Wu Jiajia''s picture, Gao Rui would think about giving his brother a helping hand but he stopped himself. Because he was afraid of the possible loss. The feeling of being abandoned that night was still suffocating whenever Gao Rui thought about it. Gao Rui had a fear of darkness ever since that day, but for Zhang Mingliang, Gao Rui had ovee that fear. His love was one that could only bloom in the cover of the night.


    Zhang Mingliang became a pervert, a stalker. Gao Rui couldn''t understand what was so special about Wu Jiajia that she had charmed Zhang Mingliang so. It was a hot and humid night, one that Gao Rui would never forget. That night Wu Jiajia was raped by Headmaster Zhang and the next morning, Wu Jiajia killed Headmaster Zhang. That morning, Gao Rui was supposed to deliver a document to Headmaster Zhang''s home. Actually Gao Rui had never warned Headmaster Zhang away from Wu Jiajia, if anything, Gao Rui was hoping that Headmaster Zhang would ruin her as permanently as possible. In Gao Rui''s eyes, Wu Jiajia was a bitch who practiced some kind of dark magic to charm his love away from him. Gao Rui prayed night and day that Headmaster Zhang would rape Wu Jiajia. That way her life would be ruined and maybe Zhang Mingliang wouldn''t be so charmed by her anymore. Headmaster Zhang did rise to the asion but he definitely did not expect Wu Jiajia to kill him.


    When Gao Rui arrived at Headmaster Zhang''s ce, the man was already missing. The bedroom was covered in blood. There was a bloody mug and a USB drive. Gao Rui looked around thepound and soon discovered Headmaster Zhang''s body. Wu Jiajia did not do a good job of burying him. Gao Rui checked the files inside the USB drive, and saw thetest video was Headmaster Zhang having sex with Wu Jiajia. Gao Rui was overjoyed, he understood immediately what had happened. Headmaster Zhang raped Wu Jiajia and thetter retaliated by killing him. If he called the police, Wu Jiajia would be jailed and she would forever be eliminated from Zhang Mingliang''s life. Life would return back to normal just like how it was before the bitch entered the picture.


    He called Zhang Mingliang to the scene. He told Zhang Mingliang what happened. Zhang Mingliang said, "You are a biology teacher, you would know how to dismember a body without leaving any trace! So, I need you to go do that and keep it preserved!"


    "But why" Gao Rui was confused.


    "Just do what I ordered! Do you hear me?" Zhang Mingliang shouted harshly at his brother. After Gao Rui dealt with the body and returned to Headmaster Zhang''s home, he saw that everything was back to its original ces. The hole in the back garden was filled, the blood, the mug and even the USB drive was gone. Every piece of evidence that could prove Wu Jiajia was the killer had disappeared.


    "What did you do?" Gao Rui hissed through his teeth. "Headmaster Zhang is the headmaster of a prestigious school, people will soon notice his disappearance and then they wille here. No matter how hard you wipe away the blood, they will react to luminol."


    Zhang Mingliang chuckled. "You''re not the only clever one, you know. Did you forget my major was in chemistry? I''ve doused the floor with bleach. When the whole floor gets lit up by luminol, it will hide traces of blood."


    "But wouldn''t that make things even more suspicious?" Gao Rui said angrily, "Why would someone bleach their floor? The police are not dumb, you know."


    "Therefore, I''vee up with a n and I need your help!" Zhang Mingliang grinned. And thus, Zhang Mingliang initiated his crazy n that night.


    A few nights ago, Zhang Mingliang sneaked into Wu Jiajia''s bedroom and that seriously shook Wu Jiajia''s sense of security. Zhang Mingliang heard from Gao Rui that Wu Jiajia was asking him to move in with her for protection. Gao Rui had been holding her off but now Zhang Mingliang told Gao Rui to agree to it. While Gao Rui was staying there, he would have to steal a few unwashed undergarments from Wu Jiajia and take a lot of sneaky pictures of her.


    With the key to Headmaster Zhang''s home, Zhang Mingliang nted Wu Jiajia''s undergarments with some others inside Headmaster Zhang''s bedroom closet. Then, Zhang Mingliang bought a new USB drive and filled them with sneaky pictures of Wu Jiajia as well as other pictures from the female staff at Yu Cai High School. Now he needed to find an incriminating ce to nt it. Since Gao Rui knew Headmaster Zhang''s biggest secret, the other smaller secrets like the code to the safety box at his office were essible to him as well. And that was where Zhang Mingliang decided to ce the USB drive.


    After he was done with all that, Zhang Mingliang started to call to harass Wu Jiajia. He told her that he would take action if she continued to share a room with another man. He had Gao Rui write down the warning, Don''t force me'' on their apartment wall. Since Gao Rui was literally staying in that apartment, this was easily done. Gao Rui was told to mimic Headmaster Zhang''s handwriting. It would be hard to mimic the man''s handwriting for a whole paragraph but three words were nothing.


    Wu Jiajia cooperated fully by calling the police and took the picture down as evidence. Then Zhang Mingliang manufactured a threatening letter and sent it to Wu Jiajia, One day, I will rape you and then cut off your head and write with it.'' They used letter cutouts from newspapers and magazines this time because the handwriting would be too hard to mimic for a full letter.


    Then, Zhang Mingliang did something that Gao Rui would never have expected. Zhang Mingliang went for gender-reassignment surgery and changed himself to look like Wu Jiajia. Zhang Mingliang typed out the word documents regarding his struggles to be a woman and left them on hisputer. Zhang Mingliang''s parents were already dead so there was no one there to contradict him. However, some evidence did contradict him. When we visited Zhang Mingliang''s home, Mary yed lesbian porn on hisputer. Statistics showed that lesbian porn''s main target was straight male. Furthermore, when I checked his bookshelf, I noticed the romance novels were the least read among the other books. Plus, there was also the sports channel. However, since Guan Zhenglin said that a trans person''s sexual orientation could go both ways, I didn''t think much of it.


    In any case, the fake evidence left behind by Zhang Mingliang had severely misdirected the focus of the investigation. Zhang Mingliang made us believe that there were 2 stalkers, Zhang Mingliang stalking Gao Rui and Headmaster Zhang stalking Wu Jiajia. But in reality, he was the only stalker. Headmaster Zhang had many sins but stalking was not one of them.


    Eventually, someone would discover Headmaster Zhang''s disappearance. When they opened the closet at Headmaster Zhang''s home, the fact that Headmaster Zhang was a pervert would be discovered, a fact that was not helped by Headmaster Zhang''s history. After Headmaster Zhang''s dirtyundry was exposed, it would not be that much of a jump to turn the serial rapist into a stalker and pervert who would steal people''s undergarments.


    Then came the central and most genius part of Zhang Mingliang''s na suicide.


    From Zhang Mingliang''s fake note, we drew the conclusion that Zhang Mingliang should know his killer and that person had to be Headmaster Zhang. Following that would be the realization that Headmaster Zhang was the stalker who threatened Wu Jiajia but he killed the wrong person. After all, Zhang Mingliang died in the same way as described in the letter.


    In reality though, Zhang Mingliang headed up the building alone. He grabbed Ol'' Zhang''s pail of dog blood because he needed it to make a device, one that could help him kill himself, something modelled after a Chinese guillotine. Zhang Mingliang used the pail of blood as weight to keep the knife standing, de side up. He set up the device along the edge of the window, the hilt on the ledge and the de poking out into the air. When all the preparation was done, Zhang Mingliang stood on the other side of the window ledge. He made sure to fall with his neck aligning with the de of the knife. Zhang Mingliang had to lean outwards to hit the knife so his body would fall down out from the 15th floor. He probably expected his head to fall out the window as well but energy rebounded it back into the building.


    Due to the theory of energy preservation, when Zhang Mingliangnded on the device, the impact would tip the pail over and ssh the dog blood everywhere. That exined why there was so much blood on the ground. The knife was pulled along by the greater weight of his body and dropped through the air.


    Of course, before doing all these, Zhang Mingliang had to make sure that his suicide look like a homicide. He reached his head into the pail with dog blood and drenched his hair in it. Then he wrote on the wall moving his head around. That was why the handwriting was so hard to understand.


    Other than that, there was another crucial step. I had questioned earlier, must a rapist be present for a rape to happen?


    After Wu Jiajia murdered Headmaster Zhang, she did not bring the condom with her, even Gao Rui had missed it but the condom was stolen away by Zhang Mingliang. The reason was he needed to smear the scabbed semen along his reconstructed vagina.


    It was almost impossible to figure out this was a suicide. As the case unfolded, with more evidence'' fed to us by Zhang Mingliang, the biggest suspect would naturally be Headmaster Zhang.


    Thest step of his n was the discovery of Wu Jiajia''s body. Zhang Mingliang needed Gao Rui''s help for this. Gao Rui was to hide Zhang Mingliang''s body in the underground sewer and waited patiently for him to be discovered. Once Zhang Mingliang''s body was discovered, we would discover the semen in his vagina and tied his murder to Headmaster Zhang. Thus a dead man''s n would seed, we would never have known that by then Headmaster Zhang was already dead.


    Actually ording to Zhang Mingliang''s n, Gao Rui was supposed to dismember Headmaster Zhang''s body and distribute them at secluded ces. We would assume Headmaster Zhang had escaped from guilt. 1 yearter, 5 yearster, no one would remember this case anymore By then who would still suspect Wu Jiajia?


    This was a wless n. Zhang Mingliang had used his own life to fake a crime scene where Headmaster Zhang had murdered him. If we had not discovered Headmaster Zhang''s body, who would have thought there was such a big conspiracy behind this. In other words, the n started to crumble the moment Headmaster Zhang''s body was discovered.


    Someone had changed the n at thest moment.

 Chapter 29: Game of Love

    Chapter 29: Game of Love


    The person who changed the n was naturally Gao Rui. Gao Rui did not dismember Headmaster Zhang''s body but instead preserved it. If you wished to prevaricate a body''s actual time to death, you had to keep the carcass at a fixed temperature of 37 degree Celsius and move the limbs often so that rigor mortis would not set in so easily. This was not something easily done and to be able to do something like this required a deep knowledge of the human body and as a biology teacher, Gao Rui definitely had that knowledge. But why would Gao Rui do this? It was much easier to mutte a body than to preserve it. Simrly, it was easy to die but it was so much harder to prevent death. We often hear people say that the most fearless man fears not even death but sometimes, to die required the least amount of courage because it was sometimes the easier thingpared to to live.


    Gao Rui evidently chose the harder path. After Gao Rui dragged Zhang Mingliang''s body into the sewer, he dropped the murder weapon inside the sewer. Then he dropped the knife Zhang Mingliang used tomit suicide on the mountain and buried Headmaster Zhang''s body there as well. Then Zhang Mingliang purposely returned homete and all covered in mud to have Wu Jiajia as his witness and then kept his shirt instead of throwing it away to have the evidence. Zhang Mingliang created a lot of fake evidence to prove that Headmaster Zhang had killed him while Gao Rui created a lot of fake evidence to prove that he had killed Headmaster Zhang.


    Every incident was linked to each other. Gao Rui thought that he had calcted everything but he misjudged one thing, the depth of love Wu Jiajia had for him.


    "So why did you do the things that you did?" I lit a cigarette and studied Gao Rui opposite me. Gao Rui frowned deeply. He followed the wisp of smoke and then said, "Why? Because it was Mingliang''s wish. Do you know how I felt when I saw Mingliang in a woman''s body, do you know how I felt when I saw the note Zhang Mingliang left for me, do you know how I felt when I saw Mingliang''s headless body fall beside me?" The veins on Gao Rui''s arms popped and his face was purple from suppressed rage. He growled in a low voice, "I know, no matter what I did, I will never have Mingliang''s heart! But I don''t understand, why Mingliang would be willing to die for this Wu Jiajia whom he had not even spoken a word to?! Why? I don''t get it! I cannot get it!" Gao Rui''s eyes watered but before Wu Jiajia, he refused to show any weakness, "But I love him, no matter the decision he made, I will always love him. As long as he wished it, I would do it."


    I took a deep drag of the cigarette. "Therefore, you added another n onto Zhang Mingliang''s n?"


    Gao Rui blinked to stop his tears from falling. "Yes, if the police''s focus is always on Mingliang, eventually you''ll find something suspicious about his death considering the haste by which he had done everything. Therefore, I needed to pull the police attention away from him and onto Headmaster Zhang instead. That way you would pay less attention to Mingliang''s death but focus more on investigating Headmaster Zhang." Gao Rui looked into my eyes and said slowly, "In that case, Mingliang would be the victim and Headmaster Zhang the rapist and killer. Mingliang''s murderer was already dead so now you would have to focus more energy on capturing Headmaster Zhang''s killer."


    At this point, Guan Zhenglin couldn''t help but cut in, "So you''ve nned all this from the beginning?"


    "Of course not!" Gao Rui hissed through his teeth. "If I knew the full scope of his n, do you think I would let Mingliang die for the sake of this bitch? When I saw the note that Mingliang left for me in my bedroom, I hurried out. If I had arrived sooner, perhaps Mingliang would still be with us. The bitch should have died! Who is she that she deserves Mingliang to die on her behalf?!" Gao Rui red viciously at Wu Jiajia.


    I nodded and flicked at the cigarette. "The note was for you to go and collect his body."


    Gao Rui turned back to me and nodded solemnly. "Indeed, the note revealed to me the full extent of Mingliang''s n, including his intention of killing himself. However, when I arrived at the building site, I was tangled in an old man''s snare! If I could have run up earlier, then perhaps Mingliang wouldn''t have died."


    "Then why didn''t you shout to stop him?" Gu Chen asked, "Since you already knew the n, you could have easily stopped him. If you got the old man''s attention and had him to look up as well, Zhang Mingliang''s n would have fallen apart. There would be a witness to prove that he wasn''t really murdered."


    "Because I saw him" Gao Rui''s voice lowered. "Under the moonlight, I saw Mingliang. I couldn''t see his face or expression but I knew it was him. He stood at the edge of the 15th floor and he saw me as well." Gao Rui''s face colored with loss. "Standing down there, I suddenly understood something. I''ve made the promise that I would do anything for Zhang Mingliang but simrly, Mingliang would also do anything for Wu Jiajia. Through that moment of empathy, I knew I had to keep my mouth shut."


    Gu Chen and Guan Zhenglin looked at each other, not understanding why Gao Rui had given up at the key moment. Gao Rui continued, "The love I had for Zhang Mingliang is simr to the love he had for Wu Jiajia. I didn''t dare to express my love because I am afraid of loss, afraid that I wouldn''t even get to be friends with him anymore. Turns out we are both equally weak and lonely." Gao Rui chuckled self-deprecatingly. "I understand that feeling very well, how you would do anything and silence the conscience and logic in your mind in the name of love. Therefore, I chose to not interrupt him because this was the man whom I loved. I was already stopped from pursuing my love, I couldn''t apply the same pressure on him. Since I can''t love freely, the very least I could do was to hold myself back so that he could.


    "I lost my parents when I was young so I lived with my aunt. I was afraid of the dark and I didn''t dare to sleep alone at night. Then I met a boy at school. We soon became fast friends. He was an adopted child and he was not treated that well by his adopted parents. Therefore, I always had hime over to our house for sleepovers. My aunt didn''t mind it, these were just two boys being very good friends.


    "I told him that I was afraid of the dark and he told me he wasn''t and he could protect me. But I knew the sleepovers wouldn''tst. One night I told him, we wouldn''t always be together, what would I do when he was gone? He promised that we would stay together forever.


    "Forever doesn''t count if it is missing a year, a month, a day or an hour. This is a quote from a movie, whenever I watch it, I would think of him. He is the first and final love of my life.


    "That night at school, he had left on his own. The promise of forever was broken but I didn''t me him because I knew this would eventually happen.


    "My love is confined by fear, fear of loss, fear of humiliation, so I satisfied myself by doing everything I could for him from the dark; that night, standing there, I realized maybe my love and his aren''t so different after all. Our loves are both colored by fear, so who was I to stop him?"


    A body fell down from the 15th floor. Itnded right beside Gao Rui, this was the body of the man he loved. Gao Rui cried internally because he was afraid that he might catch Ol'' Zhang''s attention. Gao Rui bit on his knuckles as tears rained down his face. If this is your final wish, then I will help youplete it.'' Gao Rui knelt on the ground and stared at Zhang Mingliang''s body for a long time before he picked it up. Following Zhang Mingliang''s instruction, he moved the body into the sewer. He wanted to caress his lover''s face but the head was left on the 15th floor.


    Sitting inside the dark and smelly sewers, Gao Rui suddenly understood something. I am willing to do anything for you, death is just a small part of it.''


    Topletely fool the police, a mere disappearance wouldn''t be enough. Gao Rui had to ensure that the police closed the case as soon as possible. As long as the investigation stayed open, there would always be risks. Therefore, Gao Rui manufactured his motive, time, witness and evidence. Everything went as nned, but simr to Zhang Mingliang, he had miscalcted the depth of human emotions.


    Zhang Mingliang just wanted to save Wu Jiajia, he didn''t want to implicate his brother, but he never expected Gao Rui would manufacture the scene where he had murdered Headmaster Zhang to fulfil Zhang Mingliang''s wish. And Gao Rui didn''t expect that after he had helped Wu Jiajia shouldered the me, she would jump out to admit everything.


    "If you had kept your mouth shut, you would have spent the rest of your life in peace." That was thest thing Gao Rui told Wu Jiajia.


    Wu Jiajia was already a mess by then. She croaked, "Just like how you could do anything for Zhang Mingliang, I too can do anything for you" That was thest thing Wu Jiajia told Gao Rui.


    As the poem said, What is love that humans would relinquish life and death for it.


    Gao Rui was deeply in love with Zhang Mingliang, Zhang Mingliang was deeply in love with Wu Jiajia and Wu Jiajia was deeply in love with Gao Rui.


    "This is such a dramatic love story." Gu Chenmented.


    "What love story is not dramatic?" I shook my head.


    Gao Rui was ushered out from the interrogation room. He stumbled numbly ahead like his soul was lost. He looked at least 10 years older. Wu Jiajia followed behind him. Tears stained her face and she was stunned speechless.


    I was reminded by a quote by Oscar Wilde, life is one fool thing after another whereas love is two fools after each other. But in our case, we had 3 fools caught in this bloody foolish game of love

 Chapter 30: Taste of Blood

    Chapter 30: Taste of Blood


    A few dayster, we got the news that Wu Jiajia was spared the needle and was instead sentenced to life imprisonment. The video inside the USB drive helped her case a lot. It was Headmaster Zhang''s rape that caused his death. We had reasons to believe that Wu Jiajia might still be under the influence of drug when shemitted the murder. It wasn''t a premeditated homicide so she was spared the death penalty. To be fair, Gao Rui was, in the end, a kind person in his heart. The reason he said those things to Wu Jiajia was so that she would not fall into the same whirlpool as he did. After all, it was Gao Rui who provided the USB drive as evidence. He had kept the USB drive after he found it among Zhang Mingliang''s things.


    There were still fair people in the world, that was the best we could do for Gao Rui. This was the best news we had heard recently.


    "This is a good result considering." I nodded.


    Captain Zhao sighed. "Kid, don''t think I didn''t realize what you''ve done. You used some word games to buy pity for Wu Jiajia in your case report. Do you think the judge will fall for that? You have to change that habit of yours, remember where you stand."


    I shook my head. "But I was merely telling the truth. Does Wu Jiajia not deserve pity? Or am I supposed to pity Headmaster Zhang?" From the corner of my eye, I saw Guan Zhenglin give me a thumbs up. At least I had one supporter.


    "Pity shouldn''t even have figured into your case report. What we want is the factual truth and nothing else." Captain Zhao ced the cup on the table. "I know your history enables you to empathize with these people but that shall not mean we should excuse their crimes, understood?" I was about to say something else but Captain Zhao wasn''t finished, "Like the case with Lin Su, you knew that the money under his grandmother''s house is dirty money but you didn''t mention it at all in your report."


    "You knew about that too?" I scratched my head shyly.


    Captain Zhao mmed his palm on the table. "I hope you''d use your brilliance on actual case solving instead of these tricks."


    "But what about Granny Lin''s life?" I pleaded. "We can''t expect her to pick trash forever, right? She''s now even missing a hand and" Mary made a T with her hands. "Wu Meng, stop right there. Do you really think we''re that heartless? Captain Zhao has already considered that before you did. Dirty money is dirty money, they will be confiscated. But we can make personal donations. Do you not see a rich, pretty and young benefactor who might be helpful to Granny Lin''s case in this room?"


    "I do see a rich woman, can''t say I agree with the pretty and young." I chided but internally I was smiling. I couldn''t help but be impressed. No wonder Captain Zhao was the leader of this unit. I thought I had everything under control but turns out he already knew anything and had provided better solutions than I did. However, I was still in possession of a clue, one that I believed Captain Zhao had not noticed. There was a character which had been moving at the outskirts of this case. We had been focused on Zhang Mingliang and Headmaster Zhang''s deaths to pay him much attention. However, this man was definitely suspicious and he might lead us to another old case. Therefore, I didn''t do anything lest I raised his rm. But now that the case with the headless body was over, it was time to turn our attention to him.


    I already assigned someone to look after this suspect and he should still be on the job.


    "There is someone very suspicious but we were so busy with Zhang Mingliang''s case so I didn''t bring it up until now." While everyone was there, I decided to bring everyone up to speed.


    "Who?" They asked.


    I looked around and announced, "Ol'' Zhang."


    "Ol'' Zhang?" Guan Zhenglin was clearly expecting someone more impactful because she rolled her eyes and said, "What is so suspicious about an old guard of an abandoned building site? Is it because he eats dogs? That is not within our jurisdiction. Do you want me to call the animal control department?"


    I sighed, "Of course, it''s not about that."


    "Then what is it about?"


    I cleared my throat and said, "Do you remember how Ol'' Zhang described the scene for us? He said he righted the pail, carried it and left the crime scene. By then, Zhang Mingliang''s blood would have sttered inside it already. On his way down, he took a taste of the blood."


    "Yes, it was why he called us the next day." Gu Chen continued, "Is there a problem there?"


    I turned to Guan Zhenglin and asked, "How would you differentiate between human blood and dog blood."


    "Well, in terms of smell and appearance, they only have minute differences, so I will rely on my microscope. Human blood has hormones and antigens unique to humans." Guan Zhenglin answered.


    I snapped my fingers. "And that''s the problem. Ol'' Zhang only tasted it once and he already knew there was human blood in the mixture. But he called the police only the next day"


    Guan Zhenglin widened her eyes and gasped, "In other words, Ol'' Zhang must have already tasted human blood in the past to tell what human blood tasted like! Furthermore, he must have tasted it often to be able to pick up the taste from a mixture of dog and human blood!"


    "Bingo!" I patted Guan Zhenglin''s shoulders. "Even if the mixture didn''t taste like dog blood anymore, there was no reason for him to directly jump to the conclusion that it contained human blood unless he had prior knowledge of how human blood tasted like. Based on what he said, when he knew it was human blood, it was already toote at night. He didn''t want to trouble the police so he only called in the morning. Don''t you find that suspicious?"


    "Then why haven''t we sent people out to bring him in for questioning?" Mary asked.


    I shook my head. "I''ve already sent people to watch his movements, at least, I''m sure that he still hasn''t escaped from the city."


    "You''ve already sent someone to stake him out?" Captain Zhao frowned. "Howe I didn''t know anything about that?"


    "Because it''s not someone from the force, it''s a thief." I called the thief and told him to send everything he had collected over the weeks to the station and then I had Xiao Liu take over the stakeout from the thief.


    One hourter. "Someone left this for Wu Meng." An officer knocked on the door and walked in. "The person looks very fidgety and he left after leaving this. Should we send someone to go after him?" Looks like this thief was still afraid of this ce. Since the inmates at the prison came and left in batches, I made many friends when I was there. They came in useful now


    "There''s no need." I waved my hands. It was a folder with several documents and an ID card. The name on the ID was Zhang Xueyou and the picture attached was that of a middle-aged man. Based on the facial features, we could confirm that this was Ol'' Zhang. The thief had gone beyond my expectation, he had gotten us Ol'' Zhang''s IC. "Zhang Xueyou, like the famous singer. Good name." Imented.


    Then I turned to the documents. Ol'' Zhang was not a local. He had only been here for a few months. Based on the documents, Zhang Xueyou had spent most ofst year at Qing Cheng. This was a bit of coincidence, the drug mule case of Lin Su happened at Qing Cheng. ording to the documents, Ol'' Zhang had no son or daughter. He came from a small town called Ba Gu. This town was literally thousands of miles away from a big city like Qing Cheng. One couldn''t help but wonder why Ol'' Zhang had gone there.


    When he was at Qing Cheng, Ol'' Zhang operated a small recycling centre. However, since he provided a lesser profit margin to collect recybles than the other centres, basically no one frequented him. However, Ol'' Zhang never seemed to be worried about that. Even without customers, the centre remained in operation for a whole year. Based on the cigarettes he smoked in the pictures, Ol'' Zhang was enjoying the good life. It was unknown where he got those luxury items. However, 2 months ago, the recycling centre suddenly closed. People said finally the deficit did him in.


    Ol'' Zhang then moved to this city. He found the job at the building site a month ago. The sry was low but he hadn''t caused any trouble. The documents came with pictures, it was quite detailed. On thest page, there was a note, I asked Sister Mao for help topile these''.


    Looks like I''ve owed Sister Mao another favor. However, I did know why Sister Mao was so willing to help, she hoped I could have some influence over the prison master to treat Brother Huang Er better. I shared the files with the rest. After reading through them, Captain Zhao asked me, "What do you think?"


    "There''s clearly something wrong here. How can a business operate without profit for a whole year? A normal business wouldn''t stand even a month. There must be some kind of hidden business done at this recycling centre, so we need to investigate it." Just as I finished, my phone rang. It was from Xiao Liu.


    "Hey, Wu Meng." Xiao Liu''s voice came out. "I don''t see anyone here, your informant probably lied to us."


    "No one''s there?" I asked with confusion.


    Xiao Liu repeated. "Yes, there''s not even a dog here, much less a person."


    Seeing the deep frown on my face, Mary asked, "Wu Meng, what''s wrong? Did your periode?"


    I was not in the mood to bicker with her, I hurriedly told the rest. "Looks like this Ol'' Zhang is more cunning than I thought. In the short window after the thief left and before Xiao Liu arrived, he disappeared. Seems like he already knew someone was watching him and he was waiting for this opening. This is my fault."


    "Go after him." Captain Zhao announced, "Since he has gone on the run, that proves that there is something suspicious about him."

 Chapter 31: The Mass Grave Underground

    Chapter 31: The Mass Grave Underground


    I really didn''t expect Ol'' Zhang to be so good at anti-surveince. If I had not sent someone over to watch over him, he might have disappeared the day after Zhang Mingliang''s death. Then again, how could a normal senior know how to make dog snares that could trap an intelligent man like Gao Rui, I should have known better. However, it was toote for regret now.


    "If there''s something suspicious about Ol'' Zhang''s background, why would he call the police? Wouldn''t he be afraid that he''d be exposed?" Guan Zhenglin asked a crucial question. I gave it some thought and answered, "No, if Ol''Z Zhang didn''t call the police, it would have looked even more suspicious. Ol'' Zhang probably spent the whole night weighing the pros and cons. He was the hired guard at the construction site, it would have been impossible for him not to notice something this huge. In that case, what he needed to do was to make himself look as normal as possible"


    "Then what should we do now?" Guan Zhenglin asked.


    "We''ll go visit his recycling centre." I answered.


    Qing Cheng, Old Rubbish Collection Centre.


    When I saw the name of the recycling centre, I couldn''t help but chuckle. "At least you know the nature of the business directly from the name." The recycling centre was surrounded by a doubleyer of iron fence. The facility looked quite spacious. The centre was located in the countryside of the city, we stood there for half an hour and saw no other individual other than the team. The centre''s front gate was locked and the lock was covered in ayer of dust, looks like this ce had been abandoned for quite some time already. The link of the lock was as thick as one''s finger. Sawing through it would require some time. So I suggested, "This fence doesn''t look that high, we should be able to jump over it."


    Gu Chen took several steps back. With a running start, and a few jumps on the fence, he easily reached the top. Then I helped Guan Zhenglin over the fence and finally with Gu Chen''s help, I also got over the fence. Xiao Liu stayed outside to be our watchman, just in case.


    We walked around the centre to take in everything. Most of the space was dominated by wooden pellets and they were stacked about 2 metres tall. They formed some kind of maze. We wandered among the gaps between the wooden beams and soon found ourselves lost.


    "Isn''t this supposed to be a recycling centre?" Gu Chen knocked on some wooden beams and they were solid. "No wonder he had no business, it would be so difficult for the customers to navigate this ce. This feels more like an escape room than a recycling centre." I snapped my fingers. Gu Chen had hit the nail on its head. Even a child would know this arrangement would not be good for business. The fact that Ol'' Zhang still did this meant that something other than the ostentatious business was going on here. Since this was a maze, the secret might be hidden at the end of one of the paths.


    "Let''s split up." I told the two. "There has to be some kind of secret here. So look carefully. If you''re lost, just climb onto the wooden pellets, you''ll see better from above."


    When the sun almost set, we finally found something. At the corner of this wooden maze, Guan Zhenglin found a hole that led underground. The hole was covered up by wooden nks. When the nks were removed, a tunnel appeared. We shone our shlights into it and we saw a steepdder reaching into the earth.


    "This won''t be dangerous, would it?" Taking in the dark maw, Guan Zhenglin said nervously.


    "What kind of danger could there be?" Gu Chen slid into the hole, "This is not a game, do you think we''ll run into zombies down there?" Guan Zhenglin and I dropped in after Gu Chen. The tunnel was extremely dark and humid. We only took a few steps when we were hit by a stench that made us stop in our tracks. We had been dealing with this smell for the past few days. It was a smell unique to dead bodies.


    "Be careful." I warned. "There''s no telling what we will find." We moved slowly forward. The shlights became our only guide in the darkness. However, suddenly I was blinded by a bright light. The intense brightness lingered for a long time. "Not good, enemy ahead, we need to retreat" Gu Chen shouted, "Those are sh grenades! We need to go!" At that moment, we heard Guan Zhenglin''s voice say calmly. "Gentleman, I hate to spoil it for you but I saw there was a switch on the wall so I flipped it on. So it was just the lightsing on, there is no enemy"


    Gu Chen and I turned our heads up and the sh grenades'' turned out to be lightbulbs. I had a feeling Guan Zhenglin would lord this over me for a long time so I quickly exined, "We''ve been walking in the dark for too long, the sudden brightness understandably fazed us" "Yes, and these are incandescent lights, they are such a waste of electricity. A fluorescent bulb will provide less electrical wastage and also a softer lighting" Gu Chen joined in.


    "Gentlemen, I don''t think now is the time to discuss things like that. Would you please take a good look around you!" Guan Zhenglin waved her hand in the general direction before us and we turned our heads towards it. Then, the scene almost caused my eyes to fall out from my head. I had never seen so many dead bodies in my life, they were just lying on the ground. There was not even a mourning shroud to cover them. We took a rough count and there were at least 10 of them. From the level of dposition, some had recently died, while others had been here for a long time already. All of the bodies were naked. There were victims of varying age and gender.


    "I''ll go take a closer look, wait here." Guan Zhenglin said as she moved to the middle of the mass grave. Gu Chen shook his head. "See, I told you there isn''t any danger here. I don''t know why she was so scared earlier."


    Hearing that, Guan Zhenglin countered, "Well, I was afraid of the dark, after all, I''m just a little girl."


    Gu Chen was immediately silenced.


    While Guan Zhenglin looked through the bodies one after another, I also made my own observation. At a cursory nce, these people died from different reasons. Some bodies looked pristine, they probably died from illness or old age; some bodies had sutures on their stomachs; some had a giant hole in their chests; others had crushed heads. We only knew that Ol'' Zhang had the habit of drinking human blood but we had no idea there would be a mass grave under the old man''s recycling centre. It was unknown what Ol'' Zhang nned to do with them. Did Ol'' Zhang source his blood from these people but why would he keep the bodies around after the blood had literally run dry?


    As Guan Zhenglin turned over the bodies, she frowned. "These people have various causes of death, some are easily discernible, others might need further autopsy. In terms of their time of death, they are all different as well. This one is just dead for two months and that one over there should be dead for half a year already."


    Guan Zhenglin had noticed the same thing as I did.


    The bodies were all naked, there was not one shred of clothes on them, much less essories. But then, that was the strangest part. Since these bodies were not cremated, they were most likely buried. If that was the case, ording to Chinese culture, they should be buried with their important essories like their wedding ring. Some of these people were quite old so it was impossible that all of them were unmarried. With that in mind, I inspected the ring finger of a few bodies and noticed that on some of them, there was a clear ring indentation but the essories were nowhere to be seen. They were plucked off. Suddenly a story that I heard when I was small entered my mind. If I was not mistaken, Ol'' Zhang was most likely one of those people.


    "Where do you think these bodiese from?" I asked.


    Guan Zhenglin took a deeper look at some of the bodies and said, "There are so many bodies here, Ol'' Zhang couldn''t have murdered all of them and managed to escape thew enforcement. I believe he dug them up from grave sites. When I inspected the bodies earlier, I noticed all of them had dirt in their nails, those were probably left there when they were dragged out from the ground"


    "I agree." I nodded.


    "But even if he''s a grave robber, why would he keep the dead bodies under here?" Gu Chen enquired, "Plus Ol'' Zhang left Qing Cheng 2 months ago, so why did he leave these bodies behind?"


    Several possibilities entered my mind. "Ol'' Zhang left Qing Cheng when Lin Su was arrested. Maybe that''s not a coincidence. If a live human can be used to transport drugs, why not a dead human?" I turned to Guan Zhenglin, "I need you to open them up to see if they have been used to hide drugs or not."


    "Even if that''s true, why not bury the bodies after they are used?" Gu Chen shook his head. "Why keep them preserved like this? Is there a way to recycle a dead body?"


    I scanned the pile of dead people and the answer came to me. These dead people were worth more than Gu Chen could have imagined, in fact, they might be worth more now that they were dead. I looked at Guan Zhenglin and then at Gu Chen. "If I''m not mistaken." I said, "Ol'' Zhang is also in the match-making business as well. I believe it''s time for us to pay a particr vige a visit."

 Chapter 32: Doggie Wang Er

    Chapter 32: Doggie Wang Er


    In the eastern districts of China, there was still a culture called Minghun, or afterlife marriage. Even though these ces had be wealthier than the past, there were still traditions too buried in their bones to be abandoned. In fact, money only managed this underground culture to flourish even more. A well-preserved young woman''s body could fetch up to 150000 RMB, if the dead girl was a virgin, the price could even double. That might sound high but can you really put a price on having a partner in the afterlife? In any case, when there was demand and need, there would be a market.


    The inmate whom I met in prison wasmitted because he strangled a female university student. His goal was simple, he wanted to sell her body for money. In his eyes, the dead were worth more than the living.


    However if Ol'' Zhang was in this business, he couldn''t be working alone. So what we needed to do now was to use these dead bodies to trace out the whole production line behind Ol'' Zhang, to capture this organization with one fell swoop. Furthermore, I had a sneaking feeling that this incident had to do with Lai San. I contacted the police force at Qing Chen and with their help, transported all bodies to the city morgue awaiting dissection.


    At the same time, we questioned the source of these dead bodies. If my family''s grave was disturbed and my loved one''s body was missing, I would call the police. Furthermore, transporting dead bodies across far distances wasn''t something easy, so I believed these bodies came from around Qing Cheng itself. Afterparing the dead''s information and their burial locations, I pulled up a map of Qing Cheng and its nearby districts. Incidentally I saw a name that popped up to me. Due to this inmate, I got to know ces in China which still practiced the Minghun tradition and one of them was Lin Fen City, Ba Jia Zi District, which was just right next to Qing Cheng.


    "I believe we should visit the ce in person." I told Captain Zhao. Captain Zhao nodded. "I know you have your reasons to believe Ol'' Zhang was using these dead bodies to transport drugs and for Minghun but are you sure? If this is not the right direction, our trail on Ol'' Zhang would be gone. This is the only chance to catch him." I thought for a moment and then said, "I can''t give any guarantee but at least my instinct says that is the case. Even if Ol'' Zhang is not one of them, detaining a member in the dead-body selling business would be reward enough."


    "Okay, I''ll set up an office at Lin Fen City, just tell me if you need anything." Captain Zhao agreed to my demand after that.


    "Before we have any concrete evidence, I don''t think we should announce ourselves. Perhaps I should scout ahead as a criminal on the run but I do have a request." I said.


    Captain Zhao oh-ed and then said, "Honestly, I wasn''t expecting you to really have a request. Do tell."


    "I need you to haul someone out for me from the system." I told Captain Zhao.


    Captain Zhao spun the cup several times before saying, "Who is it? What prison are they in?"


    "He''s not in the prison system." I shook my head.


    Captain Zhao was shocked. He asked with confusion, "Is he in a mental asylum then?" Seeing my smile, Captain Zhao knew that he was right. "For real?"


    I knew a person but he did not see himself as one, instead, he identified himself as a dog, the most impressive dog in the world in fact. I had no idea what his real name was but he called himself Doggie Wang Er. Doggie Wang Er was a real dog or rather, he was no different from a real dog. He didn''t like clothes and would lick people that he liked. He marked his territory by lifting his leg and peeing by the tree. When he saw a female he liked, he would hound them like a dog in heat. If someone threw a stone, he would run to fetch it and bring it back in his mouth. Like most canines, Doggie Wang Er didn''t like to bathe and cut his nails. He was probably the only dog in the world who knew how to speak.


    One year ago, Doggie Wang Er wasn''t yet a dog, he was still a man. Doggie Wang Er was a grave robber or in Chinese vernacr Dao Dou. In the Chinese grave robbing business, the most important rule to follow was 3 years of tutge and 3 years of piety. A grave robber had to start somewhere and that start was often finding a master, and naturally this came with its risk. Hence, said rule was born. Once a master epted a disciple, he was responsible to teach his disciples all the knowledge he had about grave robbing and tomb raiding. In these 3 years, the master would be responsible to keep his disciple fed and alive as well. After the 3 years of tutge, the disciple would spend 3 years working on their own but still had to report back to the master out of respect. The disciples had to hand everything they had found in graves to their master, regardless of their value and it was the master''s prerogative how many percent should be given back to their disciples. Even if the master took everything, no one dared to say anything, after all, the disciple wouldn''t have found anything without his master''s tutge.


    That was the rule of 3 years of tutge and 3 years of piety. No one in the business dared to vite it because once you did, your name would be ckballed. You''d be ostracized by those in the same field and might risk being betrayed. Tomb raiding was often a team effort and the most important thing holding a team together was... Trust.


    Anyone in the team would be afraid of betrayal because who would find out about you when you were left to die inside a tomb? Therefore, the only way to stop that was to inflict heavy punishment on traitors.


    If you ask a grave robber what they were most afraid of, it was not the candles going off when underground, not curses from the dead, not haunting and not traps inside these tombs. Instead they would tell you the scariest thing in this world was the human heart.


    In the early history of tomb raiding, there was no system of master and disciple, the only thing holding a team together was the possible profit. For most graves, it required only 2 people. They would dig a hole and one would go down the rope and the other would stay on the surface to stabilize the rope. However, most of the time, the one on the surface would run away with the unearthed treasures and abandon their partners behind. Therefore, instead of strangers, people started to work in pairs of father and son. However, that did not stop most sons from abandoning their fathers. Later, the culture was adopted to have the fathers on the surface and the sons inside the hole, apparently, that stopped all incidents of people being abandoned inside graves.


    That year, Doggie Wang Er had just finished his training. He was capable enough to work on his own but he didn''t dare forget about the rules, the treasures that he found for the first 3 years would all be given to his master. However, when he worked on the graves alone, either he was unlucky or the holes he made were too steep for him to get up with the treasures after he descended underground. Therefore, Doggie Wang Er needed a partner. For that, he found his father. His father was an illiterate viger, he spent his time on either alcohol or prostitutes, or else he wouldn''t send his son to follow a grave-robbing master. That way he wouldn''t need to care for his son for 3 years.


    "Okay! Your father I will stay on top to hold the rope while you go down to fetch the treasures. Tie the treasure around the rope and pull once, and I will haul up the treasure. When you''re done, pull on the rope twice and I''ll get you up from down there." Doggie Wang Er''s father said, "You really have grown a lot since Ist saw you. My investment was worthwhile after all!"


    "Remember, dad, no matter the haul, they''re all going to my master. It then depends on the master how much he is willing to share with us." Doggie Wang Er reminded his father. "That is the rules. We have to follow it for the first 3 years after finishing our training."


    Doggie Wang Er''s father mmed the alcohol heavily on the ground. "What kind of fucked up rule is that?!"


    In any case, they made their move that night. The royal tombs were either heavily guarded or had already been frequented by other robbers. Doggie Wang Er didn''t think he would be lucky enough to stumble across such lucrative tombs but since he grew up at this ce, he at least knew the history of the local barons and their final resting ces. Their target that night was the grave of a dead local magnate. The magnate had no son so his grave was soon taken up by nature and well hidden in the mountain. But with extensive research, Doggie Wang Er sniffed out this ce. With the first hit of the shovel, he knew that he had got the right ce. He dug downwards and soon came across the coffin buried by time and soil.


    This grave was not asrge as a royal tomb and naturally had no traps either. Understandably the things buried wouldn''t be so valuable either. However, Doggie Wang Er only saw this as training. He reached his hand into the hole he made on the coffin. He felt the dead''s clothes. Based on his sense of touch, the owner of the grave was already a set of white bones. From the hole, he pulled out various objects. In the dark, he couldn''t tell what they were but from his 3 years of experience following his master, Doggie Wang Er had confidence they were onto something. They might not be worth the price of a castle, but at least they should be worth several houses. After a few back and forth, Doggie Wang Er managed to send everything up to the surface to his father.


    Finally, with his job done, it was time for Doggie Wang Er to leave the grave. As nned, he pulled on the rope twice. Then something strange happened, the rope dropped from the hole. Doggie Wang Er thought his father was careless to have dropped the rope so he shouted, "Dad, go and get another rope. I''ll wait here."


    "Okay, I''m sorry for being so careless." His father shouted back. Doggie Wang Er leaned against the coffin and he was warmed by joy. To celebrate his first big haul, his master would probably share some of the spoils with him. What would he do with the imminent windfall then? His girlfriend, Xiao Hui had beenining about her phone and he thought about buying her a new one. These days, those intelligent phones wouldn''t be that expensive. Doggie Wang Er couldn''t help but chuckle. These things inside the graves became more expensive the older they were but these new technologies, the cheaper they became with each newer generation.


    Then he thought about buying himself a motorcycle but then Doggie Wang Er realized he wouldn''t be able to ride into the city without a license and nowadays registering for a license was more expensive than buying a motorcycle. Since Doggie Wang Er had spent most of his recent years in the mountains, he was quite detached from city life already.


    With great ns for his future, Doggie Wang Er sat in the grave and looked up at the small hole, all he could see was a small piece of the sky. He was suddenly reminded of the story of the frog at the bottom of the well. Wasn''t he the frog now? For some reason, that tickled Doggie Wang Er and heughed. In the deep mountain, there was no one to hear the echoes of hisughs.


    He waited from morning until night. He could see half the moon from the hole and several stars. Doggie Wang Er remembered that Xiao Sui said she was a Pisces, apparently they liked to be romanced but Doggie Wang Er never understood what romance was.


    The sun came up again but Doggie Wang Er still had not seen the trace of his father.

 Chapter 33: The Bride in the Palanquin

    Chapter 33: The Bride in the Pnquin


    Eventually it was a dog who rescued Doggie Wang Er, a wild dog to be precise. For some reason, the dog decided to dig at the gravesite that day. It dug and dug until it unearthed a person, even though by then Doggie Wang Er no longer looked like a person. He had been trapped inside the grave for 3 days and 4 nights already. He watched the sun rise thrice and fall thrice. He swore inside the grave that if he could escape from the grave, he would cut his father into pieces.


    Some say that blood is thicker than water but that unfortunately was not the case with Doggie Wang Er and his father. In fact, his father felt no responsibility to his son at all. Doggie Wang Er''s father probably never considered the man inside the hole as his son but a tool to achieve his goal. A tonguepped on Doggie Wang Er''s face and the man''s eyes flickered open. A giant wild dog was licking his face. Doggie Wang Er was so thirsty and hungry. He grabbed the dog by its front paw and used his canines to bite into the dog''s neck. He soon tasted blood and life. Doggie Wang Er lived but the dog died. When his desire for life was quenched, Doggie Wang Er held the dead creature in his arms and he cried. Remorse weighed down heavily on his heart. Thest time he cried so hard was when he was 7 and his mother passed away from illness.


    The tears kept on falling but Doggie Wang Er couldn''t really tell why. Perhaps there was no reason and his body just needed to let the emotions out. Doggie Wang Er gave the dog, his life savior, the best burial he could manage. Before he left, he proimed to the heavens. "My dad is dead."


    Indeed,ter Doggie Wang Er''s father was found dead. When his neighbours smelled the stenching from the man''s house, Doggie Wang Er''s father was dead for 3 days already. The vigers had never seen such a macabre scene before. Doggie Wang Er''s father was strung from a pole and his mouth was sewn shut with thread. Wang Liancheng, Doggie Wang Er''s father was found naked and there was no piece of flesh on his body which wasplete. There were numerous holes on his body, his arms, his stomach, his back and his buttocks. Some of the gaps went so deep that one could see the bone and the fat was leaking out. The skin at some ces was pulled back with hooks. The man''s genitalia and eyelids were not spared. The only part untouched about his body was his hair.


    The blood slid down the body and pooled around the floor. It had already dried when the body was discovered. The stench attracted a lot of flies. The shock of the scene took away the vigers'' gag reflex. An old man from the vige said, "They have cut off his eyelids, so that he would have to watch himself being tortured to death. This is such intense cruelty!"


    Another senior over 100 pointed with his cane. His eyes were filled with terror as he imed shakingly, "It''s more than that! Look closer, the holes are not made by knives but bitten off by actual human teeth!" Indeed, when the vigers took a closer look, they could see lines of neat teeth mark along the wounds. Someone had bitten this man to his death. No wonder the expression on his face was so disturbing. The expression represented a primal form of fear but without his eyelids, Wang Liancheng was forced to watch his life seep away. This kind of death was slow and incredibly painful. The senior was suddenly reminded of a term, "This, this is Lingchi Execution, or a death of a thousand cuts."


    However, this form of torture was often done with knife and not teeth. The traitors in the grave-robbers'' ranks would be given Lingchi Execution, that was the rules. And the person who executed that punishment on Doggie Wang Er''s father was none other than his own son.


    When he emerged from the grave and executed his father, Doggie Wang Er was reborn as a dog.


    "Look, what is that at the corner!" Someone shouted. "Wait, isn''t that Lian Cheng''s son? Why would he be here? He was probably stunned into disbelief when he walked into seeing his father like this." They slowly approached Doggie Wang Er who was facing away from them. Hearing their voices, Doggie Wang Er turned around. When the vigers saw his face, they all took an involuntary step back, and no one dared to say a word. Doggie Wang Er''s eyes were red and they pooled with mncholy and hatred that wouldn''t dissipate.


    ording to the viger senior, only those who had consumed human meat would have eyes of such colors. So whose meat had Doggie Wang Er consumed? The answer was quite obvious. Doggie Wang Er gnashed his teeth and the vigers saw the flesh and blood stuck between them. Clearly, it was Doggie Wang Er who bit his own father to death.


    "Woof, woof, go away. I''m the guard dog of this house. You people don''t belong here. Woof woof." Doggie Wang Er got down on all fours and barked at the retreating vigers. The vigers knew what Doggie Wang Er did for a living so they believed the man was taken over by some kind of evil spirit when he was inside the graves. In any case, one thing was clear. If they did not move away, they would be attacked by Doggie Wang Er like how the man had attacked his own father.


    "Fuck, there are so many of us, why are we afraid of him?" One of the vigers shouted.


    "Are you crazy? If you wish to die, then you can stay here!" Someone countered.


    By then, Doggie Wang Er had already jumped at them. The vigers scattered like chickens, except one girl. She did not run away. Doggie Wang Ernded before her and then stopped. He leaned down and started to lick the girl''s toes.


    "Good doggie." The girl said.


    "Yes, I''m a good doggie, the best doggie in the world." Doggie Wang Er answered.


    The girl responded with tears.


    "Xiao Cui, you need to get back. He''s too dangerous." The vigers pleaded.


    Qing Cheng Mental Hospital.


    "Good doggie, sit." Guan Zhenglin told Doggie Wang Er. Doggie Wang Erid down beside Guan Zhenglin''s feet and licked at her toes that poked out from her ts. Guan Zhenglin was clearly ufortable, not with the unsanitary action but the dehumanization of the man, but I told her that this was the only way we couldmunicate with the man. "Yes, I''m a good doggie, the best doggie in the world." Doggie Wang Er replied.


    Guan Zhenglin''s eyes immediately watered. She said, "For some reasons, I just want to cry. The poor thing, what happened with Xiao Cui then?"


    "Xiao Cui would stille visit him asionally," I sighed. "When I was a resident here, I saw Xiao Cuie several times. She is a pretty girl."


    The nurse shook his head weakly, "Wu Meng, it''s one thing for Captain Zhao to spring you out of here, after all, you''re one of the more optimistic cases here, but look at Doggie Wang Er. You want to bring him out? Do you think we''re some kind of pet shop?"


    "Brother, you''re exaggerating." I countered. "He believes he''s a dog but he has the memory and intelligence of a normal person, so why can''t I bring him with me?" Then I turned around to speak to Doggie Wang Er. "Who''s the cleverest doggie in the world?"


    "I am, I am the cleverest doggie in the world, the best doggie in the world!" Doggie Wang Er said proudly.


    "Then you must know about the grave robbers based around Lin Fen." I asked.


    "Of course." Doggie Wang Er nodded confidently. For Mingjun, the most importantponent was a dead body. And to source a dead body without attracting the attention ofw enforcement, then the most instrumental link was naturally the professional grave robbers. Even though Doggie Wang Er had be a dog, he was a dog who knew how to raid tombs.


    3 dayster, Lin Fen City Ba Jia Zi District.


    With the teamposition of 1 male, 1 female and 1 dog, their percentage of causing people to turn around was 200 percent. This unique group consisted of me, Guan Zhenglin and Doggie Wang Er who walked on all fours.


    "I''m a grave robber, you''re my wife and you''re my dog, is there any problem?" I asked Guan Zhenglin and Doggie Wang Er again.


    "Of course, you''ve asked the same question about 300 times already." Guan Zhenglin groused. Doggie Wang Er licked my hand and said, "No problem, after all I''m the best doggie in the world."


    "My n was to bring Gu Chen along. If not for the fact that you insisted oning, I wouldn''t have brought a little girl with me!" I grumbled.


    "Gu Chen had to tail us from the sidelines, if we''re in danger, we have to depend on him to save us!" Guan Zhenglin shook her fist. "Plus, who are you calling a young girl?! Furthermore, how is Gu Chen a betterpany than me?"


    I chided, "Well, for one, your body proportion proves that you are a young girl; and for another, Gu Chen has a bigger chest than you do." Then I pulled on the Doggie Wang Er''s leash and ran.


    "Stop right there, I''m going to kill you!" Guan Zhenglin chased after us.


    After taking the corner I stopped, Guan Zhenglin wanted to give me a punch but when she saw what I saw, she paused as well.


    A wedding procession. This was the first time I''vee across such a unique wedding process. The bride''s pnquin was covered in sutras and instead of themon red, the pnquin was white. The 8 carriers were all in white shirts and ck cotton shoes. They were all blindfolded with a ck cloth. But they probably were able to see through them because their visibility wasn''t affected. The person who led the procession held a ck dog''s head high above his human head to lead the way. The strange thing was the man was walking backwards and there were steel needles pierced into the dog''s eyes. The needles were hollow because beads of blood leaked out from the needles and formed a thin trail on the ground.


    The pnquin carriers moved in a unique rhythm, they took 5 steps forward and then 1 step back.


    Seeing his kin'' being treated with such brutality, Doggie Wang Er barked fiendishly. If I didn''t pull on his leash tightly, he would have run into the procession to bite the leading man. The whole procession was silent but a woman''s singing could be hearding from inside the pnquin. The voice was soft and mncholic. It caused goosebumps to rise on my skin.


    The procession passed by us but none of them paid us any attention, not even when we had Doggie Wang Er in our midst. It was like we were living in parallel universes.


    The wind picked up and lifted up the white pnquin curtain. The face of an incredibly pale woman shed before our eyes. The woman''s eyes were closed but her lips opened and closed. The song came from her mouth. It was not until the procession moved far away that Guan Zhenglin dared to breathe. She said carefully, "Wu Meng, that was a dead woman sitting inside that pnquin."


    "You sure?" I shivered.


    "I''m a coroner, do you think I can''t tell the difference between a dead person and a living person?" Guan Zhenglin hissed.


    A strange wedding procession with strange carriers and a leading man.


    A dead woman sitting inside the pnquin singing a ditty.

 Chapter 34: Courtesy Call

    Chapter 34: Courtesy Call


    "Could that be a ghost?" I whispered under my breath. Even though Guan Zhenglin was scared as well, she said confidently, "I am a firm atheist, there is no ghost in this world. Even though I have no idea how a dead woman''s lips can move and sing, we will get down to the bottom of it." A dead woman on a pnquin? That was clearly rted to Minghun. This aligned with the goal of our current trip so naturally it was something we needed to investigate. However, crashing the wedding'' would startle the enemy and expose ourselves. That was why we needed a cover and why we brought Doggie Wang Er with us.


    Speaking of which, just like wuxia novels, grave-robbing had its own sects as well. In China, it was split into two great factions, the Northern Sect and the Southern Sect. The easiest way to differentiate them was through their grave robbing technique. The Northern Sect had more focus on the skilled force, like where to start the hole, and the famous Luo Yang shovel was invented by Lee Yazi from the Northern Sect. In contrast, the Southern Sect was more focused on skilled technique, and was famed for their 4 techniques, look, listen, question and feel the pulse, they were best at finding tombs.


    This development in sects was mostly thanks to the geographical difference in China. The northern region had less rainfall so the soil was harder and morepact. Most of the tombs didn''t employ brick but instead were constructed 100 percent out of packed soil. Therefore with a push of the Luo Yang Shovel, an experienced grave robber could tell how deep the grave was and where one should open the hole. That was called skilled force.


    The Chinese southern region though had more rainfall. That made the soil looser and thus the southern tombs employed more ck bricks. Luo Yang Shovel was pointless if it knocked against bricks so the southern sect rarely employed Luo Yong Shovel but relied more on their techniques.


    Doggie Wang Er was a follower of the northern sect. However, be it southern sect or northern sect, they had their own sect rules. Every line of work had their own rules to follow, grave-robbing was no different.


    Since I had taken the disguise of a grave robber, then naturally I had to follow the rules and began by announcing myself to the grave robbers'' leader at this ce. For one, it was the proper way to induct myself into the local grave-robbingmunity and for another, it would give me an easier time to find work.


    The wedding procession slowly moved away until it disappeared from sight.


    "Alright." I nted myself by the roadside and pulled out three tea cups from my backpack. The cups had no tea, only tea leaves. I arranged the cups in a row before me.


    "What are you doing?" Guan Zhenglin looked at me with confusion. I looked around and was relieved to find there was no one around. "Just keep your mouth zipped. Remember your disguise." I whispered. "Understood?" It was noon and the sun was high above us. The heat was unbearable. Guan Zhenglin found a shady spot under a nearby tree while Doggie Wang Erid down beside me, lolling his tongue. asionally people would pass and some would stop to even take pictures of us. However, I ignored them and just sat there quietly. As the day moved on, there were more and more pedestrians, I had attracted quite a crowd.


    "Brother, what are you doing?" Someone asked. I didn''t answer. Someone answered for me. "He''s probably some kind of artist. I hear walking art is a hype these days. He''s probably from one of the big cities."


    "Then why has hee to Ba Jia Zi District?" Someone asked, "Is he here to arrange a Minghun?"


    "Shush," Someone warned. I frowned. Finally a middle-aged man squatted down before me. "The tea is not good tea but the cups are good cups." The middle-aged manmented without looking at me but at the 3 cups. Someoneughed in the crowd, "How are those good cups? They are all chipped and damaged."


    This middle-aged man was the person I was looking for. I observed the man, he was casually dressed and had cotton shoes on his feet. His skin was tan, clearly he constantlybored under the sun.


    "Good cups, good tea but unfortunately, no water." I replied slowly. The middle-aged man nodded. He passed 10 RMB to a nearby child and ordered, "Go get me a bottle of mineral water, the change is yours." The child epted the money happily and soon returned with the bottle of water.


    "Then let me supply you with some water." The middle-aged man said as he twisted open the cap. He moved to pour the water into the cup on my left. I instantly reached out to stop him while my other hand turned the left cup upside down. "I can''t afford the tea in that cup, so don''t waste your water." Seeing that, the man''s expression softened. He smiled. "Then I believe young brother is going to have to settle with the tea in the right cup. Understood. Here." I shook my head and simrly turned the right cup over. There was only the cup in the middle left but the middle-aged man did not move to pour water for me.


    "Doggie, tell him." I patted Doggie Wang Er beside me. Doggie Wang Er yawnedzily. "Number 2, Wang Mazi, Qing Cheng." The middle-aged man studied Doggie Wang Er, hesitated and then came to his decision. He poured the water into my cup and then picked up the cup. Seeing that, I was cheered. He took a sip of the tea and then ced it back on the ground upside down. "Good tea. Brother, looks like appearance can be deceiving. You and I are both tea connoisseurs, how about we find a different ce to discuss the art of tea further?" I stood up, called after Guan Zhenglin and moved to follow behind the middle-aged man.


    "See, I told you they''re a walking art troupe. The man is still in his dog character!" Someone eximed from behind us. "You might be right but what about the tea and tea cups? What tea is it anyway?" Another voice asked.


    Naturally we weren''t a performing walking art troupe but instead I was observing the courtesy call culture in the grave-robbing business. I ced 3 cups, all of them had tea leaves but no water. This specified my identity as a grave-robber. The meaning was that I heard there was amunity of grave robbers here so I made this courtesy call to announce myself as I arrived at this foreign territory. The middle-aged man had to be a fellow grave-robber to be able to answer my courtesy call.


    Our conversation was part of the undergroundnguage too.


    "The tea is not good tea but the cups are good cups." The cups represented the business of grave-robbing while the tea leaves represented myself who was inside the business. It meant that there was indeed a grave robber''smunity here but they did not wee me.


    "Good cups, good tea but unfortunately, no water." The meaning was I am very good in this business, you might not have heard of me because I am new to this ce.


    Then, it moved onto the symbolic pouring of water. The 3 cups represented 3 meanings as well. The cup on the left meant that I n to take over this territory, and I will be your new boss, if you''re unwilling, then move. This was a clear taunt. If water was added to this cup, then there would be conflict, or even death. However, I turned the cup around, I wasn''t here for that purpose. It was why the middle-aged man sighed in relief. He then moved to fill the cup on the right. The right cup meant that I was just passing through. I might take a look around and then leave, I would not create any trouble for the localmunity. But I turned that cup over as well. That left only the middle cup. The meaning of the middle cup was, I hoped to interact with the localmunity. I had fallen on hard times and came here seeking help.


    That ced the middle-aged man in a hard spot. If he poured the water, it meant that he agreed to help me, but if he didn''t, it would show ack of face to me. To help simplify his decision, I had Doggie Wang Er reveal his sect history, it meant that if we had the chance to rise again, we would definitely repay the locals for their helping hand. In the end, the middle-aged man poured the water.


    We walked along a small path. The middle-aged man looked at me and said, "Those in the business call me Brother Wei Er. If you don''t mind, you can call me that too."


    I nodded and said, "You can call me Little Wu, this is my wife and the man crawling on the ground is Doggie Wang Er." Wei Er nced at Doggie Wang Er and asked with confusion, "What happened to Brother Wang Er? Why is he crawling on the ground like a dog?"


    I smiled and then said, "This is my younger brother disciple. He was trapped inside a grave for 3 days during one of ourmissions and was eventually rescued by a dog. He had been like this ever since then. My masterined about his uselessness and chased him out. Out of sympathy, I took him under my wings after I finished my apprenticeship. He might look strange," I whispered to Wei Er, "But he has an extremely sensitive nose. He''s very useful for the business. Master probably didn''t know that he had abandoned a walking money making machine. Am I right, good doggie?"


    Doggie Wang Er nodded and then licked my hand. He huffed. "Yes, I''m the best doggie in the world."


    Seeing the state Doggie Wang Er was in, Wei Er sighed, "Brother Wu is a man of deep empathy. I did know of Qing Cheng''s Wang Mazi but I heard that the old master passed away several years ago." I nodded. "Yes, I''ve been working on my own since Ol'' Wang departed for the heavens."


    Wei Er asked, "But how did Little Brother Wu end up in this state that you need to seek help with us?"


    I gave a long sigh. "It''s a long story. Essentially, there are some troubles at Qing Cheng and temporarily I can''t return. I heard from Ol'' Zhang that someone can help me here, so here I am."


    "Ol'' Zhang?" Wei Er stopped to look at me. "Zhang Xueyou?"


    I nodded. "What is your rtionship with Zhang Xueyou?" Wei Er led me down an overgrown path. I looked around and then answered, "I''m not that familiar with the guy but I''ve been rmended to him several times."


    Wei Er nodded. Then we came to arge iron door. Wei Er knocked on it with his own Morse code, long long short short short.


    Soon, the door was opened from inside. "Brother Wei Er, you''re back?" A friendly face asked.


    "Yes, let''s get in." Wei Er nced back at the alley. "Let me make some introduction. This is Little Brother Wu and his team."

 Chapter 35: Queen

    Chapter 35: Queen


    Wei Er led the way into the yard. I held Guan Zhenglin by one hand and led Doggie Wang Er''s leash in another and followed behind him. This was a traditional Chinese Si He Yuan. Around 6 people sat in the yard. When we walked in, everyone turned to look at us. These people''s average age group was around 30. But there was a young woman who sat among them. She stood out among the guys. The woman had fair skin, red lips and a pretty face. But different from a feminine softness, there was a handsomeness about her. She was currently leaning on a long bench. Her rather tight clothes entuated her curves. I was watching her and she was also watching me.


    This woman was none other than Zhao Mingkun!


    I recognized her at first nce, the underling of the genius criminal, Si Hwacheng. Currently the genius criminal was in Qing Cheng Prison, so what was Zhao Mingkun doing here, mixing with a group of grave robbers? What was her goal? Guan Zhenglin''s hand that held my own tightened. We had both seen Zhao Mingkun''s picture so she must have recognized her as well. How could there be such a coincidence in this world?


    "And these three are?" Zhao Mingkun asked slowly. Wei Er introduced, "These are fellow grave robbers from Qing Cheng. I answered their courtesy call. They''re members of the northern sect as we are, and are here looking for help. This here is Little Brother Wu, his wife and the one on the ground is a bit mentally challenged. He''s Doggie Wang Er, he believes he''s a dog." To everyone''s surprise, Doggie Wang Er countered, "You''re the one with the mental problem, I''m the cleverest dog in the world!"


    "And they are?" I asked politely. Wei Er introduced them one by one, there were quite some famous figures here. "The two baldies who are stuck together like Siamese twins are Qian Er and Qian San. The man sitting dazed at the corner is Big Egg. The other two are Little Three and Ol'' Six. And this beautiful woman, her name is Zhao" Zhao Mingkun raised her hand to stop him. Then she stood up and walked towards me. She gave me a once-over and said with intrigue, "You look much younger than I am, you can call me Big Sister Queen."


    I smiled but the next second, the smile froze. Zhao Mingkun grabbed my arms and then turned me around. The next second I felt my knees wobble and I knelt to the ground. My arms were held behind my back. I had zero basics in martial arts, I couldn''t struggle loose even if I tried. "So we have the police among us." Zhao Mingkun giggled. After she said that, everyone stood up. Wei Er wanted to say something but Zhao Mingkun stopped him. Then I felt a gun barrel pressed against my head. After that, it was the sound of a bullet being loaded.


    My heart skipped a beat. This made no sense, we had just arrived at Lin Fen. Captain Zhao had not even set up his office yet, how did our identity get exposed so soon? Other than Captain Zhao, Mary and Xiao Liu, only me, Guan Zhenglin and Gu Chen knew about our undercover mission. Could there be a traitor among the 6 of us? Then it hit me. Zhao Mingkun was testing the authenticity of our identity.


    To confirm my suspicion, I felt Zhao Mingkun pinching the fingers of the hands clutched behind my back one by one. This didn''t mean that Zhao Mingkun had a hand fetish but she was checking for telling signs. For a police officer, due to their training with guns, there would be calluses on the middle and index fingers. Too bad I was not a conventional police officer, my hands were as untouched as that of a fair maiden. Furthermore, I grew up in the prison, there were no kids for me to scuffle with. Naturally I had no calluses. If Gu Chen was here, his identity might be exposed but not me. No wonder Captain Zhao needed to find new or reserved officers to join this task force of his, the suspected culprit, Zhao Mingkun was very sensitive aroundw enforcement. With this in mind, my heart calmed.


    However, it was a different case with Doggie Wang Er. Doggie Wang Er saw himself as a dog, a loyal dog at that. When we were at the mental hospital, I was always good to him and he saw me as his owner. Seeing the danger I was in, he lunged forward to try to bite at Zhao Mingkun''s exposed calf. However, Zhao Mingkun steadilynded a side kick on him and kept him struggling on the ground with a firm stomp on his head. Zhao Mingkun was a very good fighter, she could take on all 3 of us easily.


    "I say, Big Sister Queen, I''m just a grave robber from Qing Cheng. I''ve not seen a gun before in my life, you''re scaring me..." I begged. Zhao Mingkun moved the gun from my head. "You''re quite an actor but this dog of yours is an even better actor than you are. Since you say you aren''t cops, then you wouldn''t me killing a dog, right?" Zhao Mingkun aimed the gun at Doggie Wang Er''s head and her finger slowly pulled on the trigger.


    "Let go of my master, woof!" Doggie Wang Er did not seem to sense the danger he was in. Even if he was stepped onto the ground, he growled angrily. Zhao Mingkun did not stop, the finger continued to pull. Guan Zhenglin was the first to crack. She shouted, "Don''t shoot, he''s a pol" Once our identity was exposed, there was no way we would leave this yard alive. These were all grave robbers, they were already criminals so what was cop-killing? Furthermore, we weren''t even official police officers. When everyone heard the first syble of Guan Zhenglin''sst word, their faces tensed. I quickly cut in and shouted over her, "He''s a positively crazy person. Big Sister Queen, you''re not heartless enough to murder a madman, are you? If you want to kill someone, then kill me. Leave my younger brother disciple alone, he has had a more than tough life already!"


    Wei Er jumped to our defence. "I don''t think they''re cops. What cops bring a mental patient with them. Plus I do know their master, Wang Mazi."


    But Zhao Mingkun still pulled the trigger. The pistol rang out but the chamber was empty. Zhao Mingkun twirled the gun twice in her palm before she holstered it back. "Little kid, it''s not that big sister doesn''t want to believe you but one cannot be too careful or else I wouldn''t have survived until now." Zhao Mingkun massaged my arms. "Also, apologies to your canine younger brother. Little doggie, are you hurt?"


    Doggie Wang Er forgot all grievances and licked at Zhao Mingkun''s feet. "No, it doesn''t hurt." Wei Er tapped me on my shoulder. "Ha ha ha, so it''s all a misunderstanding. Little Brother Wu, I hope you don''t mind that. I''m sure you understand the need for us to be cautious." We sat down. Zhao Mingkun chose to sit down beside Guan Zhenglin, "Young sister, you look too young to be married!"


    "We haven''t got married." Guan Zhenglin stole a look at me. "But I''ve been following him since I was young so I go whenever he goes." The little nce spoke of shyness, I was surprised by Guan Zhenglin''s acting skill. I rolled my eyes at Guan Zhenglin, "She is an orphan. I ran into her when I was 16 and she was 13. She started to follow me after I gave her a bowl of rice. She tells everyone she''s my wife but honestly, I prefer someone like Big Sister Queen, a matured woman." Everyoneughed while Guan Zhenglin pinched my leg under the table.


    "By the way, Big Sister Queen, since you carry a gun, you''re not in the grave-robbing business, are you? If possible, do you mind making some introductions? I hear there is a big tomb here." I said endearingly to Zhao Mingkun. Thetter smiled slightly. "We just came out from that tomb, so you can forget about it. But we can consider some other coboration in the future."


    "Right, Little Brother Wu, we have an interesting event happening tonight. Would you like toe see?" Wei Er asked.


    "Interesting event? What event?"


    Wei Er chuckled. "Have you heard of Minghun?"


    "Of course I do." I answered. "Isn''t Ol'' Zhang in this business, he has at least 10 bodies in storage." Wei Er nodded. "Since you know Ol'' Zhang, I''m not going to hide this from you. Sometimes, Ol'' Zhang would source his bodies from us. That Ol'' Zhang appears to have some connection. Last I heard, there are some big names on thatwork of his."


    I gasped. "Big names? Who are they?"


    "Tamper your ambition, young man." Qian Er warned. His row of yellowed teeth was exposed. "You''re still too young to know certain things." I shrugged.


    "Let''s not linger on that. Wasn''t we talking about Minghun?" Wei Er pulled the topic back. "There is going to be one being held at Ba Jia Zi district tonight, would you like to attend it?"


    These grave robbers led by Wei Er were probably the lowest level in the production chain and the big names Wei Er mentioned were the real big fish. One big fish was worth more than 100 Wei Er. Then again, Zhao Mingkun had decided to mingle along with this group of grave robbers. The woman was very important to another case. Before we got further news, it was best for us to keep our cover and get to know what these people were up to.


    I quickly responded, "Of course! I haven''t been to an actual Minghun before!"

 Chapter 36: Minghun

    Chapter 36: Minghun


    Life was never precious, especially when it was not yours. Based on my understanding, the dead body inside the pnquin had nothing to do with Wei Er''s gang. The families who arranged the Minghun sourced it themselves. Perhaps they traded with another group of grave robbers or they just picked a random grave and started to dig.


    The reason Wei Er''s team was at Lin Fen was not to trade in bodies but they had epted Zhao Mingkun''s money to do something, what that something was, naturally I had no right to know.


    When we saw the bride'' again, she was standing straight inside a simple-constructed tent. The tent was about ten cubic metre in size and formed a rectangr shape. It had metallic beams and ck canvas top. The tent was covered on all sides and an entrance was left open on the northern side. The body was situated right in the middle of the tent, to the both sides of it was a row of chairs. There were two wooden armchairs at the eastern side of the tent, they were probably meant for the groom''s parents.


    Someone had strung rows of red candles on the tent''s metallic poles. The candlelight flickered in the wind. Paper money scattered outside the tent. Paper furniture, paper bungalows, paper cars were piled up to the corner. A paper pair of Golden Boy and Jade Girl guarded at the sides of the entrance. The whole thing was weird. The tent was situated at the foot of a nearby mountain, it would take about 20 minutes of walking to reach Ba Jia Zi district. There was no electricity so the source of light came from the candles. However, since there were so many candles, one could see clearly into the tent.


    At this moment, we were squatting on a small mound which faced the entrance of the tent. Less than 24 hours ago, I saw this dead body singing inside a pnquin. The thought of it sent chills up my spine. In any case, I finally got a better look at this bride. I had to admit that she must have been beautiful before she died. Even in her lifeless state, there was an arresting beauty about her presence. Someone had done the make-up on the bride, giving her some lipstick and blush so that she looked more like a human. If not for the creepy atmosphere and the sad songs that were ying, I wouldn''t mind getting closer to have a good look.


    Currently, the bride was in a big Chinese floor length red-colored gown. The voluminous dress wrapped up her body nicely. This meant that we couldn''t tell her cause of death from outside. There was a wooden nk ced at her neck to maintain her posture.


    "She''s getting into the ground soon. The moment she is down there, I''ll dig a way into her grave and have a wedding night of my own. Lord, I can''t help myself even just from imagining it!" Ol'' Six beside me suddenly eximed. I turned to look and saw the man''s scious gaze wandering over the dead female inside the tent. His eyes were almost falling out from his face. Then his whole body shook and a wet stain appeared around his crotch area. I looked at Ol'' Six with disbelief.


    Zhao Mingkun frowned. She took a look at his crotch and thennded a kick on his backside. "Get back and change your pants, don''t forget the real reason we''re here." Ol'' Six grinned wickedly and wandered off. After he left, Wei Er turned to the young man beside him to whisper. "Lil'' Three, go and follow Ol'' Six. Our stuff are back at the house, be on the lookout just in case he runs away with them." Then Wei Er turned to nce at Zhao Mingkun beside him. Zhao Mingkun turned to meet his eyes. Shemented lightly, "I have no interest in your things, you are perfectly clear with the reason why I''m here. As long as you can help me find him, the rest can be discussed." Their conservation confused me deeply. However, through a brief interaction, I did get a sense of a few things. Zhao Mingkun did not belong to this team, she was merely in a working rtionship with this gang of grave robbers led by Wei Er. And Wei Er''s team was not as united as it looked or else Wei Er wouldn''t send Lil Three to go watch over Ol'' Six.


    Seeing the shock still remaining on my face, Wei Er chuckled. "That Ol'' Six has a fetish for dead bodies, apparently, it''s called necrophilia. Whenever we''re on the job, he would stop to spend some alone time with the dead bodies. The more rotten they are, the more alluring they are to Ol'' Six. That''s why it''s an inside joke among ourselves that one day, one of these female ghosts is going toe back to get him." Wei Erughed, "But honestly, if you go back to the roots, this is not really his fault."


    Wei Er looked at his phone, there was still time to the start of the wedding so he decided to regale me with Ol'' Six''s past. "Ol'' Six''s father was a necrophiliac himself. When Ol'' Six was around 7 or 8, his mother was caught by his father having an affair. His father did not say anything, he pretended like nothing happened. In fact, they even slept in the same bed that night. However, in the middle of the night, Ol'' Six heardmotioning from his parent''s bedroom, so he went to check up on them. The lights in their bedroom were on. Ol'' Six pushed open the door. He saw his father fucking his mother while strangling her around her neck.


    "Ol'' Six was stunned and he looked on silently. At the time, his mother was still alive, she kicked her legs violently. When she saw Ol'' Six walk in, she looked at him with pleading eyes but Ol'' Six was too flustered to do anything. His father literally fucked his mother to death.


    "In the morning, his father told him that his mother deserved to die because she was a traitorous bitch. Ol'' Six was still too young to dare to say anything otherwise. It was not until a weekter that the neighbours noticed something was wrong. When the police arrive, Ol'' Six''s father was fucking the dead body of the mother even though the body was already well into the dposing stage." At this point, the others sighed. Wei Er continued, "After that, Ol'' Six was left to walk the streets. He would take any odd jobs. Eventually he ran into a grave robber. The old robber pitied him so took him under his tutge. The grave robber was our master and he had 6 disciples, Ol'' Six was the youngest. His necrophilia was hard to hide because we work with dead bodies. At the start, he would hide that habit from us but after walking into him for far too many times, he stopped pretending. He looks around 30 plus but actually he might be younger than you! We say he aged prematurely because his Yang energy had been drained by the corpses! We did try to hire him some prostitutes to help him kick the habit but it was to no avail. Nothing other than dead bodies could get him hard."


    Qian Er chimed in then. "I say we should just kick him out of the group. No one wants to work with a creep like him anyway. Thest task he took with Little Three, he almost caused a big tragedy."


    "Have some heart. After all, he''s our youngest brother." Wei Er shook his head.


    Zhao Mingkun''s voice cut through the conversation. "It''s already 10.30, the groom should being soon."


    Just as Zhao Mingkun finished, the sound of the suona horn came from the mountain road. It was ying a wedding tune but, in this circumstance, it just caused goosebumps to break out all over my body. Turning to the direction of the suona, I saw a smallntern moving in the dark.


    "Remember what I need you to do." Zhao Mingkun whispered. The men nodded. Zhao Mingkun turned to me and said, "Little brother,ter you just stay here and don''t go wandering around, okay?" I had no idea what Zhao Mingkun and the guys were up to but it was impossible for me to stay put, but on the surface, I replied, "Okay, but do tell me when you''re leaving. Even though I have no idea what''s happening, it looks exciting." Zhao Mingkun fluffed my head and stopped talking. Thentern came closer and eventually I could see them better.


    The person holding thentern was the same leading man carrying the dog''s head in the afternoon. Behind him was still the same group of pnquin carriers. But now they were not carrying a pnquin but a giant coffin. The coffin wasrge enough for 2 bodies. Looks like it was going to be a dual burial.


    "Stop!" The leading man ced thentern on the ground. The wedding guests surrounded the coffin and waited for the proceedings to begin.


    "We''ll now wee the groom''s parents to undo the first nail!" The leading man shouted loudly. A pair of 50 plus couples moved out from the crowd. They epted the tool given to them and each yanked off a nail from the front of the coffin. However, as the nail flew out, fresh red blood slid down the gap of the ck coffin.


    "Ah!" The middle-aged man screamed in shock. The other guests were stunned as well. In fact, even we who watched from the mound almost cried in shock. The suona yers stopped blowing the horn, the songs from the mobile speakers stopped ying. The ce was so quiet that one could hear the drop of a pin. Even though the leading man had performed at many Minghuns, this was the first time he encountered something like this.


    "Sensei, what, what is going on?" The groom''s father asked in a shaking voice.


    "I, I don''t know either." The leading man said, "I guess we better open the coffin to take a look."


    I asked in a whisper, "How long has their son died?"


    Wei Er answered, "Based on what we heard, for some time already."


    "This is strange." Qian San uttered, "How could a dead man''s blood be so fresh? In fact, a dead man shouldn''t even be bleeding."


    Zhao Mingkun signalled for everyone to keep quiet. "There''s only 1 possibility, it''s not his son inside the coffin. Today''s n might be cancelled, I''ll reschedule the matter." While we spoke, the leading man already started to pry open the coffin. The ceremony proceedings were halted, they needed to check the source of the blood first. The youths helped to pry open the lid. In a few seconds, the heavy coffin lidnded with a thud. Everyone finally got a glimpse of the person inside the coffin. His throat was cut and blood was still pouring. It looked like his windpipe was shed. That was why he couldn''t scream for help and none of the coffin carriers heard his cries for help.


    If not for Zhao Mingkun grabbing Wei Er''s shoulders, Wei Er would have rushed towards the coffin already.


    "How can it be him?" I couldn''t help but gasp. Everyone''s expression darkened because it was none other than Little Three who was lying inside the coffin!


    However, wasn''t he supposed to be watching over Ol'' Six? How did he end up dead inside the coffin? And where was Ol'' Six, was he the killer?

 Chapter 37: Murderers Child

    Chapter 37: Murderer''s Child


    "Motherfucker, this has to be Ol'' Six''s doing," Qian San pulled on the little hair he had left and said harshly, "He must have absconded with the stuff we looted from the tomb. We should hurry back, we might still be able to catch this traitor." Qian San jumped up and made to move but Qian Er held his younger brother back. He smoothed his hair which was not more than his brother''s. "I don''t think this is that simple. The stuff has been sitting at our base for quite some time already. Why did Ol'' Six pick today of all days to make his move? What is so special about todaypared to others?"


    I naturally got the hidden meaning in Qian Er''s words, he was throwing suspicion onto us. Due to Qian Er''s speech, Wei Er and his group turned to stare at me and Guan Zhenglin. At that moment, Qian Er added, "But to be fair, Miss Zhao also just approached us yesterday." Zhao Mingkun nced at Qian Er and then replied casually, "If there''s any problem, we can discuss it back at the base."


    "What about Little Three''s body?" Big Egg who had been silent suddenly piped up Everyone turned to Wei Er who was the leader of the group. He had to make the decision. Wei Er looked at me and then at Zhao Mingkun. Looks like Qian Er''s words had achieved their intended effect. Whether Wei Er trusted me or not in the past, the seed of suspicion had been nted now. "Qian Er, what do you think?" Wei Er didn''t quite know what to do either. Qian Er took stock of the chaos surrounding the coffin and said, "First, we need to secure Little Three''s body before the police arrive. At this ce, Minghun is a small thing but murder is a whole different story. If the cops are called in, we''ll never see Little Three''s body again."


    "Then what should we do now?" Big Egg nced at the scene nervously. "How are we going to get the body back?" Qian Er smiled. "By pretending to be the police."


    20 minutester.


    "We''ve received a report about amotion at this ce. What''s happening?" Qian Er announced to the confused crowd. In their confusion, the crowd did not even question Qian Er''s words. The groom''s mother said, "We have no idea. My son is supposed to be inside this coffin but he is instead reced by this man. We don''t even know who he is."


    "Okay!" Qian Er said, "Get the body, we''ll return to the station and investigate this further." Then his group moved to get the coffin.


    "Erm, but this" Someone moved to stop them.


    "Do you n to assault the police?" Zhao Mingkun shed her gun. No one dared move then. Qian San was watching me and Guan Zhenglin closely so we couldn''t do anything either. Suddenly, there was a draft that took out all the candles inside the tent. With the pale moonlight, one could only see several metres before them. Beyond that, things were just silhouettes. The crowd started to scream out of panic. A floaty voice came out from inside the tent, I recognized it immediately. The bride was singing this ditty when she was in the pnquin. To everyone''s consternation, the song had returned. Had the dead bride decided to sing again?


    "It''s that song, it''s that song." Someone among the crowd shouted, "She''s back, she''s back!"


    "Run! Run! Chu Mei is back, Chu Mei is back!" Another one shouted. The vigers rushed towards the mountain road like a bunch of headless chickens, they appeared to be incredibly fearful of this Chu Mei.


    "Get moving!" Qian Er ordered. Taking advantage of the chaos, the grave robbers grabbed the coffin and ran. Half an hourter, we finally arrived at the yard. Wei Er locked the door shut and once he did, he turned back to order. "Confiscate all of their phones!" Without any hesitation, I handed over my phone. I patted Guan Zhenglin on her shoulder to signal her to do the same. Now was not the time to get into arguments with these grave robbers. Furthermore, Gu Chen was not here, we wouldn''t be able to win them in a fight. Seeing how cooperative I was, Wei Er nodded with satisfaction. He added, "Little Brother Wu, I hope you can understand why we need to do this. Qian Er was not wrong. Ol'' Six has been with us for over a decade already and the stuff has been sitting here for quite some time. So before we get to the bottom of the truth, I ask for your cooperation."


    I nodded and smiled. "Naturally, but I really have just arrived at this ce today." Wei Er patted my shoulder and said nothing else.


    "Miss Zhao." Wei Er walked towards Zhao Mingkun and extended his hand. Zhao Mingkun smiled brightly, her dimples making her look cute and harmless. Zhao Mingkun ced her pistol in Wei Er''s palm but before Wei Er could close his hand around it, Zhao Mingkun lifted her knee and aimed it right at Wei Er''s stomach. Wei Er doubled over and fell to the ground. No one expected the resistance from Zhao Mingkun. Big Egg was the first to recover from the shock. As Wei Er copsed, Big Egg trundled over. Big Egg was asrge and as round as his name suggested. He shook the ground like a human tank as he moved towards Zhao Mingkun. However, Zhao Mingkun''s reflexes were much better than Big Egg. She leaped andnded a roundhouse kick on Big Egg''s head, sending him rolling to the ground. That was not the end of Zhao Mingkun''s offense. With another leap forward, she disarmed Qian San by stepping on his neck. Qian Er thought to attack the woman from her back with his fist but before he could get any closer, Zhao Mingkun''s gun was already pointing at his forehead.


    The series of actions might soundplicated in words but it was actually done within seconds. When I snapped out of it, there were 2 men groaning on the ground and the remaining 2 being detained by Zhao Mingkun. Zhao Mingkun used her free hand to swipe away her sweat. She chuckled lightly, "You dare to suspect me? The payment that I''m providing is worth so much more than the things inside that tomb. Brain is a very useful thing, I hope each of you will learn to use it. If this is the working of Little Brother Wu or myself, we would have escaped during the chaos up on the mountain. Little Brother,e and help me take away their weapons." Zhao Mingkun curled her finger at me.


    I nodded and pulled out their daggers. At the same time, I took back Guan Zhenglin''s and my phone. I noticed the 4 of the daggers were of the same making and style. I was internally impressed, Zhao Mingkun was as impressive as Captain Zhao made her out to be. Moments ago, we were the hostage but now the situation turned instantly. I took back what I said earlier, Zhao Mingkun could easily take down the 5 of us.


    Zhao Mingkun straddled the coffin and put away her gun. Then she began, "I hope you people understand that it would cost me nothing to kill all of you so don''t make me do that. Little Brother,e over with the daggers. Check and see if the wound on his neck matches the dagger or not."


    I nudged close to the coffin and inspected the dead body inside. The victim was indeed Little Three. By then, his body was already soaked in his own blood. I could see no visible wound on his body other than the gash around his neck. So the slice to the throat should be the fatal blow. Using the light that filtered out from the windows, I looked closer at the wound. Withparison, I noticed quite easily that the wound was deep and long, clearly it was not done by this short dagger. Zhao Mingkun epted the dagger I handed to her and asked, "Do all six of you have the same dagger?"


    Wei Er stood up from the ground and uttered resentfully, "Yes, we do."


    Zhao Mingkun nodded and pulled out a pair of gloves from her pocket. Then she started to examine Little Three''s body. Zhao Mingkun used her fingers to touch the wound around the throat and then patted down the man''s body. "The dagger is not responsible for the wound that killed Little Three, if I have to guess, the weapon should be something more akin to a kitchen knife." Zhao Mingkun observed, "But the dagger on Little Three is missing, I believe the killer might have taken it."


    Then Zhao Mingkun looked under the coffin lid. I followed suit and saw the nail scratch marks under the lid. We could easily imagine this: The killer sliced Little Three''s throat and then pushed him into the coffin. While Little Three was dazed, the killer nailed the coffin lid back on. Due to the broken windpipe, Little Three couldn''t make any sound. However, his survival instinctpelled him to scratch at the coffin lid to try to move it open. Little Three died in fear and desperation.


    I was getting more impressed by Zhao Mingkun. She managed to escape from Captain Zhao multiple times, she was a master with both guns and fists. She also knew a bit or two about crime scene investigation as well. It was a waste that she didn''t be a police officer but a criminal. Zhang Mingkun turned her head over and saw me staring at her. So she smiled sweetly at me. "What''s up? Are you falling for me?"


    I responded, "Based on how Big Sister Queen is acting, you look more like a cop than an actual cop."


    Hearing that, Zhao Mingkun guffawed. "I have to be honest, that career choice has indeed crossed my mind. Unfortunately, I was born an orphan and both of my parents were criminals. There are too many things in the way for me to be a police officer. But Iter found out, killing and saving lives are not that different after all."


    My heart skipped a beat. I was not expecting Zhao Mingkun to have the same background as I did. I couldn''t stop the emotions welling up within me. My father was a criminal and my mother was missing. Even if I could somehow turn official, would that stop the criticisming from both inside and outside the force. Looking into Zhao Mingkun''s eyes, I appeared to see the same helplessness inside there, the loneliness in the soul.


    We tried our best to be ourselves but living in this world, we couldn''t stop the others frombelling us.


    "You are the child of a murderer." That was the thing I heard the most in my childhood. That was why I had no friends. Zhao Mingkun and myself were more simr than I anticipated.

 Chapter 38: Skinned Body

    Chapter 38: Skinned Body


    The killer was not Ol'' Six because Big Egg took out a gunny sack. This sack was once used to store fertilizer but it was now used to store funerary ware. The sack was still the same but due to its content, the value was different. This was the second reason Wei Er''s group was at Fen Lin, tomb-raiding. Wei Er examined the items inside the gunny sack and his facial features squeezed together. He took out a jade pendant and rubbed it between his fingers. "Qian Er, it doesn''t look like Ol'' Six is behind this. None of the items are missing but if Ol'' Six didn''t do this, who killed Little Three and where the hell is Ol'' Six now?"


    The group was silent before they gathered together to discuss something among themselves. I pulled Guan Zhenglin to a seat nearby and tried to reconstruct the details of this event. A singing dead woman, the name Chu Mei mentioned by the vigers; Zhao Mingkun who had arrived here for her own reason; a gang of 6 grave robbers who were less united than they appeared. A small district had managed to attract the attention of so many persons of interest. I scanned everyone from the corner of my eyes and the word, suspicion, was written inly on everyone''s faces. When Little Three left, it was about 11 pm; when the wedding procession arrived, it was around 11.30 pm. How did the killer manage to kill Little Three, stuff him inside the coffin and seal up the coffin in just 30 minutes? When did the coffin barriers originally depart and had they stopped in the middle of their journey?


    There were too many unanswered questions. Since this was an undercover job, I couldn''t ask the police for help. It would require plenty of wit and cunning to solve this case. I wondered if Captain Zhao''s people and Gu Chen had arrived at Lin Fen.


    What would this group of people do next? If they decided to just up and leave, what could I do to convince them to stay? Wei Er''s gang appeared to have reached a consensus. Wei Er stood up and turned to us. "Little Brother Wu, Miss Zhao, the police will soon investigate this incident. We''ve already taken a big risk to fetch Little Three''s body back. The vigers will soon realize that we are fake. Then the real police will be on our trail. It''ll be too dangerous for us to stay around then." Wei Er took out a jade pendant from the gunny sack and tossed it to me. "Little Brother Wu, I am sorry that we aren''t able to help you with more. This pendant is worth at least several thousands. It''s the most we can do for you."


    I epted the jade pendant and returned them their daggers. At the same time, I said, "But Little Three has died such a horrible death, are you going to just leave"


    Wei Er waved his hands and said, "Even though the 6 of us are not biological brothers, we studied under the same master. We will definitely take revenge for Little Three. But for the sake of safety, we better split up. We are both grave robbers, the mountains are like our backyard, we can lose the police easily there." Even though we were all beside Wei Er during Little Three''s murder and thus couldn''t be his killer, it was clear that his group still did not trust us. If I insisted oning with them, their suspicion on me would only rise. Well... As long as they stayed with the district, everything was still negotiable.


    Then Wei Er turned to Zhao Mingkun. "Miss Zhao, we''ve learned a loting with you to this ce but now that there''s a death on our hands, I don''t think the person you''re looking for will appear anymore. We will find a way to return you the money. I, Wei Er, is a man of my words." Before Zhao Mingkun could reply, Doggie Wang Er beside me suddenly tensed and barked loudly. At the same time, the ditty entered the yard. The voice sounded like a eulogy, it was hard to pinpoint where it came from. Hearing the song, everyone looked around with alertness. The voice was indeed a female voice, and it was singing an old Chinese song. The voice was wispy and soft, it tickled the listeners'' hearts.


    "This way!" Zhao Mingkun ordered as she rushed towards the entrance. As we rushed out from the entrance, all of us were shocked by the scene that unfolded before us. A bloody man was standing facing the yard''s front door.


    "Announce yourself!" Wei Er shouted. Then we realized the man was already dead. He was red and naked. His clothes as well as his skin had disappearedThis was a skinned body!


    Under the moonlight, the muscly red was gut-wrenching. The still dripping blood flowed slowly along the muscture. The man''s eyes were dug out and two bloody holes remained. They were also bleeding gently. The teeth inside the mouth had all been knocked out. It also looked like someone had reached into the mouth to cut off the tongue. Naturally, it was impossible to tell who this person was, after all, he had no face.


    I moved to the back of the body and realized someone had tied a metal pole to the man''s spine. The pole was stuck deep into the ground, it was how the body remained standing. The thick stench of blood hit me and gripped my brain. There was no scent of dposition, the death was very fresh. From the skinless body, it appeared like the fatal wound was around the chest. There was a stab wound that appeared to be delivered by a dagger. The wound was several cm long and the muscle around the wound had unique indentation which suggested that the murder weapon was most likely a patterned dagger. Other than that, there were several sh marks on the left arms, they were long and shallow, probably caused by the same weapon.


    The man was holding a dagger tightly in his hand, the same dagger that was used by Wei Er''s team. Even after death, his right hand was still wrapped up tight around the dagger and there was no sign of loosening. Wei Er''s gang took several steps forward while I moved back to Guan Zhenglin''s side. "What do you think?"


    "The rigor mortis is only just setting in so I believe the time of death is probably less than 1 hour ago." Guan Zhenglin whispered. I took a quick nce at my watch, it was 12. 40 am. In other words, this man was killed around 11. 40 pm. Inparison, Little Three''s time of death was approximately around 11 pm. They died within 30 minutes of each other, could they have been killed by the same person? And who was this skinned victim?


    Everyone''s focus was on the body so no one noticed the conversation between Guan Zhenglin and myself. She continued, "The cause of death is probably the stab wound on the chest. The wound may be short but it went deep. The cause of death is thus asphyxiation due to lung puncture and internal bleeding. He was skinned not long after his death because take a look at his arm and the dagger he''s holding." Guan Zhenglin whispered. "The hand is still closed around the dagger, this is what we call post-mortem spasm. The muscle hasn''t got the chance to rx after death, this proves that the man has been holding this dagger tightly up until the moment of his death." That suggested that the man had put up a fight against his attacker and lost. I closed my eyes and tried to envision the most possible scenario.


    I am the killer, I am walking side by side with my victim. I slowly took out the dagger from my pocket. The darkness provided the best disguise. Then I suddenly turned around and used my right hand to stab at the victim. The victim raised his arm to block and that was how my de left the sh wounds on the victim''s left arm. I pry his arm off and stab again. But by then, the victim has also gotten hold of his dagger and tries to stab back at me. However, before he can reach me, my dagger is already plunged deeply in his chest. He looks at me as if unable to believe that I would actually kill him.


    My eyes flew open and something dawned on me. The killer and the victim walked side by side in the dark, this proved that they knew each other. Strangers would maintain a safe distance.


    "What are you two doing?" Zhao Mingkun turned around to ask me and Guan Zhanglin. I patted Guan Zhenglin on her hand. "She was too shocked by the scene so I came to helpfort her."


    "Motherfucker!" Qian San looked around and cursed. "The body is still holding our dagger, only the 6 of us have this dagger. Little Three''s killer has one and Ol'' Six has one. Therefore, this has to be Ol'' Six. Someone has used Little Three''s dagger to skin him!"


    "If I knew who was behind this." Qian San reached forward to pull the iron rod off the ground. "I will skin them alive."


    "This is Ol'' Six?" I frowned. "How can you tell? The damage to the face is too serious to make any actual identification."


    Wei Er stopped Qian San and said, "Other than the few of us, who would know this ce? I believe the killer got it from Ol'' Six. It looks like someone is targeting our gang. Little Three was probably killed because he refused to admit anything!"


    "Could the killer be a ghost?" Big Egg looked around and asked cautiously. "We all heard the singing earlier. The vigers all imed that Chu Mei had returned. Is Chu Mei targeting us?"


    "Is it because of that?" Qian Er mumbled softly.


    "Master, over here. Someone has left a bloody message here." Doggie Wang Er found something. We followed Doggie Wang Er''s direction and saw that someone had written the following in blood on the outside wall. "I know what you did."


    The person who wrote this clearly knew Wei Er''s gang. But what exactly had they done?


    These grave robbers'' faces were drawn after they saw the message. Wei Er hurried towards us and said nervously, "Sorry but we''ll have to make our departure now. This might be rted to us and we don''t want to involve you in our trouble. Farewell. We''ll meet again if fate permits it."


    Then, with a wave of his hand, Wei Er''s group disappeared into the night.


    Wei Er''s group started at Lin Fen and based on their career choice, it would be understandable if they made some local enemies. What had transpired between the people of Lin Fen and this group of grave robbers? Who was this Chu Mei and why were the vigers so afraid of her? Looks like we had been swept into another mystery.


    I took another nce at the skinless body and said, "We better leave this ce too."

 Chapter 39: Midnight Ruse

    Chapter 39: Midnight Ruse


    Wei Er''s gang left in such a hurry that they even abandoned Little Three''s body that they had tried so hard to rescue earlier. The man and the coffin were left just like that in the yard. The skinned body was left standing at the front door. Looks like Wei Er''s gang was really worried about something and they needed to deal with it with greatest expedience.


    2 questions:<ol data-offset-key="ddl2t-0-0"><li data-block="true" data-editor="an03q" data-offset-key="ddl2t-0-0">


    Would there be a next victim?</li><li data-block="true" data-editor="an03q" data-offset-key="ct2hc-0-0">


    Who was this mysterious party who was targeting Wei Er''s gang?</li></ol>


    "Little Brother, are you interested in investigating this incident with me?" Zhao Mingkun suddenly dropped the question without turning around to look at us. This was honestly quite surprising to me. It was pure luck that we ran into Zhao Mingkun, I was wondering how to convince her to let us stay with her but she had instead volunteered the opportunity. Cautious of Zhao Mingkun''s intention, I said, "Due to the scale of this incident, the official will definitely send people to investigate. It''ll be bad if we''re exposed."


    Zhao Mingkun chuckled. "In other words, you''re scared?"


    I pouted and grumbled, "Who said I''m scared? Since Big Sister Queen is so intrigued, I''ll tag along."


    "Then what should we do now?" Guan Zhenglin nced at Zhao Mingkun and asked. Zhao Mingkun pressed on the button on her key and a car beeped. "First, I''ll bring you to our ce of amodation first." A cunning rabbit would have 3 holes, this Chinese idiom was most suitable to describe Zhao Mingkun. Currently, we were at a small motel, so small that other than the 3 of us, there was no one else. Even the boss had gone missing. It appeared like this was a specific arrangement requested by Zhao Mingkun. Along the way, Zhao Mingkun didn''t make any calls, so she had already prepared this hiding spot beforehand. No wonder Zhao Mingkun managed to escape the heavy crime unit for so long, this was a very well-prepared woman.


    Then again, this ce was more like a Siheyuan than a motel. The ce was located in a secluded part of Ba Jia Zi district. Someone who did not know the ce well wouldn''t be able to locate this motel. "Big Sister Queen, I have a question that I wish to ask you but if you''re notfortable to answer it, feel free to ignore me."


    Zhao Mingkun was soaking her feet in the yard. She had a pair of model-worthy legs. Zhao Mingkun lifted one up and started to towel it. Her skin was fair as snow. She arched her leg back so that she could reach the back of her calf. The line formed by her movement was captivating. As she wiped on her leg, she said, "I know what you''re going to ask, you want to know why I''m here, don''t you? I can see that you''re a clever person, but for clever people, the less they know the better. Oftentimes, people be angry, sad, disappointed because they know too much." Zhao Mingkun straightened her leg and caressed her finger from the tip of her toe to her waist. It made my heart shiver. "Well, how''s the view? Mind joining me in my roomter?"


    I swallowed heavily. To be honest,pared to Guan Zhenglin''s cute and innocence, I prefer sexy and mature women like Zhao Mingkun. She was sexy and she knew how to use it to her advantage, I believed not many men could resist her. "Ha ha." I chuckled dumbly.


    "Wu Meng!" Guan Zhenglin stomped out from our room and shouted, "Why aren''t you in bed yet? It''s already sote." I shrugged and followed her into our room. Once we''re behind the door, Guan Zhenglin pulled on my ear and whispered, "Wu Meng, have you forgotten why we''re here? If I didn''t go out and interrupt you two, you''d expose everything to her already. That sneaky vixen!"


    I struggled away from Guan Zhenglin''s grip and exined, "It''s good if we can capture Zhao Mingkun but aren''t you curious who she was here to meet? This character must be a big fish to have Zhao Mingkune meet them in person. I might be able to get a name from her but you''ve ruined everything!" Guan Zhenglin looked through the window. Zhao Mingkun was standing in the yard, star-gazing. "Do you think I don''t know the kind of person you are, you pervert." Guan Zhenglin whispered, "Don''t use work to hide your perverse intention. Look at her, she''s out there star-gazing, probably reminded of her old conquests. Don''t be fooled by her!"


    I turned to study Zhao Mingkun and her profile. This scene felt very familiar to me. There was a unique charm about Zhao Mingkun that could make my heart race. I had this feeling that I had known her for a long time, this was one of the reasons I promised to help Captain Zhao. I remembered when I was young, I used to spend my nights standing in the prison yard, counting the stars in the sky. I wondered if she had the same childhood as I was.


    "You''re still looking?!" Guan Zhenglin waved her hands before my eyes. I pulled my thoughts back. "Have you notified Captain Zhao? I believe Captain Zhao will agree with me. Sometimes, arresting someone is not as important as gaining their trust and unlocking their secrets. Simrly, it''s easier to capture a murderer than to make them confess about their motives."


    Guan Zhenglin crawled into bed and yawned. "You''re right. Captain Zhao did tell us to keep an eye on her and find out why she''s here." I turned to switch off the light. I said with a smile. "See, I told you." Then I jumped into bed. Before Inded on the bed, a kick shot out at my stomach. Before I could react, I was sent flying out from bed. "Get lost! You pervert!" Guan Zhenglin hissed. "You''re sleeping on the floor with Doggie Wang Er!"


    3 am.


    I was speechless looking at Guan Zhenglin who was asleep like a pig in bed. She was so defenseless around me, wasn''t she afraid that I''d climb into bed with her? I shook my head and patted Doggie Wang Er on his head to signal him to be quiet. I tip-toed out from the room and walked towards the other room. Picking locks was easy as pie for me. I pushed the door slightly open and I saw Zhao Mingkun was sitting in bed with her eyes closed. This was the first time I saw someone sleep in a seated position. Caution was deeply written into Zhao Mingkun''s bones. Different from Guan Zhenglin, Zhao Mingkun was constantly on alert. She must have had a tiring life. As I expected, the moment I closed the door, the gun clicked.


    "Big Sister Queen, it''s just me." I raised my arms in surrender. Zhao Mingkun sat back down in bed. Even though she was in her underwear, she didn''t move to hide herself. Instead she wiggled her finger at me, calling me to get closer to her. I jumped into her bed. We were so close that I could smell the fragrance she wore and sense her breath on me. Her soft and supple hands reached towards my body and started to undo my buttons. My hands crawled to settle on her back to remove herst line of defense.


    However, right at that moment, there was a harrowing wail. The wail sounded like it originated in our yard. Then, the wail stopped and the voice turned into a cackle.


    She cried and she giggled. Before this, her voice was blurry but this time, she was frighteningly clear. The legendary Chu Mei.


    I immediately jumped down from bed and pulled down a corner of the curtain to look.


    A woman in a red robe stood in the middle of the yard. My heart squeezed because I had seen this robe before. During the Minghun ceremony, the bride was wearing this floor length red gown. At this moment, she stood facing the window. Her unkempt hair rustled and the voice emitted from her mouth.


    "Go!" I yelped but Zhao Mingkun was already at the door. Zhao Mingkun burst through the door, but I stayed by the window. If this was a ghost, I intended to see how she would disappear into thin air; if this was not a ghost, Zhao Mingkun was more than capable of taking her down. However, as Zhao Mingkun reached the yard, the bride practically floated up into the air. Shended on the rooftop and then disappeared into the night. Even though I was prepared, this sight still took my breath away. Was she really a ghost, the dead body inside the pnquin?


    But why would the bride be haunting us? What had we done to her?


    The lights in the yard were switched on and Guan Zhenglin exited her room. Seeing how shaken she was, she must have been quite frightened by the event. She had Doggie Wang Er walk before her. I hurriedly ran out from Zhao Mingkun''s room. When Guan Zhenglin saw me, she pointed a finger at me. She wanted to say something but nothing came out. At that moment, Zhao Mingkun was only in her bra and panties, the implication was clear but she didn''t seem to mind it at all. "Looks like someone intends to chase us away. I''ll go get dressed. Help me see if they''ve left behind any clues." Then she entered and closed the door to her room.


    Guan Zhenglin rushed over with Doggie Wang Er. "That''s the only thing I told you not to do! You climbed into her bed in the end? You big pervert" Well I wished, but before anything could happen, the female ghost came to ruin everything. I tuned out Guan Zhenglin''s rambling as shembasted me with all the bad words she knew.


    I knelt down and examined the ground carefully. I noticed there was a hole about the size of a pinkie at the spot where the ghost was standing earlier. In fact, now that I think about it, all the ghost did was to stand there and make those strange noises. If she was really a ghost, why didn''t shee after us but instead run away the moment Zhao Mingkun arrived at the yard? Why didn''t she do anything else other than standing there and make scary noises or that was all she could do?


    "There''s no footprint!" Guan Zhenglin finally noticed the problem. "This kind of yellow soil retains footprint indentation very well but she left no footprint behind, can that really be a ghost?"


    I lifted my head to look at the roof. The walls of the Siheyuan were about 3 metres tall and it had a t roof. If someone used the roof and wall creatively, they might not leave behind any footprint. The hole on the ground was about the size of the iron rod that strung up the skinned body at Wei Er''s base. Perhaps someone was designing all these. But why would someone do that? And how was all these rted to Zhao Mingkun?

 Chapter 40: Beauty of Ugliness

    Chapter 40: Beauty of Ugliness


    Were there really ghosts in this world? At least in my 20 years of living, I had not seen one, but I had seen many humans pretending to be ghosts. Furthermore, if there were really ghosts in this world, I didn''t think they''d be that scary. Human beings were often scarier than ghosts.


    Take for example, this extremely ugly woman before me. If she was out walking at night, people could easily mistake her as a ghost.


    Early this morning, Zhao Mingkun led us to investigate the truth, and to do that, we had to first find out who this Chu Mei was, why the vigers were so afraid of her and what was her rtionship with Wei Er''s gang, if any. And that led us to this ce, sitting before this woman. I studied the woman closely, I tried my best to find something charming about her. A great sculptor once said, there was nock of beauty in life, only eyes who failed to recognize beauty. If that was the case, then I must be blind. I had never seen someone so ugly in my life, there was nothing redeeming about her facial features. Her eyes were too small, they were barely more than slits. Her eyes were murky and crusts formed at the edges. Her nostrils were turned outwards, exposing her long and unkempt nasal hair. Her mouth hung open to show yellow teeth. They were not the result of smoking but ack of oral hygiene. Her ears were t and small, from afar, they were barely visible.


    The pimples pockmarking her face indicated that she wasn''t that old. Based on her body proportions, she looked like she was in her 30s, around the same age as Zhao Mingkun. However, the two women could not have been more different.


    This woman''s name was Dai Yu, perhaps her parents got inspired by Dream of Red Chamber. ording to vige rumours, before Chu Mei died, her best friend was Dai Yu. However, after Chu Mei died 5 years ago, Dai Yu became devastated by grief and some imed a bit unhinged in the head. Dai Yu at least still took care of her appearance and personal hygiene when she was young but that stopped 5 years ago. If her parents didn''te every month to help wash and cut her hair, they would be matted and filled by lice. Even so, sitting there, we were still surrounded by a haze of stench. It came from Dai Yu''s feet. Based on how ck they were, she probably hadn''t washed them for a long time already. Even someone like Doggie Wang Er couldn''t help but stay away from her, that should tell you how repulsive the woman was.


    I had the belief that appearance wasn''t everything, because I was often called a murderer''s son when I was young. However, when I sat across from Dai Yu, I found it hard to not form a bad impression about her. Human nature is evil, no matter how hard you try to hide it. Noting that I had been watching her feet, Dai Yu purposely moved her toes and asked challengingly, "Would you like to lean closer for a better sniff?"


    I almost unloaded my morning breakfast. I changed the subject, "We''re here to find out more about Chu Mei. Why are the vigers so afraid of her?" After Zhao Mingkun offered her 1000 RMB, Dai Yu told us a story. Dai Yu was indeed Chu Mei''s best friend, they ate together, drank together, and sometimes even shared a bed together. They had been best pals since primary school. The friendshipsted through high school and secondary school. Both of them were good students, in fact, Chu Mei was a better student than Dai Yu. After high school, both of the girls applied for the same school. Luckily, they both got epted. Their bond was so strong that some of the vigers suspected there was more than tonic rtionship between the two.


    However, the rumors instantly died after Chu Mei got herself a boyfriend. However, Chu Mei still went everywhere and did everything with Dai Yu, other than sex. For that, Chu Mei had her boyfriend. Quite a number of girls were envious of their rtionship, such a sisterhood was hard toe by. However, the thing they were not envious of was Dai Yu''s looks. Dai Yu had very few friends because of it. Even when they agreed to y with her, they would involuntarily regard her in a special way. Even though her university mates tried to keep it as subtle as possible and never made fun of her looks, Dai Yu knew they looked down on her.


    Dai Yu could still remember how the ssmates in her ss would giggle whenever her primary school teacher called out her name for the roll call.


    Lin Dai Yu, it was a beautiful name. Even though these kids might not have read Dream of Red Chamber, they knew it was one of the four most famous Chinese literature. Lin Dai Yu was the beautiful female main character. His parents gave her that name because they hoped that their daughter would be as beautiful and as talented as Lin Dai Yu but as farmers, they probably had no idea how Lin Dai Yu had suffered in the masterpiece. The one thing Dai Yu had going in her life was she had one true friend and that was Chu Mei. But one time, when they were back from semester break, Lin Dai Yu lost her only friend.


    That was a night 5 years ago. When Chu Mei and Dai Yu descended the train, it was already 11 pm. They took a taxi to reach the district and then walked back to their home. By then it was already 2 am. That semester break, Chu Mei and Dai Yu originally nned to spend it working in the city but their families begged them to return. Their families weren''t that poor that they needed their girls to work to support the family but what kind of parents wouldn''t want their daughters to be by their side for as long as possible. After all, after marriage, their daughters would start a new family of their own.


    The girls chatted as they walked home. The road was long and dark. There were no streetlights. Lining the street was an endless stretch of maize farm. The harvest was going to be good that year because the corn stalks were about the height of half a man!


    Corn was their district''s biggest export. After the two girls moved to the big city and got exposed to western media where horrible things often happened in cornfields, the waving corn stalks that danced from the wind felt a lot more sinister than normal. Then two men charged out from the field. Dai Yu screamed and her shout cut through the night. Several bugs pped from being shocked. But the next moment, a giant palm closed over her mouth. Dai Yu struggled but it was pointless, the man was 1.75 metres tall and was extremely powerful. Dai Yu couldn''t wrestle loose at all. She saw from the corner of her eye that Chu Mei was being apprehended as well. The two girls were dragged into the cornfield. The bugs continued to sing, the wind moved the cornstalks and the stalks danced. Everything was so idyllic and peaceful.


    But inside the cornfield, things were different. Someone had used clothes to gag Dai Yu and Chu Mei. They tore apart their dresses and undid their own clothes. Under the moonlight, Dai Yu saw a penis for the first time. She was so afraid, she didn''t know what to do, so she turned to Chu Mei for help. She saw that someone already climbed onto Chu Mei. All the men were wearing stic cartoon masks. The man who straddled Chu Mei had his tongue lolling out from the mask. The tongue slithered on Chu Mei''s face like a snake, slobbering everywhere. At the same time, his body started to rock back and forth. Dai Yu knew the same fate would befall her but she suddenly realized the man above her had stopped. "This bitch is so fucking ugly!" The man suddenly groused. "What a boner killer!"


    Another voice said, "Fuck, didn''t you say that every woman looks the same in the dark? You should get your thing checked out. Get off, if you don''t want to, then let me." Then there was movement through the field. However, when the man saw Dai Yu''s face, the rapist sighed. "Aiz, God must be nodding off when he made you. I am a bad person but I have a limit too. Regardless, I''m sure that one girl can still satisfy the 6 of us. You, keep this one still, don''t let her run away." Then he turned to the one raping Chu Mei. "Hurry up over there. There''s a long line now." The other men nodded, even rapists had standards too.


    Therefore, Dai Yu watched through tears how the six men took turns crawling over Chu Mei. There were times where her best friend was forced to service 3 men at the same time. Dai Yu was held to the ground and she could only look on helplessly. That was the most painful 3 hours of her life.


    By the end, Chu Mei was barely herself anymore. The men surrounded Chu Mei and peed on her. Chu Mei shivered non-stop. The gag was still tied around her mouth. Chu Mei had lost her scream a long time ago. Filtered through the gagging cloth, her weak cries sounded like giggling to Dai Yu''s ears. Dai Yu had no idea how to describe her feelings. If not for her face, she would have undergone the same torture as her best friend. The six men looked at Chu Mei on the ground and the catatonic Dai Yu.


    "Bitch, your hole was already loose before we got to you. How could you lose your virginity at such a young age?" The leading man spat on Chu Mei. He then turned to Dai Yu. "Well, what about you? Are you a virgin?"


    Dai Yu nodded quickly.


    "Big brother, isn''t that a given?" Another man joked. "Only the blind can fuck someone with her face." That earned augh from the whole crew. The big brother'' found a big rock in the field. Looking at Chu Mei who was still twitching on the ground, he told Dai Yu. "A slutty bitch has no right to live in this world. But you, you''re not bad. Keeping it up, okay? Ha ha." With his eyes on Dai Yu, the big brother'' mmed the rock heavily downwards. Instantly, blood and brain matter sttered. It sshed on the big brother'' and on Dai Yu. It covered her hair, and her face. Dai Yu was stunned. She didn''t even dare to move as the six men disappeared among the field.


    After a long time, Dai Yu finally realized what she should do. She sat beside Chu Mei''s dead body and called the police. The rock had smashed into the back of Chu Mei''s head. The brain matter and blood were still slowly oozing out to mix with the 6 rapists'' pee. They soaked the field and Dai Yu''s heart. Chu Mei''s face was turned towards Dai Yu, her eyes were still open. Perhaps at her death, Chu Mei was thinking, Why are you spared?''


    The police soon arrived and took Dai Yu''s testimony. The six rapists were not found. When Dai Yu called the police, it was already toote. They were still free today. From that day onwards, Dai Yu stopped washing her face and took care of her appearance.


    "I survived because I am ugly." Dai Yu would tell them the story in detail whenever the viger asked about that night. However, 5 years had passed since then. No one was interested in Dai Yu''s stories anymore. She was left alone, living in this small hut without any visitors and disturbance.

 Chapter 41: Chu Meis Curse

    Chapter 41: Chu Mei''s Curse


    As Dai Yu dug between her toes, shemented, "5 years have passed since then, I never thought someone would still be willing to pay to listen to my stories." Then Dai Yu lifted her finger to her nose. "Smells good." Guan Zhenglin and I shared a look and we frowned. This Dai Yu appeared to have jumped right into her new identity, the trauma from 5 years ago made her the woman she was today. Perhaps psychiatrist counselling might help but it did not look like the woman cared about it anymore. Chu Mei had a horrible death, but personally, I didn''t think Dai Yu was that lucky to have survived either. A once good student who enrolled in a prestigious university ended up like this. How could fate be so cruel?


    Dai Yu mentioned 6 men gangraped Chu Mei and killed her. Could the six be the six brothers of graverobbers? When the name of Chu Mei was brought up, the six clearly had something to hide. However, since only Chu Mei and Dai Yu knew when they were going to return that night, the gang of rapists probably acted out of opportunity. In other words, there was no reason for those rapists to get to know the names of the 2 girls. If that was the case, why did the grave robbers reacted so strangely when Chu Mei''s name was mentioned?


    With so many holes in the story, it was hard to smooth out any clue. Dai Yu ced the dirt she dug out from her toes on the table and looked at it with interest. I could feel my stomach turning.


    "But we''re not here for that." Zhao Mingkun continued without a flinch to her expression, it was as if she couldn''t smell the thing. "We encountered something strange yesterday night. The vigers all said that Chu Mei has returned. Why would they say that? Has something else happened after Chu Mei''s death?"


    At this point, Dai Yu''s hands halted and a glint erupted from her beady eyes. "Do you believe in ghosts?" Hearing that, I couldn''t help but be reminded of the wailing ghost bride in our yard yesterday night. She was still in her wedding gown. If it was the same dead woman from the Minghun, then who was she? And how did she follow us to our resting ce?


    Dai Yu''s words reminded me of something, this might be the opening I was looking for.


    Zhao Mingkun raised her brow and said with a smile. "I''ve been eager to have a supernatural encounter but so far, all the ghosts I''ve met would run away whenever the humans arrive." In other words, Zhao Mingkun believed that it was not a ghost inside the yard but someone ying a trick on us. Dai Yu returned to digging between her toes. "Since you don''t believe in ghosts, then I have nothing else to say."


    Despite her appearance, this Dai Yu was quite insolent. Looks like we were not going to get anything else if we didn''t follow her set rules in conversation, so I quickly added, "Sister Dai Yu, please don''t scare me. The thing from yesterday night almost made me shit in my pants, or else I wouldn''t have my big sistere to visit you and ask you about these."


    Dai Yu nced at me and said, "Your younger brother is a much better conversationalist." Then we were rewarded with yet another story. Chu Mei died in the cornfield and her murderers were nowhere to be seen. However a person''s death went far beyond the physical expenditure of one''s body. Even though Chu Mei had departed from this world, the stories around Chu Mei did not end there. The history of Minghun at Ba Jia Zi district was long and deep. A young and pretty girl like Chu Mei was a prime choice for Minghun. Even though the rapist had already smashed the back of her head in, the face wasn''t injured at all. After some patchwork done by the workers at the funeral home, Chu Mei returned as a beauty. Even after death, the prettier ones were worth more than the ugly ones.


    Around the same time, Ol'' Huang''s son died in a car ident, the driver paid Ol'' Huang 300000 RMB aspensation. That amount was quite big in a small district like this. However, Ol'' Huang only had one son and no amount of money was going to bring him back. Someone had put a price tag on the son''s life and it was worth 300000 RMB. No matter how hard the two old parents spent, the money didn''t seem to decrease. The pair of old parents finally decided to use the money to find a wife for their dead son. The middleman showed them many different dead girls but none of them was up to the old parents'' standard. They only wanted the prettiest girl for their son. She didn''t need to be wifely or gentle, she only needed to be pretty. Their son already missed out on the fun in life, he should be able to enjoy himself in death. Therefore, finding a beautiful dead girl became the only goal driving the old parents forward.


    Half a year after that, Chu Mei died. Chu Mei was a pretty woman when she was alive and her death did nothing to take away from her beauty. The Chu Family wanted to hold a Minghun for their daughter too. Traditionally only the groom would hold Minghun but Chu Mei''s father imed to be a liberal person. He questioned why the privilege should be limited to men? He immediately contacted Ol'' Huang. After all, Ol'' Huang''s son had just died half a year ago, he was the perfect groom candidate and most importantly, Ol'' Huang woulde bearing 300000 RMB.


    That was the biggest Minghun the district had ever seen. Even though it was held at midnight, almost the entire vige attended. Even a living marriage wouldn''t attract such a full attendance. 20 tables were ced under the night sky. Ol'' Huang and his wife and Ol'' Chu and his wife sat inside the tent. They were waiting for the Minghun to proceed. The parents of the couple looked at each other, there was a need to fill the void but neither of them knew what to say. A coffin for couple burial was ced in the middle of the tent. The friends and families from both families came. Some of the attendees came from outside the district and had not attended a Minghun before. They were quite conflicted, they had no idea whether to cry or tough when the ceremony began.


    Soon two individual coffins were brought out and the Minghun finally began. ording to tradition, the bride and groom would first bow to the heavens, bow to their parents and finally bow to each other before they could enter the nuptial chamber, which in this case was therge coffin. There were two hosts who directed this Minghun, one of them came in carrying Ol'' Huang''s son and the other carried Chu Mei.


    First bow to the heavens.


    The wind caused the candles inside the tent to dance.


    Second bow to the parents.


    People could hear whisperings appear from the silent night.


    Third bow to each other.


    When the bride and groom bowed towards each other, they had the attention of all the wedding guests. But suddenly cups shattered and chopsticks fell to the ground. People screamed and others got knocked to the ground. This was because they saw Ol'' Huang''s head suddenly got detached from his shoulders and rolled down to the floor. The head rolled about before stopping right at his future daughter-inw''s feet. His eyes were open as he took in the bride and groom.


    No one knew what really happened. Blood squirted everywhere and dyed the bride and groom red. Ol'' Chu and his wife screamed and were the first to escape from the tent. The hosts nced at each other, dropped the bodies and ran.


    People screamed, stomped and panicked. Tables were turned, the candles all went out and the horrifying voice appeared. It sounded like the cries of a female ghost, it was sometimes shrill and other times deep. It continued endlessly through the night.


    Someone gained enough sense to call the police. When the police arrived, Chu Mei''s body was gone. Someone said they saw Chu Mei walk out from the tent. At the time, the situation was so chaotic and there was no light. The candles were all snuffed out so no one could really see anything. People knocked into tables and into each other. A 15 years old young man was knocked to the ground and scurried under a table for fear of being trampled on. He heard soundsing from inside the tent and then he saw someone, or more urately, a dead woman walk out from the tent.


    It was Chu Mei''s body, she was still wearing her wedding dress. The scarlet was particrly eye-grabbing in the dark, like a me flickering. The noise faded away and the young man''s mind was fully captivated by this sight. Despite his young age, he had been to many Minghun before and this was the first time he encountered something like this. Chu Mei walked very slowly, the train of her dress dragging on the ground. Even though the young man couldn''t see her feet, he could feel that Chu Mei was not walking but it felt more like she was floating. Eventually, she disappeared into the night.


    After that, no one dared to arrange Minghun anymore. The rumors were that Minghun would only cause tragedy and death. As the father of the groom, Ol'' Huang was the one who arranged this marriage, and that was why he had to die. Eventually, that became known as Chu Mei''s curse. Some families refused to believe in the rumors and continued to hold Minghun but without ident, everyone who arranged the marriages had died in inexplicable ways. Some were found drowned in the river, others died from carbon monoxide poisoning. After enough deaths, no one dared to perform Minghun anymore that was until recently when the Zheng Family''s son died in an ident. Ol'' Zheng refused to believe in the rumors and started to organize a Minghun.


    The vigers came to persuade Ol'' Zheng to learn from the mistakes of the precedents. Ol'' Zheng eximed, "These are just superstitions. We''re already living in the 21st century, how can you people even believe that ghosts can kill people? Such superstition! The Minghun will be held no matter what!"


    But as everyone expected, an ident did happen. The voice they heard was the voice from Chu Mei''s Minghun five years ago, that was why the vigers said Chu Mei had returned. Since Chu Mei had returned, it meant that someone must die. However, this time it was not the organizer who died, instead it was a grave robber called Little Three.


    The bride disappeared during both Chu Mei''s Minghun and this Minghun. Had all the brides disappeared from each earlier Minghun? I had to find out more.


    I was suddenly reminded of a person, someone with necrophilia. His favorite hobby was to have sex with female corpse. Was Ol'' Six already in Ba Jia Zi district 5 years ago? Was Ol'' Six present during the other Minghuns? Was it really Ol'' Six''s body standing outside Wei Er''s base with all the skin missing, the eyes gouged out and the face seriously damaged? Was it possible that Ol'' Six had found a scapegoat to fake his own death?


    "I''ve told you everything I know." Dai Yu suddenly said in a serious tone. "I am d to share my stories with anyone who asks because the more people who know about this, the greater the hope of the police capturing Chu Mei''s killers."


    "Then do you really believe that Chu Mei has returned as a banshee to kill people?" I asked.


    Dai Yuughed. "Of course not, I was after all an educated university student! Furthermore, if Chu Mei really did return, she should havee to visit me first." That was true, Chu Mei and Dai Yu were best friends. "To be honest, I was very afraid of ghosts in the past even though I know they aren''t real but that fear disappeared after Chu Mei''s death." Dai Yu said in a light, lingering voice.

 Chapter 42: SOS Message

    Chapter 42: SOS Message


    When she said that, Dai Yu looked so mncholic before she forced herself to turn her lips into a bitter smile. In that moment, I could see Dai Yu being a beautiful woman, she felt so fragile. Honesty was one of the most beautiful things about human beings. However, the next moment, Dai Yu started to scratch between her toes again. "I''ve already told you everything I know. By the way, kid, would you like to stay the night with me?" I realized Zhao Mingkun had said something simr to me, instantly my body shivered and I quickly shook my head. "Thank you but I have a date already tonight. Let''s have coffee next time we meet instead. Goodbye!" Then I escaped like the wind.


    On the way back, I pulled on my hair as I ruminated over the stories Dai Yu told us. "Big Sister Queen, was Wei Er''s gang in the neighbourhood 5 years ago? Would you know about that?" Logically speaking, Chu Mei was gangraped and then murdered, so her target should be her rapists and murderers, why would she instead target those who organized Minghun? Chu Mei should have no issue with them. Did this mean someone was using Chu Mei''s name to put a stop to the culture of Minghun around this district? Unfortunately the 6 rapists were wearing masks so Dai Yu couldn''t get a good look at them. If she could give us a description of the 6 rapists, we could havepared them to Wei Er''s gang.


    On the other hand, who would be so against Minghun? Granted, Minghun was an obsolete culture but to kill to put a stop to it? Wasn''t that a bit too over the top? One of the majorponents of Minghun was the dead bodies, or this was a sign that someone wanted people to stop disturbing the dead?


    Zhao Mingkun thought about it and said, "Wei Er''s gang did have their start at Lin Fen but I''m not sure whether they are locals of this ce or not. However, if they knew the thing about the party after them, I believe they would have told us. Regardless, I think we should proceed with finding out how many cases rted to Minghun have happened over the past 5 years." Zhao Mingkun ced her finger on her lips.


    "How are we supposed to do that?" I asked.


    Zhao Mingkun smiled. "Leave that to me."


    That afternoon, Zhao Mingkun left her room carrying a stack of documents and arge map with her. I looked closer and realized she had jotted down all the murder cases that happened at Ba Jia Zi district rted to Minghun over the past 5 years. The documents were all the information on those specific cases. Zhao Mingkun slowly filtered through them while I observed her quietly. How did she manage to do this? Without police help, she wouldn''t be able to get these confidential documents. Did that mean Zhao Mingkun had someone working for her in the police force? Things were getting curiouser and curiouser. This woman appeared like she was capable of anything. Furthermore, why was she so interested in investigating this case, how would she benefit from it?


    "Got them all!" Zhao Mingkun announced. Guan Zhenglin and I leaned over to check out the files. The timeline spanned for 5 years and it started with Chu Mei''s case.


    4 years ago, Luo family organized a Minghun. The day after, Ol'' Luo and his wife were found dead in their home. Cause of death was gas leakage, there was no sign of home invasion. The police discovered footprints and they matched the shoes the dead bride was wearing during the Minghun ceremony; Simrly, 4 years ago, Ol'' Zhang helped his son organize a Minghun. The very night of the wedding, Ol'' Zhang drowned in a small river. The river was very shallow, the deepest part only reached one''s calf but somehow Ol'' Zhang drowned in it. When they salvaged Ol'' Zhang out of the water, he was wearing a qipao, the same one worn by the bride at his son''s Minghun; 3 years ago, Wang To arranged a Minghun for his father so that his father could have somepany in the afterlife. Several dayster, the vigers found Wang To dead in the vats used to pickle salted vegetables; he was chopped into meat pieces to fit into the vat. The vat was covered with a red veil, the exact wedding veil that the bride wore from his father''s Minghun; 2 years ago, Uncle Wu arranged a Minghun for his younger brother. Several days after the Minghun, Uncle Wu''s brother''s carcass was found lying on the street but Uncle Wu himself had gone missing. The vigers decided to unearth the brother''s coffin. They found Uncle Wu buried alive inside the coffin and the bride''s body had gone missing. From then on, the vigers stopped arranging Minghun.


    Thest case happened the night before, at Zheng Family''s Minghun. This time, the victim Little Three was found inside the coffin meant for the groom. The bride''s body also disappeared in themotion. However, she did appear in our rental Siheyuan yesterday night for unknown purposes.


    These were all the cases rted to Minghun from the past 5 years.


    Guan Zhenglin said worriedly, "Look at these cases, the victims are all the organizers of Minghun, does that mean Ol'' Zheng" Guan Zhenglin didn''t finish the sentence but we knew what she meant.


    "Ol'' Zheng shouldn''t be in any danger." Zhao Mingkun assured us. "Based on my knowledge, Ol'' Zheng is still at the police station. They will probably keep him there for a while to protect him. If anyone wants to harm Ol'' Zheng, they''ll have to infiltrate the police station which isn''t easy."


    I nodded and began carefully. "It sounds like Big Sister Queen and the police" Before I finished, Zhao Mingkun lifted her head and shot me a cold gaze. "I''ve told you, the clever ones know when to be quiet. The more you know, the more danger you expose yourself to, do you understand?" Then surprisingly, her voice softened, "You remind me too much of my younger brother. Actually he''d be your age by now, I wonder if you" With a sigh, Zhao Mingkun changed the subject, "Never mind, forget what I said. Well, tell me, what are your thoughts?"


    For some reasons, I had a feeling that Zhao Mingkun had something that she wanted to tell me or else why would she seduce me to join her in the bedroom when she had just met me and why bring up her family affair at such a curious timing? While I was testing Zhao Mingkun, was she testing me too? She had secrets that she wanted to draw out from me? But what secret could I possibly possess that might interest her?


    In any case, like she said, I better focus on this issue for now. Imented, "Over the 5 years, including the most recent one, there have been 5 murders rted to Minghun, and all of them have a simrity, I wonder if you''ve noticed it."


    "The Minghuns were all arranged for males." Zhao Mingkun said, "And every time after the deaths, the bride''s body would disappear. Someone has stolen them away. After the person swiped the bodies, they went and killed the people who organized the Minghuns. Perhaps this is some kind of territorial message, something like you can''t have the dead brides because they belong to me." I snapped my fingers. Zhao Mingkun basically read my mind. Why only steal the brides'' bodies? And why kill the organizers? The only reason was so that the brides would not fall into these people''s hands. For normal people like us, a dead body was something we''d stay away from but for certain people, they were like treasures.


    "Were there any Minghuns arranged for dead daughters over the past five years?" I looked into Zhao Mingkun''s eyes and asked.


    "There is but one. No one died from it, other than the already dead." Zhao Mingkun answered. I closed my eyes and pulled my hair as I tried to think. If this was the case, the necrophiliac Ol'' Six was indeed the most suspicious. "We need to find out more about Ol'' Six." I said. Zhao Mingkun nodded.


    At that moment, my phone rang. To my surprise, it was a message from Wei Er. Strange, I did not remember giving Wei Er my phone number. So it could only mean that he had entered his number into my phone when he confiscated it from me. But why would he do that? Unless he wasn''t really being suspicious of me but instead his suspicion was thrown towards his brothers whom he spent his days and nights with. In that case, he had no choice but to reach out to an outsider for help But everyone had a clear alibi, why would Wei Er suspect them? Had this got to do with their group''s secret? Many questions exploded in my mind but none of them really made sense.


    I clicked on the message. "Little Brother Wu, due to the urgency of the situation, I can''t exin too much. We n to hide in a tomb at Ba Jia Zi Mountain. Go along the western track from our base and you''ll soone across a hole. Chu Ye is back and has coborated with someone among us. I cannot trust anyone but you, because you are an outsider and aren''t involved in our past. I fear they might kill me while we''re inside the tomb. Little brother, my life is in your hands. Pleasee and save me."


    With a severe frown, I told Zhao Mingkun and Guan Zhenglin what happened. I read the message out loud and told them it came from Wei Er. The fact that Wei Er could still send the message meant that they hadn''t entered the tomb for there would be no signal underground but they should be close. It would exin the tone and the mistyped words. Chu Ye should be Chu Mei.


    Chu Mei is back and has coborated with someone among us.'' But how could a dead womane back and coborate with one of them? Furthermore, wouldn''t this message prove indirectly that this group of 6 had done something wrong by Chu Mei? Was this a message of admission? They were the rapists from 5 years ago? Also why were they heading underground instead of just staying up the mountain where they could also have easily hidden from the police? There were so many puzzles.


    "Should we go?" Guan Zhenglin looked at me.


    I answered. "I have no clue what''s happening. This might be dangerous. How about this? You and Big Sister Queen should stay and I''ll go there with Doggie Wang Er."


    "I''ll go with you." Before I could say anything else, Zhao Mingkun cut in. I looked troubled but internally I was overjoyed. This was because once Zhao Mingkun came along with me, Guan Zhenglin could meet up with Captain Zhao.


    "I am a much better fighter than you." Zhao Mingkun saw my hesitation and reasserted. "Plus, I wish to see what this group of grave robbers is up to."

 Chapter 43: Sticky Fingers, Chu Ye

    Chapter 43: Sticky Fingers, Chu Ye


    There was no star in the sky, only a sharp crescent moon. ording to Chinese astrology, this celestial arrangement meant great misfortune. The tomb mentioned by Wei Er soon appeared before our eyes. Someone had chiselled a square hole into the ground, the hole was justrge enough for a person to squeeze through. I wasn''t that familiar with scales of Chinese tombs but the little knowledge I had told me that the scale of this tomb was not small, and it should be made up from many individual pockets of underground chambers instead of one big one.


    Looking down the hole, we saw nothing but darkness, it was the same even after Zhao Mingkun shone her shlight down it. We did however notice small holes chipped into the wall, they were there to aid with climbing. This was a base the grave robbers had made for themselves, if not for the message from Wei Er, we wouldn''t be able to find this ce.


    I shared a look with Zhao Mingkun. Thetter licked around her lips. "Time to go down. I''ll go first, follow behind me." Then Zhao Mingkun tossed over a dagger. The sharp dagger twirled several times in the air. I didn''t dare to reach for it. I only bent over to pick it up when itnded on the ground. Zhao Mingkun shook her head before she crawled into the hole. I followed. The tunnel reached underground at a sharp 45 degree. The small indentations in the wall were there for people to find purchase. The tunnel stretched for about 30 metres downwards. This appeared like a big tomb, one which belonged to either the rich or the royal, now I understood where they got the gunny sack full of funereal wares.


    The end of the tunnel was a tomb chamber that was about several cubic metres in size. A coffin was ced there and the lid had been pushed open. There was no body inside, instead there were only piles of rotten clothes. This was most likely an apparel tomb. There was a rounded stone door to the right, there was no telling where it led. I shone my shlight around and discovered small drops of blood that led all the way to the stone door.


    "There are signs of a fight." I told Zhao Mingkun, "It has turned bloody." Zhao Mingkun pushed open the stone door. "Stick close to me." There was a dark corridor behind the stone door, it probably led to the tomb''s main chamber. We followed the blood trail until the corridor split into 3 forks. The shlight was not powerful enough to light the whole way down either of the forks. The blood trail led down the left fork. We didn''t know theyout of the tomb so we decided to follow the only trail we had for now. Zhao Mingkun waved at me and signaled for me to follow her. The left fork ended at another side chamber with another coffin. The blood trail ended beside the coffin. The lid was closed firmly over the coffin. Had the bleeding person gone hiding inside the coffin?


    Holding the dagger in one hand, my other hand carefully moved the lid away. A man''s figure slowly appeared before us. Looking through the gap, I realized the man''s apparel was very familiar, it was Qian San''s clothes. I shoved the lid to the side and Qian San was revealed before us. Before I could even react, Qian San''s dagger flew towards me. I already retreated as fast as I could but I was still toote. Just as the dagger was about to puncture my neck, a hand materialized before me. After I calmed down, I noticed it was Zhao Mingkun who had grabbed Qian San by his wrist. I broke out in cold sweats. If Zhao Mingkun was a second slower, I''d be dead already.


    I nced beyond the tip of the dagger and saw that there was a gash on Qian San''s stomach, the blood trail hade from that. Qian San''s blood was pooling inside the coffin. If he didn''t have medical treatment soon, Qian San was going to die.


    "Why is it you guys?" Qian San took us in and asked weakly.


    "Wei Er told us toe rescue him. He said there is a traitor among the 4 of you and told us to trust no one." I said. Qian Sanughed and blood leaked out from his mouth, "Don''t you ever believe Wei Er, that bastard. If you ask me, he''s the most suspicious one."


    "What really happened?" I asked. "What are you guys so afraid of?" With his hands over his stomach, Qian San told us the story intermittently. The six of them studied under the same grave robbing master. Their master, Chu Ye was given the title, the Sticky Fingers because the old master had a famed pair of hands. He was able to dig through holes with his bare hands and also perform mesmerizing dagger y with them. Chu Ye separated from his wife a long time ago and the only daughter they had was no help to heal the marriage. They lived their lives separate from each other and Chu Ye had never taken a part in his daughter''s life. Chu Ye found himself a mistress, one who was young enough to be his daughter. The woman had no name so Chu Ye called him Xiao Mei. Apparently, the girl was an abandoned baby. The reason for abandonment was simple, she had 6 toes. This was nothing serious, a simple surgery could fix it. But her biological family was not going to waste the money on a girl.


    Chu Ye rescued the girl and the girl eventually grew to be his wife. When Qian San and Qian Er started their apprenticeship, Chu Ye was 40 and Chu Mei 20. 20 years old, it was the most beautiful period in a woman''s life. Qian San heard from Big Egg that when Xiao Mei was 15, Chu Ye made her his woman. Qian San noticed as time went on, Chu Ye became more aged but Chu Mei grew into her youth and beauty. Be it face or body, Xiao Mei was perfect. The celebrities on the television paled inparison to Xiao Mei. Especially Xiao Mei''s pair of eyes, there was a sense of seductiveness and sexiness in them. Whenever Xiao Mei turned to him, Qian San felt the urge to do her. The sky was bluer and the grass greener because of her.


    At the time, Qian Er and Qian San were 26 years old, their master was 40 but their master''s wife was 20. In the day, Xiao Mei attended school like other girls but at night, Xiao Mei was Chu Ye''s child bride. Every night, Qian San would get hard thinking about it. Qian San had many women in his life, but none of them held a candle to Xiao Mei. He told Qian Er, "One day, I''ll have a taste of this girlie. Her face is so small, and cute, I would lick all over it. I wonder when will I have that chance, do you think she''ll favor me?" Qian Er scratched his balding head. He chuckled. "Look in the mirror. Baldness signifies a bad liver. A man like you wouldn''t be able to satisfy a fox like Xiao Mei. So stop thinking about that."


    "Don''t tell me it hasn''t crossed your mind, big brother." Qian San shot back.


    "It has." Qian Er said, "But instead of fantasizing about the woman, I spent my time thinking about how to eliminate the problems in the way."


    Half a yearter, Ol'' Six joined the apprenticeship. There were 6 disciples then. The first brother disciple, Big Egg; the second brother disciple, Wei Er; the third brother disciple, Little Three; the fourth brother disciple, Qian Er; the fifth brother disciple, Qian San; thest brother disciple, Ol'' Six.


    To have Xiao Mei, their master must die.


    5 years ago, it was time for Chu Ye to celebrate his 42nd birthday. This was the best timing to make their move. Xiao Mei was away at university so she wasn''t there to celebrate Chu Ye''s birthday. Chu Ye lifted the alcohol bottle. "Today there''s no woman to nag us, we shall drink until we copse!"


    "As the eldest," Big Egg stood up, "I''ll be the first to wish master a long life, one as permanent as the great pine."


    "I wish our master endless wealth." "I wish our master a happy life."


    The six brothers gave their master their best blessing. Chu Ye was d. "Ha ha, Big Egg has followed me since he was a child, Wei Er has been with me for about 10 years already, Qian Er and Qian San about 2 years, only Ol'' Six is new to the family. I do not have any son so I have treated all of you as my own. I do not know anything else but grave-robbing tricks. As my children, you will inherit everything I know about the industry."


    "Master,e, let''s drink!" The students urged. That night Chu Ye drank until he couldn''t move on his own anymore. The students went to carry him until they dropped him on the ground. Big Egg sat on Chu Ye''s body and tightened his hands around the old man''s neck. The other brothers rushed forward to detain Chu Ye''s extremities.


    "Ol'' Six, you''re the youngest here. Give him the final blow." His older brothers shouted at Ol'' Six who was stunned. Qian Er used 2 years to confirm that all of his disciple brothers were lusting after their master''s wife as well. The only one whom he had not read was Ol'' Six but everyone present understood that if Ol'' Six refused to help, he''d be the next to follow Chu Ye. Furthermore, Ol'' Six had just joined them for half a year, what kind of closeness would he share with Chu Ye? On top of that, Ol'' Six would get the chance to enjoy himself when they got their hands on Xiao Mei. Now that 5 of them had made their moves, they were waiting on Ol'' Six. If Ol'' Six joined them, all six of them would truly be bound forever. Be it revenge from Chu Ye''s friends or attention from the police, all 6 of them were responsible and no one was going to escape unscathed.


    "Move!" Qian Er shouted. Ol'' Six walked over dumbly and took out the dagger his master gave him. The de shook in Ol'' Six''s trembling hands.


    Chu Ye woke up from his stupor then but he was too weak to struggle loose from his students'' constraint. "You bunch of ingrates! Fine, kill me then! I''m the one who taught each of you how to use the dagger! Show me your skill, make me proud!"


    As he said that, Ol'' Six plunged the dagger right into the old man''s chest. The others took out their daggers and stabbed their master too. They all aimed at the vitals, each of them was the killer.


    "Someone will take revenge for me." That was thest thing Chu Ye said, "You''ve betrayed me now, one day, you''ll betray each other."

 Chapter 44: Internecine Killing

    Chapter 44: Internecine Killing


    The country has a country''sw and sects have their own sect rules. Based on Chu Ye''s sect rule, betrayal of the master demanded punishment of skinning and gauging out of the heart. Little Three''s death hadn''t tipped them off but when Ol'' Six''s body appeared skinned, the gang knew someone was executing the sect rules. After Chu Ye was killed by his own disciples, the 6 disciples that he took as his own sons, someone had to handle his funeral arrangements. The biggest fear of a grave robber was to have others rob their own grave so when he was 30, Chu Ye had started to design his own tomb. Currently, we were inside his tomb.


    After Chu Ye''s death, the 6 brothers gave him the most respected funeral. Chu Ye''s buddies did not suspect anything, they never once considered that the 6 brothers would conspire to murder their own master. However, the coffin barrier was not the 6 brothers, but Chu Ye''swfully wedded wife. Turns out Chu Ye had made a will without his disciples'' knowledge, all his funeral arrangements would be done by his wife. The brothers watched as Chu Ye''s wife entered the tomb, followed by people they had never seen. When they saw the treasures umted by Chu Ye over his life enter the tomb, they came to a decision among themselves.


    There was no mention of the 6 brothers in Chu Ye''s will at all. Chu Ye had never really treated them as his kin. The sweet words, the smiling faces, the promises, they were all fake. The 6 brothersughed, so both parties had been scamming each other after all. There was never a real rtionship to begin with. They felt better, the small guilt that they had over killing their master disintegrated. Their master''s tomb would beplicated, that was something they knew, however there would also be enormous treasures inside their master''s tomb, that was something they knew as well. They decided to return to rob their master''s grave after a few years. That way, even if someone discovered the empty tomb, no one would have suspected Chu Ye''s loyal disciples as the true culprit.


    Chu Ye''s wife exited the grave and the tomb was sealed. The brothers were originally afraid that Chu Ye''s wife would open the coffin to inspect the body, however, when she came out and said nothing, the brothers sighed surreptitiously in relief. The incident ended with Chu Ye''s burial. However, the real climax was only about to begin. Now that Chu Ye was out of the way, no one was going to stop them from getting Xiao Mei anymore. They decided to ambush Xiao Mei on her way back from university. They couldn''t wait anymore. Once Chu Ye''sst breath left his brother, their penises were already twitching. A clever man had their upper body control their lower body, a stupid man had their lower body control their upper body.


    Someone had to notify Xiao Mei of Chu Ye''s death and that task fell on the 6 brothers. Qian Er suggested, "We have to notify her in the afternoon. She''ll hurry back once she gets the news. Calcting the time, she''ll reach this ce around midnight." Qian Er was undeniably the strategist of the group. He used half a year to unite all the brothers, used 1 month toe up with the murder n and used just a minute toe up with the way to get Xiao Mei. On Xiao Mei''s journey back, the cornfield was the best ce for them toy the ambush. The stretch of road had no streetlights and no one would pass there at midnight. It was the best timing but something unexpected happened. Xiao Mei did not return alone, she came with someone else, she looked to be Xiao Mei''s university friend.


    "Should we retreat?" Big Egg asked.


    Qian San cursed and said, "What the fuck, of course not. These are just 2 girls, what are you so afraid of?" Therefore, they made their move. The men who came out to drag the girls into the cornfield were Wei Er and Big Egg. They jumped out from the field and detained a girl each. Then Qian San was the first to pounce on their prey. Qian San had been yearning to lick Xiao Mei''s pretty face. Qian San''s tongue snaked out from the cartoon mask. Xiao Mei''s face tasted like ice cream, it had a unique sweetness to it. The others were instigated by Qian San''s lust. It was Big Egg who tore off Dai Yu''s clothes and then sighed, "This bitch is so fucking ugly! What a boner killer!"


    When Little Three heard Big Egg, he pushed Big Egg to the side and took over. However, when Little Three saw Dai Yu, his penis shrank as well. Therefore, they were tasked to detain Dai Yu, while the others took turns raping Xiao Mei.


    "Wait, isn''t Ol'' Six a necrophiliac? I was told no living woman can make him hard." I asked.


    "Yes, he was the only one who didn''t take his turn that night." By then, Qian San''s breath was already very flimsy. The man was at his limit. Actually if we had carried Qian San out earlier, he might have survived but I didn''t want to give him that chance. His hands could no longer stop the blood pouring out from his stomach, the intestines were showing. "Chu Mei is back. Someone among the six of us is the tattletale. Do not trust another. If Chu Ye''s friends knew about the truth behind his death, all six of us would be horribly tortured and killed. Therefore, the 6 of us will do everything within our power to kill anyone who knows this secret and now that includes the two of you, so do not trust anyone."


    "Then why did you tell us these things in the first ce?" I demanded, "You wish for our death?"


    Qian San curled his lips into a smile. He patted down his hair. "Since I joined this industry, I knew I would have a horrible death but I didn''t expect to die like this. I''m telling you this because if I don''t, the secret will fester inside me. I don''t know whether you understand the weight of carrying a horrible secret. It''s a kind of special torment. I do not wish to still be carrying this secret when I go down there. I hope to make my afterlife judgement lighter by unloading all of my sins while I still have the chance." Qian San closed his eyes. "Now help me close the lid back on. This ce has good Feng Shui. It should help my son. He''s now 5 years old"


    I didn''t expect Qian San to have a wife and son. Qian San gave me an impression of an easy-going man who wasn''t concerned about anything. At the moment of death, people hoped that others would remember their good and forget about their sins. I closed the coffin lid.


    Qian San was another person who imed that Chu Mei had returned. Even grave robbers believed in the talks of ghosts? Now we could confirm that these 6 were indeed the group who gangraped Chu Mei 5 years ago but the story we just heard varied slightly from Dai Yu''s version. If they had killed Chu Mei, Ol'' Six could have easily raped the body but Qian San just confirmed that Ol'' Six was the only one who didn''t take advantage of the girls that night. Why this discrepancy? Qian San was dead inside the coffin, so we had to find the answer elsewhere.


    "I just took another look around, there is another passage behind the stone door. It has shown recent use. The ce is so dark that even with the shlight, it''s hard to spot the blood trail." Zhao Mingkun waved her shlight at me and signalled for me to follow. Soon we reached another 3 fork-junction. Looks like Chu Ye was really afraid of tomb-raiders. For those not familiar with theyout, they would die being lost underground. With that in mind, I marked down a symbol on the wall to remember where we came from.


    "This way!" Zhao Mingkun shone the light on the ground. "There are multiple footprints, they should have gone this way." We followed the footprints and were soon greeted by the smell of blood. It smelled like someone was injured or possibly dead. I had examined the six brothers'' daggers up close. They were extremely sharp and could do serious damage.


    We were toote. If we didn''t stop to listen to Qian San''s story, these two might have survived. Two bodiesid on the ground beside a coffin. They were Big Egg and Wei Er. They were both holding daggers in their hands. Under the glow of the shlight, their bodies revealed a lot of knife wounds. Blood pooled heavily, the smell refused to dissipate. I could imagine what happened here: inside the dark chamber, neither of them could see the other clearly. They could only hear the sounds and sense the other''s breathing. In the dark, the wounds collected on their bodies. They eventually copsed from blood loss. Internecine killing.


    They knew that the other could not be trusted because once the secret was out, the 6 of them would have a horrible ending. Dying in the tomb was much better than being treated by sectws. For example, when Doggie Wang Er executed the rules, his father was bitten to death. Dying in their master''s tomb was easier and lessplicated than facing punishment via sect rules.


    How to ensure that a secret would be kept by another person? The easiest solution was to kill them. That has always been the truth.


    Therefore, the earliest to die was Qian San, who was the least cunning. And now these two. The strategist among them, Qian Er, had gone missing. Perhaps he was lost in the maze-like tomb or he had escaped. Chu Ye''s dying prediction came true after all. Since they could betray their master, what was stopping them from betraying each other?


    "He still has a breath in him." Zhao Minghun observed as she knelt down beside Wei Er. I hurried over. "Little Brother, I''m sorry I can''t hold on until your arrival." Wei Er coughed intermittently. "Chu Mei, Chu Mei is back. I don''t know who is behind this. But she''s also in the tomb, be careful. I I stole this dagger" Wei Er handed me a dagger.


    Wei Er''s words sent a shiver down my spine. Chu Mei was back and in the tomb with us. But didn''t she die? Howe these people keep saying she''s back? Was it really the return of Chu Mei''s ghost? The same one we saw in the yard?


    I waved my shlight around. The surroundings were dark and creepy. A big coffin was ced in the middle of the chamber, it was empty. But human fear often originated from the unknown. The unknowable was always the scariest. Seeing the sweat on my face, Zhao Mingkun scoffed. "Don''t be foolish, there is no ghost in this world. If there are ghosts out to take revenge, there won''t be so many cold cases and we won''t even need the police." It felt weird to hear Zhao Mingkun, the criminal, sing praise about thew enforcement.


    I stopped flinging the ray of my shlight around and examined the dagger Wei Er gave me. Qian San had one, Big Egg had one, Wei Er still had one in his hand, the suspected Ol'' Six''s body had one and now I had one. That made 5 daggers in total, so who had the 6th dagger? Qian Er? The Killer? Or Chu Mei?

 Chapter 45: Bean Paste Noodle

    Chapter 45: Bean Paste Noodle


    Of the 6 brothers, Little Three was garrotted; Ol'' Six was skinned and left standing in the yard; Qian San was ambushed; Big Egg and Wei Er died killing each other. Among them, Ol'' Six''s death was the most suspicious, in fact we couldn''t be sure if that skinned body actually was Ol'' Six. Qian Er was now missing. I pulled on my hair and tried to formte the motives behind all these.


    5 years ago, these 6 brothers killed Chu Ye and raped Xiao Mei. 5 yearster, they were requested by Zhao Mingkun to do something and at the same time, they returned to Lin Fen to clean out Chu Ye''s tomb. Over the past 5 years, whenever someone organized Minghun, the organizers would die, there was no exception. No wait, that was not entirely true because at least when we left, Ol'' Zheng was still alive. If there was an actual Chu Mei''s curse, did that mean Ol'' Zheng was going to die soon? If that was the case, Chu Mei''s ghost should be out there haunting Ol'' Zheng, and not like Wei Er said, inside the tomb with us.


    On top of that, if Chu Mei was Chu Ye''s child bride and was an orphan adopted by Chu Ye, then who were the parents who organized Minghun for Chu Mei? Where did the 2 parentse from? Could it be Chu Ye''swfully wedded wife and her new husband? As I followed Zhao Mingkun along the giant tomb to search for Qian Er, I parsed through the details of this case in my mind. Slowly, the clues started to link together. The death of Chu Mei 5 years ago; and Chu Mei''s curse 5 yearster... things were falling into ce. As long as thest piece of the puzzle was solved, the truth would be revealed.


    The dead Chu Mei, the rapists and grave robbers, Ol'' Six who was necrophiliac, and the good friend, Lin Dai Yu. The characters and events rolled through my head like a movie. With some more clues, things would be able to y in a logical sequence. I was so deep in my thoughts that I did not notice Zhao Mingkun had stopped. I ran into her. I was about to apologize, when Zhao Mingkun used her finger to make a shushing gesture. She closed her eyes and pushed her ear forward as if listening for something.


    Human beings were extremely sensitive creatures. God has given us 5 senses so that we could experience this world from different angles; however, human beings were also sensitively dull creatures. Our sense of smell was worse than dogs; our sense of sight worse than cat; our sense of hearing worse than bat. That was because these creatures focused on mastering one sense, unlike us humans. Looking from these examples, humans could also temporarily heighten our specific sense by eclipsing the others. As I closed my eyes, and focused on my hearing, it came to me. It came from ahead. It was the sound of daggers cutting through air, it was sharp and soft. If one did not hear closely, it would be easily missed. There were people down the passage and there should be more than one of them.


    "Switch off your shlight, we''ll sneak over." Zhao Mingkun whispered behind my ear. I nodded. I tiptoed beside Zhao Mingkun and slowly edged our way forward. The sound of shing stopped and someone spoke, "Ol'' Six, why are you doing this?" The voice belonged to Qian Er!


    The voice was trembling. Qian Er appeared to be weakened because he was injured or exhausted. Qian Er mentioned Ol'' Six so the skinned body was indeed not Ol'' Six, so who did the body belong to? Was Ol'' Six behind Chu Mei''s curse? But why would Ol'' Six murder all the Minghun organizers and murder his own disciple brothers?


    "Why? You dare to ask me why?" Ol'' Six''s voice boomed inside the tomb, it even echoed. "All of you should know the consequences of betraying our master, I am merely doing what is expected of me!"


    Qian Er scoffed. "Ol'' Six, you participated in the murder 5 years ago. Even though you didn''t get to have a turn with Chu Mei, that is your problem, not ours. So don''t you dare stand on the moral high ground and judge us now. Remember, you were the one who delivered the first blow."


    "You people should know Chu Ye better than I do, some of you have followed Chu Ye for years, even decades. When has he ever treated us badly? He saw us all as his own sons. And you people were cold-hearted enough to kill him simply because you lusted after his woman. There is nothing else I hate more than betrayal in this world!"


    That reminded me of something. When Ol'' Six was 7 or 8, his mother was discovered to have cheated in their marriage and was killed by his father. When the police arrived, Ol'' Six''s mother had been dead for over 10 days already. The police at the time thought Ol'' Six was too young to call the police but now hearing Ol'' Six, I had another thought. Perhaps back then, Ol'' Six already understood everything and he agreed with his father. His father was teaching him onest lesson, traitors deserve nothing better than death.


    "But you still killed him!" Qian Er countered.


    "Yes, I did." Ol'' Six''s voice lowered like a panther ready to pounce. "Because if I didn''t, I would die. Master was not dumb, he knew that I was caught in this death trap. He saw me hesitating. Do you remember? It was him who ordered us to kill him." Ol'' Six continued, "I remember walking forward with shaking steps. I stood beside our master and bent down but I couldn''t bring myself to kill him. But did you know what our master told me then?"


    "Told you?" Qian Er was confused. "What did he say, howe we didn''t hear anything?"


    Ol'' Six chuckled mirthlessly. "Of course, you didn''t. I was blocking his face from your view. I hesitated with the dagger in my arm. Master looked me in the eyes and mouthed something, it was why I finally delivered that blow."


    "What did that old man tell you?" Qian Er demanded. "Was it rted to the other half of his inheritance?"


    "Money, women!" Ol'' Six hissed, "Are those the only things in your minds?! What our master told me was this, revenge is a dish best served cold."


    Qian Er was silent for a long time before he said, "Chu Ye was just a grave robber, was it worth it to do all these things for him? You coborated with Chu Mei just to sow panic among us! Now all of our brothers are dead and only the two of us remain. Wait a minute. We can just split that bag of funereal wares and we''ll have a life of endless luxury, isn''t that the better solution? Furthermore, you''ve just studied under that old man for half a year, I''ve been with him for 2 years already, you are not mypetition in a dagger match!"


    "Is it worth it?" That question unlocked the vault within Ol'' Six. To survive, Ol'' Six had done everything, security guard, fast food restaurant worker but he neversted long at those jobs because Ol'' Six was very anti-social, he didn''t like to talk to others. He was afraid of betrayal, afraid that he''d be forgotten by his boss on the second day of work, afraid that no one would remember his name. If there was no beginning, then there would be no ending. People say that once someone gets older, they will get more nostalgic. Ol'' Six did not think that was true because he lived in a life of nostalgia. He didn''t dare to turn to the future because he belonged in the past. He wore clothes of one brand, he shopped from one convenience store and he watched the same channel. His mother died and his father went to prison.


    After he was left an orphan, Ol'' Six chose an old noodle shop to patronize on his first outing. He ordered a bowl of bean paste noodles to go and when he got his order, he hurried home. In the subsequent 10 years, he ordered the same menu from the same shop for every single one of his meals. If the shop closed, Ol'' Six would starve that day.


    At the 11th year, the old noodle shop went out of business. Ol'' Six stood before the shop and cried. When her mother died, Ol'' Six did not cry; when his father was sent to prison, Ol'' Six did not cry; however when this noodle shop closed, Ol'' Six cried like his parents had died. The pedestrians walked around him but none had any idea why this young man about 18 to 19 was crying so hard. They suspected he had lost his parents, lover or work, but no one got the truth, he was crying because of this noodle shop.


    Someone stopped beside him. Ol'' Six ignored the person and he continued to cry as if the mncholy and sadness he kept bottled up inside him had found a vent that day. Ol'' Six cried for a whole hour and the man beside him waited with him for a whole hour. Ol'' Six cried until his throat turned sour and his tear ducts dried. He turned to look at the man. It was a middle-aged man, he looked around 40. The middle-aged man looked at the empty noodle shop, Ol'' Six looked at the middle-aged man. The duo stood like that for a long time before the middle-aged man spoke. "Such a shame. This ce sold good bean paste noodles but it had to close because the aged boss passed away."


    "I''m not crying because of him." Ol'' Six uttered lightly.


    The middle-aged man chuckled. "I wasn''tmenting the loss of the old boss either, I wasmenting the loss of the bean paste noodles. There are many good cooks in this world but there is only that one type of bean paste noodle."


    Actually, in China alone, there were many various kinds of bean paste noodles so the middle-aged man was factually wrong. However Ol'' Six understood what he meant. At that moment, something clicked within Ol'' Six. It was like he had finally found someone who could understand him in this big wide world. So he was not alone after all. The middle-aged man smiled and said with an ease in his tone, "Would you like toe with me?"


    Ol'' Six nodded. "I promise to serve you as long as I live."


    The middle-aged manughed and the two of them walked down the street. The middle-aged man said, "Right, like everyone else, you can call me Chu Ye."

 Chapter 46: Corruption

    Chapter 46: Corruption


    "Because of that you killed the 5 of us?" Qian Er clearly did not understand the kind of bond Ol'' Six shared with Chu Ye. "You are crazy. You''re killing us over bean paste noodles? You belong in a mental asylum! Life there will be perfect for you as you''ll be forced to repeat the same thing every day!" Hearing that wrong description of the mental hospital, my eyes twitched. Qian Er couldn''t have been more wrong. Life inside a mental asylum sometimes was more colorful than life outside


    Ol'' Six guffawed. "Yes, I did everything. Originally I didn''t n to make my move so soon but this time, you all came back to infiltrate our master''s tomb, that was my bottom line! I can''t wait anymore, I have to take revenge now!" Ol'' Six continued, "That Zhao woman wants us to look for someone for her, but first she needs the body of the groom from that Minghun. It was why we attended Minghun that day. When that was decided, my n was already formed. I would purposely wet my pants around 11 pm and then I can use that chance to sneak away."


    So Zhao Minghun hired this group of grave robbers to steal the Minghun''s groom, I wondered why. "As I expected, the woman told me to go back to change. I know that over these years, you people have never really trusted me and you would send someone to trail me." Ol'' Six said with some pride. "Because I was the only one who was coerced to kill 5 years ago, I wasn''t voluntary."


    Qian Er hissed through his teeth. "Little Three has told us many times that keeping you around is just going to bite us in the ass. If we didn''t stop Little Threest time, he would have killed you already. Now, I see how wrong we were."


    Ol'' Six countered, "Yes, you people should have killed me. Little Three was the cleverest among you lot but also the stupidest. I have already arranged everything, before the Minghun started, I already moved the body inside to somewhere else. After all, that is what we do for a living. Along the way back, Little Three was still mocking me about my ident'' but he had no idea what was awaiting him." Ol'' Six sounded proud, "I purposely took a small path, telling him that it was a shortcut. He didn''t see the daggering at all. Why would every single one of you think that you''ll be better than me at fighting?" There was a scratching sound, it was probably Ol'' Six drawing on the wall with his dagger. He continued, "Using the same tunnel I used to shuttle the groom out, I shoved Little Three into the coffin. At that moment, the coffin bearers arrived, the timing was perfect. What they didn''t know was I was just beside the coffin when they lifted it up from the ground. When I crawled out from the tunnel, someone handed me something. It was a portable music yer, it yed harrowing female wails. Even though I didn''t see the person who left me the present, I knew it was a woman. Then it hit me. Chu Mei is back, Chu Mei wants to help me to kill you."


    The ghost Chu Mei? So the ghostly sounds came from a portable music yer. But if she was really a ghost, why would she need a music yer? Technology was a thing in the afterlife too?


    "When you guys were still at the Minghun ceremony, I already used my dagger to skin the groom. As you know, that is our sect''s rules. I used fishing lines to tie the dagger to the man''s hands and sshed him with Little Three''s blood. With that, you people would have reasons to believe that the body had just died and it was probably me." So the skinned body was Ol'' Six''s doing after all. To cover his real identity, Ol'' Six had destroyed the man''s face. That was too suspicious for me. Furthermore, if I was him, I wouldn''t have left the dagger on the body. Sometimes, ack of evidence was the best disguise. The devil''s in the details.


    "Then I wrote down the statement that only you people will understand on the wall." Ol'' Six chuckled. "You''ll be led to believe that Chu Mei has returned. I''ll be honest, at the time, I was hiding on a tree not far away, watching your every move. As I predicted, you guys decided to leave the base. And you seem to believe that the skinned body was indeed me." The statement left on the wall did convince Wei Er''s group that the body was Ol'' Six and Chu Mei had returned.


    Ol'' Six grinded his dagger against the wall. "I know the real game will begin soon. The incident from 5 years ago is only privy to the six of us. Someone must have leaked to the outside world what really happened to Chu Ye, perhaps they wanted to take Chu Ye''s treasures all for themselves. Naturally, that tattletale wouldn''t be among the 2 dead peoples, so the culprit has to be among the 4 living ones. Someone has to be the traitor." At this point, Ol'' Six guffawed. "Master did say that you will end up double-crossing each other in the end. None of you really trust one another. The reason you people chose toe into this tomb is to silence the others. Every single one of you knows that you are not the traitor, so the only way to make it out alive is to kill everyone else!"


    Zhao Mingkun and I experienced the rest ourselves. Qian San was the most nave among them, perhaps while the others were already plotting the others'' death, he was the only one who believed they were really heading into their master''s tomb to hide from the police. In the cover of the darkness, finally someone made their move. Qian San was the first to fall, after he was attacked, he ran towards the other chamber and crawled into the coffin. Wei Er and Big Egg chased after him. They didn''t stop to check the coffin but directly shuttled through the other stone door. Failing to find Qian San, they turned on each other and neither survived. Qian Er was the cleverest among them. He probably was the first toe down and the moment he reached the tomb, he found a hiding spot in the dark. After everyone made their move, he only started his n. Sometimes, one didn''t need to lift a muscle to kill, manipting others to kill was the tactic of a master strategist.


    The four of them had zero trust for each other. Even though they might feel something was not right, they wouldn''t share it with the others because they were the enemies. How could you show weakness before your enemies? They would only think the worst of the others because they were horrible people themselves.


    Wei Er did send a SOS message to me before they entered the tomb but it was pointless. Everything happened too fast. He wasn''t able to wait for my rescue. So now only Qian Er and Ol'' Six remained.


    Qian Er challenged, "So it''s either you or me, huh? I have to tell you, I do not like your chances. I am much better at knives than you do."


    Ol'' Six stopped grinding the dagger because the rustling sound stopped. "That might be true, but where are you going to find a knife? I believe you know better than anyone else whose dagger Wei Er has stolen in the dark. Your younger brother has one, that groom''s body has one, Big Egg has one, Wei Er has two and thest one is with me, so how do you n to fight me?" Ol'' Six cackled. Then I heard the footsteps, it sounded like Ol'' Six was running towards his prey.


    "Move!" Zhao Mingkun''s voice suddenly rang out and it was followed by the bright halo of the shlight. I saw Ol'' Six had stabbed his dagger into Qian Er''s chest but there was also a dagger stuck in Ol'' Six''s body.


    "Ha ha, who do you think you are?" Qian Er spat a mouthful of blood on Ol'' Six''s face. "I am Qian Er, the cleverest among the 6 of us. I saw the problem from miles away but I know those people would not heed my warning. Why would you think I only carry one dagger on me?" Qian Er was proud of his cunningness and he spoke quicker. However, as the excitement took over, the blood gushed out faster. But then again, it did not look like he cared about that anymore. "Who said one can only carry one dagger? You people are too stubborn and doltish Who said the only reason to start an apprenticeship is to learn new skills, it''s time to revolutionize the system" Qian San copsed to the ground. Hisst word was, "I am the cleverest among all of us, there is no way you people can kill me"


    Perhaps Qian Er did realize this was all a n by Ol'' Six to turn them against each other but he was still dead. He might be the cleverest of the 6 brothers but he still died.


    Ol'' Six sat on the ground and looked so peaceful as he turned towards us. "It''s you guys. It''s quite nice that someone other than the six of us knows the truth in the end. The 6 of us should have died 5 years ago."


    "They deserve to die but why did you steal all those dead brides and kill the Minghun''s organizers?" I held Ol'' Six and asked slowly. Ol'' Six''s eyes flickered, he was leaving us soon.


    "Who? I only killed those who deserved it. I have never killed anyone else!" Ol'' Six imed. I had no idea whether a dying person would lie or not but I believed Ol'' Six would see lying as something beneath him. If Ol'' Six didn''t kill those people, then who did?


    "Then tell me about Chu Mei, how did she hand you the music yer?" I asked hurriedly.


    "She just ced it beside me, what kind of question is that?" Ol'' Six was already fading away. The dagger was sticking out of his heart.


    "You said you only killed those who deserved it, then who killed Chu Mei?" I pressed.


    Ol'' Six were closing his eyes. "Chu Mei, Chu Mei is dead?"


    "You people killed her by bashing her head in!" I shouted.


    "No, no After they gangraped Chu Mei, we left. No one no one killed Chu Mei" Ol'' Six whispered with hisst breath.


    What?! It felt like I was the one who had my head bashed in. No one killed Chu Mei, Chu Mei was still alive? No, Chu Mei was definitely dead. That was clear from the police case file discovered by Zhao Mingkun.


    Ol'' Six was wading towards death. He mumbled, "Chu Ye was the only person in this world who understood me, I''m going to meet him now. I never shed a tear for another person but during Chu Ye''s death, I had to hold my tears back so badly. For some reason, I also feel like crying now, but no tears areing


    "Oh, how I miss a good bowl of bean paste noodles."

 Chapter 47: Darkness

    Chapter 47: Darkness


    Perhaps the fate of these six brothers had been destined from the moment they killed their master. In fact, death was perhaps the best oue for them. No matter what kind of sin they did in life, they would not feel anything now. However, this case was far from over. I had identally overlooked something, I should have noticed this when the identity of the gang who raped Chu Mei was identified to be the group of grave robbers.


    But, Since Ol'' Six was a necrophiliac, there were technically just 5 rapists in total. Someone was clearly lying!


    Other than Chu Mei and the gang of grave robbers, there was only one other person who was present that unfortunate night. And this person was most likely the one behind the supernatural'' events. The ghost in the yard was a warning to scare us away so that we wouldn''t get involved in this. There could only be one person who would leave behind the music yer of the ghost wailing to make the impression that Chu Mei had returned!


    "Lin Dai Yu!" I eximed, "It was not the 6 brothers who killed Chu Mei 5 years ago, it was Lin Dai Yu!"


    "What?" Zhao Mingkun''s mind hadn''t caught up to my speed. She lifted her head to ask, "Say that again?"


    I exined, "I''ve been wondering why these grave robbers kept on saying that Chu Mei has returned when we knew that she was already dead. That is because to their knowledge, Chu Mei should still be alive. It was why the six of them would say that one of them had coborated with Chu Mei. After they gangraped Chu Mei, they didn''t kill her." I continued, "The six brothers must have assumed that Chu Mei hase back to seek revenge but in actuality, Chu Mei is already dead. After the 6 brothers left that night, only Lin Dai Yu and Chu Mei were left in the cornfield. Therefore, there can only be one possibility!"


    Zhao Mingkun said slowly, "You mean Lin Dai Yu was the one who killed Chu Mei? But why would she do that?"


    "I still have no clue." I shone my shlight around, "But Wei Er did say that Chu Mei is currently inside this tomb. I believe he has mistaken Lin Dai Yu for Chu Mei. She is still here, we might be able to catch her."


    Just as I finished, a woman''s cackle echoed in the small chamber. "Ha ha, little brother, you sure are clever. Yes, I am the one behind everything. I was the one who killed Chu Mei, I was the one who stole her body, I was the one who turned the six of them against each other, everything, yes, it was all me." A woman stood at the end of the passage. She wore a red dress and her hair covered most of her face. I was about to demand an exnation from Lin Dai Yu when Zhao Mingkun charged forward. Zhao Mingkun was a very good fighter. Lin Dai Yu probably knew that also so she immediately turned and ran away. The red dress was impossible to hide in the tomb. Zhao Mingkun and I chased closely after her. However, Dai Yu moved incredibly fast, she did not hesitate at all despite the dark environment. It was extremely dangerous to move rapidly in the cramped space, one could run into walls or trip. Zhao Mingkun and I had shlights but Dai Yu had nothing. So how did she manage to move so smoothly through the tomb? The only exnation was she was very familiar with this ce!


    Logically speaking, there was no reason for Dai Yu to announce her secret so openly. So why did she suddenly appear before us and admit to her crimes? She must have done that on purpose.


    "Something''s wrong. Be careful of traps!" I shouted hurriedly. By then we had already followed Dai Yu into a burial chamber. The chamber was muchrger than the others we''d visited. Arge coffin was ced in the middle of the room. Looks like this was the actual resting ce for Chu Ye and inside the coffin would be the other half of Chu Ye''s umted treasures. However, before we could get a good look of the chamber, I felt the ground give away underneath my feet. The tumble knocked the air out of me, I felt like my bones had broken. My head buzzed. Through the pain, I tried to look around. Thankfully the shlight survived the fall and we still had sources of light. Zhao Mingkunnded not far away from me. She too was struggling to stand up. She looked like she had cushioned her fall far better than I did. This was a cer about 10 square metres wide. It was about 3 metres from the ground where we had fallen from. There were some small sacks around us. They were bulging with unknown contents. The walls of the cer were built from cement, and the surface was slick. The hole that we fell from was about 2 metres wide and from where I sat, I could see the steel board which was probably the hole cover.


    Lin Dai Yu was smiling down on us. I knew that there had to be a trap. Lin Dai Yu purposely led us here and then had us drop into this cer. "Goodbye." Dai Yu said with a smile. "Now only the two of us know my secret. After you die, no one will know what happened here anymore." After that, Dai Yu turned over the steel board and then we heard the sound of the lock sliding into ce. Dai Yu left and abandoned us to rot inside this cer.


    "Motherfucker." I cursed, "Now what do we do?"


    Zhao Mingkun scanned the surroundings with her shlight and then she said, "It''s only 3 metres tall. Go to the wall, I''ll see if I can get the hole open." I understood what she meant, I was going to be a humandder. I sighed and squatted beside the wall. Zhao Mingkun stepped on my shoulders and I slowly stood up. My 1.75 metres heightbined with Zhao Mingkun''s 1.7 metres should be enough for her to reach the steel board. However, even though Zhao Mingkun pushed hard several times, the board refused to budge. It was locked very securely in ce. Looks like the only way to open this board was from the outside. After 5 minutes of trying, the steel board did give out but I did.


    Panting on the ground, I told Zhao Mingkun, "Don''t you have a gun? You can just shoot through it. This is just atch lock, you''ll only need to make a small hole near thetch and use your finger to pull thetch out."


    Zhao Mingkun dumped her pistol on the ground. She shook her head, "You should already know by now that my gun only carries nks." I was speechless. When Zhao Mingkun tested me, the gun did fire nks. I thought she had actual bullets elsewhere, but it looked like I was wrong.


    "Then why did you carry the gun with you?"


    Zhao Mingkun smiled. "Well it has worked even without actual bullets, hasn''t it? Examples include you and that Qian Er."


    Well that was it. Chu Ye''s tomb was designed like a maze, each passage would split into 3 forks. Those who didn''t know theyout would be lost in it easily. Zhao Mingkun and I were trapped in this cer, this was probably where we''d die. Even if the policeunched a carpet search of this ce, when they found us, we would probably die from thirst already.


    Zhao Mingkun was looking through the small sacks, she did not look worried at all. Maybe I shouldn''t lose all hope. Guan Zhenglin would have gained contact with Captain Zhao already. After I went missing for so long, she should have known toe here to find me, after all, she knew that I was following Wei Er''s SOS message toe to this ce. But even if she did, it would be hard for her to locate such a hidden ce.


    "Do you know what is inside these bags?" Zhao Mingkun suddenly asked.


    "What?"


    Zhao Mingkun tossed one of the bags over. "Precious things. There are golds, jades, gems and so on. Looks like grave robbing is quite a lucrative business. Plus aren''t you a grave robber, shouldn''t these things interest you?"


    "We''re going to die here soon, what''s the point of having these treasures?" Iid down and decided to rest my brain for the moment. To save electricity, I switched off the shlight. Seeing that, Zhao Mingkun followed suit. Immediately, the entire cer submerged into pitch ckness. I couldn''t even see my fingers.


    "I wonder if we will run out of oxygen or not." I asked.


    Zhao Mingkun countered, "If you''re that worried, why are you still talking?" I hugged my hands behind my head to make myselffortable, "Talking won''t consume that much oxygen anyway, at most it''ll just dy death by 3 to 5 minutes."


    "You''re quite an optimistic person." Zhao Mingkunmented with a chuckle.


    "Well, since we have nothing else to do, why not chat?" I turned to Zhao Mingkun''s voice but in the dark, I couldn''t really tell if she was there or not. "Why are you so determined to solve this case? You aren''t with the cops. And why were you here anyway? What business would you have by stealing that groom''s body?"


    Zhao Mingkun hummed to herself before she answered. "There is something precious in that groom''s stomach. You have heard about smuggling drugs through the dead, right? I need to find someone through that corpse. The man''s name is Lai San."


    Lai San, again Lai San, so Zhao Mingkun is looking for him too.''


    "Speaking of which, you too could have walked away from this case, so why didn''t you?" Zhao Mingkun asked me back. "You aren''t with the police either." At that moment, I did consider telling Zhao Mingkun the truth, after all, we were going to die soon. But I couldn''t bring myself to im that I was something I was not. Was I really with the police? I was merely summoned to help with a case, perhaps I would be sent back to the loony bin after the case was over.


    "You haven''t answered my question." I deflected.


    "Hmm" Zhao Mingkun considered for a long time before she said, "I remember telling you that I did consider joining the force. My parents were criminals but it was a police officer who adopted me. However, something changed and my adopted father found himself in the identity of a criminal. I have to help him, because he has been very good to me."


    So that genius criminal started out as a police officer, strange, Captain Zhao didn''t tell me about that


    "My dream was naturally vanquished, but I still harbour the dream of being an officer, to conduct an investigation, even just for once. The feeling of peeling back theyers to find the truth, to deliver justice to the victims, that is a rush which is iparable to anything else in the world." Zhao Mingkun said softly.


    Hearing her confession, I was reminded of Captain Zhao''s question. Why do I want to be an officer? Was it because I wanted to shake off the identity of being a murderer''s son; was it because I enjoy the process of solving a case; or was it because I enjoyed the thrill of testing my mettle against various criminals? I still didn''t know.


    Zhao Mingkun borated. "I often yed the game of police and thief with his daughter when I was young. I was older than she was, so I was always the thief. But honestly, sometimes, I too wish to stand under the sun and not hide in the darkness"


    I couldn''t see Zhao Mingjun but I could sense the mncholy in her voice.


    Were we really born with freedom of choices? Were there not people who were destined to spend their lives forever in darkness?

 Chapter 48: Choice

    Chapter 48: Choice


    Sometimes, I felt there were reasons for my schizophrenia. On one hand, I hated those criminals, hated them for the danger they brought to society. I hated how inconsiderate they were, how callous they were to others, especially their loved ones. But on the other hand, I pitied many of them. I knew most of them were forced to resort to crimes out of circumstances. If they had a better choice, they wouldn''t end up on the criminal path. So I hated them and I loved them, they were my heaven and hell.


    I was unable to be like Captain Zhao who had a clear goal in life, who knew they were always on the side of justice; I wasn''t like Zhao Mingkun either, who chose to be forever in the dark after she abandoned the light. I was just a normal human, with his own conflict and sensitivities.


    "Do you like to stargaze?" I asked. Zhao Mingkun was clearly taken aback as she gasped, "How did you know that?" I didn''t answer because I already got everything I needed.


    "I have a solution but the chance of sess is very low." I stood up and said slowly. "But if we fail and when people eventually discover our bodies, we''ll be caught in a very awkward position. However, if we do not give this a try, I can only see two endings for us." I lifted one finger, "1, we will die here." And then another, "2, we will be captured by the police."


    Zhao Mingkunughed. "If that''s the case, I''d rather give your solution a try." This was a very risky and embarrassing method. Based on my calction, Guan Zhenglin should have led Gu Chen and the team to this tomb to find me by now. Among them would be Doggie Wang Er. If there was someone who could save us in this world, it would be Doggie Wang Er. When I was still at the mental hospital, I personally witnessed how Doggie Wang Er managed to locate a patient who was stuck in the underground sewer for 3 days with just a sniff of his shoe. Doggie Wang Er''s nose was very sensitive, perhaps his mental illness had caused actual transformation to his senses. But most importantly, Doggie Wang Er was a dog who was familiar with tomb-raiding technique. His understanding of tombs would be far greater than any of us.


    And my n was for us to defecate and pee in the cer and pray that the smell would get Doggie Wang Er''s attention. This was undeniably a crazy and shameless n but I was a verified mental patient and I already lost my sense of shame when I was young. In any case, we put the n into action and used the fabric of the bags to smear the faeces and urine on the ceiling.


    Silence.


    Perhaps to shatter the awkwardness, Zhao Mingkun said, "I happen to see there is a birthmark on the underside of your penis." For some reason, it only made me feel even more awkward. I chuckled half-heartedly and said, "Actually, my father is a murderer too and I spent my childhood in prison. Do you know what the other inmates say when they saw that birthmark? They said I was lucky. If I was killed, and had my fingerprints sawn off or beheaded, that birthmark would help identify my body."


    I said that to lighten the mood but for some reason, Zhao Mingkun suddenly broke into tears. That took me by surprise. Women truly had inexplicable mood swings. "Are, are you alright?" I asked tentatively. Zhao Mingkun looked at me withplicated emotions. Eventually she said, "If we ever leave this ce, stop being a grave robber. The things in these sacks are more than enough for you to secure afortable life. You have not murdered anyone, you have a chance to start anew. Being a normal citizen is not so bad. Listen to my advice, marry that little girlfriend of yours and settle down, okay?"


    Honestly, I didn''t know what to say. Zhao Mingkun seemed to treat me differently from how she treated others. She was an ice queen with others but when she was alone with me, she would reveal this softer side to her personality. Sadly, I was never a grave robber, I was someone the police hired to capture her. So I didn''t say anything. Wait, all we could do now was wait.


    After who knew how long, suddenly I heard something moving across the steel board. It wasn''t loud but it might as well be a boom considering how silent the tomb was. "Is someone up there? Please open thetch!" I quickly stood up and shouted. The steel board was pulled back and I shone my shlight at the hole. Doggie Wang Er''s face poked out to look at me. I had never seen Doggie Wang Er so handsome before, I couldn''t wait to run up there to slobber kisses all over his face.


    "Master?" Doggie Wang Er shouted.


    "Come, step on my shoulders and get up." I told Zhao Mingkun. She shook her head. "If I do that, how do you n to leave this ce? I''ll help you get up there first." Indeed, even though the height of the wall was only 3 metres, I had no idea how to climb up the wall. Therefore, I stood on Zhao Mingkun''s shoulders and she slowly climbed up. With Doggie Wang Er''s help, I was half-yanked, half-pushed to freedom. When I turned back to look down the hole, I saw Zhao Mingkun shove the shlight into her pocket, took a few steps and then began with a running start. She kicked on the wall and used the rebound to grip her fingers at the edge of the hole. Before Doggie Wang Er and I moved to help her, she already climbed onto the surface. I was mightily impressed.


    But since Doggie Wang Er was here, it meant that Guan Zhenglin and the police wouldn''t be far behind. Soon they woulde here following Doggie Wang Er''s trail. If we stayed, Zhao Mingkun wouldn''t have the chance to escape. With that in mind, I said, "We better leave now." Zhao Mingkun frowned but she didn''t say anything. She followed me as we ran out. When we reached a fork, a ray of light hit the wall. Our'' pursuers would be arriving soon.


    "Let''s split up." I told Zhao Mingkun, "Only the police wille at a time like this. We shan''t stick together. By splitting up, our trail will be blurred further."


    Zhao Mingkun patted my shoulders. "Be careful."


    For some reason, I felt sombre. "Would we meet again?"


    "We would." Zhao Mingkunnded a kiss on my forehead and disappeared down one of the forks. I led Doggie Wang Er towards the ray of light, hopefully that would give Zhao Mingkun more time to escape. That was the only thing I could do for her now, if she was still unlucky enough to run into another team of the police, then she had no one but to me but herself. I saw too many simrities between the two of us, I seemed to witness another version of myself on her. How bad could she really be, when she had that passion for justice within her?


    In that case, we better not meet ever again.


    "What the hell?!" Captain Zhao mmed on the table until it creaked. I had never seen Captain Zhao so angry before. The office table felt like it was about to fall apart. "How can you let her escape? Haven''t I told you to keep a close eye on her? How did she manage to escape?"


    I kept my head lowered like a chastened boy. "She is too cunning. When Doggie Wang Er saved us from the cer, I let my guard down. At that moment, she took off down one of the passages. When Doggie Wang Er and I moved to chase after her, she was already gone. This is all my fault"


    Captain Zhao stared at me for a long time before he turned to Doggie Wang Er, "Doggie Wang Er, is that true?"


    "Yes!" Doggie Wang Er nodded vehemently. He was such a loyal dog, unfortunately he would be returning to the mental hospital soon. I would miss him a lot because Doggie Wang Er had many qualities that human beings werecking or else Xiao Cui wouldn''t have stayed with him for so long. Unfortunately, the doctors said that there was basically no hope for Doggie Wang Er to recover. The more humans I interacted with, the more I appreciated Doggie Wang Er.


    Mary tried to put in a good word on my behalf, "You can''t really me Xiao Wu for this, after all, Zhao Mingkun has slipped away from us so many times. Plus, this is already the freshest trail we have of her. I believe we''ll encounter her again soon."


    Was that true? If there was a next time, what kind of choice would I make? I shook my head, that was a problem for future me to worry about.


    Captain Zhao sighed and then picked up the tea cup again. "I suppose. But I do have to praise you foring up with that idea as a solution to escape the cer. That was rather unusual." Sometimes, to survive, one had to be shameless.


    "By the way." Guan Zhenglin chimed in. "What exactly happened inside the tomb, there are dead bodies everywhere." I exined everything that happened inside the tomb to the group. Then I asked, "Also, where is Gu Chen?"


    Guan Zhenglin answered, "When we arrived, someone in red raced out from the tomb. Due to the distance, we couldn''t tell who it was. However, Gu Chen chased after them immediately. But based on what I saw, it should be the female ghost that we saw in the yard that night."


    I nodded. "I already figured out the truth, the person in red is Dai Yu, everything has to do with her. Qian Er thought he was the ultimate strategist but he was wrong, the true strategist was this woman because the 6 brothers were all pawns in Dai Yu''s game. She turned them against each other to silence everyone who knew about the truth. If not for Doggie Wang Er, no one would know about her secret anymore."


    "Dai Yu?" Guan Zhenglin was shocked.


    "Yes!" I turned to Mary. "Sister Mary, can you help me check the identity of Lin Dai Yu and Chu Mei''s parents? Even though I know Dai Yu is the killer, I have no clue why she did that. Also help me look up the actual rtionship between Chu Mei and Chu Ye."


    Mary gave me an okay sign and turned to herputer. Gu Chen returned without any reward. But when he saw me, he still broke into a big grin. "Yo, I thought you were dead already."


    Iughed and said, "I would be if I brought you with me. We would die on the first day if you went undercover with me. Thankfully you weren''t there. The callous on your fingers would have exposed your real identity, sorry to say but you''re not suitable for undercover work."


    Gu Chen looked at his finger and said, "You''re right." Then with a sigh, he added, "The person slipped away from me. I was unable to keep up with them."


    I patted him encouragingly. "Don''t look so sad, I''ll bring you to capture her now."

 Chapter 49: Dai Yus Motive

    Chapter 49: Dai Yu''s Motive


    Dai Yu had all the reasons to believe that Zhao Mingkun and I were still inside the cer and her secret had died with us. With that confidence, Dai Yu naturally would not run away, it would arouse suspicion if she did. When we found Dai Yu, she was in that same red dress, standing in the yard. She started to twirl and pirouette, the yard was her stage. I shared a look with Dai Yu, she visibly flinched when she saw that I was still alive. However, that did not stop her movements. She continued to dance and leap in the yard. Dai Yu''s dance looked like ballet. The fiery red dress flowed with her movement like a zing star crossing the sky. It was beautiful if you stopped right beneath her face.


    "Is that from Swan Lake?" Guan Zhenglin observed. Gu Chen couldn''t care less. "Swan Lake or Duck Lake, we''re arresting her." I pulled on Gu Chen''s arm and he turned back to look at me with confusion. I said softly, "Just let her finish."


    2 cigarette smokester, Dai Yu finally finished her dance, or more precisely, her dance was cut short when she tripped on the edge of her dress. Her long gown was definitely not suitable for a ballet, much less one that was so technically demanding. Dai Yu, who fell to the ground, turned to look at us and said, "Shall we go?"


    "We shall." I said. Dai Yu was brought into interrogation. The police had done a full investigation of Dai Yu''s old hut. Under Dai Yu''s mud abode, the police dug out many sets of white skeletons. Based on the coroner''s report, they were all females. The time of death varied. They should be the bodies of the female brides stolen from Minghun held over the past 5 years. Dai Yu admitted the crime levelled against her. She killed Chu Mei, she killed the organizers of Minghuns, she stole the brides'' bodies. After Ol'' Six started his killing spree, it was Dai Yu who lent Ol'' Six the music yer with the female ghost wailing. Everything was done by Dai Yu.


    "But why would you do all those things?" I asked.


    This was Dai Yu''s story. Dai Yu''s original surname was not Lin, her original name was not Lin Dai Yu but Chu Dai Yu. When Chu Ye separated from hiswful wife, they already had a daughter. That daughter was Dai Yu. Dai Yu was unable to make Chu Ye stay with the family. He left, with the baby he found by the roadside with 6 toes.


    For 27 years, Dai Yu had never seen her biological father. When she was in primary school, her mother remarried. Her stepfather had the Lin surname and that was how she changed from Chu Dai Yu to Lin Dai Yu. It was also during primary school, that she met her best friend for life. The girl''s name was Chu Mei. Chu Mei had the surname Chu too. For some reasons, Dai Yu had a natural affinity for people with the surname Chu. Dai Yu and Chu Mei hit it off and quickly became good friends. Chu Mei told Dai Yu that her parents were not her biological parents, they were just the couples living at the house she rented. She told Dai Yu that she had no mother and only a father. Everyone called her father Chu Ye so she had no idea what her father''s real name was.


    Chu Mei also told Dai Yu that her father was a very mysterious person. Sometimes he would leave for work for months and he''d return carrying golds and treasures. Her father had a disciple who was just slightly older than her. However, the disciple didn''t attend school like she did, instead, she would spot him digging up holes on the mountain. Chu Mei once jokingly told him that he was too old to y with sand but the disciple countered that he was not ying, he was training.


    Dai Yu once asked her mother what her father did for a living. Her mother told her that he was a grave robber. Therefore, when Chu Mei told her these stories, the link immediately bridged. Could things really be that coincidental? Could Chu Mei''s father be her own father too?


    Dai Yu''s mother told Dai Yu that their father had to leave because he loved them, and not because he no longer wanted them. Dai Yu''s mother told her that those in the grave robbing business would inadvertently make some enemies along the way. Chu Ye did not want those people to target Dai Yu and her mother so that was why he had to break up with them. Dai Yu''s mother told her that Chu Ye only adopted that girl with the 6 toes because if his enemies ever wanted to take revenge, they would target that girl and not the two of them. So the truth was Chu Ye did not abandon them, if anything, he loved them so much that the only way to protect them was to disappear from their lives.


    Dai Yu once asked Chu Mei whether she had 6 toes or not but Chu Mei shook her head no. Dai Yu did not believe her. Not everyone would admit to such a shameful secret or perhaps Chu Mei had taken surgery to remove the extra appendage when she was too young to remember.


    Dai Yu stayed friends with Chu Mei because from Chu Mei, Dai Yu could get bits of updates about her father. Dai Yu wasforted that her father was still alive and was silently protecting them. The two girls went to the same primary school, high school and then university.


    One day, Chu Mei came to tell Dai Yu that her father had died. Chu Mei cried horribly and so did Dai Yu. Others were saying how good a friend Dai Yu was to share in Chu Mei''s sadness but Dai Yu was actually grieving for her own father. The two of them decided to return home at first notice. When they reached the small path that led home, it was already almost midnight. Then they were pulled into the cornfield by the 6 brothers.


    After the 6 gangraped Chu Mei and left, she was already no different from being dead. The six disappeared into the darkness. Chu Mei twitched involuntarily on the ground. Chu Mei''s father was dead, Chu Mei was raped on the way home to attend his funeral. Chu Mei could barely bring herself to cry anymore. She mumbled, "Kill me, I don''t want to live anymore, kill me."


    The night was silent. Lin Dai Yu sat on the ground and heard her best friend beg her to kill her. The biggest misfortune descended on Chu Mei that day, it was as if all of her luck had been exhausted. She was clever, kind, pretty, she was popr. Before 22, Chu Mei had no idea what misfortune and unhappiness was. But that day, Lady Luck turned her back on Chu Mei.


    Dai Yu raised arge rock. She looked at Chu Mei and Chu Mei looked at her. Therge rock fell on the back of Chu Mei''s head. Instantly, the brain and blood sttered everywhere. Thankfully, Chu Mei died instantly. Then Dai Yu called the police and lied to them. From then on, Dai Yu had to live with the guilt of having killed her best friend, even though it was Chu Mei who begged her to do it. She did not wish for her best friend to die but she also knew living would be a heavier punishment for Chu Mei. It was from then on that Dai Yu started to face mental issues.


    Chu Ye was dead, Chu Mei was dead. Someone was there to handle Chu Ye''s funeral, but what about Chu Mei? Naturally, it fell onto the shoulders of the couples who owned Chu Mei''s rentals. Based on Ba Jia Zi''s culture, they had to hold a Minghun for Chu Mei. Their goal was simple, as long as there was a wedding, there would be dowry. Furthermore, Ol'' Huang had already promised them 300000 RMB. They didn''t have the Chu surname, but for 300000 RMB, they could easily pretend that they did. Who would really care?


    Well, someone did, that someone was Dai Yu.


    Dai Yu naturally knew that these two were not Chu Mei''s parents and the real goal behind the Minghun. Dai Yu hated Minghun the most, it was already hard enough to find love when alive, one had to be forced to live with a stranger in the afterlife? That was just cruel. She decided to eliminate this backwards culture at Ba Jia Zi once and for all and the way she decided to go about aplishing that was to kill anyone who dared to organize Minghun. Everyone was invited to this Minghun of the century and that included Dai Yu.


    Dai Yu arrived early at the venue to mess with the structural beams of the tent. A taut fishing line was ced behind Ol'' Huang''s neck. The moment Dai Yu cut the other end which was extended out from the tent, the line wouldsh forward. A fast-flying fishing line could cut as hard as a sharp dagger. The fishing line was so thin and the tent so dark that no one spotted it.


    The Minghun started and everyone''s attention was on Chu Mei''s body. Ol'' Huang''s head fell. No one saw the fishing line shoot out. As the vigers rushed out from the tent, the wind blew out the candles. This was the perfect aid for Dai Yu. Darkness was her best disguise. Dai Yu sneaked into the tent to carry Chu Mei''s body. The mortician had done wonderful work, Chu Mei looked as pretty as when she was alive. "Friend, let''s go." Dai Yu whispered gently.


    The young man who hid under the table saw the body move on her own. It was actually Dai Yu carrying Chu Mei. Chu Mei''s long bridal gown had perfectly covered Dai Yu''s feet and the young man''s line of sight. In any case, that was how Chu Mei''s curse started.


    Whenever a Minghun was organized, Dai Yu would make her move. The organizers were all killed by Dai Yu and no one would suspect a crazy woman to be a murderer. To be honest though Dai Yu was not crazy at all, if anything, she was incredibly brilliant. Humans always saw what they wanted to see. The eyes were often the things that lied to us the most.


    5 yearster, a gang of grave robbers came to infiltrate Chu Ye''s tomb. They had no idea Dai Yu was actually inside the tomb at the time. Over the past 5 years, whenever Dai Yu missed her father, she would visit him at his grave so no one was more familiar with itsyout than she was. While she hid in the dark, Ol'' Six confessed their sin and regret before Chu Ye''s tomb. She heard everything that the other 5 brothers did not, including the n they had to kill Chu Ye and rape Chu Mei. She finally knew the truth.


    So Chu Ye did not die from illness as these animals imed to Chu Ye''s friends, he was actually killed by his own disciples. The 6 of them had no idea that Chu Mei had already died 5 years ago. Therefore, Dai Yu decided to make use of that. She used Chu Mei''s identity to help Ol'' Six who wanted to kill the others, to make them believe that Chu Mei had returned. The 6 brothers turned against each other because that was the kind of individual they were.


    This was a case thatsted for 5 years and it ended with the story told by Dai Yu.


    A biological daughter, an adopted daughter, a disciple who cried for a noodle shop, the other 5 disciples who carried their own secrets, the Minghun tradition thatsted for thousands of years, they were all mixed together.


    "Why do I feel sorry for Dai Yu?" Guan Zhenglin sighed when we left the interrogation room. I nodded and then shook my head.


    "Have you ever considered that there is another version to this story?"

 Chapter 50: Swan Lake

    Chapter 50: Swan Lake


    "Wu Meng," Just as I was about to answer, Mary walked over. "I''ve found all the info you wanted me to find, the background of Chu Mei and Dai Yu, their parents'' rtionship and their medical background. I even managed to dig up their social media ounts. There are so many things to go through so have at it."


    "Why are we still looking at these now that the case is over?" Gu Chen shook his head as he saw therge stack of documents Mary was carrying. I epted them from Mary and thanked her. "Thank you, Sister Mary." I turned to Gu Chen, "What''s there for us to lose to study these? Even though it''s confirmed that Dai Yu is the killer, aren''t you interested to know her deeper motivation?"


    "Just tell me when you''re done." Gu Chen shook his head. "I hate these kinds of table work the most." I sighed, foolish humans! How could you not understand the pure ecstasy when you cracked a case fully open? For me, capturing the killer was always the easiest part, the hardest part was understanding their motives.


    I hunkered down and sifted through the documents. Immediately something jumped out at me, when I read through Dai Yu''s medical document, I noticed that Dai Yu had taken a surgery when she was young. The surgery''s name was Multitoe Disfigurement: Ative Surgery of the extra Toe on the Right Feet. At this point, my back was dripping with cold sweat. The name of the surgery was self-exnatory, it was to remove an extra toe. But it was not Chu Mei who did this surgery but Dai Yu. In other words, the girl that Chu Ye picked up from the roadside was not Chu Mei but this Dai Yu. Then it hit me. When we first encountered Dai Yu, she was scratching her toe. There was a small scar near the joint around her right foot''s big toe!


    The medical record appended: The extra toe has grown around the joint. For optimum result of recovery, it is suggested that the surgery is done before the patient reaches 3 years old.


    Would Dai Yu remember undertaking this surgery from when she was still so young? So Chu Ye wasn''t really Dai Yu''s father, Chu Ye had taken away his biological daughter and handed the abandoned baby girl to his wife. If that was the case, his wife would know about the truth. Human hearts were always soplicated. So who was the real scapegoat? Was it Chu Mei or Dai Yu? I feared it was thetter.


    If you really think about it, suppose you want to take revenge on someone, would you go after his adopted daughter or biological daughter? Furthermore, if Chu Ye brought Chu Mei with him, he could better protect her in person. In this case, perhaps the most dangerous ce was the safest ce. From Dai Yu''s story, we knew that Chu Mei and Chu Ye shared a very good rtionship. If Chu Ye treated Chu Mei badly and only saw her as a sex object, would she return to attend to his funeral at first notice?


    So, Dai Yu had to be the one being abandoned. The question was, did Dai Yu know about this? Even though the wound on her feet had healed, it still left a scar. Hadn''t Dai Yu questioned why there was a scar? Could she not ess her own medical records? I believed Dai Yu knew the whole truth. Then why would Dai Yu still go through all the trouble of helping Chu Ye take revenge, kill the 6 brothers, kill Chu Mei''s money-hungry rental owners and steal away her body? The answer was her dance in the yard.


    When the answer came to me, a mncholy suffused my heart. When Guan Zhenglin said she felt sorry for Dai Yu, I felt nothing, but now, that sadness gripped my heart and refused to let go. The ballet that Dai Yu did in her red dress at the yard was called Swan Lake. What was the story of Swan Lake? It was a very conventional story of a prince defeating an ugly old witch and rescuing a beautiful woman who had been transformed into a swan. After that, they lived happily ever after. But what was truly a happily ever after?


    For Dai Yu, for the girl who was abandoned since she was young, what would her happily ever after be?


    It was the feeling of being needed, and being loved. She needed to create the illusion that others needed her. Even though Dai Yu already knew that she was the one being abandoned, and she was the scapegoat, she didn''t dare to face the truth. Because she was afraid that once she did, her mother too would abandon the disguise. She would tell her that Chu Ye was not the great and protective father that she thought. She was lying not to others but to herself.


    So how would a girl who was abandoned by the whole world create the make-believe that she was needed?


    Dai Yu killed Chu Mei out of envy, she was envious of Chu Mei who was loved like a princess, Chu Mei who had won the world just by having a pretty face. Even after her death, someone was willing to pay 300000 RMB for her dead body. In contrast, Dai Yu was mocked by other children when she was young, she was pitied when she was older but no one had ever told her that she was needed. Indeed, in this world of ours, we were always more lenient towards the handsome and beautiful.


    It was why Dai Yu murdered Chu Mei and stole those brides, because she was envious, envious that they were needed even after they were dead. In contrast, she, someone who was still alive, was not needed by anyone. I turned to Dai Yu''s social media, I found a post which was viewable only to the author. Like any other girl, Dai Yu had her crushes as well, she too yearned for love and to be loved. When her friends all paired off, she would always remain by herself. She didn''t even have a friend from the opposite sex whom she could talk to. Whenever the need ate at her, Dai Yu would count the different colors of patterned tiles under her feet at the university. There were 17933 white tiles, 5872 red tiles and 6211 yellow tiles.


    "Actually there are 4 different colored tiles but I can only bring myself to count 3 of them. I''ve counted each of them more than 10 times already so the number should be correct. Thest color is purple, I can''t bear to start counting it because after I''m done, what else is there for me to do? I need to keep that number a mystery and make myself recount the other colors every day, that way, I will never reach the end." That was the status update Dai Yu left for herself.


    The next day, Dai Yu was going to be brought to prison. When she was led out, she looked positively serene. Then again, what was there from this world which she would miss?


    I walked forward to look at Dai Yu. Dai Yu turned back to look at me. "You got me, little brother." Dai Yu told me in a peaceful tone. I didn''t know what to say so I slowly walked forward and pulled her into a hug. I said, "There is no one in this world who is not needed."


    I felt something damp hit my shoulder. There was not much I could do but to give her this littlefort before she died. When we parted, Dai Yu''s face was dry. She looked as unkempt as ever.


    "I''ll be going now." Dai Yu whispered, "Thank you."


    Dai Yu was escorted away, based on her crimes, she would be given the death penalty. If she wasn''t born in this world which imed that it wasn''t shallow but still ced heavy emphasis on appearance, her life might be totally different.


    Guan Zhenglin clearly didn''t understand my action. She asked, "What did you two talk about? Also didn''t you say there is a different possibility? I''ve thought about it for a whole day already, I couldn''t figure it out." Therefore, I shared my perspective with Guan Zhenglin. I told her that Dai Yumitted the murder not because she loved her father and not because she was against the atrocious culture of Minghun. It was due to envy festered from intense loneliness. She was envious of Chu Mei, envious of the brides who were still needed after death, so she murdered Chu Mei, murdered the Minghun organizers, murdered the 6 brothers who raped Chu Mei but refused to eveny a finger on her. Human beings wereughable creatures. Dai Yu was envious of the dead brides and was envious of Chu Mei who was raped. It wasughable yet also saddening.


    When I was done sharing, Guan Zhenglin and Gu Chen shook their heads. Guan Zhenglin said, "Wu Meng, you always see things from the darkest and most cynical perspective. The basis of your spection is that Dai Yu knew she was the child being abandoned and propped up as the scapegoat but I believe Dai Yu didn''t know that at all."


    Gu Chen added, "Yes, your worldview is too pessimistic. Dai Yu herself has given us her motive but you insist on going through those long documents and came up with a motive that even Dai Yu didn''t admit to. From how I see it, you got it wrong this time."


    "I''m with Gu Chen." Guan Zhenglin ced her hands on her waist. "I firmly believe that it was Chu Mei who told Dai Yu to kill her and Dai Yu only did it because she knew her best friend''s life would be harder than death. I believe that Dai Yu knew Chu Ye was her father and she did all these to avenge his death. I believe that Dai Yu is disgusted by the horrible practices of Minghun and she killed those people to stop the culture from continuing." Guan Zhenglin pressed, "The desperation for validation, the murders motivated by envy, those are products of your sick mind. If you ask me, I think you need to take a good rest, look at the circles around your eyes!"


    I sighed, "That''s why I said this is just another possibility. No matter who''s correct, she is going to die soon and the truth will die with her."


    But what of her parting words and the tears on my shoulder? Did I imagine those?


    Did the ugly not deserve to be loved? Was the ugly meant to be mocked? Actually I had been meaning to ask why Dai Yu didn''t go for stic surgery. After all, if a man could be turned into a woman, she could get reborn as a pretty woman easily. However, I held my tongue. Perhaps the girl still hoped that one day someone would look through her appearance and cherish her for who she was and not who she made herself out to be.


    The ugly truth or the false beauty? I personally was not against stic surgery but perhaps Dai Yu wanted to be the true version of herself.


    "Oh right!" I took out a small booklet, it contained an English phrase I copied from Dai Yu''s social media. "Guan Zhenglin, I know youe from a famous university. Help me see what this means. I know the individual letters but they lose me when they''re put together like this."


    "Dummy, let me!" Guan Zhenglin reached for the booklet.


    She tranted:


    When I was still a girl, mother brought me to see Swan Lake. Everyone fell in love with the white swan but I love and identify with the ugly witch the most.

 Chapter 51: An Intellectual Death

    Chapter 51: An Intellectual Death


    "Will this really work?" Guan Zhenglin questioned.


    "Okay, now!" I shouted. With my order, there was a sh through the air and a red figure lifted from the middle of the yard,nded on the roof and then disappeared. Only a small round hole on the ground remained. The thing that we saw in the yard that night was not a ghost, it was not a person either, it was actually a mannequin. With a long ck wig, eye-grabbing red dress and darkness of the night, it was hard to tell it was a mannequin. A long spring was affixed to the mannequin''s back and riveted at a particr angle into the ground. The coils of the spring were tied together with fishing line. With a slight tug, the tension of the spring would be strong enough to send a mannequin flying into the air.


    "See, I told you there are no ghosts in this world." I said as my eyes followed the flying mannequin.


    "What in the world are you people up to now?" Xiao Liu walked out into the yard. Seeing how sweaty and tired Xiao Liu was, Gu Chenughed. "We should ask you that question. What made you all sweaty like that?"


    Xiao Liu looked at the 3 of us and dropped the bomb. "Ie with bad news. Gao Rui justmitted suicide."


    Hearing that, my heart literally skipped a beat.


    "Gao Rui is dead?" I couldn''t help but repeat to confirm.


    "The police are handling it now, we better head to the crime scene." Xiao Liu exined.


    "Let''s go!"


    The crime scene was Zhang Mingliang''s home. When we arrived, the officers from the local station were already interviewing the gathered crowd. Since Xiao Liu told them to wait on the body examination so no one had touched the body. The trace analysts were already there. Their main responsibility was to collect trace evidence and ascertain whether there was a second person at the scene. ording to protocol, when we first found a dead body, the first thing we needed to do was to ascertain the dead''s identity and the nature of their death. The victim was undeniably Gao Rui, so what we needed to do now was to figure out how he died.


    In terms of medical science, deaths could be categorized into 4 types, homicide, suicide, natural death and idental death. Normally a murder would often be a homicide disguised as suicide, natural or idental death.


    Gao Rui''s body appeared before us. This was Zhang Mingliang''s bedroom. Gao Rui was lying peacefully on Zhang Mingliang''s bed. Gao Rui was in a presentable western suit and he looked like he was just down for a quick nap. But upon closer inspection, Gao Rui''s lips, and earlobes had signs of redness like he had applied make-up on himself. The bed was a set scene, it was decorated with red rose petals. A bottle of red wine sat on the bedside table. It was 1/3 depleted. There was a wine ss next to it and there was some red wine left at the bottom. Under the bedside table was an old-fashioned radio. When we arrived, it was still ying. It seemed like no one had touched it.


    "Even if one day the wind carries to my path a thousand romantic encounters,


    Even if one day thousands of stars shine brighter than tonight''s moon,


    They cannot be prettier than this evening, nor can they carry away my thoughts tonight,


    Because I don''t know when I''ll be able to sing with you again." It was an old Cantonese bad. The lyrics pulled at one''s heartstring. It looked like Gao Rui had chosen a special date and way to die. It was not hard to imagine the reason behind Gao Rui''s suicide. Other than Zhang Mingliang, Gao Rui had no one else to live for. Now that Zhang Mingliang was dead, the world had no need for Gao Rui anymore.


    Guan Zhenglin put on her gloves. She leaned close to Gao Rui''s lips and took a sniff. "Hmm? Why is there no smell of bitter almonds?" Guan Zhenglin spoke to herself.


    "What do you mean?" I asked.


    Guan Zhenglin pointed at Gao Rui''s earlobes and lips. "Look. His lips and earlobes are red, they form a great contrast to the surrounding pale skin. This is the mostmon symptom of cyanide poisoning and cyanide normally has a bitter almond smell but I don''t smell it here."


    "I found a letter!" Gu Chen pulled out a letter from under the pillow. I hurried over, pulled on my gloves and read the letter. After giving it a quick read, I got the gist of it. The content of the letter was basically split into 2 parts, the first part expressed that his death had nothing to do with others, it was a suicide; the second part detailed his bank ount number and Gao Rui hoped that the police would donate all of his money to charity, Project Hope China.


    "Take this for a handwritingparison." I told the analyst. Guan Zhenglin continued. "My primary suspicion for the cause of death is cyanide poisoning. Based on the rigor mortis and livor mortis, the time of death is very recent, I believe in the past 1 or 2 hours. I''ll need to cut him up to tell more."


    "Okay." I nodded. "Move the body to the morgue, we''ll head to the autopsy after we''re done with the crime scene." I turned to the other officers. "Did we find anything else?"


    Everyone shook their heads and one said, "Only trace of Gao Rui living here alone. However, we did find a second set of fingerprints but they belong to the dead Zhang Mingliang so we believe he didmit suicide."


    From the set up of the crime scene, it did look like a suicide. Suicide was a highly intellectual activity, it was not as simple as people thought. I had been to witness many suicide cases. Due to the muscr rxing after death, most suicide scenes would be covered with feces and pee or blood. For those who relied on poison, it might be even worse due to vomiting caused by gastronomical reflexes. There was not many suicide victims who had a death as dignified and as peaceful as Gao Rui.


    "There''s a syringe inside the drawer." Gu Chen looked around.


    "Be careful with that." Guan Zhenglin warned. "I didn''t smell any cyanide probably because he injected it into his body." I took a look at the syringe. It had Yu Cai High School''s logo. Gao Rui taught at that school but after the incident with Zhang Mingliang, he naturally wouldn''t be employed there anymore. But was it possible for him to get the syringe and cyanide from the school before he left his post? Gao Rui was a biology teacher and he had easy ess tobs.


    "Who was the first to discover the body?" I asked.


    A middle-aged woman outside the police line answered. "It was me! I live across from him."


    I walked out and studied this woman. She was in her 50s.


    "How did you discover the body?" I asked.


    The woman frowned sadly and said, "It''s truly disheartening. I should have found him sooner. I have the habit of taking naps after lunch. But today, his ce keeps on ying that song. At my age, I needplete silence to sleep. So at around 1 pm, I came to knock on his door to tell him to keep it down. I got no answer but I assumed he got my message. But half an hourter, the radio was still as loud. I got pissed and went to knock on his door again. I knocked for several minutes and no one came to answer the door. I then decided toin to the management. The management came and tried to reason with him but it was to no avail too. In the end, we had to use the spare key. We walked in and saw him in bed. I thought he didn''t hear me because he was asleep. I went over to push him but he didn''t react in any way. I leaned in to test his breath and then we realized he was dead! Immediately we called the police."


    When she knocked for the first time, it was around 1 pm, that was 2 hours ago.


    "Seal this ce up." I told the officers.


    The autopsy was long but not tedious because Guan Zhenglin was there. I had a new appreciation for my body. There wererge patches of lividity on the surface of Gao Rui''s skin. Guan Zhenglin concluded, "The time of death is 1.10 pm, give or take 2 minutes. His blood is fluid but not bright red. Through the Prussian Blue Test, it is confirmed that he died from cyanide poisoning. I found a puncture wound near his wrist so I suspect he pumped the cyanide directly into his vena cava." As the autopsy continued, Guan Zhenglin sighed. "Gao Rui is really a good biology teacher, he has a deep understanding of human anatomy."


    "Why so?"


    Guan Zhenglin answered. "There is no food in his stomach and fecal matter in his intestine. Look at his anus, I believe he has given himself an enema before hemitted suicide. That way no fecal matter would be there to pollute his body after death. He chose to inject into his vein because that would avoid the gag reflex caused by oral consumption of the poison. It was why he looked so clean and immacte when we found him." After a pause, Guan Zhenglin continued, "He did drink some red wine before death. The red wine would not only increase blood flow, so that the poison would reach the heart faster, it would also help numb his nerves to decrease the pain of death to the minimum. About 1 minute after he injected the lethal cocktail, he was dead."


    Looks like Gao Rui really didmit suicide. The farewell song, the final cleansing, the whole romantic set up, the funeral suit and the will, they all proved that Gao Rui was prepared to die. I often saw detectives on tv drama question, "If someone is really intent on dying, why would they do so and so? So I believe this has to be a homicide."


    But in reality, when a person intended to formally depart from this world, they would often hope to detach all their connections from this world. They would quietly pay back favors they owed others and then slip away. Therefore, a suicide people would more often than not, arrange many things before they made the final step.


    "The crime scene tech hase back with the result." Xiao Liu pushed the door open, "The handwriting on the will matches Gao Rui''s. The bank ount details all match, he has around several hundred thousand RMB in his ount."


    "Where did he get so much money?" I asked. Xiao Liu answered, "They did some digging. Before Zhang Mingliang died, he sold his old family house. Before he passed away, he left the money for Gao Rui."


    "Check all of Gao Rui''s recent bank activities." I said.


    When Gu Chen heard me, he cut in, "But why? Is there anything suspicious about Gao Rui''s death?"


    "There are indeed some questions. I believe there was at least another person inside the bedroom with Gao Rui before he died." I said confidently.


    Greetings, my dear readers.


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 Chapter 52: A White Wedding

    Chapter 52: A White Wedding


    "There was another person inside Gao Rui''s home?"


    I nodded and borated. "Yes, you can see that from the bottle of red wine. From the sign around the cork, the bottle was opened for the first time today, but only 2/3 of the alcohol remained. Based on the size of the winess at the crime scene, even if Gao Rui downed the entire ss, it wouldn''t have drained as much as 1/3 of the bottle."


    Guan Zhenglin''s expression turned from confusion to shock. "So there was someone drinking with Gao Rui. Gao Rui wasn''t drinking alone!" I snapped my fingers. "Bingo. Gao Rui died after drinking with this mysterious person, so this must be someone Gao Rui was extremely familiar with. After all, you wouldn''t drink with a stranger. By the way," I turned to Gu Chen. "Did we find anything from the cameras outside Zhang Mingliang''s house?"


    Gu Chen shrugged, "Someone has vandalized them. Our friends from the local station couldn''t get any usable footage from them." I frowned, this case was probably not as simple as we thought. Guan Zhenglin circled around the chair and she said, "But if this is a homicide, why would Gao Rui let this other person inject him with cyanide? I didn''t find any narcoleptic drug in his system and the amount of red wine he drank wasn''t enough to knock him unconscious." She stopped and announced, "So from the evidence so far, I still think this is a suicide."


    I pulled at my hair with my fingers. Personally I also believed this was a suicide but since someone had been to Gao Rui''s ce around his time of death, could that someone had forced Gao Rui tomit suicide? Through threats or coercion? That was not impossible.


    "In any case, we should investigate all of Gao Rui''s friends." I looked at the other two. "Gao Rui would have lost his job due to him harbouring a criminal and contaminating the crime scenes from Zhang Mingliang''s case. If that was the case, he won''t have ess to the schoolbs, then where did he get the cyanide?"


    We arrived at Yu Cai High School to resolve this problem around dusk. To be honest, Gao Rui was quite a popr character at school. After all, he was both handsome and talented, but no matter how popr one was, it would be strange to ask someone to get cyanide for him. Cyanide was a highly dangerous and toxic chemical, to retrieve one from thebs, one had to log in the record, unless of course someone stole it. Our interviews came up with nothing. No one had heard such a strange request from Gao Rui, in fact, they had not seen Gao Rui after his dismissal. We looked through the chemistryb''s record book and saw that no one had requested to use cyanide in the past 3 months. Furthermore, the stock of cyanide at theb was correct. So that eliminated the possibility of Gao Rui sourcing his cyanide from the school or at least this part of the school.


    I looked at the building across from the high school''s chemistryb and asked the apanying teacher. "Is that the building the school''s junior department?" The teacher nodded. "You think the cyanide might havee from there?"


    At Yu Cai High School''s junior department.


    "Someone has indeed stolen the cyanide from thisb." The young female teacher who overlooked theb said nervously. A small piece of pure cyanide could kill an adult in a short amount of time, the amount which was stolen could kill more than 10 adults.


    "Check the surveince." I ordered.


    "We have no surveince." The female teacher admitted in shame.


    "Why is it so easy to steal poison? This makes no sense." Gu Chenined.


    "We''ve been around for more than decades already and this has never happened before. Why is it the moment I got this post" Then the female teacher melted into a blubbering mess. Guan Zhenglin hurried to console her. If it was not Gao Rui who stole the cyanide, then it would still be someone from Cu Yai High School, someone who knew that there wasn''t any surveince camera at the school''s junior department. Technically speaking, it was easiest for the fox to steal from the henhouse. I studied the weeping young female teacher and wondered could this be another Wu Jiajia?


    "We''ll have to conduct interviews then." I shook my head weakly, "Get statements from everyone." For this kind of case with no lead, we had to follow protocol, which was to check cameras and take witness statements. Just as we were about to start, Xiao Liu gave me a call. "Hello, Wu Meng, where are you guys?"


    "We''re investigating the case, what''s wrong?"


    "There''s another suicide case. I hear it''s simr to Gao Rui''s staged suicide." Xiao Liu said, "The address is at Yang Hao Street, it''s impossible to miss it with the police cars around. I''m preparing to head there now." Hearing that, I quickly stopped him, "Xiao Liu, I need you toe to Yu Cai High School''s junior department to investigate the theft of the cyanide. This is a big mission and only someone as good as you can do it!"


    "I know what you''re doing! You keep on tossing these boring and tedious jobs to me. Last time" before Xiao Liu finished, I said hurriedly, "What? The signal here is not good? What did you say?" Then I ended the call, turned to Gu Chen and Guan Zhenglin. "Come on, we have another suicide case!"


    Technically these suicide cases didn''t belong to our jurisdiction because our task force''s main goal was to capture Zhao Mingkun, but since this case involved Gao Rui, I couldn''t just ignore it. Even though I only knew Gao Rui for a short time, people had be friends in a shorter time.


    Yang Yao Street was in the old city of Dong Xing City, it still had the architectural style from the previous century. Needless to say there were no surveince cameras here either. The 2 suicide cases were just 1 day apart and ording to Xiao Liu, that were more than a few suspicious simrities. Xiao Liu wouldn''t have called us for nothing. When we arrived, the sky was already dark. The voice-activated lights at the old building had all malfunctioned. If not for the warning, Gu Chen would have stomped until the tiles cracked.


    As we moved upstairs, the officers from the local station filled us in. The victim''s name was Wang Yiman, 32 years old, female. Wang Yiman''s husband died in a car ident 5 years ago. Their 4-year-old daughter also perished in the same ident. After their deaths, Wang Yiman rarelymunicated with others and retreated into herself. She was just discovered dead in her own home. She died from hanging. But from the looks of it, she had been dead for quite some time already. No one would have discovered her if not for the smell. It was the police who first discovered the body. They received a civilian call around 7 pm,ining about a horrible smelling from Wang Yiman''s home. Her neighbours came to knock on her door but no one answered so they called the police. The officers thought this was a simple civil dispute case but when they opened the door, they saw the body.


    The door to Wang Yiman''s house was left open and her body was revealed before us. Wang Yiman was dressed in a wedding dress, the train of her dress dragging on the ground.


    "Get moving!" I snapped my fingers. I stood under the body and looked into Wang Yiman''s face. The body was radiating a horrible smell of dposition but in terms of appearance, there wasn''t any serious decay. In fact, the victim looked more presentable than I expected. She had applied make up on her face before hanging herself. I knew Guan Zhenglin would call me a pervert as I lifted up her long train and looked around her crotch. To my knowledge, hanging was the mostmon suicide method to cause incontinence.


    After the human body died, due to rxing of muscles, specifically the sphincter muscles at the anus and urinary tract, the dead body would discharge urine and faeces. On top of that, the hanging body had to deal with the additional pull of gravity. It was why hanging bodies were often found contaminated by human refuse.


    If the victim was male, there might even be post-mortem ejaction. Simrly, this was due to gravity. The human blood flow would slow down after death, due to gravity, they would pool at the lower body. For males, that would sometimes squeeze out semen from the penis. So a word of the wise for the male readers, if you did not want to make a scene after death, rub one out before going for the rope.


    Wang Yiman''s lower body was perfectly clean. This meant that Wang Yiman was well prepared before her death. She had cleansed her body of urine and faeces, to give herself a presentable death. This should be a woman who loved beauty.


    The height of the stool was about between the ground and Wang Yiman''s feet. In crime novels, the murderers left behind a stool which was unnecessarily tall to disguise the homicide. But evidently, that was not the case here.


    "Put down the body, slowly" I told the officers. They moved to lower the body down. Guan Zhenglin went forward to examine the body.


    "The windows are locked." Gu Chen observed, "Was the front door locked when you guys arrived?"


    One of the officers answered, "Yes it was. We had to break the door down toe in. We looked around after discovering the body. All the windows and doors were locked, plus the windows have iron grilles. If there was a killer, then they had to know magic to escape from this ce."


    "There is a clear strangtion mark." Guan Zhenglin announced as she looked at the body. "There is only one ligature mark and the applied forcees evenly from above. Therefore, that rules out human strangtion. Based on lividity and rigor mortis, the time of death is about 2 days ago. And based on the distance between the victim''s feet to the ground and the distance between the noose and the ground, this should be a short drop hanging."


    "What?" I enquired. "Shor whatt?"


    Guan Zhenglin rolled her eyes at me. "Basically she stood on the stool for support and then kicked the stool away. That is short drop hanging, it was why her neck didn''t break. Furthermore, from the ligature marks around her neck, she seemed to have tied the noose at a specific angle before she kicked the stool away. That is highly unusual."


    A specific angle?


    Guan Zhenglin continued, "I know this looks like a simple hanging but there is a lot of science behind hanging. Death is the result but hanging is not the direct cause, instead the causes might vary depending on the circumstances. For example, it could be brain death due to suppression of blood vessels, a broken neck, asphyxiation due to constriction of the trachea, or instantaneous death due to damage to the nervus vagus. Therefore, I will have to return to the morgue before I can give you the real cause of death of this poor woman."

 Chapter 53: An Easy and Quick Way to Die

    Chapter 53: An Easy and Quick Way to Die


    The body was moved back to the morgue and Guan Zhenglin followed it. Gu Chen and I stayed to examine the small room. Even though the suicide method was different from Gai Rui, the overall stylistic was simr. The body was preserved and clean, the scene graceful and presentable. This would be the kind of death favored by cleaningpanies because there was practically nothing to clean. However, China for now didn''t have suchpanies yet, most of the crime scenes were cleaned by the victim''s families or the fire department.


    The analysts were still looking around for clues but I believed they wouldn''t find anything useful. If the two suicide cases were rted, then that extra person would have wiped every trace of their existence clean. But timeline wise, it did mean that Wang Yiman died earlier than Gao Rui.


    I opened the fridge and an emptiness stared back at me. The rubbish can was empty as well, there was no way of telling Wang Yiman''s living or eating habits. Even the toilet was spotless, the ce felt like it had been professionally cleaned. Finally I entered Wang Yiman''s bedroom. There was a bed, a closet and a vanity table. The bed was a normal bed, the closet had normal clothes, there was nothing special about them. There was a picture frame on the vanity table. It featured a family of 3. It should be Wang Yiman''s husband and daughter. Her husband wasn''t exactly handsome but he looked spirited. Her daughter was smiling widely at the camera. Wang Yiman stood to the side and smiled with bliss. This was such a picture-perfect family


    "What did Wang Yiman do for a living? Is there anything we can find about the car ident that imed her family''s lives?" I asked the officer who walked in. He answered, "Based on our files, Wang Yiman was just a normal housewife. She took some odd jobs after graduation from high school but she became a fulltime housewife after she married her husband. Her husband was an electrician, quite a rich one at that. 5 years ago, her husband drove the whole family to go on a family trip and got into an ident."


    "Was it really an ident?" I pressed. The officer nodded. "I just looked up the file. Her husband was driving even though he was overworked. He crashed into the guard rails and no other road users were involved."


    I nodded and was silent. That basically eliminated the possibility of anyone seeking revenge due to the ident. After the ident, Wang Yiman practically made herself a hermit so she wouldn''t have any enemies. From the looks of it, this did feel like a suicide. But it was way too simr to Gao Rui''s case. Did that mean someone had been in Wang Yiman''s home as well before her death?


    I opened the vanity table''s drawer and found a ss bottle. The bottle was filled with pieces of small jigsaw puzzles. There were hundreds of them in this bottle. I had no idea what they were for and what they were doing inside the drawer. I twisted the lid lightly and it loosened easily. Studying the pattern on the inside of the lid, I noticed they had been grounded smooth. Looks like this bottle was opened and closed fairly often. Shaking my head, I told Gu Chen, "Let''s go back. Looks like this is the only useful thing here. We''ll see what kind of picture it makes. The rest can stay to examine, perhaps something else might pop up."


    When we returned to the station with the bottle of puzzle, it was already dark and Xiao Liu was back from the school. "So did you find anything?" I asked him. Xiao Liu nodded. "I did find something. Through elimination and interviews, we''ve confirmed the suspects who might have essed theb to steal the cyanide but so far there is no connection between any of them and Gao Rui."


    "Good job, you deserve a good rest after the hard work." I patted Xiao Liu on his shoulder. Xiao Liu sprung up from the couch and dered officiously with me in his eyes. "Brother Wu Meng, that is not right. How can we rest when the case is still not solved? We are the servants of the public, how can we everin of tiredness and hard work? Even though the workload today is heavy, I''m still not satisfied with my contribution!"


    "You wish to contribute some more?" I scratched my head.


    Xiao Liu pumped his fists. "Yes, I wish to take a more active part in the investigation."


    "Perfect, I''ve been waiting for someone to volunteer. See that bottle of jigsaw puzzle on the table?" I pointed at the ss bottle. "I believe it is a great clue, I n to work on it myself but since you''ve volunteered, then I shall hand the job over to you. The public thanks you for your service!"


    "Erm, that is not what I" Xiao Liu said with difficulty. I ced my arm around Xiao Liu''s shoulders, "Hmm? What do you mean? If this is not enough work, I can find"


    "Of course, it''s more than enough!" Hearing that, Xiao Liu quickly cut me off. "I am d to help with this crucial part of the investigation."


    "Okay! I shall go and rest then!" I walked away with a smile. "Have fun with the puzzle."


    After I took a few steps out from the office, I heard Xiao Liu plead. "Gu Chen, Brother Gu Chen, please stay and help me. This puzzle is soplicated, it''ll take me until morning for me to finish it."


    Gu Chen chided. "You asked for this yourself."


    Xiao Liu sighed, "I didn''t expect him to stick me with this, I just wanted to be with you guys out at the scenes more often"


    Of course, I was just joking when I imed I was going to rest. Instead, I went to the morgue to check up on Guan Zhenglin. The result should be out now but she had not joined us at the office and I knew the reason why. The morgue was situated at the most secluded corner and was quite a distance away from the office. One had to walk through a lightless path to get between these 2 ces. Even though it was just a 5 minute walk, it still frightened Guan Zhenglin every time she had to take this path as if a monster might jump out from the dark to get her. Humans were strange creatures, there were buff guys who showed no fear before guns and knives, but they wept like a girl when they saw a cockroach. Others would not even wince from a bone fracture but would cry from taking a needle injection. Simrly, Guan Zhenglin wouldn''t frown before the most atrocious looking dead bodies but she was weirdly afraid of the dark.


    She should be done with the autopsy but she wouldn''t dare to walk this path alone without apaniment. As I expected, I saw her standing at the door of the morgue, holding her phone in her hands.


    "Hey!" I shouted, "The path is too scary for you to walk through it alone, isn''t it?"


    When Guan Zhenglin saw me, her face brightened before it turned back to the usual condescension. "Who said so? I''m out here just to get some fresh air. I spend my days with dead bodies, why would I be afraid of the dark?!"


    I shrugged and said, "In that case, I''ll be leaving then. When you''re done with the autopsy,e to the office, we''ll be waiting for you there."


    "Wait, wait, wait!" Guan Zhenglin hurried over. "In fact, I''m already done with the autopsy. I''m afraid that you might get lonely going back alone, and it''s too dangerous for you to venture alone at night so for this time only, I''ll be yourpany."


    I smiled but didn''t expose her. "By the way, what did you get from the autopsy?"


    Guan Zhenglin said in a more serious tone, "The time of death is in the afternoon 2 days ago. The cause of death isck of oxygen to the brain due to constriction of the artery around the neck. The dying process couldst from several minutes to 10 plus minutes. If she was discovered during this process, she could be saved. Poor thing."


    "Was it painful?" I stopped to ask with a frown.


    "What?"


    I sighed and exined, "I mean was it painful for the victim during this process?"


    Guan Zhenglin scratched her chin for quite some time before answering, "Normally, if the noose is tied around the neck, the rope would constrict around one''s throat and that would be a horrible way to die. The person would feel the air slowly being cut from into their body, and their lungs would feel like they are burning. But in Wang Yiman''s case, the noose was adjusted to an angle to avoid such a torment. Of course, there would still be pain but it was much less than otherwise." Guan Zhenglin added, "But of course, Gao Rui''s method is even more painless. After all there are countries that support euthanasia. One shot of very strong anesthetic followed by another shot of toxin. Death would be painless."


    "We need to give it a try." With a nod, I slowly said.


    "What?" Guan Zhenglin clearly didn''t grasp my meaning.


    I exined, "We should try to see if it was painful or not."


    Crime scene simtion was a reconstruction of the scene to see things from the killer''s or the victim''s perspective. It would help greatly to understand the killer''s and victim''s frame of thought. For suicides, when the killer and the victim were the same, things were even lessplicated. For the simtion of hanging, we only needed to prepare a rope. I strung the rope across the roofbeam and tied a noose. I found a chair which was about the same height as the one at Wang Yiman''s home and then everything was ready to start this hanging experiment. Of course, I didn''t really n to die so Xiao Liu and Gu Chen were ready to haul me down.


    "Are you sure we should do this?" Guan Zhenglin said worriedly. "Remember, you have to slowly ease the stool away so that your spine won''t be injured. Also, be careful of letting the rope press against your nervus vagus, that will cause instantaneous death. Only prayers will save you then." Guan Zhenglin then sighed. "I don''t think we should do this. Why risk your life for an investigation?"


    I gave an okay signal to tell her to not worry. Everyone held their breath as I readied into position. I slowly pushed my head through the noose. I adjusted the angle until it matched Wang Yiman''s. Then I slowly kicked the stool away so that my death'' would be as simr to Wang Yiman''s as possible. With a thud, the stool tipped over.


    ckness descended and then the world spun. In just a few seconds, I could feel energy leaving my limbs. My survival instinct ordered my hands to grab at the noose around my neck but my body couldn''t summon any energy, it was like it was no longer my own. Then, I felt the world turn away from me. I couldn''t hear or see anything anymore. There was only nothingness.


    Was it painful? I had no idea.

 Chapter 54: A Widows Sleepless Nights

    Chapter 54: A Widow''s Sleepless Nights


    When I came to, 3 faces were surrounding me. I looked blurrily around. The noose was still around my neck but the other half had been severed. I took in big gulps of breath, feeling the oxygen course through my veins. The most precious thing in the world was free. At that moment, I couldn''t appreciate oxygen more even if I tried. Guan Zhenglin punched me on my chest. "I told you not to do such a dangerous thing, you scared the crap out of us!"


    "How many days have I been out?" As I pulled off the nose, I asked.


    Xiao Liu sighed helplessly, "Do you think we''re in some kind of drama where every instance of unconsciousness turns into aa? It has been less than 10 seconds from the moment you dropped to the ground, and you waking up. Any longer and we''d be at the emergency room already." Gu Chen pulled over the stool for me to sit. "I felt almost zero pain. After a few seconds, it was like the world around me shut down. It was probably due to cerebral anoxia. There are some chafing pains around my neck now but that shouldn''t be a concern for Wang Yiman, after all, she would be dead by then."


    "Well, what exactly did you gather from this life-threatening simtion?" Guan Zhenglin asked. I nodded and said, "I did notice something. My mind cleared before the senses shut down. Maybe it was thest radiance before death. In any case, I noted two anomalies that suggest at least another person had participated in this suicide." Gu Chen asked for rity, "You mean, like Gao Rui, someone has also talked to Wang Yiman before she died?"


    I caressed the ligature marks around my neck. "Bingo!"


    "What are the two anomalies?" Guan Zhenglin asked. I extended 1 finger, "1, I remembered now the knot around Wang Yiman''s neck is not a normal knot, it''s a kind of slipknot where the stronger you struggle, the tighter it will be. A normal person would not have known such an intricate knot." I extended the second finger, "2, Wang Yiman knew to avoid the throat so that she wouldn''t be in too much pain when she hanged herself. Furthermore, before death, she used the toilet to remove all human refuse from her body. That way her body would not be contaminated after death. These are the anomalies. Wang Yiman became a fulltime housewife after she graduated from high school. She was by all means a normal person, so how did she know to look out for these details?" I pointed at Gu Chen, "If you wanted to hang yourself, how would you do it?"


    Gu Chen shrugged, "I''ll grab a rope, make a noose and then do it."


    I snapped my fingers. "That''s right, a normal person wouldn''t have taken so many things into consideration beforemitting suicide. Therefore, I believe that while this is indeed a suicide but Wang Yiman had a suicide coach. Gao Rui was a biology teacher, he could have known these things but Wang Yiman was just a housewife"


    Guan Zhenglin countered, "You shouldn''t look down on housewives these days. Perhaps she learned these from her husband or the inte."


    I nodded. "That''s possible but both Wang Yiman and Gao Ruimitted suicide in the same style in such a short period of time, I refuse to believe there is no connection between them. In any case, we know about Gao Rui''s reason for suicide, it was because he had lost Zhang Mingliang, but what about Wang Yiman?"


    "It''s the same for Wang Yiman!" Guan Zhenglin said as she tapped against her head, "Hadn''t she lost both her husband and child?" Gu Chen argued, "But that was 5 years ago!" On this issue, I leaned towards Guan Zhenglin. Pulling my hair, I said, "Time is always fluid when ites to feelings and emotions. Take our previous case for example, Ol'' Six had waited years before he took revenge for Chu Ye. He was waiting for a timing, perhaps Wang Yiman was waiting for a timing too."


    "Timing?" Gu Chen frowned, "What kind of timing?"


    I turned to look at the jigsaw puzzle pieces Xiao Liu and Gu Chen had poured out. "A timing that allowed her to put down everything and bid farewell to the world. I think we should turn back to the puzzle, perhaps the answer is in there." At 4 am the next morning, after sacrificing our sleep, we finally almost finished the puzzle, almost'' because near the end, there were a few pieces which were missing. The general puzzle was that of a Chinese cartoon character, Pleasant Goat frolicking on a field, there was nothing special about it.


    "You sure you didn''t drop a few when you dumped out the pieces?" I asked Xiao Liu. "This is valuable evidence!"


    Xiao Liu shook his head like crazy. "No, everything''s here. Plus, is that really the point? You told us this puzzle will present us with crucial information but no matter how I look at it, this is just a normal jigsaw puzzle so where is the big clue?" I scratched my head awkwardly. "If this was not something important, why would Wang Yiman keep this puzzle stored so dearly?"


    "It''s simple!" Guan Zhenglin said through a yawn. "This is probably her daughter''s toy and Wang Yiman kept it as a memorial after her daughter passed away. She would y with it whenever she missed her daughter. It probably had nothing to do with the case itself. Even though it is not a big clue, at least it''s something for us to remember Wang Yiman by."


    "Fuck!" Xiao Liu yawned heavily. "Did I really just waste my sleep on this? I still had to interview many people at Yu Cai High Schoolter today, you know?!"


    "Then why are there pieces missing?" I asked.


    "Maybe her daughter lost them." Guan Zhenglin shrugged. I frowned. "I need to go somewhere."


    "Where? They asked.


    "Wang Yiman''s home."


    Xiao Liu leaned against the table and started to snore.


    Currently I was seated on the bed in Wang Yiman''s bedroom. I was surrounded by silence. Other than the light inside Wang Yiman''s home, looking out from the window, the neighbourhood was dark. It was not even 4.30 am yet, everyone was asleep. Guan Zhenglin and Gu Chen stayed in the living room, they didn''t disturb me. I had been sitting here for half an hour already. I closed my eyes and tried to imagine myself as Wang Yiman. What would I do every night? If I was Wang Yiman, what would be my sleeping ritual? I stared at the family portrait on the vanity table and tried to stop the loneliness that tried to drown me.


    Solitude and loneliness were 2 different things. Wang Yiman was solitary but not lonely. She was only 32, she could have found a new family but she did not. With her beauty, I was sure she would have had many suitors in the past 5 years but she didn''t fall for any of them. So how did Wang Yiman pass the solitary nights for the past 5 years?


    I am Wang Yiman. I reach into the drawer to grab the ss bottle and shake the jigsaw puzzle out. Yes, I am alone but this puzzle will be mypany every night. That way, I won''t fall asleep, I won''t dream of my dead husband and daughter, I won''t be reminded of my abandonment. I don''t want to dream because every dream will be a nightmare.


    I sat on the bed numbly and slowly extricated myself from Wang Yiman''s identity. Ironically, my mother named me Wu Meng because she didn''t want to dream anymore, because like Wang Yiman, her every dream would be a nightmare. Perhaps the greatest constion for some people in the world was a dreamless night.


    The first ray of light filtered through the window and the world awakened with it. Then came the sound of the hawkers rolling their carts, the auntieing out for morning exercise, the uncles gathering under the tree for chess. When the noise came, I would no longer feel that alone.


    Wang Yiman could only sleep around dawn because she would not be alone then. The sounds were there to apany her.


    I finally knew the purpose of the jigsaw puzzle. Was it to tide over the loneliness after the ident? That might be the case at the start but she would have known where each piece would go after ying with the puzzle for more than enough times. She couldplete the puzzle with her eyes closed. It was unable to distract her from the disquietude anymore. Then the puzzle took on a new purpose. It was no longer just a tabletop game.


    I walked out of the room. Gu Chen and Guan Zhenglin were asleep on the couch.


    I shouted, "Storm is approaching, grab the clothes before they''re wet!" They jolted awake from their sleep and I said, "I know what the jigsaw puzzle is for. I need you to call everyone from the local station and search through every corner of this ce. Even if we have to move the furniture, we need to find the few remaining puzzle pieces."


    "But why?" Gu Chen was baffled. "Do we really need to mobilize a whole force just to find a few puzzle pieces? And say we did find them, and then what? What''s the point?"


    "Sometimes, things are pointless." I shook my head. "I just want to help a solitary woman find the things she has lost."


    "You must be mad!" Guan Zhenglin grumbled under her breath.


    I finally understood the bravery and pain behind the choice of solitude. I noticed how each of the puzzle pieces had different stains like they had been left at different nooks and crannies around the house.


    Every lonesome night, the solitary widow would scatter the puzzle pieces around the room. Then she would look for them piece by piece. Perhaps they had rolled under the bed, tumbled behind the sofa ornded on the fridge. When she found almost all of them, the sun had already risen and sounds came from outside. She was afraid of solitude so she had no choice but to distract herself from facing it.

 Chapter 55: Blood Mist

    Chapter 55: Blood Mist


    Due to my insistence, the police finally found the rest of the puzzle pieces at Wang Yiman''s home around noon. Unfortunately, even after we turned her house upside down, we were still missing a piece, the middle piece to be specific.


    "Where is thatst piece?" I couldn''t help but ask with annoyance. Gu Chen wiped away his sweat and said with impatience, "Brother, we''ve practically moved all the furniture out. Thest piece is probably lost out there somewhere." I pulled out my hair. "Would you y jigsaw puzzles outdoors?"


    "Of course not, what if it rains or the wind blows the pieces away?" Gu Chen said.


    "That''s right, no one would work on a jigsaw puzzle outdoors so how could the piece be outside the house? The only exnation is that someone has taken it with them." I told Gu Chen. Guan Zhenglin frowned. "Perhaps it dropped inside the rubbish bin and was taken out as trash. Or it fell into the toilet and was flushed away. Even Wang Yiman herself didn''t finish the puzzle, so why are you so hung up on it. And most importantly, how is this rted to the case?"


    I sighed, "It''s rted, incredibly rted. When you saw Gao Rui''s body, didn''t you notice there''s something missing on him?"


    "Something missing?" The two turned to me. I nodded and then exined, "Yes, there is something missing, I spotted it when I first saw the body but at the time, it had nothing to do with the case so I didn''t bring it up. But now that something important to Wang Yiman is also missing, I have to suspect there might be a connection there."


    "What is missing from Gao Rui?" Guan Zhenglin asked with interest.


    I raised his wrist to show her. "A watch, a watch given to him by Zhang Mingliang. Even though I didn''t interact with him that many times, he would wear the watch whenever we did meet. But I didn''t see that watch on Gao Rui''s dead body." I continued, "The watch given to Gao Rui from Zhang Mingliang and the puzzle piece from Wang Yiman''s daughter''s puzzle. Granted they are not worth much but they have great sentimental value for the owners, in fact, they might be the most treasured item they had. Remember I said timing is instrumental in suicides?"


    At that moment, something touched my heart.


    I am an orphan or raised in a single-parent family. Someone hasmitted suicide in my family. At first, I didn''t understand why someone would end their lives but I get it now. So I started to help those who wish to depart for a better afterlife. If a person cannot seed even in dying, isn''t that the saddest thing?


    The stolen items were their memories. Be it Gao Rui or Wang Yiman, be it watch or puzzle piece, they were worth far more than their material value. Perhaps they already had suicidal thoughts, but someone''s appearance helped solidify that thought. That was the key to this case. But who was this someone who came to help them?


    That afternoon, we stopped at a restaurant for lunch. It was around when the school ended so youthful students thronged past the restaurant entrance. Their loud voices of discussion drifted into the shops, some were talking about celebrities, others gossip. Some were discussing thetest dramas, others discussing gaming tactics. The good students talked about hyperactive metals and stuff that I couldn''t understand. Then there were the bookworms talking about poems and books. Some of them were in Yu Cai High School''s uniform, others wore uniforms from Dong Xing Fourth High School but most of the students already took off their school uniforms and changed into their casual outfits. There were even some that doodled on their uniforms to express their individuality. Rebellious yet highly creative, that was the nature of students at this age.


    Guan Zhenglin looked at the students and sighed, "Youth is great. Your only worry in the world is to study and there is no need to be concerned about anything else. When you enter the society, there are too many problems waiting for you. Unfortunately, you''ll only learn to appreciate that youthful period after it is over."


    Hearing that, I couldn''t help but shake my head. Did the students only have their study to worry about? Not necessarily. Age was never the yardstick for one''s maturity. Instead it had to do with one''s experience and knowledge. The ces that you had been, the books you had read, the people you had loved, they made up your character. No matter how hard you tried to hide it, your character would eventually peek through.


    "Hmph!" I chided purposely. "You look less than 20 yourself, what worry might you face? In fact, when will you have a second growth spurt? Because the first definitely did not leave much mark on your body." My eyesnded on her chest before wandering away. Guan Zhenglin mmed her chopsticks on the table and hissed. "Wu Meng, today shall be yourst"


    "Interesting." Gu Chen continued to eat. "If you guys don''t have the appetite, I can help finish everything."


    When we returned to the station, we saw Xiao Liu squatting at the door with a long face. After some questions, we found out that Xiao Liu''s investigation at Yu Cai High School had reached a dead end. The staff who were friends with Gao Rui had no motive and time tomit the theft. "If your good friend is attempting suicide, wouldn''t your first reaction be to stop him? I don''t think a friend will push him towards voluntary death so perhaps you should change your direction. Why don''t you look into Gao Rui''s enemy instead?" I patted Xiao Liu''s shoulder and tried to provide some guidance. Xiao Liu stood up and gasped, "That is a good idea, why haven''t I thought of that?" As Xiao Liu raced away, I sighed with contention.


    Before we entered the station, Mary walked out. She osted me and said, "Xiao Wu, there''s another suicide." The 3 of our faces were set in hard lines. Gu Chen questioned, "Was it the same type of death? Quick and presentable?"


    Mary shook her head. "It was definitely quick but not presentable at all."


    "What do you mean?" I asked.


    Mary exined. "Around noon today, at the subway station, a working-ss man jumped down onto the tracks as the train came into the station. He was instantly grinded into pieces. We are still investigating this victim''s identity, the result won''t be out so soon. Why don''t you go and check the crime scene for now? It''s Dong Xing City''s First Subway Line."


    Gu Chen scratched his head. "But how is this rted to our current cases? I mean no disrespect to the victim but Gao Rui and Wang Yiman had done a better job at keeping their dignities after death. This man didn''t even leave a full body behind."


    "I can''t tell yet." Mary shook her head. "Just go and check the crime scene, if it''s rted, then good, if it''s not, then the case will be passed to others. ording to our database, over the past 3 years, there is one suicide case every 2 days so perhaps this is really an isted incident." I nodded. Mary continued, "You can go now, the officers have already secured the crime scene."


    One hourter. When we arrived at the First Subway Line, the train had stopped running. The firemen were trying to scoop up the body pieces within the 100 metres radius. The rtivelyrge pieces were ced on the tform and covered under white cloth. As expected at such a scene, there was a crowd. The tform had no rails and fence so there was no stopping anyone from jumping onto the tracks tomit suicide.


    As we walked closer, we were hit by aplicated smell. Other than the smell of blood, there was a smell of burning, it was the smell of protein being seared. Looks like the suicide victim''s body was sent flying and then chafed against the rails. Practically, his skin and flesh were cooked like meat on a hot te. I peeled back the white cloth and didn''t know what to say. The situation was so horrible, I had no words to describe it. I had just a nce of it and that was enough. The thing that I saw wasn''t didn''t even have a human shape anymore. The body was split into half at the waist. Two legs were missing and only half an arm remained. The head was a hollow p connected to the body via tearing skin. Compared to Gao Rui and Wang Yiman, this was another extreme. Looking at the blood and broken flesh on the walls, floors and tracks, it was not hard to imagine we were inside a meat grinder.


    But was this connected to the other 2 cases?


    "Someone, give us an update please!" I showed the identification Captain Zhao gave me.


    An officer led a civilian who saw everything to us. The civilian said, "I just got off from work. The ce was crowded and we were all waiting for the train to arrive like normal. The train wasing in but it was still moving very fast. But at that moment, someone suddenly leaped out from the tform. He jumped down onto the tracks while holding a briefcase."


    "Is it possible that someone pushed him or he fell from an ident?" I asked.


    The civilian scratched his head and said, "That, I can''t tell. I first heard a scream before I turned to see a man leap through the air. Before I knew what happened, the train crashed into him. I felt my world turn red like it was raining blood. Then the scent of blood was everywhere."


    I nodded. "Okay, thank you for your cooperation. Let''s go check the camera."


    In the surveince, we finally saw the man. We looked from different angles and the conclusion was the man didmit suicide, he was not pushed nor was it an ident. It was seen clearly on camera, he took a running start before the tform, the briefcase swinging with his every step.


    "But why would he bring a briefcase with him for a suicide?" I asked the question on everyone''s mind.

 Chapter 56: The Superhero and the Villian

    Chapter 56: The Superhero and the Villian


    Why would a person about tomit suicide carry a briefcase with him? It would only mean that there was something important in it. With that in mind, I asked, "This briefcase, where is it now?"


    "No clue, it''s still missing." Someone answered. At that moment, my phone rang. It was Mary. Mary said, "Wu Meng, we''ve gotten the info on this man. His name is Lee Zhinan, 25, he lived in Dong Xing City alone. He worked as an employee at a financepany. I''ll send you the victim''s home address in a bit, we''ve already notified the local police."


    "Okay." As I pulled my hair, I added, "But we still can''t tell whether this is rted to the 2 other cases or not."


    Mary answered, "I''ve already sent you the address, why don''t you go there and find out?"


    "Let''s head to the victim''s home." I turned to Guan Zhenglin and Gu Chen. "Even though the style chosen is wildly different from the other two, there are some curious simrities as well. Perhaps we''ll find out more at Lee Zhinan''s home. At the very least, we should be able to get his suicide motive." When we left, the subway had reopened for business. Subway line 1 returned to normal. Passengers bustled into the trains. A life was lost here but no one cared anymore. Perhaps this would be nothing more than something they discussed with others over dinner. Only the scent of blood that lingered in the air reminded people that there was a suicide here that day.


    Lee Zhinan''s rental was very far from hispany, which was why he had to take the subway daily. This was a very old apartment building, it had no guards and no management. The tenants didn''t even have individual bathrooms, instead they had amunal bathroom at the ground floor. When we arrived, thendlord was already there. He had been notified by the local police. He opened the door and waited for us with the local officers.


    Lee Zhinan''s ce was very small. There was no kitchen, only the living room and 2 bedrooms. One of the bedrooms had been turned into storage. When we opened the other bedroom, we were shocked. Every inch of the room was pasted with superhero posters. When I walked into it, it was like I had been transported into a different world. This was quite surprising. A young man in his 25 might still like superhero movies but to be so obsessed with them? That was unusual.


    "There''s a notebook here." Gu Chenmented. I turned and saw Gu Chen flipping through an inordinatelyrge notebook.


    "What is it about?" I asked. Gu Chen handed me the book and exined, "It''s the man''s diary. I looked through a few pages but didn''t find anything useful." Aroundte afternoon, I finally finished that thick diary which didn''t have much literary merit. It helped me understand Lee Zhinan better and why there were so many superheroes posters in his bedroom. Every boy had a superhero dream growing up. For Lee Zhinan, that dream started when he was in primary school.


    Wang Ernao was their vige terror. He learned how to smoke when he was 8, he was brave enough to flip girls'' skirts when he was 10. Wang Ernao always wore a pair of white sports shoes and walked around with a sword, a wooden sword that he made himself. There would be screams wherever Wang Ernao went. Perhaps Wang Ernao wasn''t even Wang Ernao''s real name but the definite thing was, Wang Ernao was the leader among the children, he was the gang leader. His favorite thing to do was to block girls going home from school and harass them with words.


    Wang Ernao''s father owned a video cassette business. When he was only 8, Wang Ernao had seen and personallypleted many rites of passage people over 18 would. In every story, there would be a hero to punish the viin. The first time Lee Zhinan met with Wang Ernao was an autumn day. Wang Ernao osted a girl from Lee Zhinan''s primary school whom Lee Zhinan had a crush on.


    "Fuck, fuck, fuck!" Wang Ernao cursed while heughed. The young girl had no idea what those words even meant. Lee Zhinan showed up to her aid, "Wang Ernao, let her go out. If you don''t, you''ll regret it." Both parties brandished their weapons. Wang Ernao had a wooden sword while Lee Zhinan had a brush, because he just came from calligraphy ss. It was the fight between the brute and the schr. The fight ended before it even began because as Wang Ernao charged over, he tripped and fell to the ground. He hit his head against the ground and his forehead was bruised. However, if you heed the vige rumours, it was Lee Zhinan who used his brush to poke out a hole on Wang Ernao''s forehead.


    The girl sighed, "You''re my hero."


    The life of a superhero was not easy because superheroes had their own creed and good grades to uphold. In contrast, life was much easier for the viin. Wang Ernao was an irresponsible local ruffian, he had nothing holding him back. When he was back on the street harassing women, the hero had to be in ss to study math. The world always had plenty of challenges for superheroes.


    That year, they were all 17. Lee Zhinan, the girl and Wang Ernao got into the same high school and the same ss. The difference was Lee Zhinan got in with his good results but Wang Ernao bought his way in. The superheroes'' love interests were always bimbos for some reason. When Wang Ernao swore before the girl when they were 8, she didn''t get it but she definitely got it when she was 17. The girl failed a test and that night she had a lot to drink. She asked Lee Zhinan to bring her home and she lingered at the door, waiting for him toe in. But like all superheroes, Lee Zhinan was a gentleman. He smiled at her and said, "Go to bed, you''ll feel better in the morning."


    Unbeknownst to the hero, his departure only made the girl feel rejected and unwanted. It piled on her sadness even more. That opened a crack for the viin to enter. The things that Lee Zhinan did not understand, Wang Ernao did. Wang Ernao said, "If you don''t mind, I can lend you my shoulders. Life is like this, there are highs and lows." That night, Wang Ernao provided the girl with her first sexual high. However, Wang Ernao didn''t stay for long. This was just a long-hanging fruit that he picked off the tree, he still had other fruits to harvest. The girl was soon abandoned, in her moment of sadness, she returned to Lee Zhinan. Like all superheroes, he weed her back with consoling words and hugs, "I don''t mind your past."


    That night, Wang Ernao and Lee Zhinan had their second fight. This time, Wang Ernao did not trip so the hero was beaten to a zero. While Lee Zhinan studied in sses, Wang Ernao spent his time brawling in the streets and fucking girls. There was no chance the hero would win. Spitting out his blood, Lee Zhinan preached like all temporarily defeated superheroes would, "You might have her body, but you''ll never have her heart."


    Wang Ernao regaled Lee Zhinan with a tale. There was once a lock on the big door, a golden key volunteered itself to poke into the lock but despite multiple tries, the lock refused to open. Then an unimpressive steel key came. With a small twist, the lock opened. The steel key gloated proudly that it managed to get the lock open because it had the lock''s heart but the golden key did not. "Do you know what the golden key says to that?" Wang Ernaoughed and left.


    Even though he was told the answer, Lee Zhinan had no idea what Wang Ernao meant.


    Despite Lee Zhinan''s effort, the girl of his dreams never agreed to be his girlfriend, Lee Zhinan had no idea what the problem was. He loved the girl and the girl knew that too. However, the girl would throw herself at someone like Wang Ernao but refuse to ept his love. Was he still her superhero? Lee Zhinan would ask himself that question whenever he was alone at night.


    Lee Zhinan got into a good university while both the girl and Wang Ernao failed. When he was 25, Lee Zhinan found employment at Dong Xing City. His sry was 6000 RMB per month, which was already considered high at Dong Xing City. He believed it was about time for him to find a girlfriend, settle down and get married. Finally the girl epted his proposal but their rtionshipsted only for a month. It was because when Lee Zhinan returned home early that one night, he found Wang Ernao in their bed. This was the third fight between Wang Ernao and Lee Zhinan and it ended with a draw.


    The girl said, "Let''s break up. We''re not suitable for each other."


    Lee Zhinan pleaded, "I''m hardworking, I have a good sry, I''ve done everything I could for you, but why do you choose him over me in the end? He has never changed since primary school. How can you do this with him when we''ve never even gotten further than holding hands?"


    The girl was silent for a long time. "I don''t know what to tell you. You are a good person but"


    "Is it something wrong with me? Tell me, I can change for you."


    Wang Ernao finally got tired of this mindless drama and chimed in. "How can someone be so dense?! Clearly she is trying toy you down easy! Why did she choose me over you? Simple, because you earn 6000 RMB a month while my dad wires me 60000 RMB a month. Now you get it? You must have read too many books until you''ve lostmon sense."


    The girl suddenly screamed, "No, it''s not about the money. We''re just notpatible with each other. Lee Zhinan, what you want is something I cannot give. Why can''t you just act like a normal person, why do you have to keep such a high standard for yourself? Don''t you get tired of being so pompous and pretentious all the time?"


    It dawned on Lee Zhinan then. Not everyone liked superheroes. In a way, Lee Zhinan was indeed a superhero because what is a superhero but a fool who sacrifices themselves toplete others? Perhaps if he acted less gentlemanly and less superhero-like that night, things might have ended up differently. But that was not the way of a superhero.


    Now he understood what Wang Ernao meant in that story about the keys and lock. The golden key said, "I never wanted to get into the heart, it was just poking around her hole."

 Chapter 57: The Youth

    Chapter 57: The Youth


    Three individuals chose to end their own lives in their own way. Two chose to leave with dignity, leaving behind not a ripple; the other was loud and eye-grabbing, using his life to bloom into a blood red flower. "Do you think this case is rted to the other two suicides?" Gu Chen walked around the room. I nodded. "Yes, his valued brush is missing." I said as I pointed at an exquisite calligraphy rack. There should be a brush hanging there. The brush was Lee Zhinan''s weapon and his memory. The man ended his life for his first love, that was rather sad. Gu Chen stopped moving and tapped his feet. "What do you think is this murderer''s purpose anyway? Going around helping others tomit suicide and then take away something previous from them."


    "The term murderer is not that urate here." I scratched my head. "Plus don''t you find one thing that is quite strange about all 3 cases? Their suicide motives are way too easily discovered. Wang Yiman ced her family portrait on her vanity table and now Lee Zhinan ced his diary right in the open." I pulled on my hair. "Wouldn''t you normally hide something private like a diary in a drawer somewhere? But the notebook was ced at the spot where we would definitely notice it, as if it was waiting for us to discover it."


    "Is there a meaning behind that?" Guan Zhenglin asked.


    I nodded. "The victims openly disyed their suicide motives so that we would close the case easily and quickly. They were afraid of exposing this, for theck of a better term, murderer. Albeit the most recent victims were not as subtle as Gao Rui, they were all covering for the murderer."


    Guan Zhenglin sighed, "That is strange. Someone pushed them towards suicide but these people helped to cover their track in return, what kind of rtionship is that?"


    "Was it possible that the victims were hypnotized?" Gu Chen suggested.


    "Is that a possibility?" I turned to Guan Zhenglin.


    Guan Zhenglin shrugged, "It''s not impossible, but I don''t think there is such a good hypnotist in the world. To hypnotize someone to take their own lives is incredibly hard and it will need a long preparation time to manipte the victims'' psychology. We know Gao Rui, is there such a person in his social circle?"


    I scratched my head. Hypnosis was something that I waspletely unfamiliar with. Perhaps someone could do something like this, at least I wouldn''t be able to. My phone rang, it was from Xiao Liu.


    "What''s up, my brother Liu?" I picked. "What do you have for me?''


    "We found the cyanide thief." Xiao Liu said, "You bettere over now."


    Looking at the junior high students before us, my feelings wereplicated. The thief was not the staff but a few students. Xiao Liu took my advice and expanded his search. Since he got nothing from the staff, he turned his attention to the student body. After some asking around, a few students entered Xiao Liu''s radar. After some pushing, one of them finally admitted the truth. There were 5 junior high students who participated in the theft, 3 males and 2 females. They were in their teens, definitely not someone persuasive enough to convince adults to take their own lives.


    While Xiao Liu sequestered the kids inside the ssroom to get them to exin the process, we were outside the ssroom to get to know these kids from their teachers. The students didn''te from the same ss but they hung out together because they all came from single-parent families. The leader of this group was Lee Taida, ording to the teachers, he was a rebel. The doodles on his school uniform were Gothic in nature, there were skulls, crows, monsters and so on. The other male student''s name was Zhao Erming, he had a sour face and looked hard to be with. The final male student''s name was Zhou Guo. He looked skittish and it was him who spilled the beans.


    Of the two girls, the one named Lin Rou was the female version of Lee Taida, she too was Goth all over. The other girl, Zhang Xue, looked surprisingly cute and innocent. But inparison to the rest of the students, they were definitely the ouws. They often talked back to the teachers, yed nasty tricks, got into fights and had premature sex. They had done everything a bad student should.


    "I knew these students couldn''t be controlled. Eventually something like this was bound to happen." A few teachers whispered among themselves.


    Gu Chen was indignant on the students'' behalf. "If you ask me, the kids have such unique and individualistic characters. They just know how to express themselves better than the other students. Brother Wu, you understand what I''m saying, right?"


    I shook my head. "Since I came from prison, I have to be bad in my studies? Actually I was one of those good students when I was in school. I merely excelled more in my extra-curricr activities."


    "Bro, whose side are you on?!"


    "They''re all children of single-parent families." Guan Zhenglin looked at them through the window and uttered softly, "They justck familial guidance."


    I shook my head again. "I am an orphan too but I turn out perfectly fine. A person''s naturees from within, the without can only influence them that much. I''ve met the kindest person who came from the dirtiest and most despicable background and I''ve encountered horrible criminals who were loved all their lives. Of course, that is not to say we should judge these kids before we meet them ourselves." I said and opened the ssroom door.


    When we walked in, everyone''s eyes turned towards us. From Xiao Liu, we found out the truth. They were all students in third year junior high. During one of their chemistry sses, Lee Taida wanted to do something dangerous because he was bored. Zhao Erming suggested they could steal some cyanide. Based on what he heard, the poison was so powerful that a small pinch of it could kill an adult in seconds. And it acted very fast. However, Lee Taida and Zhao Erming were so bad in their studies that they couldn''t identify cyanide among the many chemicals. Therefore, they found a third member, which was Lin Rou. Lin Rou knew the chemical but she also knew it would be locked because it was poisonous. To ovee that, they found Zhang Xue, not because Zhang Xue had the key but because the one who had the key had a crush on Zhang Xue. That person was Zhou Guo. Zhou Guo was often bullied but he carried a torch for Zhang Xue, furthermore, he was the chemistryb assistant. Theb assistant had the responsibility to clean up theb after the students used them. Based on school rules, the teachers should be present during the cleaning process but since the students'' experiments normally didn''t involve any dangerous substance, they would leave the job to the assistant and left to enjoy their own break.


    That was how Zhou Guo got the key. Zhang Xue went to beg Zhou Guo for help. Zhou Guo was usually very timid but he could be courageous for Zhang Xue. Therefore, on the day when he was on duty, Zhou Guo used the key to open the lock, stole a piece of cyanide and locked the door. No one was none the wiser.


    To be fair, the kids never even considered the issue of surveince, they had no idea the junior high department didn''t have surveince cameras. It was us who thought it had to be someone who was familiar with theyout of the school who was behind the theft. However, to the kids, they only saw this as nothing more than a dare. Zhou Guo gave the cyanide to Zhang Xue and Zhang Xue handed the cyanide to Lee Taida''s group. That was the whole truth, just a bunch of kids being naughty.


    I looked at the kids and said, "Don''t be afraid. Just answer my questions honestly. Where is the cyanide now?"


    Zhou Guo burst into tears immediately. "I don''t know. I gave it to them after I took it out, I never used it at all." Looks like Xiao Liu had given them quite a scare but then again, these were just kids, it was natural for them to feel nervous around the police. However, this Zhao Guo was a bit too easily scared, he cried before I even got to the hard part. Guan Zhenglin hurried forward tofort the boy. I turned to the others.


    Zhao Erming scoffed. "We split the thing into pieces and each of us took some. I heard it was highly toxic but I wanted to see it with my own eyes so I melted it into a bowl of water and fed it to a stray dog. The thing did die after a few minutes." The expression on the boy''s face didn''t change like killing a dog was an everyday event for him. I couldn''t help but frown. This was a sign of psychopathy. Would he have kept some of the cyanide and used it on humans?


    "Where is the dog now?" I demanded. "If the dog was picked up by some dog meat seller, do you know how big the consequence would be?"


    Zhao Erming chuckled. "Consequences? So people will die. Big deal." Seeing how nonchnt he was, my heart burned with fury. "Xiao Liu, send a team to escort him to retrieve the dog''s body."


    "I''m not going anywhere." Zhao Erming announced.


    "Say that again?" Gu Chen rose to his full height and gave the boy his death re. The gaze was so prating that even I was frightened for a moment. Zhao Erming''s lips moved but in the end he wisely kept his mouth shut. He followed the officer and left the ssroom.


    "What about you?" I turned to Lee Taida.


    The boy was silent for a long time before he said quite happily, "Well, to be honest, I''ve used it to murder someone."


    Gain ess to at least 20 extra chapters with only 20 USD on patreon /lonelyman)

 Chapter 58: Patricide

    Chapter 58: Patricide


    Lee Taida''s expression was so incongruent with his statement. It was as if he found it very interesting that he had murdered someone. Hearing his confession, everyone was stunned. The discipline teacher who was in the room couldn''t believe his ears. He pulled Lee Taida up by his sleeves and asked, "I''m sorry, but what did you say?"


    Lee Taida frowned and pushed away the teacher''s hand. "Are you people fucking deaf or what?" He then repeated in a louder voice, "I said, I murdered someone with it!" He looked around challengingly, like a boxer standing on stage, teasing us to challenge him. The person who had persuaded Gao Rui tomit suicide is this 16 years old Lee Taida? Age was never a measurement of one''s maturity or psychopathy, perhaps this teen was more unhinged than most adults. I also stood up. I stared into his eyes and asked, "Who did you murder?"


    Lee Taida held my gaze and announced proudly, "Lee Xian, my father."


    We quickly drove to Lee Taida''s home. He lived in the old part of the city, the ce looked aged. Lee Taida personally led the way for us. He bounced and skipped, like he was on a field trip. This caused the rest of us to frown even deeper. Just what kind of father and son rtionship was at work here that the son would be so happy after killing the father? There was no sadness and mncholy, only joy and happiness. There was a school of people who imed that your son was your nemesis from your previous life, I never believed such talk until now.


    Lee Taida hummed a little ditty as we walked up the stairs. He was excited to see his own handiwork. At the door, Lee Taida took a deep breath and then opened the door with his key. Lee Taida practically leaped through the door and then the boy froze. He seemed to have lost ability of movement, struck dumb by what he saw. I rushed forward and looked from behind Lee Taida''s shoulders. There was nothing there that warranted Lee Taida''s reaction. Lee Taida stared at the coffee table transfixed. Gu Chen and Guan Zhenglin walked over as well. They wanted to say something but were stopped by me. I waved my hands and signalled for them to check the rooms. I also took this chance to survey this house. If I had to sum up my first impression in one word, it would be messy.


    The coffee table was littered with cigarette butts, and empty beer bottles. The cigarette ashes and beer stains dirtied the ground and formed sticky patches. They looked disgusting. The throw pillows were not on the sofa but strewn haphazardly. Joining their ranks were the clothes. The television was lying on the ground and the screen was cracked. Turning to look into the kitchen, the utensils, pots and pans were dumped everywhere. It was like a thief had ransacked, no, it was more urate to say a tornado had swept through this ce.


    Gu Jun and Guan Zhenglin walked out from the other rooms. Gu Chen looked at me and said, "We didn''t find any dead body but a lot of mess. Perhaps a gang of thieves has been here. Hey, kid, where''s your father? Did you lie to us?" Not getting any reaction, Gu Chen walked forward and then waved his hands before Lee Taida''s face. Then he turned to me, "What''s wrong with him? Did the shock get to his system?"


    Without warning, Lee Taida broke down and cried. He cried like he had just lost the most important thing in the world. However, no one knew why he was crying.


    At least I was sure that it was not because of burry. Based on the lingering cigarette smoke and the half empty beer bottles, as well as the indentation on the sofa, this was a sign ofziness not burry. This homecked a caretaker.


    Lee Taida cried like a broken dam and there was no sign of stopping, Guan Zhenglin tried to console him. I though looked at the few half empty beer bottles. Based on how Lee Taida acted along the way, he must have assumed his father was dead. If everything went ording to n, Lee Taida would open the door to find his dead father. In that case, there were only 2 possibilities, 1, Lee Xian was dead and his body was stolen; 2, Lee Xian was still alive.


    I immediately called Xiao Liu and had him get Lee Xian''s phone number from the discipline teacher. In less than a minute, Xiao Liu came back with the number. I called the number and to my surprise, it was answered. "Is this Lee Xian? You''re not dead?" I gasped.


    The man scolded, "Who the fuck is this? You''ll die before I do, fuck you." So Lee Xian was indeed alive. I exined, "I''m your son Lee Taida''s" Lee Xian cut in, "Oh, you must be that bastard''s teacher? Did the bastard say I was dead? Regardless, I don''t care about that bastard''s business. If you need anything, go and find that bitch, his mother, the fucking prostitute. Bye." Before I could exin myself, Lee Xian ended the call.


    "Guan Zhenglin!" I ordered, "Confiscate all the beer bottles, they might be poisoned!"


    We brought Lee Taida back to the interrogation room. He was quite agitated, not because he was captured but because his father was still alive. The greater the anticipation, the greater the loss, it seemed to apply to murder n as well. Lee Taida admitted that he had been nning to murder his father. Before he asked Zhao Erming that question in the chemistryb, he had been nting the topic of poison in his friend''s mind for weeks already. When Zhao Erming brought up the element of cyanide, Lee Taida knew he had found his way in. Zhao Erming told him the thing was incredibly toxic and a small bit of it could kill a man instantly. It could be melted in water and had no smell and taste. A normal person wouldn''t be able to discern it. Lee Taida knew then he would steal this cyanide and used his portion to kill his father.


    Zhao Erming perhaps had his own enemy to kill but he experimented on a stray first. Lee Taida though was more determined than his friend was. That day when he returned home, Lee Taida had never felt so happy. Seeing the clutter, it was the first time he felt like he had returned home. He danced, sang and yed in the house. He had never been so free and joyful. Lee Taida turned to the coffee table and saw the cigarette butts and several beer bottles which were open but not finished. Lee Taida''s father was an alcoholic gambler. If he was not home, Lee Xian was not out working but gambling. Lee Xian was originally the CEO of a bigpany but he lost everything to gambling. As the years passed, his umted wealth dwindled and so did his real estate.


    10 gambles and 9 losses, that was simple knowledge but Lee Xian refused to believe it. He believed that he would rise up where he had fallen. Naturally, plots like that only happened in tv shows. Lee Xian only dug himself deeper into the hole of debt. Hispany had to announce bankruptcy and he lost all his credit. Lee Xian woulde back every day to watch television, smoke cigarettes, drink beer and fall asleep. The next morning, he would wake up to go gamble. It got so bad his wife left him. The other hobby of Lee Xian, especially after he was drunk, was to beat people. When Lee Taida was still young, whenever Lee Xian was drunk, he would beat his wife. Lee Taida cried, pleaded but it was pointless. Every night, when Lee Taida saw the wounds on his mother''s body, he swore again and again he would kill his father. But he was too young, he didn''t dare. Therefore, every night the only thing he could do was to hug his mother and cry silently. They didn''t dare to make any noise lest Lee Xian wake up again. Therefore, it was quite a release for Lee Taida to be able to cry as loud as he wanted that day. But Lee Taida had a greater wish, and that was to kill his father.


    Lee Taida shouted inside the interrogation room. "Why? Why is even God helping him? He should have died, he has to die, only then things can be right for my mother." Then he cried again as if releasing all the tears that he had been holding in all these years.


    Turns out Lee Xian hadn''t been home for 3 days already because he had found a new gambling den. The same person who had also not returned for 3 days was his son, Lee Taida. The night Lee Taida got the cyanide, he poured them into the unfinished beer bottle. Lee Taida knew that his father would drink any alcohol left inside the house no matter how old they were. Therefore, when his father returned, he would die. After making sure the cyanide melted, Lee Taida left. Lee Taida spent the 3 days staying with his friends, staying under the bridge. He never went home because he didn''t want to see his dead father. He didn''t want to be around him when he was alive, much less dead.


    But Lee Xian had never been home since Lee Taida applied the poison. As we expected, cyanide was found inside the beers. Lee Taida thought he had finally killed his father but Lee Xian was actually having the time of his life at gambling heaven.


    "This is my greatest regret. I should have stayed to watch him drink the beer in person, I should have stayed to watch him die. But I promise you this, as long as I am still alive, I will eventually kill him." Lee Taida said seriously.

 Chapter 59: How Much I Love Her is How Much I Hate You

    Chapter 59: How Much I Love Her is How Much I Hate You


    Hate is just another side of love. When one goes from love to hate, the hate would often be deeper than normal.


    Lee Taida couldn''t even remember from whence he started to hate his father, perhaps it was when Lee Xian took the first beer bottle to his lips or when he rolled the first dice. For many others, it was just a normal day like any other. However, for Lee Xian, he came back a different person from the one that walked out that morning. At the time, Lee Taida was still small but he did remember they had to keep on downsizing. His father that never drank now spent his days in an alcoholic haze. The respected family became a sour topic among their rtives. Everything happened because of Lee Xian.


    Lee Xian at 30 was quite a legend. He built up his business empire from nothing and rued tens of thousands of RMB at Dong Xing City. When he was 20, Lee Xian ran into the woman whom he wished to love forever, she was Lee Taida''s mother, Du Mei''er. At the time, Lee Xian had nothing and Du Mei''er had a monthly sry of 6000 RMB. At the time, Lee Xian was just a society freshman but Du Mei''er did not mind it, she admired Lee Xian''s fire and fight. She saw hope in him. 3 years into their marriage, Du Mei''er mobilized all her savings to use as the capital for Lee Xian''s business venture. At the time, everyone looked down on them. To marry Lee Xian, Du Mei''er even had to sever rtionships with her family. That was how much she loved this man. They skimped and saved for a brighter future. They could only afford a meal a day. Sitting across from his lovely wife, Lee Xian''s eyes would water. He promised, "In the future, I will give you a big house and so much money that you wouldn''t need to work anymore."


    Du Mei''er answered, "I know you will."


    2 yearster, Lee Xian''s first business contract was a big sess. He opened his ownpany and bought a big diamond ring for his wife. When Du Mei''er saw the ring, the couple hugged each other and cried. When they first got married, Lee Xian was so poor that he couldn''t even afford the cheapest wedding ring. They had no money to have a wedding banquet, instead their wedding was held at a motel that rented for 300 RMB a night. They had no chef, instead Lee Xian personally cooked for his wife. The dish was simple but it was delicious. They had no witness, they had only each other and love.


    Du Mei''er put on the wedding ring and stared at it for a whole night. After crying her heart out, Du Mei''er felt giddy and happy. She and her husbandid in bed and stared at the diamond ring until dawn. Du Mei''er was happy because not everyone got to marry for love and not everyone''s husband would find sess at such a young age. This proved that Du Mei''er didn''t pick the wrong guy.


    2 years after that, they gave birth to their son, Lee Taida. By then, Lee Xian''s business was already an empire. He did fulfill his promise from 4 years ago. He gave Du Mei''er a big house and so much money that she didn''t need to work anymore. Du Mei''er became a fulltime housewife and the woman behind the sessful man. Another 3 years after that, Lee Xian used several ten thousand RMB to buy a vi at Dong Xing City. At the time, Lee Xian was 30. Everyone who once looked down on him became puppies trailing behind the man, calling him Brother Lee like they were actual biological siblings.


    At the time Lee Taida was 4. There was a Chinese saying, building wealth is like trying to move soil using a needle, while wasting wealth is trying to wash away sand with waves.


    When he was poor, naturally no one gave a fuck about Lee Xian but when the name Lee Xian started to appear on Dong Xing''s business newspaper, suddenly all his rtives and friends returned to his life. Lee Xian had no idea his extended family was so big. Lee Xian who grew up from a poor family had a fragile ego but now everyone was there to tter his ego, everyone treated him as their idol.


    And thus with introduction from these rtives'', Lee Xian got to know the joy of gambling. At the start, Lee Xian would only gamble with 10 or 20 thousands RMB, that was nothingpared to his total wealth. If he had stopped then, the tragedies after that wouldn''t have happened. But pride was sometimes a double-edged sword. When Lee Xian set his sight on something, he would not stop until he seeded at it. He was stubborn like that and it was this stubbornness that was the secret behind his sess. However, that was not going to work with the God of the Dice. That year was a tumultuous one. He would sometimes win several ten thousand RMB in a night but sometimes he would lose several hundred thousand RMB in one night.


    Actually, if gambling was not a lucrative business, Las Vegas would not be a thing. It was why gambling addiction was a certifiable psychological problem. The people in the industry knew that once someone had tasted that gambling high, it would be nearly impossible to note back. It was like a sinkhole, the harder you struggled, the quicker you would sink. Lee Xian had already plunged one of his feet into the mud. He wanted to pull his feet out by trying out his luck further at the casino and that only made him lose both of his feet into the sinkhole. Lee Xian woulde back to lose several ten thousands or hundred thousands per night. With the rate he was bleeding money, even the richest tycoon could not sustain it.


    To make matters worse, his heart was no longer in the business. He would return home with a long face. In just a few short months, Lee Xian lost all of his savings. He started to use hispany assets on the casino tables. Lee Xian built his ownpany so he was a savvy businessman, he knew this would not solve the problem but by then, half of his body was already in the sinkhole. After losing hispany assets, he had to find more capital to prevent bankruptcy. With his worsening credit, no financial institution was going to lend him money except for one, the casino. Yes, but the kicker was, he had to win it all back himself. He decided toy his fate on the dice.


    From then on, he drank every night and it was the first time he hit Du Mei''er. At the time Lee Taida was 6. Once the bottom line was crossed, one''d realize how easily it could be pushed further and further down. Lee Xian became a temperamental monster. Every time he drank he would vent his frustration on his wife. He started with fists, then legs, finally his belt. Du Mei''er''s body bruised everywhere. Lee Taida was still too young to do anything but cry. Du Mei''er would cry with her son but at the time, Lee Taida didn''t understand the wounds on his mother''s heart hurt more than the wounds on her body.


    One yearter, Lee Xian had no choice but to announce bankruptcy. The vi was impounded by the back and the family of 3 moved back into their small house. Du Mei''er consoled her husband. They had survived the toughest years, this was just a minor setback. They had risen to the top once, they could do it again. She got rewarded with another round of vicious beating. Lee Xian''s pride was stomped on the ground. His brothers and rtives had disappeared without a trace. Instead of Brother Lee, they now referred to him as that failure''.


    5 years at that small house was like life in hell for Lee Taida and his mother. Red paint from the loan sharks decorated their front door daily, people would call them at night so that they could not sleep. When they were out grocery shopping, they would be surrounded by the loan sharks. The men insulted Lee Taida''s mother and the boy would do his best to defend her. But he was only 11, how could he win against the adults. They pushed Lee Taida to the ground and spat on his face. "Tell your father if he can''t return the money, then his son and wife are going to pay on his behalf."


    Lee Xian lost his pride after he was 30 while Lee Taida never learned the meaning of pride in the first ce. Lee Taida almost never saw his father because Lee Xian couldn''te home to avoid his debtors. However, someone had to pay the debt. Even after Du Mei''er sold her wedding ring, there were still several ten thousand RMB in debt. Lee Taida would always remember those days, the days he and his mother spent in that awful, cramped house. They were so poor they could barely afford food. But Lee Taida had to attend school, Du Mei''er was adamant about that. After she retired from the workforce, she became detached from that world. When she tried to return, no one wanted her anymore. She could only take a waitressing job and earned a meagre 1000 RMB per month and that was before paying the rental and the debt.


    The loan sharks couldn''t find Lee Xian so naturally they came after his wife. If you can''t pay with money, then pay with body, that was the natural rules of things. Eventually Du Mei''er had no choice but to undo her pants. Lee Taida would always remember that day, Du Mei''er gave him a rare pocket money of 20 RMB and told him to go out and y.


    When Lee Taida returned home, Du Mei''er was sitting in bed naked. Her tears were already dry. Lee Taida knew what happened but what could a young boy like him do?


    Du Mei''er hugged her son and she said as if to herself, "They will note to harass us anymore, at least you can go to school safely now."


    But several ten thousand debts couldn''t be cleared with a single roll in the hay, so Du Mei''er became a prostitute at age 40. Understandably she literally had to sell her body for pittance. When Lee Xian found out about this, he finally came home. At the nightclub, Lee Xian and Du Mei''er ran into each other. When he saw an old man pinching his wife''s ass cheeks and them leaving together, Lee Xian followed them to the motel. Then he followed Du Mei''er home where Lee Xian once again beat her. "How dare you cheat on me?!" Lee Xian roared as he whipped Du Mei''er with his belt. Lee Taida came home and saw this. It was the first time Lee Taida stood up to his father. Lee Xian''s belt whipped on both his son and wife.


    That day, Lee Taida was 14. Since Du Mei''er was working to pay off his debt, Lee Xian could finallye home. He fell back into old habits. He would go and lose everything in the morning ande back to beat up his family at night. Lee Taida cried and told his mother, "Please divorce and leave this ce. Go to a ce where Lee Xian can''t find you."


    Du Mei''er nodded. From then on, Lee Taida never saw his mother again. 2 yearster, Du Mei''er finally cleared all the debt and even managed to buy a small apartment under Lee Taida''s name. It was the house we searched that day. Lee Taida had no idea how his mother came up with the money but he knew his mother must have paid heavily for it.


    Lee Xian moved into the house without any shame. Whenever he came back home, he would trash the ce and act all crazy. Lee Taida was 16 and he had finally decided he would kill his father.

 Chapter 60: Criminology

    Chapter 60: Criminology


    Based on Lee Taida''s hatred towards Lee Xian, he would have melted all his portion of cyanide into his father''s beers. Legally speaking, Lee Taida was guilty of attempted murder, if Lee Xian had drunk the beer, then it would be premeditated murder. The punishment for the former was naturally lighter than thetter. Furthermore, Lee Taida was under 18, he was protected by juview. The officers led Lee Taida away and his fate would be decided by juvie court.


    In any case, Lee Taida wasn''t the culprit behind the suicides. When we left the interrogation room, Xiao Liu also came back with Zhao Erming. With Zhao Erming leading the way, they did find the poisoned dog. Due to its secluded location, no one had touched the carcass. The coroner found cyanide in the dog carcass. Zhao Erming was not lying. In their n, the cyanide was only split between Zhao Erming and Lee Taida, the rest was only responsible to steal the cyanide. So where did Gao Rui''s cyanidee from? There were already 3 suicides and the students'' theft didn''t seem to be linked to any of them.


    "Is it possible that Gao Rui prepared the cyanide himself from outside the school?" Guan Zhenglin offered. "Think about it, Gao Rui probably was already pondering suicide after Zhang Mingliang''s death. The mysterious couch''s appearance only confirmed his desire to die, that person might not have provided him with the cyanide."


    I pulled on my hair and uttered, "Since this murderer could persuade others tomit suicide, then they would have to know these people have suicidal tendencies. But how would they know that? They go knocking on doors to ask if the residents wanted to die?"


    Guan Zhenglin tapped on her head. "You mean, these victims might have expressed their suicidal thoughts through the inte or some other channel? The murderer picked up on these info, contacted them and persuaded them tomit suicide?"


    I mmed on the table. "That''s right. I believe the murderer is not a hypnotist but someone who has done their homework very well. The killer has investigated andpiled the information on many suicidal individuals and approached them for a talk." With that in mind, I immediately called Mary to have her check if our victims had expressed any suicidal ideas on the inte.


    "To approach them one by one, it would have taken the killer a lot of time too." Gu Chenmented, "This killer has been one busy bee." Gu Chen''s words lit a lightbulb in me. I said, "Right, bring me a map of Dong Xing City. We have on our hands 3 victims, if we mark out their crime scenes, we might find a connection."


    A map of Dong Xing City was ced before us. Based on the time of death, I circled out with a red marker the 3 victims'' ces of death and then wrote down their individual causes of death.


    The first to die was Wang Yiman, her neighbourhood was called Xing Yuan Neighbourhood, it was at the eastern side of Dong Xing City. She died from hanging. Remark: She was dressed in a white wedding dress when she died.


    The second to die was Gao Rui, he lived in an apartment near Yu Cai High School, which was at the eastern side of Dong Xing City. He died from cyanide poisoning. Remark: He was dressed in western suit when he died.


    The third to die was Lee Zhinan, he lived at Yin Xing Neighbourhood, it was at the eastern side of Dong Xing City. He died by jumping into a moving train. Remark: The briefcase he carried at death is still not found.


    The simrity was quite obvious, all 3 victims lived at the eastern side of Dong Xing City. On the map, their residences were close to each other, it would only take at most 2 hours to travel between their ces. It might suggest that the killer resided in the eastern side of Dong Xing City as well.


    I pointed at the 3 red circles and said, "In Martin Goodman''s Criminals and Motivations, he said that when a serial killer has killed a certain number of people and they still haven''t been caught by their police, they would get an involuntary rush of arrogance and confidence." Guan Zhenglin and Gu Chen looked at me with interest. I continued, "That is our human nature. When the criminal attempts his next kill, due to blind confidence, the location of the crime would be closer to his hideout or home." I used the marker to join the 3 red dots to form a triangle, "When a criminalmitted their first kill, they would be nervous, so the location of choice would be furthest from their home, that way it would be hard for the police to trace it back to them. But as the police failed to capture them, they would be overconfident and take their operations closer to their base. Because they believe that since the police had not caught them then, the police would not catch them now."


    The two looked at me and nodded. Gu Chen praised, "Brother Wu Meng, I''m impressed, when did you learn all these? You deserve to be on the force." I shrugged. "I merely used the time you spent on donuts and coffee on books" Guan Zhenglin rolled her eyes. "Stop joking. What else do you have?"


    I continued, "But there is another criminologist who countered with a theory on his own. He believes that the crime scenes are equidistant to the killer''s house. For example if the killer is driving, he might drive 1 hour east and then kill someone; tomorrow, he would drive another hour west to kill another. The killers themselves might not even realize this. They might even think that their actions would have muddled the police investigation."


    Gu Chen nodded and then added, "They both sound logical but what is your personal conclusion? If you are to guess, where will the next suicide case be?" We turned to Gu Chen and he knocked against the wooden table. "I mean, touch wood, if there is a next one."


    I sighed. "I believe, the day we haven''t had the killer in custody, they would continue to influence people tomit suicide. After all, everyone in the city is under so much pressure, who hasn''t had that thought of leaving this oppressive world? If you ask me, we still need to work hard."


    Gu Chen sat on the sofa and crossed his legs. "You have a point there. As our standard of life improves, so does the number of suicides. However, if you ask me, suicide is never an option. No matter how difficult life gets, only by being alive do you have the chance of turning it around. When you''re dead, everything''s gone and nothing can be changed anymore." I found myself agreeing with Gu Chen. To be frank, I did consider suicide when I was young. My father was a murderer and my mother was absent. It was not easy to grow up as a murderer''s son. If not for my intense fear of pain, I would have killed myself a long time ago. Thankfully no one had taught me how to die painlessly because now I hade to ept who I am. I couldn''t pick my own parents but I could at least pick how I was going to live my life.


    Guan Zhenglin pulled our thoughts back to the case. "I know and it''s disgusting that someone is preying on these vulnerable souls. Anyway, do you think you cane up with a possible range for the next hit?" I used my finger to point inside the triangle, it was quite arge area. It included Shun Cheng Street, East Avenue and so on. "If we follow these two theories, the next crime scene won''t be inside this triangle." Then I moved my finger across the map to a point where when connected, it would form a rectangle with the existing triangle. "This ce would be roughly equidistant from the other ces." I was pointing at a ce called Jin Lun Road. If there was a next case, it would be around here. Gu Chen stood up and said, "I''ll call the local police for them to pay attention to their jurisdiction, to tell them to be on their toes."


    "Go." I said.


    Just as Gu Chen left, Xiao Liu came in. He announced, "Wu Meng, we''ve found Lee Zhinan''s briefcase, it was knocked away by the train. A worker found it at some random corner."


    "Really?" I said, "Where is it? What''s inside it?"


    Xiao Liu sighed, "The impact tore the briefcase apart. We couldn''t tell what was inside, probably some documents. We only managed to scrounge up some paper pieces. However, we believe that the content of the briefcase has not much to do with the case." Xiao Liu ced the broken paper pieces on the table. I saw words like xx Bank but the files were so shredded that I couldn''t tell much from them. Lee Zhinan worked at a financialpany so these were probably his work documents.


    Xiao Liu continued, "With regards to the cyanide theft case, should we wrap it up now? The cyanide was split into 2 pieces, one was given to Lee Taida and he melted them inside the beers to kill his father. The other piece was used by Zhao Erming to kill the stray dog."


    I pulled on my hair and then said, "These are what they told us. We have no idea how much they have used and if they have saved any. After all, you do not need much to kill someone. Furthermore, how can we be sure that it has only been split into two pieces?"


    "You suspect the other students?" Xiao Liu scratched his cheek. "Okay, I''ll look further into this. Leave this to me."

 Chapter 61: Jumping

    Chapter 61: Jumping


    The next day, I received quite a bit of k at work. There was another suicide case but it was not within the area of my prediction. "Come on, Freud." Gu Chen patted my shoulders andmented, "Looks like psychology isn''t always reliable after all." Guan Zhenglin shrugged and added, "The local police still can''t tell whether this is a suicide, ident or homicide. It''s hard to differentiate between the three when it''s a falling victim. Therefore they wish for us to go visit the crime scene and see it in person."


    I sighed. "The books might not be 100 percent right plus I''m not 100 percent wrong yet, aren''t I? Perhaps this is not a suicide after all?"


    When we arrived, the body was still lying on the ground but it had a white cloth over it. Police line had cordoned off the location. There were crowds milling about, taking pictures. It took us quite some time to squeeze through theyers. We showed our identities and were given entry through the cordoned line. An officer walked over to ost us, "The victim''s name is Ma Liliang, he was a real estate agent. He jumped off this building not too long ago. But so far, we cannot tell whether he was pushed or it is one of the strange suicide cases I heard your team is working on, so I invited you guys over toe have a look." The officer turned to point at a few people sequestered off from the crowd, "When Ma Liliang dropped from the building, they were the witnesses who were passing by. Shall we go talk to them?"


    "Not yet, I need to talk to him first." Guan Zhenglin told the officer as she walked towards the body.


    "Who?" The officer asked. Guan Zhenglin ced the toolbox beside the body and pulled back the white cloth. "Ma Liliang of course, sometimes the dead can tell us more than the living." Even through the white cloth, we could see the pool of blood. The blood sttered in a fan shape, the furthest spatter was about more than 10 metres away. This matched the blood pattern for a fall from a high ce. Based on the blood spatter, this was quite a fall. I turned my head up to look at the apartment building, it was 32 storeys tall. However, most of the apartments on the higher floors had their windows closed. A suicide victim wouldn''t be able to close the window after they leaped, right? So the highest possibility was our victim took the jump from the roof. Just the thought of it made my head spin.


    After Guan Zhenglin pulled back the white cloth, we finally saw the body. The man was faced down and his arm was seriously twisted. It looked like the bones in his arm had shattered. The man was wearing a single shoe. The ankle of the shoeless leg was crushed, the bones were poking out. The man''s cranium was heavily fractured and the brain matter seeped out. From face alone, one wouldn''t be able to tell his identity. The local police probably found out his identity from another channel. Their speed was quite fast.


    Before Guan Zhenglin even opened her box, she said, "The time of death is less than 1 hour. From the condition of the body, it does match a fall. The traumas to his limbs and cranium are of a singr direction, it''s very hard to manufacture that kind of falling injury artificially. But as what my colleague has taught us today, we shouldn''t ever jump to conclusions. I need to check the wounds on the rest of his body first and examine his blood for anaesthetic residue. Then we can tell for sure whether he was thrown off the building or he walked off it voluntarily." Guan Zhenglin reced the cloth. "Carry the body to the morgue please." That was easier said than done. The weather was very hot and that meant the tarred road was about 30 to 40 degrees. The man''s body had practically glued to the ground. The police had to scoop the body up with a metallic spade. The part where the body had the most contact with the ground had melted away. That was one of the lesser heard of impacts from global warming.


    "Okay." I said, "Now let us go interview the witnesses." When Ma Liiliang stood on the 32nd floor, no one noticed him, but when he dropped down, he shouted, "Be careful down there. Move away!" His voice was still reverberating in people''s ears when he hit the ground. When the crowd gathered, Ma Liliang was already dead. From the height he fell from, the impact would have crushed his internal organs instantly. His shout at least proved that Ma Liliang was still conscious when he jumped from the building.


    "We need to check the roof!" As we moved up the stairs, I asked one of the officers, "Help me get a few mannequins and a big bag of small pebbles."


    "What do you need those for?"


    "I have their uses. Also please evacuate the crowd downstairs." I told him with a smile. Inside the elevator, out of boredom, I asked Gu Chen, "Gu Chen, why do you think someone wouldmit suicide? Just how disappointed they are in this world that they feel the need to leave this? If someone was able to empathize with them, would that have made a difference?"


    Gu Chen looked at me for a long time before answering, "I honestly cannot say. Perhaps they felt like there was nothing for them anymore in this world and it was hard staying alive. But if you ask me, a person''s life is never singr. Even if one doesn''t wish to live anymore, they have to think of others in their life. Someone will inevitably be heartbroken when a person dies."


    "Oh, does that mean you''ll cry after I die? Honestly, I do wish to see a muscr man like you weep. It''ll be an interesting contrast." I joked.


    "You''ll be able to see that when I go visit your grave when I''m 120 years old." Gu Chen shrugged.


    The elevator doors opened. As I walked out, I said, "I''m sorry to disappoint you but a sensei told me that I would live to 130 years old"


    "Iment the world''s fate to have to suffer someone like you for that long"


    What did it feel like to stand on the 32nd floor and look down? Let''s put it this way, if the wind blew any stronger, I would be blown off the edge. However, the scenery was unbeatable. The whole city was within my sight. Even though it was almost noon, the air was cool. From up there, the crowds down on the ground looked as small as ants. There was a rail around the edge of the roof but if someone wanted tomit suicide, they were no deterrent. From the location where Ma Liliangnded, we decided on a general range.


    "There''s a set of sses there." I told Gu Chen. With gloved hands, I picked it up and took a closer look. It was a pair of gold-rimmed sses for men. I observed the sses and then told Gu Chen, "These are Ma Liliang''s sses."


    "How can you tell?" Gu Chen looked at the sses. "Did it have his name on it?"


    I shook my head. "No, it''s just a guess. Ma Liliang was a real estate agent, this kind of spec matches his profession. He had to wear formal wear so the sses have to be formal-looking too. Plus we found this pair with their temples folded together. Ma Liliang must have taken them off and ced them down here before he jumped."


    "But why would he remove his sses?" Gu Chen asked.


    I shrugged. "The books that I read suggest that a jumping victim would normally close their eyes when they jump unless they have masochistic tendencies. No matter how humans have evolved, we have animal instincts. None of us would like to view our or other''s death head on." I looked down from the edge where the sses were found, thending spot matched. I continued, "That''s why when a normal persones across a dead body, their first reaction isn''t pity but fear. That is human nature, which is why the profession of coroner is very impressive."


    "What a roundabout way to praise Guan Zhenglin." Gu Chen grinned. "Don''t think I haven''t seen the signals between the two of you. If you ask me, you two should just be together."


    "Her?" I quickly shook my hands. "Perhaps when her physical body catches up to her real age."


    "I brought the mannequins you asked for!" An officer''s voice came from behind us. I turned to look at 5 officers carrying a mannequin each and a 6th one carrying a bag of pebbles. Gu Chen and I hurried over to help.


    "Are these enough?" A sweaty officer asked. I nodded and thanked them profusely. "It''s more than enough. It''s time to conduct a fun experiment. Make sure the crowd down below has been evacuated yea."


    "A fun experiment?"


    Only Gu Chen seemed to understand my thought. He said, "Crime scene simtion."


    "These mannequins will help us know whether he died from suicide or homicide." I said, "Based on my earlier calction, Ma Liliang was about 1.75 metres tall, these mannequins are about his height. Ma Liliang was about 130 jin, so we''ll make up the differences with these pebbles." We tied bags of pebbles around the mannequin''s waist to make its weight reach as close to 130 jin as possible. Gu Chen and I ced a mannequin outside the rail.


    I began, "Okay, now we shall simte the scenario where someone has pushed Ma Liliang, inform the people on the ground to be careful." Then we pushed the mannequin off the rails. In less than 3 seconds, the mannequinnded with a thud. Looking from the roof, the mannequin shattered everywhere and the pebbles broke out from the bags. Thankfully we had already warned people of this experiment so no one was hurt. There was someone at the ground to help us mark thending spot of the mannequin and then we proceeded with the other simtions.


    "This is if Ma Liliang jumped into the air as high as he could before falling."


    "This is if Ma Liliang was knocked out and rolled off the side of the building."


    "This is if Ma Liliang just walked off the side."

 Chapter 62: The Greatest Scammer

    Chapter 62: The Greatest Scammer


    Even though we had material witnesses that imed that Ma Liliang was conscious when he jumped, it never hurt to double check. Naturally we wouldn''t conduct a live experiment but the mannequins were good enough. From the markings on the ground, the closest mannequin to where Ma Liliang actuallynded was the one from if Ma Liliang had jumped high into the air simtion. That would verify that it was suicide. Ma Liliang didn''t choose to walk off, perhaps because he was afraid of running into open windows on the way down. If he was pushed, he wouldn''t havended that far. An extra bit of evidence was the pair of sses. If Ma Liliang was pushed, he wouldn''t have the time to take off his sses and ce them gingerly on the roof. All these suggested that Ma Liliang died from suicide and not homicide. In that case, my hypothesis was wrong, this ce was not even close to my predicted location.


    "If this is a suicide and if it''s rted to our cases, believe me, we will soon find the suicidal reason." I sighed and told the team, "Which floor did he live on?"


    With the manager''s help, we soon arrived at Ma Liliang''s ce. Technically, it was his rental and not his house.


    A will.


    Before I even opened the will, Guan Zhenglin''s phone came, "Wu Meng, the autopsy shows that there are no manmade wounds, they are all falling wounds. There are no anaesthetic traces in the blood so he was conscious when he fell. But I got nothing to prove if he was pushed or not pushed from the rooftop."


    I sighed, "We have more than enough circumstantial evidence to prove that this is a suicide. Furthermore, I''m holding the man''s will. I believe we''ll soon find out why he died." When we read through the man''s will, I could confirm this was rted to our previous cases. The will was basically a copy of Gao Rui''s. They listed some things they needed the police to help them do after their deaths and they both had substantial amounts of money in their bank ounts. Ma Liliang, like Gao Rui, was financially sound, so why did hemit suicide? The reason became clear after I read the letter that came with the will.


    Real estate agent was just one of Ma Liliang''s jobs and this job was drastically different from his other job, which was to make phone calls. To be more precise, Ma Liliang was someone you would call an expert scammer. In his letter, he revealed the detailed steps how a shellpany managed to embezzle money through franchising fees. First, Ma Liliang worked for apany with a seemingly reputable name, theirpany specialized in fashion products. They were registered officially in Hong Kong. Ma Liliang''spany released advertisements on all big online tforms, looking for investors to be franchisees. The franchising fee was around 50000 to 80000 RMB, this number was carefully calcted. A real rich person wouldn''t be interested in such a small number, those who would be hooked were normally those who wanted to get rich quick but didn''t know much about business.


    Whenever someone called thepany number, it was Ma Liliang''s showtime. On the phone, Ma Liliang would use his gift of the gab to persuade these people to join. Faced with different callers, Ma Liliang had different tactics. For those who didn''t know the ins and outs of business, he would confuse them business terms to make the impression that hispany was very professional; if it was an elderly, he would take the emotional approach, to let them put their guard down; for those who were cautious, he would provide many fake assurances and use many legalese. The man was a true talent.


    Of 100 callers, about 10 of them would be convinced by Ma Liliang. Then of the 10, 5 of them woulde to inspect theirpany and the franchisor in person. Ma Liliang''s manager would intercept these people and show them around a few actual shops they had around Dong Xing City. Since Ma Liliang''spany was based in Hong Kong, they weren''t allowed to set up their business locally. The shops were all run by other sessful franchisees''. During the tour, the potential investors would meet with the other franchisees'' and be regaled about the positives of joining thepany.


    The truth though was the franchisees'' were workers at Ma Liliang''spany. The ounts looked so pretty because the storefronts were used tounder money. A normal person wouldn''t be able to tell the difference, they''d only be able to see the highlighted profit. Then the tour would continue to thepany warehouse. It would be filled with the best clothes, all good quality. If they handed over the franchising fee, they would be immediately given a batch of stock to sell. Therefore, the investors happily handed over the fee and then went home to wait for the good news. But the good news would nevere. The good quality stock would always sit at the warehouse to show the next batch of potential investors.


    Instead thepany would send them low quality clothes, some were taken from funeral homes and hospitals. Naturally they were not going to sell well.


    Ma Liliang of course knew what he was doing. The smiling faces he met would all turn upside down in a month or two but Ma Liliang had no choice, his parents were simple farmers and he had to support his younger siblings'' education. Human beings are selfish. When Ma Liliang had nothing, no one came to pity or help him either.


    Inadvertently, there would be people who came back toin, but the only real thing that Ma Liliang''spany did invest in was the legal department. Thewyers were specifically hired to draft contracts which were meant to trap and ensnare. Most normal people wouldn''t know how to read the small print in contract and thinking of the imminent profit, they all couldn''t wait to sign. Since thepany had their willing contracts, thepany was very happy to bring these people to court. Honestly, when these people signed the contract, it was already over for them.


    In the 3 years he worked there, Ma Liliang had seen many tragedies. There were people who knelt before theirpany doors, women crying with their families, people holding banners. But how could a small pocket of the public fight with a bigpany?


    If these people refused to go, thepany still had ties to the underground world. In the end, most people would choose to bite the bullet and leave with their empty dreams and hopes. In just 3 short years, Ma Liliang had earned 25000 RMB. This was an astronomical number and it was a number built on the broken dreams of many people.


    Let''s make the conservative calction here. If a person was scammed 50000 RMB, Ma Liliang as an agent would get 1000 RMBmission, his manager would get 4000 RMB. The remaining 5000 RMB would be used to purchase the stock'' for the investor. 40000 RMB would go into the boss'' pocket. If 1 person were scammed every two day, the boss would earn 20000 RMB every day. 20000 RMB per day, meant 600000 RMB per month and 7200000 RMB a year. Minus the living fee, payment for thewyers and underground bosses, the boss could easily earn 6000000 RMB a year. When he counted the money, he never concerned himself with the lives that were lost due to these monies.


    During these 3 years, Ma Liliang had seen too many things, especially theck of human empathy. It caused Ma Liliang himself to be more temperamental. His only bit of conscience remained because sometimes when he looked at these scammed victims, Ma Liliang would see his own parents. These people were not actual business people. They took out all their savings, because they hoped to earn a better future for their children.


    However, Ma Liliang''s conscience would soon be silenced when he got hismission. Ma Liliang was very good with words, there was even a month when he got 20000 RMB inmission.


    It was a day like any other. A person, who came to theirpany to protest, was dragged out like a dog. Ma Liliang knew this person because he was the one who handled his case. Ma Liliang cheated 70000 RMB off him. But that day when the man was dragged out, Ma Liliang couldn''t even remember his name. When the man saw Ma Liliang, he rushed to Ma Liliang and knelt down before him. "My family needs that money to survive, brother. Please, I beg you, please return the money to me." With tears running down his nose, he hugged Ma Liliang''s leg. "I beg you, that is all of my savings. Or can you just return me half of it? Just half is enough!"


    Ma Liliang saw that the man only had 2 fingers. The man worked at a constructionpany, the 70000 RMB was his previouspany''spensation because he lost them in a construction ident. He wasid off from work. The 70000 RMB was literally everything he had left. Ma Liliang looked at the man who was old enough to be his father kneeling before him and his heart felt nothing.


    "Drag him away!" One of the managers shouted. "He''ll ruin the business if he stays here." And so the man was dragged into the corridor and possibly beaten.


    When Ma Liliang saw him next, the man was already a dead body. He jumped down from Ma Liliang''spany roof and became a meat pie. That happened the next day, when Ma Liliang came to work like usual, and he heard a bang'' from outside the door. When he rushed to look, Ma Liliang saw him. This man whom Ma Liliang couldn''t remember the name was lying on the ground. His head was turned towards Ma Liliang, his open eyes staring at him. The blood sttered like a red flower. Ma Liliang looked at the dead man numbly; it was not until the crowd screamed that Ma Liliang came to his senses. Ma Liliang sat for a long time at his table and didn''t ept even 1 call that day.


    His boss gave him a whole month of paid holiday. So many of his colleagues were envious of him. Ma Liliang spent the month unable to sleep, because whenever he closed his eyes, he would hear that stter sound. That was the sound of a man''s life lost.


    In the past 3 years, Ma Liliang had lost count of the number of people he had scammed. Indeed, Ma Liliang had never considered the actual ending of these people. What happened to them after they were chased away and scared off by thewyers and mafia? Did they cry with their families? Were they forced to take their children out of school? Or did they jump off some building like the man whose name he still couldn''t remember.


    Ma Liliang used to tell himself that those people were fine. It was just money. Life moves on.


    Ma Liliang thought he had sessfully silenced his conscience after 3 years. He was an expert scammer but the only person he couldn''t scam was himself.


    Since that day, whenever he was able to catch small naps, he would dream about his own father falling from hispany rooftop.

 Chapter 63: Human Greed

    Chapter 63: Human Greed


    Tragedies were often measured by proximity. We knew of the wars and famines in Africa but they were too far away, they might as well be in a different world. However, when the body of Ma Liliang''s victim appeared before him, he felt the real prick of conscience for the first time. Within seconds, the man died. Ma Liliang remembered many other victims saying about the same thing as this man did before he died, Please, they are all my savings. Please return them to me. I need them to live.'' There were males, females, young and old.


    Life-saving money? What was that really a thing? Ma Liliang didn''t know or he didn''t want to know. In his mind, he convinced himself that those ims were not true. How could a mere 70000 RMB save a life? It could barely buy a 5 cubic metre home at Dong Xing City. Ma Liliang fooled himself for 3 years but he couldn''t anymore. When he first saw his father jumping off the building in his dream, he was shocked awake. He called his father even though it was the middle of the night. His father assured him that everything was fine back home and told him not to worry. His father told him to work hard in the city and do not mingle with the bad crowd. Ma Liliang answered, "Yes, father."


    Ma Liliang came from a poor family. Snacks were considered a luxury. One time, when Ma Liliang and his father walked past the vige store, his father stopped to chat with the shop owner. While the two adults were distracted, Ma Liliang stole a bag of chips and hid it under his shirt. After they left, the stic bag crinkled with each of Ma Liliang''s steps. After finding out the truth, Ma Liliang''s father gave him a good beating and then he paid the store owner twice the amount of money to pay for the chips. The owner didn''t ept it. It was just a small bag of chips. Since Ma Liliang liked it that much, he would give it to the boy. After all, they were neighbours from the small vige. However, Ma Liliang''s father stood his ground. Later Ma Liliang''s father told him that, Even though we are poor, we shall not ever resort to stealing and lying. I''ve not been to a school in life so I can''t teach you much, but I can teach you how to be a good man. Remember, no matter what you do in the future, remember today''s lesson.'' Ma Liliang brought the bag of chips home but he never opened it.


    Ma Liliang got into a good high school and a reasonably eptable university. It was not a famous university but his family was so happy and proud. His father told his younger siblings to take him as an example. But Ma Liliang knew that a graduate from a second-rate university wouldn''t be able to earn much in a big city. However, his younger siblings needed to go to school and his father was getting old. His father had used all of his savings to send him to university so Ma Liliang had to find a job that paid well so that he could support the family. After failing multiple interviews, Ma Liliang was in despair. He didn''t even know what he was doing in the city.


    And then hended the perfect job. Ma Liliang was on the surface a real estate agent but he was really a scammer.


    That month of paid holiday was hell on earth for Ma Liliang. Ma Liliang had kept the bag of chips as memento even though the expiry date was more than a decade ago. Ma Liliang kept it even though the packaging had been ruined. Throughout the month, Ma Liliang spent most of his days staring at the bag of chips. The lesson his old father taught him that day echoed in his mind. To be honest, when he was young, Ma Liliang never really got the lesson. Ma Liliang only swore that when he got older, he had to earn a lot of money so that his children would be able to afford at least a bag of chips. He had to make something of himself because he didn''t want to ever be like his father, counting out coins to make the repayment while the owner looked on with something akin to superiority.


    Ma Liliang''s fear of poverty was sown deep into his heart that day. Therefore, when he entered society, he worked hard to earn and earn.


    He opened the bag of chips and ate a piece. It was moldy and disgusting but it was the most delicious food Ma Liliang had ever eaten. As he took in the expired chips one by one, he wrote down his will. Finally the lesson his father intended for him had hit home. One could be the best liar but eventually one had to face the judgment of one''s conscience, the one person that one couldn''t lie to.


    Ma Liliang was not a heartless man, he merely told himself that he was. But the man''s death cracked open Ma Liliang''s silenced conscience. Ma Liliang said in his will that he was envious of his boss because his boss was truly heartless. In this human society, only the most heartless would thrive.


    Ma Liliang wired his 200000 RMB of savings into his father''s bank ount. "Perhaps he''ll only notice the money when he needs to pay for my siblings'' tuition, by then I would have gone to hell with all my sins and torment. I never knew what was on his mind when he jumped from the rooftop, I guess I''ll finally have the chance to find out. Thest remaining 50000 RMB, I hope it can be donated to Project Hope China. I know this won''t absolve me of my sins so I''m going down there to apologize to them in person."


    Therefore, he put on his best suit and walked to the rooftop. Perhaps at thest moment of his life, Ma Liliang did know what that nameless man felt like. Their deaths were the same, but were they really the same?


    Poverty''s impact on a child''s mind was unimaginable, it blocked off routes that should have been open to them, for them to live up to their full potential. Poverty shamed Ma Liliang and the person who looked down on him the most was himself. He turned himself into a money ve, all because he wanted a bag of chips.


    After reading Ma Liliang''s will, I didn''t know what to feel. There''s a Chinese saying that goes, a pitiable man has his despicable traits, perhaps the inverse is true as well, a despicable man would have his pitiable traits too. Ma Liliang finally found freedom from his 3 years of indenture to money. I wonder if he felt pitiable or despicable as he stood by the edge of the roof. But he was already dead, so what matters now?


    What was right, what was wrong? Who was good, who was evil? Was there ever a clear line? We are all normal humans who are both sinners and saints.


    I ced the will on the table and said softly, "The victim has a bag of chips that''s precious to him. He has finished the bag but I don''t see it here. The killer probably took it as his memento for this case. Are there any other clues in the room?"


    Gu Chen shook his head. "The rest didn''t find anything either. But Wu Meng, I need to warn you from sinking too deep into this case."


    I sighed, "I was just temporarily affected by the man''s will. I wonder how Captain Zhao faces these things, how did he manage to detach himself emotionlessly. Or is he someone like me, who would sometimes pity the criminals?"


    Gu Chen scratched his head. "Based on what I heard, he isn''t like that at all. He is a firm believer in justice, he will capture all criminals, even if that person is his teacher."


    "His teacher?"


    "You didn''t know about this?" Gu Chen looked around and whispered, "This is what I heard anyway. There was an officer who taught Captain Zhao everything he knew. Captain Zhao followed him for 4 years but Captain Zhao personally captured that man because hemitted a crime due to his daughter or something of that sort."


    I shook my head. Perhaps that made a good cop, I was still far from achieving that.


    "Let''s go." I said.


    "Where to?" Gu Chen asked.


    I pulled on my hair as I walked to the door. I said, "This killer is getting better at this. Let me ask you this, what do you think is the hardest case to solve?"


    "The hardest case to solve?" Gu Chen rubbed his beard. "It should be the kind where the killer had nned every detail. He created the perfect alibi, avoided all the cameras, and had a well hidden motive But could there even be such a wless crime?" Gu Chen asked me in return.


    I shook my fingers at him. "No, that is not the hardest case to solve. The hardest case is often a crime of little nning and consideration. One night, while you are walking down the road, suddenly someone stabs you from behind. He has no motive, no goal, he just wants to kill." I told Gu Chen, "You just happen to be his target. Then he disappears into the city and does notmit another crime. He is of no connection to you, so how could the police ever catch him?"


    Gu Chen frowned. "What are you trying to say?"


    I looked at the confused Gu Chen and exined, "In the earlier cases, the killer would still provide the necessary tools for his victims like the cyanide and the rope, as well as teach his victim how to make the knots. But now the killer didn''t bring anything to the table anymore. We don''t know his motive, we don''t even know if he is a he''. He is bing more and more careful."


    Gu Chen''s eyes brightened. "You mean he knows we''re onto him?"


    "What if he decides to retire starting from this case?" I stared at Gu Chen, "How do you propose we find him?"


    "The cyanide?" Gu Chen offered.


    I nodded. "Indeed, a rope could be sourced anywhere so the cyanide is our biggest opening. We have to dig deeper into this. We need to look over the 5 kids again." I said as I pulled out my phone to call Mary. "Mary, I need you to run a background check on our newest victim. His name is Ma Liliang, he was a real estate agent. Oh, he also worked at a clothingpany, look into its ount, see if you can bring thepany down."


    "Bring it down?" Mary repeated in confusion.


    I exined, "Yes, it''s just a shellpany. Its existence is tounder money, it shouldn''t exist."


    Mary was silent for a long time before she said, "China has 14 billion people, do you know how many shellpanies there are? Even if I do dig up something, they''ll just continue to run under a new registered name. They grow like mushrooms after rain, how do you n to stop them all?"


    I was silent.


    Indeed It is human greed driving thesepanies, how does one possibly ever put a stop to that?

 Chapter 64: To Live

    Chapter 64: To Live


    Xiao Liu was still investigating the 5 junior high students from Yu Cai High School. Gu Chen and I nned to meet up with him. After all, this might be the only case the killer could have tripped on. Was any of the 5 students lying? Were they connected to someone who might have done something like this? Or were they truly innocent?


    When we found Xiao Liu, he was spacing out staring at the files of the 5 students. The files were spread before him. Seeing us walk in, Xiao Liu smiled, "Good, pleasee and help me. I''m out of ideas, I can''t see any problem with these kids. Should we move on? Why are we still wasting time on these kids? They''re just kids."


    I shook my head and said, "Theye from single-parent families and their guardians do not have time for them. Where do they go after school, what kind of activity are they involved in? If the killer is really connected to these kids, there are still many things we do not know about them." I turned to Xiao Liu, "We need to follow them, to see what they normally do after school. There are four of us and four of them, it''s perfect."


    Xiao Liu grumbled, "Really? We''re going to follow a few kids? Isn''t that pushing it too far? I''ve never heard of police tracking children of 14, 15 before"


    I tutted and corrected, "Don''t underestimate people because of their age, especially in an era like ours. The children nowadays have ess to as much information as a normal adult. They too have their own thoughts and worlds."


    "Okay, it''s decided then." Gu Chen nodded. "Who shall be following whom?" Soon we came up with the n. Since Lee Taida was still in custody due to attempted murder, we didn''t need to follow him. I would follow Zhang Xue, Gu Chen would follow Zhao Erming, Xiao Liu would follow Lin Rou while Guan Zhenglin would follow the least suspicious Zhou Guo. We contacted the staff and headmaster at Yu Cai High School to inform them of this to prevent unnecessaryplications.


    They were all students in the 3rd year of junior high, they would be taking the middle-year exam soon so most sses were cancelled for revision. The students were basically given free reign which Zhang Xue had taken advantage of. Because when we arrived, she was not in ss. "I wonder where that girl is. I''ll go look for her while you keep your eyes on Zhou Guo." I spotted Zhou Guo through the ssroom window. He wore a pair of thick sses and his table was covered with notes. If I was a betting man, I would bet that he would be the most sessful of our 5 suspects. Hopefully, our investigation didn''t intervene with his studies. I didn''t want to disturb the boy''s studies if he was innocent.


    Guan Zhenglin sighed, "Clearly Zhou Guo can''t be the criminal. He looks like an exemry student. He wouldn''t have dared to steal the cyanide if not for Zhang Xue. This theft is probably the biggest and riskiest thing he''ll ever do in his life. I''ll stay here, you better go look for Zhang Xue."


    I shrugged and went to ask the ss teacher. I was notified that Zhang Xue should be at the school field. She would go there every afternoon. She should be in ss but her ss teacher had given up on her. As long as she didn''t do anything illegal, her teacher would leave her be. When the 50 plus middle-aged woman mentioned Zhang Xue, her face scrunched up with disgust. "As an educator, I shouldn''t say things like this but I''ve been in the educational world long enough to know whether a student can be polished into diamonds or not. This girl is definitely not one of them. She''ll be a greater trouble when she enters high school. Do you know Zhou Guo? She has him around her little finger. The poor boy, he could have easily gotten the best result in school, but recently his attention is not focused. If you ask me, it has to be that dastardly girl''s doing. I''m telling you" I quickly waved my hands to stop the teacher from continuing.


    It was around 5 pm, the sun was ruby red. Sitting on the steps of the education block, one could have a perfect view of the field. A girl was lying in the middle of the field sleeping. A book was covering her face. The title was too far to be read but it was definitely not a textbook. There were about 3 boys ying basketball at the court next to the field, they were either attending sports ss or were also bad'' students ying truancy. This reminded me of when I was young. I used to sit or lie down on the grass field to read as well. I felt like the world was within my hands. But then that stopped when I identally sat on a pile of dog poo.


    I sat on the steps, pulled out my phone and watched the young girl who was sleeping. I wondered how long she wouldy there. When the sun was about to set, the sleeping beauty finally awakened. She took the book down, and then stretchedzily. She looked down the distance, I wondered what was on her mind. She ced her book into her bag and then walked towards the gate. I followed her from afar. I wanted to see where she was going. The guards appeared to know her and they didn''t stop her even though there were at least 2 hours until the end of school for the junior high students. Looks like this girl really had plenty of unsupervised time to do anything she wanted. I followed behind her, careful not to be seen.


    Along the way, Zhang Xue kept stopping. She would squat down to sniff the flowers among the flower beds, stop to y with the passing puppies and kittens. There was even once where she suddenly decided to skip along the tiles that lined the street. When she identally stepped outside the line, she sighed with disappointment. She would halt for anything of interest, even just to turn her eyes up to the sky. Even though her actions were quite childish, watching her, there was something prematurely lonely about Zhang Xue. Eventually she walked into the subway station. The station was not close to Yu Cai High School but Zhang Xue appeared to have gotten used to travelling this stretch of road daily. Subway Line 1, this was the station where Lee Zhinanmitted suicide. I couldn''t help but wonder if this was just a mere coincidence. We took the train and I watched her from the opposite end of the cabin. She took out her book and continued to read. It was inside the train that I realized the book was a masterpiece by Yu Hua, To Live.


    The novel was definitely too heavy for a child her age and I doubt she would really understand the message within it as well. However, based on her expression, she was greatly drawn by the story. At parts, there were even tears in her eyes. We stayed in the subway for about an hour before descending. By then, it was already 8 pm and the sky was dark. The night hawkers were already preparing their stalls. There were people selling skewers and beers. Some of them already had customers and the two of us slithered through the burgeoning crowd.


    Then Zhang Xue did something that I couldn''t understand at all. When she passed a table of bare-chested men, Zhang Xue suddenly leaned to the side and overturned their table. The skewers scattered to the ground and the beers sshed onto the men''s bodies. Not only me, even the men as well as the stall owner were shocked.


    "Well, aren''t you going to do something about that?" Zhang Xue stood where she was and stared at the men. Then, the men came to and one of them demanded angrily, "The fuck, what have we done to you, missy?" The men raised their arms and pumped their muscles but they didn''t do anything towards Zhang Xue because what would people say when they saw a group of men bullying a girl. Eventually, one of the men growled, "Give me your phone. I''ll call your father and have hime here to exin this to us."


    Zhang Xue shrugged and said, "I can make it easier for you. It was my big brother who told me to flip your table. That''s him over there." Zhang Xue then pointed her finger right at me. The girl had already noticed me following her and this was her way of taking revenge on me.


    "Guys, get him!" The men yelled. It was uncouth for men to bully a girl but it was a different story if the offender was a man. If I fell into these men''s hands, it would not end well for me. It was time to run. Chasing after me was the group of angry men and Zhang Xue''s loudughs. The men wererge but slow. Even so, it took me a lot of effort before I managed to lose them. I ran until I almost coughed out my lungs. As I made my escape, I recorded the map of the street in my mind. After I made sure I had shaken off the guys, I took a quick detour back to the skewer stall. I looked around and saw a familiar girl in a school uniform walking off. This time, I didn''t say anything and charged towards her. When Zhang Xue heard my footsteps, she turned around. When she did, I pulled her into a tight grab.


    "Help, someone help me" Zhang Xue shouted. I scolded sternly, "Stop yelling. I''m your big brother, you''re going to make these kind people misunderstand us." Then I turned to the crowd and smiled, "I''m so sorry for my little sister." Since some of the people in the crowd saw Zhang Xue point me out as her big brother earlier, they nodded understandingly.


    "He''s not my brother!" Zhang Xue shrieked.


    I ignored her and so did the crowd. I knew we couldn''t stay there for long because the group of men might return at any moment. I dragged Zhang Xue away, screaming and kicking.

 Chapter 65: The Connection Between the Four

    Chapter 65: The Connection Between the Four


    After dragging Zhang Xue along for a while, and ensuring that the group of men had lost us, I stopped. After cing Zhang Xue down, she looked at me and I looked at her. There was a mutual admiration of the opponent''s bravery and determination. Zhang Xue was the first to speak, "How do you know the streets here so well? This should be your first time here."


    I shook my finger at her. "The moment I stepped in here, I knew the generalyout. Plus I see a lot of motorists in the alleys, that can only mean that the alleys are mostly interconnected. As long as I heed a general direction, I''ll eventually get to where I want."


    "Impressive." Zhang Xue said as she cupped her left hand over her right fist just like how you''d see in a wuxia movie. Then it was my turn to ask, "When did you notice I was following you?@ Zhang Xue mimicked me and shook her finger at me. "Don''t you know the windows of the subway are reflective? A girl will know when someone is constantly watching her. Furthermore, I''ve seen you before. So why are you following me anyway?"


    "Impressive." I returned her the same praise. "But when a girl does the holding hand salute, it should be the reverse of the male version, your right hand should be above your left." Zhang Xue rolled her eyes as she wandered off. "Boring! You''re as fuddy-duddy as my teachers." After walking for a distance, she stopped and then turned around to ask, "Well, are you going to walk me home or not?"


    Since my operation had been exposed, why not just do it openly? I shrugged and walked towards Zhang Xue. Zhang Xue''s gait was slow like she was purposely buying time. I already noticed that when she left school. But why?


    "Zhang Xue, I have a question for you." I asked. "Why did you walk so slowly even after you found out I was following you? If you had walked faster, you could have lost me in the crowd."


    Zhang Xue didn''t answer but she changed the subject, "I know why you''re following me. You''re with the police so you''re not doing this for fun. I heard that Teacher Gao Rui is dead and he died from cyanide poisoning so you suspect the few of us who stole the cyanide had something to do with it, correct?" I''m greatly impressed. This 15 years old girl not only had great anti-surveince ability, she also had great deductive skills.


    I didn''t answer. As Zhang Xue continued to walk, she said, "Teacher Gao Rui was a good man. Last year, we had extra biology tuition sses from him and he never charged the ss anything. He even gave us a lot of encouragement. If we could pass the exam to continue at Yu Cai High School, he''ll be our biology teacher."


    "He had given you guys extra tuition?" I asked.


    Zhang Xue nodded. "I ran into him on the field one day when it was my second year in school. He asked me why I was there during ss hours. I ignored him, assuming he was another teacher up on my business. I''d assumed he would send the discipline teacher my way like all the other teachers had but he didn''t. He just asked me what my favorite subject was.


    "Now that I think about it, I had no idea why I said biology but it made him so happy. He said he would dly teach me in the future because he was a biology teacher." Zhang Xue''s voice lowered like she was choking. "At the time, I thought he was the kind of teacher I had not encountered before. Therefore, when he opened his free tuition, I went to attend it. He was a very good teacher, he made the subject fun somehow. And he was so polite and kind." Indeed, Gao Rui was a kind man.


    Zhang Xue continued, "His tuition sses were always fun. He was like our big brother, and he didn''t judge us like some of the other teachers. Time passed by so fast in his ss because it always felt like we were ying. Even Zhou Gou, the kid who didn''t actually need any more tuition came to the ss. So tell me, why would someone harm a good man like him?" No one wanted to harm him, Gao Rui chose to end his own life, he merely had outside help. I sighed, "Where did you hear about his poisoning?"


    Zhang Xue lowered her head. "The whole school is talking about it but I''m sure it''s not one of us. The 5 of us were very good friends with Teacher Gao Rui, why would we do something like that? I hope you''ll soon find his killer." Looking at Zhang Xue, I didn''t know what to say. It sounds like she didn''t know Gao Rui died from suicide and believed that he was poisoned. However, I couldn''t tell whether she really didn''t know the truth or was just trying to confuse me. After all, deception was human nature.


    I nodded and said, "Of course, I''ll find justice for such a good man. He deserves that much."


    Zhang Xue stopped and then lifted her head to look at me. "Thank you, I know you''re one of the good guys too." Then she pointed at an old apartment building beside us, "This is why I stay. The unit without any lights is my home."


    "Isn''t your father home?" I knew she lived with her father since she was young. Hearing that, Zhang Xue smiled and then shook her head.


    "Alright, go on back home then. I''ll leave after the lights in your homee on." I ruffled her hair. Zhang Xue nodded and then walked up the stairs. Suddenly she stopped and turned around. The weak moonlight meant that I could only see her silhouette in the dark stairwell. I had a feeling that she was crying "Do you want toe up for a drink? It''s the least I could do to thank you for walking me home." Zhang Xue said. A strange emotion rose within me then. It felt like a part of my heart softened and I epted Zhang Xue''s invitation. After all, it was just a drink of water. I was indeed tired from following her all afternoon. As I walked up behind Zhang Xue, neither of us spoke. The stairwell''s lights were broken. The moonlight casted in through the window and pulled our shadows long. They moved on the wall alongside us like two dancers.


    "If it can be built, one should ept that


    It can also be demolished


    In reality, there isn''t a continual happiness


    That will remain the same forever" That was the ringtone from my phone, a song called Wedding Street Invitations. I turned to look at the caller id which said Sister Ornery. "Hello, Sister Mary, how can I help you?"


    Mary appeared to be eating because I could hear her munching. "Didn''t you tell me to add another victim to the case? When I looked through his info, I found something interesting. Our four victims should know each other, or at least they must have met each other."


    "What do you mean?"


    Mary cleared her throat. "We''ll go one by one. First, do you remember I told you that Zhang Mingliang sold his old house and left his money for Gao Rui? Guess who managed that sale? The jumper, the Ma Li something, the one that had the name like mine."


    I was speechless. Then Mary continued, "Right, Ma Liliang. After he sold the house, he wired the money into Zhang Mingliang''s ount, but at the time, Zhang Mingliang had already decided to die. He didn''t wire the money to Gao Rui because he was afraid that might cause the police to suspect his good friend so he found a third person."


    "Do we know this person too?"


    Mary said, "Yes, it''s that widow, Wang Yiman. Wang Yiman said yes but she didn''t keep the money in a savings ount but instead gave it to Lee Zhinan. Lee Zhinan worked at a financialpany, he was an investment manager. In the short amount of 3 months, he turned Zhang Mingliang''s 1,500,000 RMB into 20,000,000 RMB!"


    "How did he manage that?"


    Mary answered, "He used the 1,500,000 RMB to set up a scheme and used that to approach a bank to make a loan of 20,000,000 RMB." I was suddenly reminded of the documents inside Lee Zhinan''s briefcase, there was a piece of paper that had XX Bank on it.


    "I still don''t get it."


    "It''s okay if you don''t, it involves highlyplicated manoeuvring of the economics and financial system. You wouldn''t get it even if I exined it to you." Mary grumbled with annoyance. "In any case, Lee Zhinan created a false proposal to make the bank buy his credibility. Eventually his scheme would be exposed but since he was already nning to die, it didn''t matter to him anymore." With that new info, things strung together in my mind but something was still missing. The four victims appeared unconnected but there was now this tenuous connection. Ma Liliang sold the house, Wang Yiman set up the ount, Lee Zhinan manufactured the scene. However, in Gao Rui''s will, he only mentioned 1,500,000 RMB. Did he not know about the 20,000,000 RMB?


    "Then where is the 20,000,000 RMB now?" I asked.


    "Big brother, we''re here." Zhang Xue said. I nodded.


    Mary on the phone continued, "We''re still tracing it, the money has basically gone through all the big banks in the nation before going overseas. It''ll be hard to find it now. We don''t even know if it''s inside or outside the country. Do you know why inte scams are so hard to crack? It''s because technology is too good now and they''re moving so fast"


    I shook my head and told Mary, "It''s wonderful that you manage to get this far. Just keep chasing that money. Okay, I''ll have to go now, bye!"


    "I will do that even without an order from you! I''ll inform you if we get any update." Then she hung up.


    Zhang Xue stood in the door and readied the slippers for me to change into. "Come in, Brother Wu. So did the police find any new clues?"


    I changed into the slippers. As I took in Zhang Xue''s home, I said, "Yes, we did find something."

 Chapter 66: Game of Power

    Chapter 66: Game of Power


    Zhang Xue went to pour me some water while I walked around her house. I nced at the wall clock, it was already 9 pm. I couldn''t help but wonder what her father did for a living that he was still out sote at night. I also wondered if the other students were as astute as Zhang Xue. The thought of having to go back to the station and admit that I was exposed by a young girl darkened my world.


    "Here''s the water." Zhang Xue ced the ss on the table and started to clean. However, I could feel that she was watching me from the corner of her eyes as if she had something to tell me. I took slow sips of the water while I watched Zhang Xue. This Zhang Xue was quite hard to read, be it from the book she read or the way she spoke. Lee Zhinan''spany worked from 9 to 5 and he took Subway Line 1 home, he would have left hispany the same time as Zhang Xue left school. Would they have met on the subway? If they did, would they talk? Was there another reason for her to invite me into her home? I had a feeling that Zhang Xue knew more than she was saying. Even though my mission was exposed, that didn''t mean that I wouldn''t be able to get her cooperation.


    "Why isn''t your father home yet? What does he do for a living?" I asked Zhang Xue. Zhang Xue smiled rather sadly before saying, "I don''t know when he''ll be home but sometimes, I wish that he''ll nevere home." Before I could ask for boration, Zhang Xue stopped her cleaning and then asked, "By the way, what do you think of Lee Taida."


    My brows creased. "I know what his history with his father is like so I pity him. He can''t escape him because his father is still his legal guardian. Based on your question, it sounds like you know about his family issues as well. Then you must know that he''s aiming to kill his father, right?"


    Zhang Xue quickly shook her head. "I knew that Lee Taida doesn''t have a good rtionship with his father because he told us about his childhood before. But I had no idea he stole the cyanide to kill his father. When he admitted that in the ssroom, we were all shocked. I also know that Taida is in police custody, I wish to beg you to help him." Zhang Xue''s eyes watered and then she suddenly knelt before me. "Taida is a good man. He might not look like it but he is really a kind person." I immediately went to hold Zhang Xue but she pushed my hands away and continued her plea. "Taida never bullies anyone and he adopts many stray cats and dogs outside of school. He would go and feed them every day. How could someone like that be a bad person?" Zhang Xue continued, "Because Ie from a single-parent family, people liked to bully me. Without Taida, they would still continue to bully me. Zhao Erming is also a good friend. Zhang Erming has helped me punish the students who once bullied me."


    It was not up to me to decide such things but since Lee Taida was a juvenile and Lee Xian was still alive, his punishment shouldn''t be severe. Even if I didn''t say anything, he would be released soon enough. I told Zhang Xue. "Okay, but please stand up, I promise to help you." Zhang Xue stood up and then sat down beside me. Then she did something that I did not expect again. Zhang Xue removed her t-shirt to expose her fair skin. While I was still in shock, she removed her shorts. I stood up in panic. "What are you doing? Put your clothes back on!"


    "I am willing to do anything to repay you." Zhang Xue said inly. I grabbed her clothes and handed them to her. From the corner of my eyes, I saw that her body was covered in bruises. They were mostly gathered around her inner thighs and lower stomach. They were normally hidden under her clothes. I demanded. "Put your clothes back on, I have something to discuss with you." Zhang Xue nodded, but not before pulling on the edge of my shirt. Seeing that I really had no interest, she slowly put the clothes back on.


    "Who taught you these things?" I uttered in a stern voice, "Why would you do something like that?"


    "I, I learned it from my father." Zhang Xue lowered her eyes. My heart chilled, by then I could already guess 90 percent of the truth. This girl grew up with her father. Zhang Xue was now 15, a girl in her prime. Zhang Xue lived with her father under the same roof, my heart froze just thinking about it. "Tell me, has your father done" I didn''t have the heart to finish the question. Zhang Xue nodded and then told me her story.


    Zhang Xue''s mother passed away when she was young. Her only reliance on this world was her father. Before she was 12, her father treated her like a princess. He gave her everything she wanted. Zhang Xue even thought she only needed a father, it was fine that she didn''t have a mother. However, everything changed when she was 12. That day, Zhang Xue was at home sleeping. Her father tumbled back drunk. He was apanied by hispany superior. Even at age 12, Zhang Xue was a very understanding girl. She opened the door, brewed some tea to help them with the hangover. The two men sat on the sofa while Zhang Xue went back to her room to sleep.


    Around midnight, someone entered her room. Zhang Xue who was only 12 sat up in bed. In the dark, someone crawled into her bed. She wanted to cry for help but a giant palm covered her mouth. Then another hand reached under her clothes. She couldn''t scream and she was too weak to fight back. Her assant was her father''s manager. Zhang Xue was so afraid that she didn''t know what to do. Then he raped her. Every day after that, Zhang Xue would have nightmares.


    When her father walked in, the manager was still snoring in bed. Zhang Xue was so catatonic that she couldn''t say a word, she could only cry. When her father saw her torn clothes and the blood on her bed, he knew everything. Zhang Xue said she would never forget that day, the first thing her father did was to charge into the kitchen to grab a knife. He aimed it at the snoring man''s neck. Just as he was about to make the cut, Zhang Xue''s father suddenly stopped. His manager would never know that he almost died that night. Zhang Xue''s father reced the knife. When he returned, he had exchanged the knife for a camera.


    "Climb onto him!" Zhang Xue''s father ordered. Zhang Xue didn''t move, she was still crying. Then she was snapped into consciousness by a p to her face. Her father growled in a warning tone, "I told you to climb onto him, do you not hear me?" Afraid of more ps, Zhang Xue obediently obliged. Her father took down many valuable pictures that night.


    The next morning, when the drunk manager woke up, he found himself on an unfamiliar bed. He was naked. Instantly he was covered in cold sweat. Everything that he did yesterday night crashed into his mind. If he was reported to the police, his life would be over. He staggered out from the girl''s room. He was greeted by Zhang Xue''s father who sat on the couch. Zhang Xue sat dumbly beside her father, she was still naked.


    The manager chuckled awkwardly, "Erm, Xiao Zhang, it seems like I had too much to drink yesterday night." Then Zhang Xue''s father turned around to smile. "Of course, I understand. I will not tell anyone what happened yesterday night. You were too drunk."


    Then Zhang Xue''s father had a smooth climb up the corporate daughter. No one knew why. There was a highlypeted post at thepany, Zhang Xue''s father was less experienced and less capable than many of his colleagues but he got the post. His colleagues could only gossip about his connection but only Zhang Xue''s father knew the truth, this was ckmail pure and simple.


    Zhang Xue never dared to sleep alone after that, she could only fall asleep when she was with her father because whenever she closed her eyes, that night woulde back to her. One yearter, when Zhang Xue was 13, she slowly walked out from the nightmare but she never knew that a bigger nightmare was awaiting her. That day, her father did the same thing to her. When Zhang Xue woke up from her sleep, she saw her father''s eager face and reddened eyes. Her father growled, "You look more and more like your mother. Plus this is not your first time anyway. In that case, why should I wait any longer? Am I right, my good daughter? I''m not wrong, tell me I''m not wrong, my dear daughter." Zhang Xue would never expect that her father would do that to her. From that day onwards, her life was hell. Her father was well-respected at thepany but at home, he was like a beast. As Zhang Xue grew older, she started to resist but she only got bruises for reward.


    Zhang Xue saw a picture of her mother before, she did look like her. Zhang Xue''s father hadpletely shed his mask. Sometimes, he would invite the manager toe back with him. When Zhang Xue saw the man''s scious eyes on her, she knew what would happen. She became a pawn in her father''s game of power. Then more and more higher-ups from his father''spany came and Zhang Xue surrendered to her life. She tried to see the bright sides of things. Whenever she opened her legs, she could get expensive presents and gifts from these men. She thought Wu Meng would respond simrly.


    Even though she was only 16, her heart was already dead.


    "That animal!" When I heard the story, I cursed aloud.

 Chapter 67: Tyranny of the Majority

    Chapter 67: Tyranny of the Majority


    The night was still noisy and rowdy. Under the street lights, aunties and uncles gathered together to y cards and gossip. Inside the house, Zhang Xue and I looked at each other silently. For a girl who was only 15, her life story was harrowing, no wonder she was attracted to books like To Live. It was a simple directive, to live, but there were often too many difficulties in it. Zhang Xue never showed this side of herself to others because she was no longer living the same life as her peers Or at least most of her peers.


    Lee Taida hated his father intensely that he would not hesitate to kill him; Zhang Xue was her father''s sex captive, was it more than a shared family condition that brought these 5 children together? Yu Cai High School was a big school in Dong Xing City, there should be more than these 5 kids who came from single-parent families.


    Looking at Zhang Xue, I asked slowly, "Do they know about your story?" Zhang Xue hesitated and then nodded. Since she had just told me her biggest secret, there was no need to hide the rest. Zhang Xue told me how the 5 of them met. Interestingly enough, the 5 of them came together because of Zhou Guo. Zhuo Guo was a good student, the bookworm type. He didn''t like to talk and he had a pair of thick sses, he was not a popr kid by any means. He was often the best student in ss, he was obedient and quiet, he was a treasure in the eyes of the staff, he was the model student; but among the students, they hated goodie-two-foodies like him. And Zhou Guo was too weak to dare toin to the teachers even after he was bullied.


    As the saying goes, ally loads on the willing horse. Zhou Guo was always bullied but never fought back so more ssmates made him their targets. They bullied the best student to fulfil their own sick pride and honor. This was the way they managed to regain a little self-value in the system of education that emphasized on tests too heavily. Since they couldn''t beat Zhou Guo in terms of studies, they would beat him quite literally.


    One day, the bullies surrounded Zhou Guo again. They peeled off Zhou Guo''s shoes and tossed them among themselves, making Zhou Guo run after his shoes like a monkey. At that moment, someone shouted, "Fucking stop that now!" The whole ss became silent. It was Zhang Xue who shouted. With everyone watching, Zhang Xue walked towards the student who had Zhou Guo''s shoes. She didn''t say a word, only stretched out her hands. The student appeared to be stunned by Zhang Xue''s presence and obediently handed her the shoes. Zhang Xue epted the shoes and walked towards Zhou Guo. Zhou Guo''s face was red. He reached towards the shoes and lowered his voice to thank Zhang Xue. But Zhang Xue raised the shoe and used the foot to p Zhou Guo across his face, 5 times on each side of his cheeks. Zhou Guo''s face was instantly red. His cheeks were glowing with his own shoe print. Instantly, the surrounding crowdughed and an atmosphere of joy spread. Zhou Guo was ced in an awkward spot. His hands froze in mid-air, he didn''t know whether to take the shoes or not.


    "Shut the fuck up!" Zhang Xue dropped the shoes beside Zhou Guo''s feet. "From today onwards, no one is allowed to bully Zhou Guo anymore. That 10 ps will be the end. Especially you, Liu Yang!" Zhang Xue pointed her finger at Liu Xue. The boss'' of the bullies, Liu Yang, was still stunned. Wasn''t this Zhang Xue often bullied by the girls too? Where did she find the guts to shout and order him around that day? While Liu Yang was baffled, Zhang Xue went back to her seat while Zhou Guo put his shoes back on. The ss was silent.


    When Liu Yang came to his senses, he was pissed but as a boy, he still had the pride that prevented him fromying his hands on a girl. However, if he couldn''t even deal with a Zhang Xue, then his ce as the boss would be shaken. He was contemting what to do when the bell rang. "Zhou Guo, Zhang Xue, don''t you dare to go anywhere after school." Liu Yang recited the linesmon for all school bullies.


    After thest bell rang, if this was a normal day, the students would slip out of ss immediately, shouting along the way. But today, most of the students stayed in ss, taking their leisure to pack away their stuff. After the teacher was long gone, a student went to follow her, this was Liu Yang''s scout. If a staff member returned or passed by, he would shout to inform Liu Yang.


    "Okay, I have no idea what is going on in your mind today but some lessons are necessary to remind you who the boss of this ss is." Liu Yang pulled over a chair and sat down before the two. A group of people surrounded Zhang Xue and Zhou Guo at the corner. These were all Liu Yang''sckeys. They were just school bullies but they saw themselves as more than that. Under Boss Liu Yang''s direction, they ruled the school.


    "If you want a fight,e and get it. Stop wasting my time!" Zhang Xue spat at Liu Yang. The girl who leaned on Liu Yang''s side scoffed. This was Liu Yang''s girlfriend. The girlfriend scoffed. "Bitch, do you know who you''re talking to? How dare you talk to my husband with such disrespect. Sisters, go and tear out her mouth." Then the girl and herckeys stomped forward. Soon the girlfriend was lying on the ground. Zhang Xue kicked her right on her stomach, she didn''t even see iting. Everyone was shocked because they never thought someone would fight back when they were surrounded. Whenever they did this in the past, no one dared to counter. Their victims all waited at the corner to be punched and then cried for mercy. Zhang Xue was clearly not afraid of the bullies'' bigger numbers. Shended more kicks on the girlfriend. Liu Yang only reacted when his girlfriend started to cry. He shouted. "Get them!"


    To save his own face and girlfriend, Liu Yang swung a fist at Zhang Xue. Zhang Xue was so focused on dealing with the girlfriend that she didn''t notice the iing fist. However, the fist didn''tnd on Zhang Xue because someone stepped forth to block it. Hearing the grunt, Zhang Xue turned around and saw Zhou Guo smile dumbly at her. Zhou Guo stood before Zhang Xue like a meatshield, he didn''t fight back but he wouldn''t allow anyone to hurt Zhang Xue. Zhang Xue looked at Zhou Guo but didn''t say anything. She turned her attention back to the girlfriend.


    At that moment, someone walked in.


    "Eh, who are you people? Which ss are you from?" The scout at the door shouted.


    Two people walked in, 1 male and 1 female, Lee Taida and Lin Rou to be precise.


    "Boss, someone is here." The scout immediately reported after the duo strode past him into the ssroom. Hearing that, everyone stopped, assuming the neer was the teacher. Lee Taida and Lin Rou reached the crowd and the crowd parted to reveal Zhou Guo who was covered in footprints and Zhang Xue who was untouched.


    "Who are you people?" Liu Yang frowned. "Mind your own business." Lee Taida answered with his fist. "The person I hate the most is the kind who would raise their fists against women." Then it became a brawl. Even though she was a girl, Lin Rou was as strong as a boy. Then again, with the chaos that was happening, who cared about small details like gender anymore. The tables and chairs were kicked over and several students were rolling on the ground.


    Eventually the 4 were wounded. Then someone shouted out of nowhere. "Help, please. My head is bleeding!"


    Then more people wailed and screamed. The crowd turned back to look and spotted a gianting from behind them. The giant held a wooden stick in his grasp. There were not many people who would reach 1.8 metres in junior high. He towered over the rest of them easily. Using the stick, he aimed at the bobbing heads and soon the heads bruised and bled. People cried and sobbed. The school bullies were so unstoppable because they had the number''s advantage but this giant came swinging with a wooden stick. No one dared to take him head on, they scattered and some of them went to find the teacher. In the end, only Liu Yang and a few unconscious students were left in the ss.


    "Who, who are you?" Liu Yang had never encountered someone who was more brazen than he was. This giant aimed to wound and kill.


    "The name''s Zhao Erming." The giant dropped the stick, it was the foot of a wooden stool. Lee Taida added, "You know the consequence if you dare to bully the two of them again."


    Liu Yang nodded. The teacher finally arrived. When he took in the scene, he immediately sent for the school nurse. Then the 5 bullies'' were sent to the discipline office. It was the same old spiel, do not fight, do not resort to violence, threat of expulsion, their parents would be summoned and so on. Even though Zhang Xue tried to exin that it was not their fault, the discipline teacher was not having any of it. 4 of these 5 students were rebels, had bad results and shared a bad reputation among the staff, so who would buy her story? Furthermore, there were so many students in the ss, did they all gang up to bully Zhou Guo?


    Zhang Xue nodded defiantly and the discipline teacher pped her for it. Zhang Xue was suddenly reminded of a term she learned in history ss, tyranny of the majority. When the majority thought we were wrong, were we really wrong?


    As they left the discipline office, Zhang Xue and Zhou Guo were frowning but the other 3 wereughing. Zhang Xue and Zhou Guo didn''t get it, what was so funny?

 Chapter 68: The Coward

    Chapter 68: The Coward


    They asked Lee Taida why he wasughing. Lee Taida told them it was the only way to deal with the state of the world. That was the first andst time Zhou Guo was called to the discipline office. From that day onwards, he fell in love with Zhang Xue. Also, from that day onwards, no one dared to bully Zhang Xue and Zhou Guo anymore. The 5 of them became fast friends. One day, the five stayed after school and sneaked onto the rooftop. Someone brought beer and they had too much to drink. That night, they didn''t go home but stayed up there up in the sky, chatting and sharing.


    Lee Taida exined he hated men who hit women the most because he grew up watching his father beat his mother. His mother eventually had to escape and Lee Taida admitted that he missed her a lot. Zhao Erming sighed and shared his tale. He was the son of a prostitute. Every day his mother told him toe home only after 12 midnight, after her business was closed. Zhao Erming wanted to hate her but he couldn''t bring himself to do so. Lin Rou downed the canned beer and showed her wounds too. She had a young brother, and their family was still locked in the era where boys were valued more than girls. Her father and grandmother treated her like air, in fact, when she was 3, her grandmother dumped her inside a trash can. If she didn''t crawl out by herself then, she would be dead by now. However, Lin Rou didn''t hate her little brother, in fact, she loved him. He was a cute little thing.


    Zhang Xue told them about her sadistic father who raped her. She couldn''t summon the energy to hate anyone, she just wanted to have a peaceful sleep. Zhou Guo had a sad story to share too. Zhou Guo didn''t like to fight and he would never tattle on anyone because of his mother. His mother was bedridden. She suffered from paralysis and only half of her body could move. His mother eked out a living by doing sewing and embroidery. He didn''t want to cause trouble for his mother. It was not that he didn''t know how to fight back, he worried that if he did, the parents of the other students would demandpensation.


    None of them said anything but raised their cans in unison. Everything unsaid was in that cling of cans. They mighte from different backgrounds but their stories were so simr. The 5 young people found sce in each other, they talked about their past and their future, but how would their future look like, would people like them still have a future?


    Lee Taida wanted to buy a house for her mother, and then they would move in together; Zhao Erming wanted to travel the world; Lee Rou said her dream was to open a caf and be her own boss; Zhang Xue wanted to leave this city, to start over at a ce where no one knew her; Zhou Gou''s dream was for his mother to recover. Other people''s dreams were dreams but there was a chance for them toe true but it was not the case with Zhou Guo. Zhang Xue had met Zhou Guo''s mother, she was in ate stage of her condition. She was only 40 but she looked 50 plus. There was no cure for her, now it was all up to God to see how much longer she needed to suffer on Earth.


    That night, the 5 of them drank until they were drunk. They looked up at the sky, each star seemed to wink down at them. Each of them had their own dreams and hopes but they were all connected in a unique bond. That night, Zhang Xue said, "Sometimes, I wish to just say goodbye to this world. I only need to jump down from here, don''t I? It sounds so easy. I''ll then be free of all the pains and troubles."


    Zhou Guo looked at her. "Why would you do something like that? You could just move to somewhere no one knows you, just like in your dream."


    "How? But at the very least, you need money to dream." Zhang Xue looked at this young man who loved her stubbornly through hazy eyes. "That''s right!" The others concurred. Indeed, what kind of dreams in this world didn''t require mary support? They drifted away to dreands on the rooftop that night, perhaps in their sleep, all of their dreams came true. The group made a promise that they woulde back 2 yearster on the same day to meet up and drink again.


    Soon it would be time for middle-year exam. Zhang Xue was devastated because it meant that they would have to split up and go their separate ways. There were too many uncontroble things in one''s life. Some lived in the dark but never cow towards it; some bathed in light but surrendered their lives easily. I wonder how was this group of teens connected to our suicide victims. I sent messages to my colleagues, telling them to stop the tracing on the teens if they didn''t find out anything new. I told Zhang Xue, "I can help you, I will arrest your father."


    Zhang Xue nodded and then posed this sudden question. "Is life always this hard, or is it when you''re a kid?" I was silent because I didn''t know how to answer. This was a quote from the ssic Leon: The Professional. Zhang Xue must have seen it and knew that the answer given by the main character was, Always like this''. But I couldn''t bring myself to say that.


    Instead I said, "It''ll take a lifetime to answer that question, in fact, it''ll take your full lifetime to truly make sense of it."


    Zhang Xue shrugged and then stood up to walk towards the kitchen. She took down an apron, and looked like she was preparing to cook. "One minute!" I shouted. "What''s wrong?" Zhang Xue jolted from the shock. I stood up, looked at her and then asked, "Who taught you how to tie the knot on the back of this apron?"


    Zhang Xue was confused but she answered, "Zhou Guo taught me this. He said the people from Southern America always use this kind of knot to hook the fruits down from fruit trees. This knot is very firm and it wouldn''t loosen easily. But when you want to undo it, you just need to ce your finger into one of the knot rings and pull lightly. It''s very convenient. He''s alwaysing up with strange trivia like this."


    My brain buzzed. This knot was simr to the knot on the noose that killed Wang Yiman. I didn''t expect to find the same knot at Zhang Xue''s home. Could the cowardly boy have done something like this?


    I was suddenly reminded of something. "When you two were cornered inside the ss, Zhou Guo never budged when he shielded you?"


    "Yes." Zhang Xue smiled. "That idiot. He''s such a coward, but he did his best to protect me." So Zhou Guo was truly the bravest one. "Where is Zhou Guo''s home? You said you''ve been there before." I asked Zhang Xue. She gave me the address. I opened my GPS and keyed in Zhou Guo''s address. When the location popped up, everything cleared in my mind. When I analysed the killer''s behavior, I noted the location of the first 3 victims and predicted the next victim''s location but I was wrong.


    I kicked myself because when the 4th victim was found, I should have seen it. The death locations for the 4 victims were all along the trail of Subway Route 1. The 4 locations were exactly between Zhou Guo''s home and Yu Cai High School. With that in mind, my heart chilled. I turned to look at my inbox. Both Gu Chen and Xiao Liu had replied but not Guan Zhenglin. Perhaps like me, she was discovered when she was on Zhou Guo''s trail but instead of being invited for water, she was killed by Zhou Guo?


    I hurriedly called her but no one answered.


    "I need you to call Zhou Guo now!" I ordered. Seeing my stern expression, Zhang Xue obliged but simrly no one answered.


    "Stay at home. I''ll be leaving now. I promise to follow up on your father." Then I dashed out from her house. As I ran towards the address, I sent a message to Xiao Liu and Gu Chen, "Xiao Liu, contact the station, I''ve already confirmed the suspect. It is Zhou Guo. Gu Chen, I need you to go to his home now. The address is An Ning Street West Number 47. Guan Zhenglin may be in danger."


    Of the 5 people, the first to interact with the cyanide was Zhou Guo. If he had lied from the beginning, the rest of the crew wouldn''t have known how much he stole from theb. The amount was how much Zhou Guo said it was. Zhou Guo had once attended Gao Rui''s biology tuition and had a good rtionship with the man. Perhaps that was how Zhou Guo got close to Gao Rui. If he wanted a biology lesson, the good teacher wouldn''t have said no even after he was fired.


    Lee Taida and Zhao Erming were bad at their studies, they might not have even attended one chemistry ss. They probably didn''t even know that cyanide was toxic. Zhao Erming said he heard about cyanide from someone, that someone was most likely Zhou Guo. But something didn''t add up. Zhou Guo must have known about Lee Taida''s hatred towards his father. Lee Taida was Zhou Guo''s good friend, would he allow his friend to really kill Lee Xian, and spend his life in jail as a murderer?


    I quickly called Lee Xian, "Lee Xian, do you remember me?!"


    Lee Xian paused before adding, "I do, you''re my son''s teacher, aren''t you? Isn''t that bastard locked up already? The bastard wanted to kill me but thankfully I was called away that day. See, gambling can save lives. It saved mine."


    "Who was the one who called you?" I asked.


    Lee Xian said impatiently, "Why do you want to know? But it''s my gambling buddy. He used to be so poor but recently he won the second prize in the lottery, 20,000,000 RMB. Perhaps he sold his soul to the demon to get it. But either way, if not for him footing my bill, I wouldn''t have agreed toe to the casino with him. Hell, I guess he saved my life."


    "Then is he" Before I could say anything, Lee Xian cut me off, "I don''t have time to chat, my round is starting. Hang my bastard son if you want. I don''t care." Then Lee Xian hung up.


    "Fuck!" I cursed.


    I hopped into the subway. Zhang Xue''s home wasn''t that far from Subway Line 1 but even so it still took me 1 hour to get here. My phone vibrated. It was a call from Gu Chen. I heard Gu Chen saying through heavy breaths. "I''m already at the address. After I got into the door, I saw both Guan Zhenglin and Zhou Guo lying in bed,pletely motionless"

 Chapter 69: Has To Die

    Chapter 69: Has To Die


    Hearing that, my heart sank. I couldn''t imagine that I would never see or talk to Guan Zhenglin again. Even though I liked to mock her and joked with her, I couldn''t ept this result. The images of our times together shed through my mind and my tears fell. The boy who was the most cowardly, the most impossible suspect was the mastermind behind all these. If I had chosen to follow Zhou Guo, Guan Zhenglin would not have died. "Guan Zhenglin, how did she die" After taking a few deep breaths, I asked with shaking breaths.


    "Huh? What are you talking about?" Gu Chen''s voice said, "Who told you Guan Zhenglin is dead? She''s just asleep. She looks fine to me but Zhou Guo has lost his heartbeat and vitals. But his body is still warm so he died not too long ago. I already called the hospital, you better hurry here." I immediately wiped away my tears. That damn Gu Chen, this is all his fault!


    "Wait Did I hear crying?" Gu Chen chided. "I knew it, you must be"


    "You bastard!" I scolded. "Protect the scene, wait for the analysts and investigators toe." The most beautiful term in English was not love, but false rm. I felt it deeply at that moment. My heart finally returned to its ce. I even felt a bit of joy even though there was still a victim, Zhou Guo. Lu Xun said happiness and sadness couldn''t coexist in man, maybe he was right. Such was humanity. After all, I didn''t really know Zhou Guo. If I wasn''t assigned to this case, I wouldn''t even have found out about this young man. When I arrived at Zhou Guo''s home, Guan Zhenglin was sitting at the front door steps. She still looked quite out of it. She shook her head as if to clear her mind. Looks like Zhou Guo knocked her out. I patted her shoulder and asked, "Are you alright?"


    Guan Zhenglin lifted her eyes to look at me. Instead of answering me, she said, "When I followed Zhou Guo to this ce, I saw him open the door with a key. A small puzzle piece was dangling from the keychain. I recognized it as the final piece from Wang Yiman''s puzzle. He probably didn''t expect us to really go through her puzzle"


    "And then what happened?" I helped her massage her temples. Guan Zhenglin sighed. "He walked into the room but left the door open. That confused me so I went to the door to take a closer look. Suddenly I was hit by this strange smell. Then my head started to spin and my limbs turned rubbery."


    "You better stay here and rest. I''ll go in to look." I stood up and said. Guan Zhenglin pulled herself up. "Wait, I''ming with you."


    Theoretically speaking, Zhou Gou didn''t have to kill himself. With his genius, he had to know about our country''s juvenilew. Furthermore, his victims technically allmitted suicide. All he did was to persuade them to that action. If he showed penance, his punishment wouldn''t be serious. So why did Zhou Guo choose death, was there something that we were still missing?


    Guan Zhenglin and I walked into the house. Gu Chen was inspecting the space. When he saw us, he said, "I looked around the house and found this box." Gu Chen picked up a round tin box from the ground. It was a tin box for imported cookies. He pulled back the lid and we looked in. It contained a brush, a watch, an empty chip bag and an old photograph. With the puzzle piece on his keychain, everything was here. The watch was Gao Rui''s; the brush was Lee Zhinan''s; the chip bag was Ma Liliang''s; while the puzzle piece was Wang Yiman''s. This was evidence that Zhou Guo was rted to the 4 victims. I held the round tin box and looked around the room. This was a simple house, the floor was paved cement floor and there were holes everywhere. The ce was old. The paint was peeling on the wall and the remaining paint had heavy water stains. It meant that the roof was leaking. Everything within sight suggested that Zhou Guo came from a poor family. I was suddenly reminded of the missing 20,000,000 RMB. Taking in the empty four walls, something dawned on me. ording to Zhang Xue, Zhou Guo''s mother was extremely ill. She would need a lot of money to heal. That would exin why Zhou Guo had found those 5 people. Zhou Guo needed the money to save his own mother''s life, then it meant that the n had started a long time ago. Zhou Guo''s house lined up the victims'' addresses perfectly. However, I still had no idea why Zhou Guo selected these 5 people. Was it random or premeditated?


    A bed sat at the corner and beside the bed was a round door. Looks like it was used to partition the room. Zhou Guo''s body was lying in bed. He was still dressed in school uniform, his old school bag wasid beside him. Beside the bed was also a round table. There were 2 sses of water on it. Both of them were half empty. Guan Zhenglin crawled onto the bed to inspect Zhou Guo. I looked at Guan Zhenglin and noticed the strange expression on her face. She looked both conflicted and sad. I believe that was because she knew that if Zhou Guo had wanted to kill her, he could have done that easily but he did not. So why didn''t he? Was it because he only went after those who already had suicidal wishes?


    Guan Zhenglin sniffed around Zhou Guo''s lips and then used her fingers to pry his mouth open. We could see the membrane around Zhou Guo''s inner lips were purplish red. It was symptoms of cyanide poisoning. Did that mean that one of the two sses was tampered with cyanide? Gu Chen saw me looking at the 2 sses and he pped his thigh and said, "Maybe Zhou Guo hasmitted a fatal mistake? He identally ingested the ss which was meant to kill Zhenglin?"


    It only took Guan Zhenglin several minutes toe up to Zhou Guo''s house after she saw the jigsaw puzzle on his key. It was impossible for Zhou Guo to concoct the cocktail to sedate Guan Zhenglin in such a short amount of time. Then there was only one answer, Zhou Guo did it on purpose. He purposely let Guan Zhenglin see the puzzle piece!


    "Yes, it should be cyanide poisoning." Guan Zhenglin said slowly, "Then that confirms Zhou Guo lied to us. He was the one who stole the cyanide so no one would have known if he took a small piece of it. Furthermore, Zhou Guo had always been seen as this coward at school, no one would have even fathomed him doing something as bold as this" Some liked to hide themselves while others lived like an open book, Zhou Guo was clearly the former. Beyond the image of the studious bookworm, Zhou Guo had an unreadable heart. Zhang Xue once said that Zhou Guo''s dream was to cure his mother, well, he would have the money now. Which beget the question Where was Zhou Guo''s mother?


    I walked through the inner door. The other room was even smaller. It could only fit a bed and a dresser. A table sat on the bed and the table had an iplete embroidery on it. I touched the embroidery and the stitching frayed immediately. Next to it was a well-folded bedspread. From the indentation on the bed, someone had slept on the side facing the wall for many years.


    "Gu Chen." I shouted, "Did you see anyone else when you came in here?"


    Gu Chen answered from outside, "No, there were only Zhou Guo and Guan Zhenglin, there was no one else."


    I then heard the siren, it should be Xiao Liu arriving with our people. As expected, I heard the familiar voice ask, "What happened here?" I walked out from the inner room and saw Xiao Liu with the police unit. "Did you find anything?" Xiao Liu asked.


    I frowned and told them. "There''s something very strange. Where is Zhou Guo''s mother? She has half-body paralysis, she couldn''t have moved without outside help. Plus I saw an iplete embroidery on the table. Based on the dust on it, it has been left there for some time already. So where has she been?" No one could answer me. At that moment, Xiao Liu suddenly piped up. "Wait, there''s a lottery ticket here. My God, it''s a winning ticket forst week''s lottery!" Xiao Liu showed us the ticket and eximed, "That''s right, I remember the winning number clearly! This is the ticket for the 2nd prize winner. Did Zhou Guo win the lottery?" I looked at the lottery ticket and another detail entered my mind.


    "How much was the prize money for the first and second ce lottery winnerst week?" I asked.


    Xiao Liu appeared to be well-versed in this because he answered readily, "The first prize was 80,000,000 RMB for only 1 winner; while the second prize has 2 winners, 20,000,000 RMB each."


    "20,000,000 RMB?" I asked to confirm.


    Xiao Liu groaned, "That''s right. That much money even for second prize. Fuck, I''ve been buying tickets for 3 years already and I haven''t even won a constion prize." Rolling my eyes at Xiao Liu, I ordered, "Xiao Liu, I need you to look into Zhou Guo''s mother''s current location and Gu Chen,e with me."


    "What''s up?" Gu Chen asked.


    I answered. "We''re going to find Lee Xian." Lee Xian said that his gambling buddy had won 20,000,000 RMB from the lottery. If there was a way tounder illegal money, the lottery was definitely one of them. If this was the method used, Zhou Gou''s mother would be in treatment by now. Once Zhou Guo died, we wouldn''t be able to do anything about any of these anymore. Zhou Guo had to die because someone needed to be responsible.

 Chapter 70: Dead Mastermind

    Chapter 70: Dead Mastermind


    It was not that easy to find Lee Xian. When Lee Xian hung up on me for the third time, Mary finally managed to triangte his location. It was a dpidated board game shop. Of course, that was just a front, although technically gambling was also a type of board game. The shop had remained in operation despite its appearance because of one reason, it had a lot of repeat customers. Pushing the door open, we were greeted by a corridor which was only several metres wide. There was a staircase on the left, it looked like the real action was upstairs. Before we even got up the stairs, someone''s head popped out from above and demanded, "Who are you two?"


    I answered. "We''re Lee Xian''s friends." The man didn''t suspect anything and allowed us to pass. The second floor was a lot more spacious. We spotted Lee Xian immediately. He was seated beside a mahjong table. Based on the focus on his face, you''d think he was a CEO deciding international business, which at a time, he indeed was. When I was in jail, a gambler had introduced me to the art of mahjong and the change to the whole scene of gambling thanks to technology. With the introduction of e-wallets, most gambling dens didn''t use real chips and money anymore. Every win and loss would be calibrated online. That way, if they were ambushed by the police, they could say they were merely ying for fun, there was no money involved. At the time, I remember asking that gambler, "Then how did they get you?" The gambler froze and then after a long time, he asked me, "Yes, we hid our tracks so well, so how did the police manage to bust us?"


    I answered, "If you don''t want to be captured, the only way is to not do it. Technology can change life but it can''t change habits, think about it."


    While I was reminiscing, Gu Chen''s voice pulled me back. "Is that Lee Xian?" I looked around and noticed that this ce was still stuck in the past. We saw a lot of cash on the table. I believed the entry fee was about 100 RMB a seat. Lee Xian held a mahjong tile in his hand and frowned deeply as he looked at his set. He didn''t even hear Gu Chen mention his name. I finally understood why gambling was so hard to abolish, these people had melted their souls into the exercise. After I nodded, Gu Chen walked towards to grab Lee Xian by his wrist and Lee Xian''s tiles scattered on the table.


    "Who are you?" Everyone turned to look at us. Gu Chen answered. "The police." No one reacted but only looked at Gu Chen dumbly. And then all hell broke loose. Everyone scattered immediately. People rolled up their cash and ran, others tumbled out the door. Instantly only Lee Xian remained in therge room. Lee Xian was held firmly behind his back by Gu Chen. Based on what Lee Taida said, we knew Lee Xian didn''t have money anymore and the casino den wouldn''t allow a bad credit to enter unless of course someone was willing to lend him some.


    "There were so many people, why did you onlye after me?" Lee Xian failed to escape, he demanded angrily. To be honest, we were not there for him but for another person. It was Lee Xian''s gambling buddy that I was here for. Apparently he won 20,000,000 RMB from the lottery but that wouldn''t be the case because the winning amount wouldn''t still be 20,000,000 RMB after he paid the prize tax. Unless of course, he sold his winning ticket to another person, a person like Zhou Guo.


    "Bring him back to the station." I told Gu Chen. Gu Chen asked, "What about his friend?" I smiled. "Those with heavy baggage won''t be able to run far."


    The moment we reached the station, Lee Xian gave up his friend. In less than half an hour, the friend appeared before us. After some questioning, the friend admitted that he did sell his winning lottery ticket to someone but he had never seen that person.


    This friend was also a gambler, Liu Hwarong. His father died when he was 3 and his mother died when he was 17. He was chased out from his aunt''s home when he was 17 and he had to work when he was 20. But when he was 22, he fell into the trap of gambling. He lost every penny that he earned. 20 years after that, he spent his life barely surviving. Whenever he had extra cash, Liu Hwarong would go gambling. He knew that he couldn''t juggle two sins at once so to sustain his gambling, he managed to force himself to quit smoking which he had picked up when he was 12. When he had money, he would y the big table; and vice versa. Like all gamblers, Liu Hwarong lost most of the time, he couldn''t even tell how much money he had lost to gambling. But like most gamblers, he had faith that he could one day win them all back.


    Sometimes, he had that moment of rity, he knew that he was sinking but he couldn''t stop himself. He couldn''t stop now because once he did, what would be of him? He was a gambler and nothing more. Many people knew about the danger of gambling but they just couldn''t stop themselves.


    Liu Hwarong sometimes thought back to his 40 years of life and saw how truly unlucky he was. Why are some people born in riches and not him? Liu Hwarong felt cheated and he tried to fight back against fate through the only way he knew how, by gambling. He starved himself and spent his dinner money on several lottery tickets. Ironically enough, it did work. One of the tickets changed his life. He hugged the television and kissed it for a long time. He won the second prize, 20,000,000 RMB, how much was that? Liu Hwarong had no idea because whenever he had cashrger than 10 RMB, it would be on the gambling table.


    He hurried to exchange his prize money but before he did, he was approached by a kid. It was a thin young man with a cap. The boy gave him a phone and then ran away. Liu Hwarong had no idea what it meant but at that moment, the phone rang. He decided to pick it up. A low middle-aged man''s voice said that if Liu Hwarong had won the 2nd prize, he was willing to pay 20,000,000 RMB for it. Liu Hwarong had heard about this from his gambler friends before. This was a moneyundering scheme. Say someone came into illegal money but had no way to spend it officially, what could they do? One of the ways was to turn that illegal money into a winning lottery ticket. Liu Hwarong didn''t expect something like that to happen to him. Liu Hwarong hesitated because it meant that the illegal money would then be his responsibility while the buyer got away with the legal winning ticket. But the upside was Liu Hwarong wouldn''t need to pay prize money tax if he sold the ticket instead of trading it in. The difference was 4,000,000 RMB, that was a lot of money. After some contemtion, Liu Hwarong agreed. After Liu Hwarong told the man on the phone his ount number, a full 20,000,000 RMB was wired into it immediately. Liu Hwarong thus handed his winning ticket to that boy. What happened after that, Liu Hwarong had no idea.


    When we asked Liu Hwarong to describe the boy for us, he told us that it was a primary school student. He was most likely just an errand boy. The real mastermind behind it never showed. Liu Hwarong thought the things would eventually blow over but he still fell into our hands. I called Mary and told her to look into Zhou Guo''s ounts. However, the 20,000,000 RMB had gone around so many ces, it would be hard to trace the source anymore. Even if we believed that the money was the same 20,000,000 RMB Lee Zhinan scammed from the bank, we had no actual evidence to prove that.


    How could a boy in his teens manage toe up with something as genius as this? What had he experienced in his childhood?


    Liu Hwarong told us everything he knew, we had no right to confiscate his assets so we let him go. But Lee Xian had to stay. As Lee Taida''s guardian, he had to go through a series of procedures. But that was not under our jurisdiction anymore.


    Soon, Guan Zhenglin came to join us. She had finished the autopsy on Zhou Guo. The two sses on the table contained respectively sedative and cyanide. Based on the tests, both sses only had one person''s lip and fingerprint. Both sses were drunk by Zhou Guo, one was to sedate himself and the other to poison himself. Guan Zhenglin confirmed that Zhuo Guo died from cyanide poisoning. His time of death was when Guan Zhenglin was unconscious. The deaths of 5 victims corresponded to 5 teens; 16,000,000 RMB; 5 teens with their respective dreams.


    Suddenly something dawned on me. If that was true, then Zhou Guo''s mother might be dead already. Right then, my phone rang. It was Xiao Liu. "Ol'' Wu, you won''t believe this. Zhou Guo''s mother was already dead when he was 2nd year in junior high. Not many people know about this, not even the staff at his school."


    "Look into Zhou Guo''s father then." I sighed. Everything fell into ce then. What Zhang Xue told me rang in my mind, that night, 5 young men and women on the rooftop; dreams needed money to be funded; if Zhou Gou didn''t use the money to cure his mother, then he would have split the 16,000,000 RMB among his best friends. The puzzle was solved.

 Chapter 71: Die a Hero

    Chapter 71: Die a Hero


    I understood something but not all. Human heart was the mostplicated thing in the world, the death of five represented the rebirth of another 4. If the 16,000,000 RMB were split evenly, each would get 4,000,000 RMB. That wasn''t that much in a big city but in a small town, it couldst a lifetime. That night, Lee Taida said he wanted to buy a house and then invite his mother to move in with him; Zhao Erming wanted to go world-travelling; Lin Rou wanted to open a caf; Zhang Xue wanted to move to a ce where no one knew her. With 4,000,000 RMB each, that was now all possible.


    The night was darkening. Looking at the blinking stars, I was reminded of something. That fateful night on the rooftop was 2 years ago today. But now Zhou Guo was dead and Lee Taida was in detention. I wondered if they felt difited by that. The moonlight scattered on the floor.


    "Come on." I patted Gu Chen beside me. "I''ll bring you to find that missing 20,000,000 RMB tonight."


    "But it''s already sote." Gu Chen looked out the window. "Are you sure we can find it?"


    Gu Chen and I came to the rooftop of Yu Cai High School''s office building. I carried military grade night vision goggles with me. If I was not wrong, Zhang Xue''s group would appear tonight. I had a feeling that Zhang Xue yed a great role in Zhou Guo''s death. If not for Zhang Xue, I wouldn''t have known about what happened 2 years ago; if not for Zhang Xue, I wouldn''t have seen the knot Zhou Guo taught her. Of course, this was all based on the presumption that Zhang Xue had unwittingly revealed these details to me. Or could Zhou Guo have arranged such details too? But how would the young man have known we would trail his group today?


    While I was thinking, Gu Chen tapped my shoulder. "Someone''s here." I epted the goggles Gu Chen handed me. I looked through the distance and saw human figures appear on the opposite building''s rooftop. I looked closer and confirmed it was indeed Zhang Xue''s group but Lee Taida and Zhou Guo were conspicuously missing. There were only Zhang Xue, Lin Rou and Zhao Erming. The three looked at each other but didn''t say anything. I saw Zhang Xue pull out something and hand them to the other two. In the dark, I could only make out that it was something thin. It dawned on me then. Those had to be bank cards. Had Zhou Guo nned everything 2 years ago when they gathered on that same rooftop?


    The 2 were first startled before they broke intoughter and finally tears. Zhang Xue appeared to tell the two something and then we heard Zhao Erming''s raspy voice growl, "Zhou Guo, you motherfucking idiot!"


    As I expected, Zhang Xue knew about Zhou Guo''s n but she didn''t stop him. I remembered Zhang Xue said that she had been to Zhou Guo''s home before. Then she would have known that Zhou Guo''s mother had already passed away but that was not what she said when I was at her home. Zhang Xue told me that Zhou Guo''s mother was still suffering from paralysis but based on our observation of Zhou Guo''s home, that was definitely not the case. In other words, this was not Zhou Guo''s n alone, it was a n hatched together by Zhou Guo and Zhang Xue but Zhang Xue didn''t look like someone who would trade Zhou Guo''s life to achieve her own dream. Zhou Guo loved Zhang Xue deeply, perhaps he did this on his own volition, he hoped that the case would end with his death so that the police wouldn''t investigate it further.


    Zhou Erming was still screaming, eventually his shouts would attract the school security''s attention. Gu Chen had no goggles so he had no idea what was happening, he pushed my shoulder and asked anxiously, "What''s happening? The money is with those students?" I wanted to say yes but the words got lodged in my throat. The 20,000,000 RMB was traded with 5 lives. Gao Rui was always a kind person, everything that he did was for the betterment of others. Could his death be a way to help others too?


    Lee Zhinan and Wang Yiman, they were both individuals of extreme loneliness, one had chosen to die quietly, the other with a bang. No one cared about their lives and soon, no one would care about their deaths. Were their deaths then a way to show kindness to these children, these younger versions of themselves? The kids who were lonely, abandoned and overlooked?


    With regards to Ma Liliang, he had scammed so many people for 3 years, he chose death to seek salvation. Then who were we to deny him that?


    The saddest though had to be Zhou Guo, his mother had died but he had to act like everything was normal. He was always smiling in ss like there was nothing bothering him. How deep he must have hidden his scars. Zhou Guo chose to die to fulfil the dreams of others. He chose to die to give the police a closure, so that we could end the case with him.


    So what should I do? Confiscate the money on the basis of its suspicious origin and squash these teens'' dreams or just let the case end with Zhou Guo? Zhuo Guo had done his best to cover up his tracks. He even went so far as tounder the money so that his friends could use them without any legal problem. Furthermore, did I really have proof? The money came from winning the lottery, granted the money used to purchase the winning ticket was illegal but the people who knew about that were all dead. I had no witness.


    If I took back the money, these teens would have to return to their parents who were by no means guardians. Could I really do that? Had Zhao Erming''s mother continued to prostitute herself so that her son could attend school; had Lin Rou continued to suffer under an obsolete tradition of misogyny; had Zhang Xue return to that nightmare house where she was whored out by her father; had Lee Taida return to the life of crime? If thew was not to punish the bad but to limit the good, then what was the point ofw?


    Gu Chen nudged me again. "So what did you see?"


    I shook my head and decided to let the sleeping dog lie. "Nah, I believe I got it wrong. The suicides have nothing to do with the students. Mary said that the stolen money probably has been moved to an offshorepany, she''s probably right. Sigh, and I thought we would intercept the money tonight." Gu Chen patted me and consoled, "The money is no longer a problem as long as there is no more death. Does that mean we can close the case now?" At this point, Gu Chen suddenly shook his head. "But how are we supposed to conclude this case anyway? Did the victims die from voluntary death or were they coerced by Zhou Guo?"


    I was reminded of a poem by Cang Kejia, A person is alive, but he''s already dead; A person is dead, but he lives on. In a city as big as Dong Xing City, in less than a day, these suicide victims would be forgotten by all but their closest family. However, perhaps even their family didn''t know how magnificent they were before they died. Half of their bodies were sunken in darkness, swallowed by it but before they died, they did their best to save these teens from the same pool of darkness.


    The next morning, an envelope arrived at the station. The sender was Zhou Guo, this was a letter addressed to us. Zhou Guo chose next day delivery, he had even calcted this. Other delivery services would have sent out the letter before he couldmit suicide. I opened the envelope to see what it was that Zhou Guo wanted to tell us.


    "When you read this, I would havemitted suicide already. I did everything, I told those people to take their own lives like I am about to take mine. Perhaps you might not understand the reason why. I can''t tell you why, it''s the secret between us." With Zhou Guo''s death, everyone who was involved in the moneyundering was dead. The 20,000,000 RMB became an untraceable thing. "This world is very strange, some people are more useful dead than alive. Before this, I never understood why people wouldmit suicide. Since they were brave enough to die, why couldn''t they find the courage to live? The answer is fear, because there are so many things in this world which are so much harder than dying.


    "Some are permanently separated from their loved ones; some have their loved ones stolen away from them; some have to suffer extreme loneliness at night; Some have to suffer extreme guilt under the sun. Loneliness can kill, solitude can kill, mncholy can kill.


    "Compared to living, dying is the easiest thing to do. Only the weak will choose suicide as the way out. That''s not wrong. But since we''re already here, we do not wish for our lives and deaths to be a waste. Suicidal emotions echo among kindred hearts. Sometimes I wonder why I can pinpoint easily what others cannot. Within the past year, I''ve seen multiple times the suicidal ideas within these 4 practically overflowing from their bodies but no one else could see it. Eventually I understood why... It was because I also had this seed of suicidal ideas within me. Only those who have suicidal thoughts can see them in others.


    "Therefore, goodbye to this world. Goodbye Zhang Xue, Goodbye Lin Rou, Goodbye Zhang Taida, Zhao Erming. Goodbye. I am merely leaving one step ahead of you. You have to keep on living, take my life with you, bring me to see the world. Keep on living andplete your dreams.


    "Your good friend, Zhou Guo."


    Reading this letter, I was reminded of what Guan Zhenglin told me when we were outside the ssroom, stealing the cyanide was probably the most brazen thing Zhou Guo would do in his life.


    At the time, we had no idea how wrong we were. Zhou Guo had done more than stealing cyanide, he had stolen something more significant than that.

 Chapter 72: Boiling Soybeans

    Chapter 72: Boiling Soybeans


    Zhou Guo had nned everything and shouldered all the responsibility. 5 people had died but the case raised not even a ripple in the big city. The city dwellers had gotten used to it, gotten numb to people around them dying from great pressure. Life in the city was so fast that those who couldn''t catch up would naturally be eliminated. This was my first time encountering a case without a killer. I could only pray that the teens would thrive bearing the hope of these adults.


    Seeing me standing there all spaced out, Gu Chen snapped his fingers beside me and said, "What are you thinking about? The case is already over. We knew from the start that these people hadmitted suicide. Now that Zhou Guo is dead, whether he had persuaded them or not, I don''t think it matters anymore." I had a feeling of punching at the cushion, like my energy had been wasted. But at least from Gao Rui and Ma Liliang''s wills, they had stated explicitly that they did intend to kill themselves and they didn''t want to burden Zhou Guo with it. Therefore, it didn''t matter whether Zhou Guo approached them or not, they would have chosen death in the end. Zhou Guo''s appearance merely allowed them to make their deaths more meaningful.


    The suicide cases were over but there were still many things to be done. I reported Zhang Xue''s father to the responsible unit. That incidentally raised quite a big wave at Dong Xing City, this was because Zhang Xue''s father, Zhang Dequan was the leader of the financial department of the city organizational unit. It was a ce where a lot of powerful people worked. Zhang Dequan''s manager, the one who raped Zhang Xue, had received an honorary'' retirement and as expected Zhang Dequan eventually took over his seat. During the arrest, Captain Zhao brought us with him. Zhang Duquan was a muscr man with tanned skin. He didn''t look at all like a man who spent his days in the office. Zhang Xue was present during evidence collection, she pointed out her father and a few other people at the office. This was going to be a long and arduous process but at least it had begun now.


    Based on the workers'' testimonies from the city organizational unit, Zhang Dequan joined them when he was about 30. Before that, he was a sailor. He was used to manualbor. Zhang Dequan followed a ship crew when he was only a teen, he married when he was 20 plus and decided to settle after marriage. However, Zhang Dequan didn''t have any seble skillset, he could only offer his brute strength. He knew that would not sustain his family so while he picked up odd jobs, he took the exams for governmental work. This was not a simple thing and he failed multiple years. During this moment, their family weed a new member.


    Zhang Xue was born on a snowy night, Zhang Dequan felt the burden on his shoulder getting heavier. Zhang Dequan knew that he couldn''t rely on thebor-intensive odd jobs forever because he would eventually be eliminated by the younger and stronger generation. Changing his status quo was Zhang Dequan''s only way out. Education was the great leveler. While he applied for the exams, Zhang Dequan also graduated from a vocational school. However, when Zhang Xue was 3, Zhang Dequan''s wife fell ill. Even though he expended all his savings, his wife eventually left the world. At the time, Zhang Xue was only 2, she couldn''t even remember what her mother looked like. Zhang Dequan loved his wife deeply, the woman who stuck with him through thick and thin. 2 yearster, with his own hard work, Zhang Dequan finally passed the examination and joined the city organizational unit. By then Zhang Dequan was already 30, but he had never been in the system before. He didn''t know much about the rules and thus didn''t expect to do much for himself inside the unit.


    A government job was extremely secure, it was more than enough to provide a stable life for him and his daughter. However, the incident that night changed everything. The moment Zhang Dequan put down the knife, he also put down his morality. Suddenly Zhang Dequan grew from an unknown character into the most famous employee. With the support from many higher-ups, he reached the height that he enjoyed today.


    Zhang Dequan''s colleagues only had good things to say about him. There were many people who yed tricks and looked down on Zhang Dequan when he first joined the unit but when Zhang Dequan climbed over them on thepanydder, he didn''t use the opportunity to take revenge. Whenever a colleague needed help, Zhang Dequan would be the first to offer a helping hand. A female colleague said, "Manager Zhang was my Prince Charming. I once considered confessing my love to him but after I found out he had never married after his wife passed away more than 10 years ago, I knew that no other woman would be able to enter his heart. I never thought he would be such a monster"


    Some of the colleagues shook their heads and sighed; while others piled on his misery. In any case, in Zhang Dequan''s current state, his friends'' couldn''t wait to distance themselves from him. When he was shoved into the cruiser, Zhang Dequan looked at Zhang Xue who stood not far away. His tears fell silently. Perhaps Zhang Dequan loved his wife so much that he couldn''t stop himself from seeing his daughter as his wife. However, no matter what kind of person he was, he had no right to build his happiness on other people''s pain. Perhaps Zhang Dequan would sell out his aplice to lighten his sentence but that was not my concern anymore. Just as Zhang Xue was about to leave, I called her name.


    Zhang Xue and I stood there with the sirens crying all around us. Zhang Xue had tears in her eyes. She told me that her father treated her like a princess before she was 12. Unfortunately people would change, due to their new position, or new environment. In any case, Zhang Dequan was still her father and he had given her plenty of good memories too. She must be in unimaginable pain.


    "After this is over, you n to move to a ce no one knows you?" I looked into Zhang Xue''s eyes and asked slowly. Zhang Xue was shocked. She was a clever girl. She should know that I had already guessed the whole truth. She took a deep breath and rubbed her eyes so that her tears wouldn''t fall. "Yes, thank you. After the case with my father wraps up, I do n to move to a ce where no one knows me. Thank you for everything. I have nothing to give you, so I shall give you this book." Zhang Xue took out To Live from her bag and ced it in my hands. The book was very well-read, and the pages were yellowed. I flipped through it and saw a note made by Zhang Xue. "Is life always this hard or is it when you are a kid?"


    Zhang Xue then turned and walked away. The crew hopped into the cruisers and left. Soon only a few of us were left at the department door. Captain Zhao walked over and said, "All of those people died from suicide but had identally drawn out a pig. Do you really have no idea where that 20,000,000 RMB is?"


    I shook my head. "No, what about Sister Mary? Can she find anything?" Captain Zhao sighed, "If we really want tounch an investigation, it''ll involve the Interpol. The fees involved will be more than 20,000,000 RMB. O well, I guess the secret will die with the dead. By the way, where is Xiao Liu? Why don''t I see him?" I pped my forehead. I had Xiao Liu investigate Zhou Guo''s parents for me. But he never returned yesterday night, he probably found something. One hour after we returned to the station, Xiao Liu finally arrived. "Fuck, you''re here drinking tea while I''m outside ving away?" Xiao Liu groaned.


    I lifted my head and said, "Detective Liu, so what did you find?"


    Xiao Liu pouted and said, "I did find something. When Zhou Guo''s mother fell ill with paralysis, his father abandoned his family and ran. No one has seen him ever since."


    Guan Zhenglin rolled her eyes. "Then why did you take so long with your investigation?"


    "I wasn''t done yet." Xiao Liu snatched my cup and gulped down the water. "I continued my investigation because I noticed something weird about Zhou Guo''s mother''s death."


    "What do you mean?" I asked.


    "Yesterday night, I got an interesting clue from Zhou Guo''s neighbours. Zhou Guo''s mother also died from suicide. About 2 years ago, her illness worsened. It would take a lot of money to cure it. Therefore, she had expressed the intention tomit suicide many times to her neighbours and every time they would call her son to persuade her off it." Shaking his head, Xiao Liu continued, "But in the end, she still died. Did you know how?" When no one answered, Xiao Liu breathed out in disbelief. "She was scalded to death."


    "Scalded to death?" I hadn''t no idea what that was.


    "Yes." Xiao Liu took out a file. "I didn''t get it at first either, but I heard from the neighbour aunties that Zhou Guo''s mother died from eating soybeans. She cooked soybeans until they were boiling and then wrapped them in ayer of cold white rice before swallowing them whole. Inside the stomach, the acid would dissolve the rice and the burning beans would burn holes through the stomach lining." Hearing that, goosebumps rose all over my skin. Xiao Liu proceeded, "His mother swallowed a lot of them in one go. The rice was cold but the soybeans were boiling hot. Inside her stomach, they didn''t take long to basically cook her to death from within. She did this around 4 to 5 pm so Zhou Guo was still at school. Understandably this was a very painful way to go so his mother was biting on a piece of cloth when she was discovered. She didn''t want anyone to hear her scream, but the pain was probably beyond what she expected. In the end, she hissed through her gritted teeth and was thus found by her neighbours. She was immediately rushed to the hospital but died on the way there" Xiao Liu scratched his head. "When she was found, she was the only one inside the room, so her death was deemed a suicide. Furthermore, it seems highly unlikely that someone would use this method to murder someone"


    "Wait, there''s a problem!" I shot up from my seat.

 Chapter 73: Suicide is Not Easy

    Chapter 73: Suicide is Not Easy


    "In any case, her death is so unusual that I''ve found the case files and the coroner''s report." Xiao Liu ced the files on the table. "Come and take a look." I opened the files and spread the pages on the table so that everyone could see it. From the coroner''s report, it said that Zhou Guo''s mother died from acute gastric perforation, enterocentesis of duodenum, gastrorrhagia and so on. When the coroner opened up her body, she found a small amount of rice and arge amount of soybeans in the mother''s stomach. Her primary suspicion was that the boiling soybeans had caused the stomach walls to weaken and leak. The stomach acid corrupted parts of her internal organs, this was a long and painful death.


    WHO delineated intensity of pain into 5 different levels, 1 being the lowest and 5 the highest. Zhou Guo''s mother would have suffered a level 4 pain, I couldn''t imagine how she managed to pull herself through it. Just the thought of it caused my stomach to churn with difort. Her deathsted for about an hour before she passed away in extreme pain. The file came with pictures of the crime scene. Zhou Guo''s mother had a twisted expression where her face was scrunched together, the pain was palpable. Her body was curled up in response to the pain but due to her paralysis, there was an indescribable strangeness about her posture.


    There were a few pictures before the autopsy and after the autopsy. I saw a totally messed-up stomach, not something a normal person should have. Gu Chen and I turned to Guan Zhenglin at the same time. She shrugged. "The coroner''s report is urate. Look at the patches of white and yellow here. Those are pus, signs of necrosed tissues and organs. You can see there are small holes throughout her stomach, the stomach acid would have leaked out through these opening to corrode the other internal organs." Guan Zhenglin concluded, "This should be a suicide unless of course someone forced her to eat these things. The human cavity, the esophagus and stomach wall can only resist temperature between 50 to 60 Celsius. Boiling soybeans have a very high internal temperature. It would not cause any burn if ingested in the manner you suggested, which was wrapped up in cold rice, but after it enters the body"


    Gu Chen raised his brow and turned to me, "You said there was a problem earlier, what was it?"


    I pulled on my hair. "We''ve been to Zhou Guo''s house and there was no space for a kitchen. Plus Zhou Guo''s mother was paralytic, she couldn''t move unless aided. She could onlyy in bed and move with one of her arms. So how did she manage to prepare the soybeans and rice?" Gu Chen and Guan Zhenglin''s eyes shone because they knew what I was hinting at. Guan Zhenglin said, "You mean, like the other cases, someone has provided the tools for Zhou Guo''s mother tomit suicide?"


    I nodded slowly. "I believe that was the case."


    Gu Chen said with disbelief, "But why would Zhou Guo persuade his own mother to kill herself?" But immediately he gasped, "You mean, there was someone else?"


    "Indeed, if Zhou Guo''s mother was the first victim, then I believed the first killer wasn''t Zhou Guo but someone else." I turned to the files. "Plus the killer couldn''t have been Zhou Guo. He was at school during his mother''s period of death, unlike one other person" I tapped my fingers on the table lightly, if my spection was true, then I had to go and meet someone.


    1 hourter, I sat before the man, Zhang Dequan who was captured not too long ago. It was not easy to meet him, Captain Zhao had to pull some strings for me. Even so, I only had 1 hour to talk to Zhang Dequan and then he had to go and face other interrogations. "Can you tell me more about Zhang Xue''s mother? This will affect your daughter''s future" I began. Zhang Dequan studied me for a full 5 minutes as if thinking whether to buy my words or not. Eventually he said, "Do you have a cigarette?"


    I nodded and handed him one. Research showed that smoking could help lessen anxiety. And it was not bad to show that I was on his side. Zhang Dequan epted the smoke and took a deep draught. "Ask me anything you want. After what I did, this is probably thest chance I have to tell my story." Zhang Dequan looked at me with relief in his eyes. "This is just fucked up. This is going to sound crazy but I worry about my daughter. Who will take care of her after I''m gone? Even though I''ve done those things, she, she is still my daughter." It was a bit toote for regret now.


    I lit up a smoke myself and said, "Tell me about your wife."


    "My wife" Zhang Dequan mumbled. About 20 years ago, Zhang Dequan still travelled the sea. He looked out at the horizonless ocean and he had no ce called home. Zhang Dequan had been sailing for years already, he couldn''t say where he came from and where he''d go. He only knew that if he was not a sailor, he''d die.


    He lived and ate on the boat, working odd jobs for the crew. Zhang Dequan spent 5 years on the boat, growing from a 15 years old boy to 20 years old man, from a child worker to a professional sailor. One time, when the ship docked, a girl appeared near the harbor. She sold fresh seafood for a living and Zhang Dequan fell in love at first sight. The sea breeze caressed the two young people''s hearts. Zhang Dequan didn''t have much sry but that day he used all of his ie to clean out the girl''s stall. Once the other sailors found out about this, theyughed. They practically lived on a boat, why would he waste money to buy seafood?


    The sailorsughed about Zhang Dequan''s inexperience with money; while Zhang Dequanughed about their inexperience with love. When the ship stopped at this harbor for the third time, Zhang Dequan stayed permanently. Standing at the pier, looking out into the sea, Zhang Dequan finally found home. They would soon marry but Zhang Dequan knew that he had to quickly find a new job to support his family but he had nothing but familiarity with nautical skills. He decided to work and study. Thankfully his savings from 5 years of sailing managed to sustain him. He finished vocational school and graduated. He nned to sit for the government job exam. But that took longer than he expected, a full 5 years. It was during this period that his wife fell ill.


    Zhang Dequan''s family had to live on credit, at the time, Zhang Xue was only 2. His wife understood that she was a burden to the family and that was when she considered suicide for the first time. After Zhang Dequan left for work, his wife cut her wrist with a fruit knife but she was so weak that she failed to reach her artery. She watched the blood leak out from her body and eventually she fell asleep. Zhang Dequan was shocked when he came back and saw this. Thankfully, his wife was fine, she just had to live with a scar on her wrist. His wife cried, because she couldn''t even sessfully kill herself.


    For her second attempt, she chose to use gas poisoning. She used all her might to twist open the cooking gas tank inside the house. Then she closed all the windows and doors. She waited and waited but nothing happened. She didn''t know that they had gotten so poor that Zhang Dequan hadn''t reced the empty tank for a long time already. Zhang Dequan didn''t know about this.


    She tried to electrocute herself but the fuse melted and the circuit jumped. She tried hanging but she was too weak to throw the noose over the roofbeam. She thought about jumping but her house was too low to the ground. It was just 1 story tall. If she survived the fall, it would only burden her husband further. She never thought that suicide would be so difficult. If a person couldn''t even have control over her life, what else was she good for? She felt like this was a cruel joke by God. She was struck with illness and her medical fee crushed her family, she wanted to die but even that God had refused her.


    But finally, she got her chance. Eventually she got so ill that she had to be hospitalized. Sheid in bed all day and watched the ceiling day after day. Finally, there was a day when she was the only patient inside the room. She took out a syringe and slowly pierced it into her skin. Since the nurse would administer drugs through the needle every day, she had picked up the skill just from watching it so many times.


    The syringe had nothing but air. Air, something humans couldn''t live without but in certain situation, it was also the most fatal thing. She slowly injected the air bubble into her artery. 1 syringe, 2 syringes. She died in extreme pain. ording to the doctor, the air cause air embolus in the artery. The blood that flowed into the heart entered a state of spumescence and it seriously clogged up the blood circtory system. That then caused ack of oxygen transportation. In the end, she died from organ failures due tock of oxygen inside the body. This process onlysted for several minutes, but they were extremely painful. When the doctor found her, she was already dead.


    The hospital paidpensation for their negligence but money was not going to bring his wife back. Zhang Dequan knew why his wife died, it was because of poverty, because he couldn''t support the enormous amount of medical bills and because he couldn''t give their daughter a fulfilling childhood. The sadness festered into anger within Zhang Dequan, he swore to change his life, to eliminate poverty. Right at that time, he was epted by the city organizational unit.


    When everything was smooth sailing, the incident with Zhang Xue happened. That night, the anger and drive within Zhang Dequan dissipated. He had no idea why he was holding out so long. He missed his wife so much that night. He wanted to cry, he wanted to kill but in the end, he did neither. When he saw his manager wake up from his daughter''s bed, Zhang Dequan knew that his life was already over.

 Chapter 74: Willing Sacrifice

    Chapter 74: Willing Sacrifice


    Everyone had a bit of kindness and sin hidden in their hearts. That day, the sin in Zhang Dequan''s heart overwhelmed everything else. After his wife died, Zhang Dequan never looked at another woman again.


    Then as his daughter became more like his wife, Zhang Dequan devolved into a creature of baser sin. It seemed evitable that Zhang Dequan would crawl into his own daughter''s bed. Every minute after that moment, Zhang Dequan suffered in pain and guilt. He saw his wife in his daughter but he also knew that she was not his wife. He hated himself but he was too weak to do anything about it. He became angry so heshed out and beat his daughter, turning the fault onto her. At the end of the day though, Zhang Dequan never had a moment of peace since that fateful day.


    The ashtray before us already had 7 or 8 cigarette butts. Zhang Dequan pressed another cigarette against the ashtray and puffed out thest bit of smoke. "I guess I''m d it has ended. I''ve never felt as at peace as I do now. The time is almost up. If there''s nothing else, I wish to spend thesest moments alone."


    I pulled out a shoce from my shoes and knotted it before Zhang Dequan. Seeing that, Zhang Dequan asked with confusion, "Hmm, you''ve been a sailor before? How do you know the sailor''s knots?" Hearing that, my brain buzzed. Seeing the change to my expression, Zhang Dequan asked with concern, "Are you alright?"


    I nodded. As Iced my shoe back on, I told him, "It''s nothing, I have to go now too." I pushed open the door and walked out. My heart was racing all over the ce. Perhaps Zhou Guo was just another pawn. From the start, he was never treated as one of the five. In that case, the real mastermind was not him but someone else.


    "Gu Chen, bring Zhang Xue to the station for me"


    When I finished the pack of smoke, Zhang Xue finally arrived at the interrogation room. When she saw me, she was nervous but momentster, she calmed down. I looked at her, and wondered just what kind of heart was hiding underneath this beautiful yet vulnerable appearance. Zhang Xue said softly, "Why did you ask me here?"


    I took several deep breaths and began, "Because we''ve already found out the truth and realized who the real mastermind is. Zhou Guo was just another one of your pawns. From the start, you n to sacrifice Zhou Guo.


    "Like Zhou Guo, you too take Subway Line 1. But Zhou Guo''s ce was more convenient. I can''t believe I didn''t see that. Furthermore, there is one thing that you have which Zhou Guo doesn''t, time. Unlike Zhou Guo who attended every ss, you, on the other hand, would skip ss and leave school early." Zhang Xue blinked innocently and didn''t say anything. I continued, "After Zhou Guo stole the cyanide, he first handed it to you and not Lin Rou. After you took a piece, you returned it to Zhou Guo and then had him give the rest to Lin Rou. That way no one would have known you had taken a piece of cyanide, other than Zhou Guo.


    "You gave the cyanide to Gao Rui and stole his watch. And then you killed Wang Yiman and took away her puzzle piece." I looked at Zhang Xue and hissed out the words one by one. "You taught Wang Yiman the special knot which could only be untied by someone else because you couldn''t afford to give her the chance to have second doubts at thest moment, didn''t you? That was wickedly brilliant." Zhang Xue''s lips trembled but still she said nothing. I continued, "You said it was Zhou Guo who taught you the knot, it was some African tribal knot. Nonsense! You learned it from your father. He was a sailor when he was young. The knot you taught Wang Yiman was a sailor''s knot, the same knot your father taught you." I mmed on the table, "Do you want me to bring your father here to verify that?"


    Zhang Xue sighed and then shrugged. "You''re right. I was too careless. I didn''t even realize that I had identally revealed the knot to you. When you asked me about it, I just came up with a random answer. I didn''t expect you to suspect Zhou Guo because of it."


    I scoffed. "Like you have concern for him at all. After you killed Wang Yiman, the police officially started the investigation and turned the focus on your school. You know that if you left any more trace at the crime scenes, you''d be easily exposed therefore you did not partake in the designs of Ma Liliang and Lee Zhinan''s deaths."


    Gu Chen nodded. "That was why Gao Rui and Wang Yiman''s deaths were so artfully staged while Lee Zhinan and Ma Liliang''s deaths were theplete opposite. It was because she had stopped interacting with thetter 2 victims."


    I looked at Zhang Xue who decided to m up again. I proceeded, "You approached these 4 and became their friends. You told them about your background and gained their pity. They promised to help youplete your sinister n to acquire the 16,000,000 RMB."


    I revealed to Zhang Xue. "Actually, that night, I already saw you pass out the bank cards at Yu Cai High School''s rooftop."


    Zhang Xue said in a tinny voice, "In that case, why didn''t you arrest me then?"


    I gritted my teeth and said, "Because at the time, I thought if the money was enough for you guys to escape from your original families and crawl out from darkness, then it''s all worth it even though the money itself came from darkness. If you have not done that thing, I definitely would have let you go!"


    Zhang Xue straightened up. "What thing?"


    I stressed it word by word. "During the start of junior high, you encountered Zhou Guo. Zhou Guo was a nave person and everyone in your ss liked to bully him. But you found out about his sick mother and you decided to befriend him. It was not because you cared about him, it was because he was an integral part of your n. After that, you met Gao Rui at school and Wang Yiman, Ma Liliang, Lee Zhinan on Subway Line 1. Within one year, they shared with you their suicidal tendencies one after another." I said, "Mary never found anything online because they never revealed that side of themselves on the inte. But they did, to you on the subway train. You are different, you are charming. There is a wed yet determined spirit about you. You became their good friends, you persuaded them tomit suicide and they all agreed.


    "After you had their agreement, you started to work your wicked magic on Zhou Guo''s mother. That was not easy because Zhou Guo''s mother still had something to live for, her son. He had always pulled her back from the brink of suicide. Therefore, you had to work extra hard to exact your influence. You left school early and came to Zhou Guo''s home daily. His mother weed you into her home because you were her son''s friend but you had already decided to sacrifice her from the start!"


    Zhang Xue started to tremble. Even I had a hard time keeping my voice even. "Just like that, you two became friends across generations. To endear yourself to her, you even picked up embroidery! On the day of her death, you were helping her with the embroidery. The embroidery left on her table, that was not Zhou Guo''s mother''s work. It was too amateurish, not the work of someone who could sell their embroideries for a living!


    "That day, Zhou Guo''s mother died. Zhou Guo didn''t know anything, he really thought his mother died from suicide, he had no idea you were behind it!" I pushed, "After Zhou Guo''s mother died, he had no reason to live anymore. Actually, I was wrong. He had one more reason and that was you, the girl that he loved. From then on, you would have him firmly nted in the middle of your palm." I mmed the table. "This was all your n. You have Zhou Guo fall in love with you because you needed to use him. You knew that if there was a scapegoat who surrendered, then the police wouldn''t continue the investigation anymore because this case would be wrapped up as suicide cases and not homicide cases!" I pointed my finger at Zhang Xue. "You collected the precious items from the victims not because of their memories, it was for you to nt them at Zhou Guo''s home. Zhou Guo''s family wouldn''t be able to afford imported cookies. It''s funny because I remember you telling me you would get gifts from your father''s managers after you slept with them, I''m sure this tin of cookies was one of them. The tin and everything inside it were your final gift to Zhou Guo. Since you already got the money, you had no need for him anymore, he could die already!"


    Zhang Xue nodded. "Yes, but who told him to fall in love with me, a woman with a venomous heart, a person he should stay away from? Only someone as feeble-minded as him would obediently listen to my orders and not run his mouth. I told him that we would die together as lovers and he actually believed me, could you believe it?!" Zhang Xue emphasized. "But was I wrong? I just wanted some money to move to somewhere no one knows me. Was that so wrong? Do I deserve to be raped by my father and his friends repeatedly? Plus, you kept saying it was murder, but did I really kill anyone? They would have died without me anyway! Even Zhou Guo, he was willing to die for me!" Zhang Xue shook. "If anything, I only helped them. From my mother''s own experience, I knew how difficult it was to have a presentable death. I didn''t want them to go through the same painful path as she did, I only wanted to give them the choice to preserve their dignity in death! Was that wrong of me?!"


    I shook my head. "I originally decided to just leave this be but you shouldn''t have used Zhou Guo as a sacrifice, no one deserves that fate. He didn''t need to die, he didn''t want to die. Do you really think Zhou Guo was that dumb? You really think he bought your story of dying together as lovers?" I took out the letter Zhou Guo wrote to us. "Zhou Guo understood all along what his role was in your eyes. So he went one step further for you. He took on all the me himself voluntarily. He ended himself to bring light to the rest of you. He was not dumb, he was just a boy in love with you."


    "Then why. Why would you do this?!" Zhang Xue cried. "Zhou Guo had already chosen to shoulder all the sin for me, then why would you arrest me? Do we not deserve a day of peace? We''re so close to climbing out from hell, how could you kick us back down into hell again?!"


    Zhang Xue cried until her body shook. Perhaps in her mind, once her father''s case closed, she could bring the 4,000,000 RMB to a ce where no one knew her and start again. But I would not allow it, a person''s life should never be controlled by another person. Zhou Guo might have allowed it, but not me.


    "Why, why, why!" Zhang Xue was still wailing.


    I looked at Zhang Xue and smiled, "Because people like you deserve to stay in hell and I can''t allow myself to see you obtain happiness through the sacrifice of others."

 Chapter 75: Always Like That

    Chapter 75: Always Like That


    With the capture of Zhang Xue, the 16,000,000 RMB returned to the police and the economic crime unit would follow up on it. The dreams of the 4 teens were destroyed. Originally 4,000,000 RMB each was more than enough for them to fulfil their dreams but now everything was kicked back to the start. I couldn''t forget thest gaze Zhang Xue gave me before she was taken away. The hatred and sadness were so deep that it was like she would eat me alive if she had the chance. If Xiao Liu didn''t continue to investigate the truth, perhaps Zhang Xue might have walked free. But the book, To Live, she gave me also had sold her out, the grandson of the main character inside the book also died from gorging on soybeans. Perhaps Zhang Xue identally decided to mimic that or she did it on purpose, who really knows?


    Finally the day of the middle-year exam arrived, and it was raining. That night, a man was sent into detention. The man was Zhao Erming. That night Zhao Erming finally couldn''t hold back the urge and stabbed the customer who was crawling all over his mother. On the way to the hospital, the person died due to excessive bleeding. Zhao Erming''s mother cried harder than the rain outside the detention centre. I went to look and saw that she was a prettily dressed woman, her dress was revealing and sexing. But due to the torrent of tears and rain, the make-up on her face was all clouded, she looked more like a clown.


    All these years, Zhao Erming''s mother sold her body to support her son''s education but her son never really focused on school and always got into fights. However, Zhao Erming was her son. She cried and pleaded, saying that this wasn''t her son''s fault. She was willing to go to prison on her son''s behalf but it was toote now.


    When I left, sheid copsed on the ground. Wrinkles appeared after the make-up was washed away and her waterfall-like long hair showed strands of white. Her wails travelled far. Many passing pedestrians looked and pointed at her. She was always someone who valued her appearance, but at that moment, she didn''t care anymore. "You really don''t want to participate in this case?" Gu Chen behind me asked. I shook my head. This case was simple, it would be solved with or without me. Furthermore, I didn''t know how to face Zhao Erming. If he had the 4,000,000 RMB, his mother probably would have stopped the prostitution and this could have been avoided.


    Summer.


    A heavily injured Lin Rou was dumped at the door of the hospital. Based on the police who handled the case, it was her younger brother who did this to her. Lin Rou''s family valued males heavier than females. At home, Lin Rou had no standing, her grandmother bullied her and her father beat her. Her younger brother originally loved Lin Rou but with influence from both his seniors, the love was slowly twisted into hate. He would beat his sister for no reason and didn''t know how to hold back. When the tragedy happened, Lin Rou was having a nap. Her brother was pissed off because he lost a game. To vent, the brother used the burning iron to beat Lin Rou. This was the worst Lin Rou had ever been beaten. She was literally dying. Her grandmother was worried about having a death on their hands but didn''t want to waste any money on the useless granddaughter so she dumped Lin Rou on the hospital door and then left. In the end, it was a Good Samaritan who paid for Lin Rou''s medical fee or she would have died.


    The police arrested Lin Rou''s family but the 2 adults and 1 kid all shielded each other and pushed the me on Lin Rou. Lin Rou''s younger brother was only 13, even if the punishment stuck, he would only spend little time in prison. However, his grandmother was not going to let that happen. She volunteered to go to prison on her precious grandson''s behalf, stating that it was her who beat up Lin Rou. The expression on her face was proud and d. Their ugly faces were a direct contrast to the mncholic Lin Rou in the hospital room. Perhaps Lin Rou thought it would have been better if she had died outside the hospital. She was only 16, after she was released from the hospital, she would have to go home. When would her pitiful life end?


    One monthter, Lin Rou was released from the hospital. She didn''t know that it was me who paid for her medical bill and I borrowed that money from Mary. The rich had a wonderful life because at least they had choices, while some people didn''t even get to choose their own life. The day Lin Rou was released from the hospital, Lee Taida was released as well. He was a juvenile and he didn''t really kill someone so he wasn''t locked for long. When Lee Taida got released, I was present. I believed he had heard about Zhang Xue because he red at me with taunt and anger. I had no doubt that if he had the chance, he would kill me. But to my surprise, we met Lee Taida again not long after that.


    It was a rainy night, Lee Taida held a bleeding knife and arrived at the police station. Lee Taida was there to surrender. He had killed his father. Last time, Lee Taida had failed. The cyanide didn''t kill his father and he was angry. Only Lee Taida didn''t know it was Zhang Xue who purposely intervened so that Lee Taida wouldn''t need to do something like this. Zhang Xue told the gambler to bring Lee Xian to the gambling den. After Zhang Xue was arrested, the investigation began into the gambling buddy''s ount so Lee Xian naturally had no one to lend him money anymore.


    Therefore, Lee Xian returned to his old habit of drinking. That night, the drunk Lee Xian thrashed the home again. When Lee Taida arrived home and saw this, he couldn''t stand it anymore. This house was the only thing his mother left for him, until today, he had no idea where she was, what she was doing, this was his only connection to her. A sharp knife and an unconscious drunkard. When the police arrived, Lee Xian''s neck had around 10 shes, his head was barely connected to his shoulder. The blood from the arteries even shot up to the ceiling, it showed how much force Lee Taida must have used. I was reminded of Lee Taida''s promise, "Remember, as long as I am still alive, I will kill him." He was absolutely serious.


    If they had 4,000,000 RMB, would their endings be different? I didn''t know. But I did know the result if they didn''t have the 4,000,000 RMB, it was disyed right before me. Then was my decision correct? Zhou Guo had decided to sacrifice himself, that was the decision he made, must I be so heartless?


    I took puffs of smoke inside the breakroom. The door swung open behind me and someone walked in. I turned back to look, it was Captain Zhao. "What''s wrong? Why do you look so sad?" Captain Zhao asked, "The case has been solved and the money has been found." Then Captain Zhao reached to pull out a cigarette from my box. I sighed, "Captain Zhao, there''s a question that I have been meaning to ask you. Every time we close a case, I will face this conflict. There are cases where I asked myself, do we really have to capture the killer? We know that they would not repeat the crime and we know that they killed out of necessity, why do we need to vanquish theirst bit of hope?"


    Captain Zhao lit the cigarette and said, "From the start, I knew the kind of man you are. I knew that from the moment you didn''t report about the money in Lin Su''s case. Many times, you pity the criminals and sometimes you even went so far to harbour them."


    "Don''t you ever get troubled by that conflict?" I looked at Captain Zhao, hoping that he could give me an answer. "The criminals have to be captured regardless of the nature of their crime? I hear that the born criminal is actually your teacher?"


    Captain Zhao puffed out the smoke and said, "I can give you some advice, there''s only one thing that you need to remember and then you won''t face that conflict anymore. Something that made me confident that no matter the crime, no matter who the killer was, no matter how sad the history was, as long as they havemitted the crime, I will arrest them."


    I straightened up. "What is it?''


    Captain Zhao said, "Because there are many other people in the same situation as they were in the world. But most people, even facing the same tragedy, even if they were about to die, they didn''t turn to crime. They chose to fight to survive with their own hands and determination to stay on the straight and narrow." Captain Zhao stood up and walked out. Before that, he said, "If you chose to give them a way to escape thew because they are pitiable, or because you believed they were forced to do so, then it would be so unfair to the others. I didn''t get it at the start until I encountered an incident."


    "What incident was it?"


    Captain Zhao leaned against the door and answered, "At the time, I was still a student, and I was out buying breakfast. There was an olddy operating a small stall selling trinkets like embroidery. A girl bought something worth 50 cents from her. While the granny was finding her change, a beggar walked over. The girl gave him a full dor without much thought and until now I cannot forget the emotion in the olddy''s eyes. She woke up early in the morning to set up the stall and worked to produce the merchandise but all that was less meaningful than someone younger than her, someone who had a perfect body waving his hand around." Captain Zhao walked out the door then. "At that moment, I understand there are always people working hard the honest way in this world. I do not want to disappoint them. It is our job to give these people hope, not the ones who turn to pity and crime. Whenever I have questions about my job, I would remind myself of that olddy, then I know, criminals are criminals, there are no criminals that shouldn''t be captured."


    Captain Zhao had already left but his words remained in my heart. No wonder Captain Zhao''s conviction was so firm. If a sad history could be a reason tomit crime, then it would be too unfair for those who abide by thews. We needed to give these honest people hope, not the criminals. I snuffed out the cigarette and looked at the yellowed To Live beside me. The people who couldn''t be saved are those who wanted to die. I was reminded of the question Zhang Xue posed to me, "Is life always this hard or is it just when you are a kid?" Her tone and mannerism, the anxiety and loss in her eyes were imprinted in my mind. Now I would be able to say confidently, "Always like this."


    Even though life might be hard, there are always people who can survive and even thrive without turning to crime. Their lives are not about hardship, they are about oveing hardships. They live because they want to.


    That would have been much more inspiring.

 Chapter 76: Kidney

    Chapter 76: Kidney


    Time progressed without care for humanity. Soon the fiery summer passed and thedy of autumn arrived. The leaves turned yellow and fell, signifying her fine caress. A month passed and it was peaceful in Dong Xing City. There were no big cases and the city finally got to enjoy some moments of peace. Based on the internal statistics of the department, summer was the height of murders, perhaps it was the heat that made people respond more violently to grievances. The other seasons were more peaceful and sedate.


    That day, Gu Chen and I were ying games and eating edamame inside the breakroom. When Xiao Liu pushed open the door and saw us, he gasped, "The fuck, you guys still have appetite for edamame? Have you forgotten how Zhou Guo''s mother died?"


    "She died from soybeans burning her stomach, didn''t she?" Gu Chen popped another edamame and asked, "What does that have to do with edamames?"


    Xiao Liu tutted. "Clearly you''re a city child. Don''t you know that edamame is made from drying immature soybeans?"


    "What?" Gu Chen looked like his world had been upended, "But I always love edamame but I can''t stand soybeans! I have no idea they''re rted." I naturally wouldn''t let this chance to chide Gu Chen go. "That suggests you prefer the young and nave, I knew it. I personally love the more mature and experienced But then again, did youe here just to tell us that? You''re on the official force, but we''re just the preparatory members, don''t you need to work?"


    Xiao Liu grabbed the bowl of edamame and popped some into his mouth. "I''m here because of work. Here, this is your new mission and I hear there is a huge rewarding with it this time!"


    "What is it?" Seeing the glow in Xiao Liu''s eyes, my interest was piqued. Xiao Liu tossed the empty shells into the trash. "Come on, Captain Zhao will exin it to you."


    Standing outside the window, looking in through the ss, this was the first time I saw so many people of power at the city station. The whole power of the city was collected in this one space. Looks like this was going to be a big case. Captain Zhao said something and these people slowly left one after another. In the end, only Guan Zhenglin, Mary and Captain Zhao were left inside the conference room. We opened the door and walked in. Captain Zhao stood facing away from us, studying the pictures and information on the white board. His hands were ced behind him, his right index finger tapping rhythmically against the back of his left hand. I walked over and saw the picture of an old man ced in the middle of the white board. Beside him was a picture of a beautiful young girl about 18.


    Captain Zhao didn''t turn when he heard us, instead he tapped on the picture of the old man and asked, "Do you know this man?" The old man in the picture had on a deep blue suit, even though I couldn''t see the logo, it must have been expensive. A Canali tie was tied neatly around the cor. The man''s square jaw had a well-trimmed beard and an air of intelligence radiated off him. This was not a normal character. Xiao Liu offered, "Isn''t he the director of Rong Ding Corporation?"


    Captain Zhao nodded. "That''s right. This is Liu Yinyan, 67 years old, the Director of Rong Ding Corporation. He came from an average background but he used only several decades to build up the biggest venture capitalpany at Dong Xing City with a few of his partners. He is now worth about several billions and he has a daughter who is about 18."


    Xiao Liu said with an impressed sigh. "Wait, doesn''t that mean he had his daughter when he was 50? His daughter looks pretty, the man who marries her will be very lucky."


    Mary added, "She''s pretty because she has good genes. Her mother is a Russian celebrity. When she gave him the daughter, she was barely 30. The daughter has a mixed blood heritage." I looked closer and realized Liu Yinyan''s daughter had a tall figure, curvaceous proportions and deep facial features. She could be a model. Xiao Liu used this opportunity to add, "Our Sister Mary is also of Chinese-French descent. When she was this girl''s age, Sister Mary must have been prettier than she was."


    Mary chuckled, "You sure have a sweet mouth, what is it that you want? I''m warning you, my father may be rich, but I''m poor so don''t think about getting loan money from me! You''ll have more hopes buying those lottery tickets, you might win one day and be a winner in life." Captain Zhao coughed and Mary changed the subject, "In any case, back to business. About 1 hour ago, Liu Yinyan''s daughter, Liu Fei''er mysteriously disappeared from her room. All attempts atmunication to her have failed. We suspect that she might have been kidnapped but so far we have not received any ransom calls so our mission is to find Liu Fei''er."


    Gu Chen shrugged. "All thatmotion for this? She''s just missing for an hour, perhaps her phone got switched off. You know, girls at her age are like that." Guan Zhenglin coughed and said, "I''m at her age, you don''t see me acting this irresponsible."


    I pulled on my hair as I took in the information on the white board. "Captain Zhao, do you think there''s something bigger at work here? Is it really a kidnapping?"


    Captain Zhao scratched his chin and slowly nodded. "I believe so, Liu Fei''er is Liu Yinyan''s only daughter and because he got her sote in life, she is his princess. If she didn''t stop him, he would have 8 body guards following her every day. Today, Elder Liu personally came to report her disappearance so I have reason to believe this is a kidnapping."


    "How can he be sure?" I asked.


    Captain Zhaoughed. "You people are still too young to have heard about the legend of Liu Yinyan. When he was young, he was definitely a ruthless character. He wouldn''t be the Director of hispany if he wasn''t. The thing that he predicted has an 80 to 90 percent chance of happening or else how would he be the number 1 venture capitalist?"


    "What do you mean?" We all asked. Then Captain Zhao told us the stories about Liu Yinyan from when he was young. Liu Yinyan was not a Dong Xing City local, like most young people, he came from a small vige which couldn''t be seen on the map to seek a better life in this big city. And like most youngsters, when he first arrived at Dong Xing City in his teens, he didn''t know anything. For a normal person, they would findbor-intensive work at Dong Xing City, learn some craft and then settle down around 30. The husband and wife would work to support the family until they had a child. At Dong Xing City, perhaps they might never afford a house in their lives. But Liu Yinyan was an ambitious person since he was young, he was unwilling to let his life sail by like that. At Dong Xing City, he had been a waiter, a construction worker and hotel valet. At hisst job, he often had contact with the richest people. One day, he opened the door for a man about his age. When the young man saw him, his face turned up with condescension.


    From that day onwards, Liu Yinyan decided that he had to w up to the top of the societal hierarchy and gain people''s respect. Liu Yinyan understood that for that to happen, he needed education because no one had ever wed to the top with brute force. This era needed talent, people who could create wealth with their brain. Liu Yinyan started his education from zero. He studied and researched economics and business. He invested all his money into himself. One of the biggest advantages of a big city was the number of universities avable. Liu Yinyan took advantage of that and went to register for several courses. He worked harder than everyone else and only slept 3 hours each night.


    Those who were cruel to themselves were either geniuses or madmen.


    When he was 30, he finally got a double degree in economics and business. When he was 35, he joined a venture capitalpany which was the biggest in Dong Xing City at the time. He worked from the ground up. His colleagues mocked him because he was about 10 years older than his other colleagues. When he was 36, a few managers at thepany decided to leave and start apany of their own. Liu Yinyan was desperate to join them but the managers looked at him with derision. Liu Yinyan was old and had no capital. This industry needed young blood, not old antiques like Liu Yinyan who yed things too safe.


    Therefore, Liu Yinyan had no choice but to join another group. This group didn''t contain anypany higher-ups, instead it had a few passionate young people who just joined the industry. Anyone with a bit of experience would know that these groups were meant to be cannon fodder for the industry. Regardless, Liu Yinyan joined the team. But no matter the kind of team it was, they needed capital to start. Liu Yinyan had no money, he only had been working for a year. But if he didn''t provide any capital, he couldn''t be a partner.


    That was a hot summer. When the team saw Liu Yinyan came with bandages around his left waist, they asked if he had gotten into any ident. Liu Yinyan smiled. "I have only been working for a year so I don''t have much savings. I sold my left kidney a few days ago to get the capital to be a partner of this newpany." Everyone was shocked.


    Several decades earlier, when people heard that, theyughed at this old man, but several decadester, that had be a legend within the industry. Those managers who rejected Liu Yinyan back then now were in great regret; those young people who epted Liu Yinyan to join as apany partner now stayed at home and counted money for a living.


    It was as if when Liu Yinyan sold his kidney, he already saw the result today. High risk and high reward, he dared to use his own body as a betting chip, that was the mark of a great venture capitalist.

 Chapter 77: Private Investigators

    Chapter 77: Private Investigators


    After hearing that story, I felt my left kidney pulse with phantom pain. If the venture wasn''t sessful, wouldn''t he have lost everything? How a genius'' mind worked was definitely different from normal. The determination and conviction were unrivalled. Those in the venture capital business had to strike quick and ruthless, only then they could find a path in the ever-changing market. If this old man''s eye was as sharp as Captain Zhao said, then I believed he must have received messages through grapevine that made him confirm his daughter had been kidnapped.


    Captain Zhao said, "Therefore, the moment after he made the police report, Mary and I immediately pulled up all the information we could find on his past and currentpetition, anyone who might have crossed the line from business to personal." Captain Zhao tapped on the white board. There were about more than 10 pictures, men, women, old and young. Each picture came with the person''s information like their names, ages, upations, family histories, addresses and their histories with Liu Yinyan. The pictures were connected by red lines and it wasbelled with the individuals'' connections. Mary and Captain Zhao sure moved fast to havee up with the whole crime board considering the daughter had been missing for just an hour. Looks like the city had pulled its full force into this case, after all, Elder Liu had much weight in the city council.


    "There are so many of them?" Xiao Liu scratched his head. "If we investigate them one by one, it''ll already be tomorrow by the time we finish."


    Captain Zhao exined, "The city has sent us additional manpower and this is really not a lot. These are just people who have had history with Liu Yinyan. We haven''t even included the possibility of this being a random ransom. Kidnappers who never knew Liu Yinyan personally but abducted his daughter for ransom money. So in other words, we have a lot of work to do."


    Gu Chen couldn''t help but grumble, "No one would have cared if a girl from a normal family goes missing. What makes this girl so unique? That so many people had to be mobilized to investigate a case that has not even been confirmed to be a missing person or a kidnapping case." We all turned to Gu Chen, his face was hard set with angry lines. I knew Gu Chen was someone who spoke without a filter and didn''t quite know how to read the room, but then again, he was notpletely wrong.


    Hearing that, Captain Zhao said lightly, "Ah, the fury of the youth, but you have to understand that there will always be unfairness in this world.


    "I told you about Liu Yinyan''s past because I want you to understand that back then when Liu Yinyan had to sell his kidney to join the business, no one stepped out to defend his rights either. That was unfair to him, no?


    "The world is like a tipping scale, it can''t ever be fair. The moment we are born, we are ced on one side of the scales. Some are born with the silver spoon while others fall into poverty, but you have to understand that our positions are not permanently fixed. Change is possible for everyone. Some might tumble down from the pedestal because they didn''t know how to treasure what they have and others could slowly make their ways to the top based on pure hard work. Therefore, fairness is rtive. If you want special privilege, then you have to work hard; if you don''t want to work hard but demand for privilege? Then I''m sorry, the world won''t respond to you. There is no free meal in this world." Captain Zhao looked at Gu Chen and said gently, "Therefore, we have to find Liu Fei''er, got it?" Gu Chen nodded subconsciously.


    Captain Zhao nodded in return. "Then we''ll proceed like usual. Mary and I will handle the big picture, giving you the direction and the target to investigate. But now the four of you should go to Liu Yinyan''s house to see if you can find anything. Oh, by the way, other than the police, some private investigators will be participating in this case as well."


    "Private investigators?" I shook my head. "Isn''t that not allowed in China due to theck of monitoring avable?"


    Captain Zhao shook his head as well. "It can''t be helped. Since Liu Fei''er''s mother is Russian so the city has granted her special permission. She is not currently in China but she has powerful connections with the Russian embassy. Her rtionship with her husband isplicated but there''s no time to get into details now. Just do not lose face for Dong Xing City''s police station, you better find Liu Fei''er faster than private investigators do. You''ll have the city''s full support." If it turned out this was just because Liu Fei''er forgot to turn on her phone, it would be so awkward.


    "By the way, did Liu Yinyan have any special request on his end?" I asked.


    Captain Zhao extended one finger. "There''s only one, which is to ensure Liu Fei''er''s safety. No matter what happens, she has to return safely. He is willing to go bankrupt if that''s necessary. Okay, you should go. The private investigators would have arrived at the airport and heading to Elder Liu''s house now."


    We took the city''s ride to Liu Yinyan''s home, which was among the bungalows that peppered the coastline. Various kinds of luxury automobiles were parked in front of therge iron gate. Compared to the other cars, it felt like we arrived riding a tricycle.


    "The fuck, why are there so many people?" Xiao Liu gasped. "It''s like a car expo here." I rolled down the car window and saw the crowd gathered near the gate. Most of these people I had only seen on tv before, this was the first time I saw them in person. I used to think these people lived in a different world, it was hard to imagine they lived in the same city as we did. After all, in our years of living here, we had never run into them on the streets before.


    "They probably rushed over the first moment they heard something was wrong." I looked at the 5 security guards at the door. "But it appears like Elder Liu is not seeing any of them at the moment. It''s understandable, after all, the kidnapper might be one of these people."


    "Looks like the life of the rich is asplicated as ours." Guan Zhenglin got down from the car and showed the leading guard our id. The guard spoke into his walkie-talkie and soon the gate opened a small gap just enough for one car to pass through. Guan Zhenglin got back into the car. "Come on, Captain Zhao has already informed them so we can go in now." I looked at the crowd that was blocked behind the gate and smiled. "I believe it wouldn''t take long for the mass media to get here. The whole of Dong Xing City is about to be rocked." Xiao Liu added, "You''re right about that. If there''s one thing good about reporters, it''s that they move so freaking fast"


    The car entered thepound and there was still quite a distance to go before we would reach the actual bungalow. I looked around with a frown. The area had more than one entrance, probably one on each nautical side. But all the gates were guarded and thepound was surrounded by an iron fence. As we moved along the path, we could see patrolling guards. If we lifted our heads, we could even see the many different cameras hidden among the trees and electric poles. The security here should be very good, if someone managed to steal an 18 year old girl away from her room without raising an rm, this had to be the work of a professional team. In other words, the kidnappers would have scouted this ce beforehand. They expertly avoided the patrols, cameras and sneaked into and out the bungalow. While I was thinking, the car stopped as we had arrived. The bungalow was about 200 square metres wide, it had 2 floors. Currently, there was a toon of guards at the entrance. The moment they saw us, they directed us into a parking spot. Then, someone who appeared to be the butler came to ask, "I''m sorry but you are?"


    Xiao Liu answered, "We are the people from the city, sent to investigate the truth."


    The butler frowned in worry as if not trusting that we coulde up with anything but that was normal. After all, the oldest among us was Xiao Liu, and he was only 24 and the youngest, Guan Zhenglin, was not even 20. Sending such a junior team did not speak well for the image of the city. But he kept his opinion to himself and showed us to the front door. The moment we walked in, we saw Liu Yinyan sitting on a real leather sofa in the living room. His eyes were closed but his brows were deeply furrowed. His worry was in.


    "Mr. Liu, the people from the city are here." The butler reported. Liu Yinyan opened his eyes and studied us. His face was expressionless. He didn''t show any concern like the butler. He only nodded and said, "You''re sent by Captain Zhao, since he trusts you, then I trust you too."


    Standing before someone like Liu Yinyan, we couldn''t help but be a little nervous. I said, "Then we will skip the formality. You want to find your daughter as soon as possible, right? So may we look at your daughter''s room?"


    Liu Yinyan nodded and turned to the butler. "Ol'' Lee, bring them to Fei''er''s room. By the way, Xiao Zhao should have told you that my wife has made the decision to hire a group of private investigators. She is worried sick and she only wants to help. I didn''t stop her because we both just want our daughter back. The private investigators have already started their investigation, you have to help each other. Do not turn this into apetition." When Liu Yinyan said this, his tone was sharp andmanding. "My daughter''s life is on the line here. If anything happens to my daughter, your life won''t be easy either." Then his tone returned to normal. "Go now, actually, wait, I''ll bring you there myself."


    Liu Yinyan led us up the stairs, the second floor was a whole new world. After taking several turns, we finally reached Liu Fei''er''s room. Her room door was open and a person was standing at the door taking pictures on the camera. Based on the sounds, there were more people inside the room. This should be the team of private investigators hired by Liu Yinyan''s wife.

 Chapter 78: OCD

    Chapter 78: OCD


    Liu Yinyan turned around to give us a signal, telling us that we could start our investigation. Before we even reached the door, we were hit by a heavy scent of perfume. It came from the woman who had been photographing at the door. When she saw us, she put the camera down. Liu Yinyan said, "These are the officers sent by the local station to investigate my daughter''s disappearance."


    From her appearance, the woman didn''t look Chinese, she was probably of mixed heritage too. She was about 1.75 metres tall, about as tall as I was. Hoping for a harmonious working rtionship, I began the self-introduction. But the woman didn''t appear to be in the mood to give face. "The name''s Vivian. I have to warn you people first, please do not interfere with our business. It''s best if you just stand to the side and watch because now that we''re here, Miss Fei''er will be safe." Vivian''s voice notified the others inside the room. Soon 2 persons walked out, 1 male and 1 female. They looked Chinese. The man was a snappy dresser, he even had a deerstalker, he probably saw himself as Sherlock Holmes.


    After giving us a once-over, he said, "Hmm, you must be the people from the city. Based on your thin frame andck of callus on your hand, you must be the strategist. The muscleman has to be the fighter, right? And this beautiful, cute princess has to be the coroner. Then that box must contain investigative tools, yes? But this gentleman, I can''t really tell why you''re here? Are you here because they needed someone to fill up the number?" He smiled as he gripped his deerstalker. He very gentlemanly bowed to us and then handed me a name card, "I run a small detective agency in Japan, you can call me Jessie. These twodies are my assistants, Vivian and Mariko, a Chinese-Russian beauty and a Chinese-Japanese beauty."


    I had no idea where this Jessie picked up this mannerism, it made me quite awkward because I was not used to handling people like this. I had no idea whether I should kiss him or bow back in response. "Nice to meet you." Mariko bowed at us too. Jessie continued, "We''ve already inspected the room. Don''t worry, we''ve reced everything. We did think about you, it''ll be embarrassing if you get led the wrong way, won''t it? Vivian, Mariko, let''s go." Then Jessie put the deerstalker back on and walked ahead. When he passed Guan Zhenglin, he stopped, "My dear beautiful and captivating princess, would you be gracious enough to have dinner with me tonight?"


    And now that was my bottomline. He already had 2 beautiful assistants and he still wanted toe onto the only female in our group? I coughed, "I''m sorry but she has to join us for dinner tonight. You better take care of your two assistants. If there''s nothing else, please don''t block the way anymore." Jessie replied with a charming smile with the standard 8 teeth. Vivian and Mariko left after him. When she passed us, Vivian scoffed, "I don''t get why you''re still wasting your time."


    Perhaps this girl ate gunpowder for breakfast because everything she said so far was incendiary. I was about to counter when Guan Zhenglin said, "I have no idea where you get that confidence. If you wish to scare us, at least be more professional. Perfume will contaminate the crime scene and you put on such a heavy haze. Is it to cover up your body odour?" Then Guan Zhenglin strode into the room, leaving behind the startled Vivian. Then I realized from the moment I saw Guan Zhenglin, I never saw her with any make-up or perfume, I originally thought that was simply because she didn''t like to use them, I had no idea it was because of this. Looks like Captain Zhao selected her for a reason too. This professionalism was the most important.


    Stealing a nce at the stammering Vivian, the few of us giggled and hurried into the room.


    Liu Fei''er''s room was huge, it wasrger than most people''s house. A round bed which wasrge enough to fit 7 to 8 people sat beside the wall. The bed was crowded with severalrge plushie toys, despite their numbers, they were all orderly ced. They had the original logo and was worth several thousands RMB each. Next to the bed was arge row of closet, it filled up the entire wall. I opened the closet door, and a whole wall of clothes greeted me. They were all branded and some brands I only saw for the first time. Every single space was used and the rows of branded bags were lined neatly. Taking in the bags and clothes, Guan Zhenglinmented, "The things inside the closet alone are worth several hundred thousand RMB."


    I shook my head and continued to look around. On the other side of the bed was arge vanity table. The table was arranged with many different kinds of cosmetics, I didn''t recognize most of them. A single lipstick was lying t on the table. I picked it up and weighed it in my hands. I opened the cap and realized it was still quite new.


    One side of the room was connected to a balcony. The ss door was left open. To the right of the balcony door was aputer table. The monitor was huge, the kind where you wouldn''t be able to see clearly if you sat too close. The CPU itself was hidden behind the monitor. I moved the mouse and the screen lit up. Looks like theputer was just sleeping. The desktop looked clean, there were only a few important folders. I clicked on a folder named games. It contained all sorts of games, some were online, others were offline. They were all the most recent and popr games, they operated on different tforms, they were probably all originals too.


    Then I opened the folder named school. It contained files like theses and assignments. Compared to the games, there were so few documents rted to school and studying. The girl was definitely a gamer. From that, I deduced that thisputer had the highest spec.


    Next to the room door was arge study table and bookshelf. The bookshelf showcased an eclectic collection of books, there were Chinese and English ssics, published webnovels and even university textbooks. All the books were arranged in color and size. I noted from the textbooks that the girl majored in economics, looks like Liu Yinyan had the intention of having his daughter inherit his business empire.


    Guan Zhenglin had already taken out her tools to check the rooms for traces that wouldn''t be visible to naked eye like blood traces, fingerprints and so on. It was now 3 pm and Liu Fei''er disappeared around 1 pm. The whole Liu mansion was teeming with people, it would be impossible to infiltrate from the front door, so the possible point of entry must have been the balcony. With that in mind, I walked to the rails of the balcony and looked out. It was about a 7 metres drop to the ground, it was a climbable height. However, if Liu Fei''er was ying on herputer, she would be facing the balcony, how could she not see her kidnapper?


    Theputer was only sleeping but when I awakened it, it opened up the desktop. This reminded me of a meme. Whenever the father walked into the son''s room, the son would be looking at the empty desktop, seemingly doing nothing. Clearly, the son had Alt+F4 the moment he heard the door open.


    So what was Fei''er doing before this? Did she leave theputer sitting on the desktop or someone had closed the program she was using?


    Guan Zhenglin told us with a frown. "I only found 1 set of fingerprints, they probably belong to Liu Fei''er."


    "Check the balcony and see if you can find anything." I told Guan Zhenglin. "If there was really a kidnapper, they wouldn''t havee from the front door, this balcony would be the easiest pathway to gain entry." Guan Zhenglin moved to oblige and I stood beside her to wait. I opened my phone to look at the time. I noticed that the patrolling guards would do their rounds every 5 minutes. This meant that the kidnappers only had 5 minutes to get in, detain Liu Fei''er without her making any noise and then leave. The time frame was very short and extremely risky.


    Guan Zhenglin said, "No, there''s nothing on the balcony either."


    Gu Chenmented, "This bungalow has 24-hour surveince and the guards outside are quite hard working on their patrols. I still don''t think this is a kidnapping. Perhaps Liu Fei''er had snuck out on her own?"


    I shook my head. "All the gates to thispound have cameras, I believe Liu Yinyan must have looked at them before he called the police. Liu Fei''er clearly didn''t walk out on her own and there was no suspicious character who appeared on the camera, it was why he called the police. When Liu Yinyan called the police, he said his daughter had been missing for an hour already?"


    Xiao Liu answered, "Yes, that''s what he said."


    I nodded. "Then Liu Fei''er was probably kidnapped. The kidnappers made their move after Liu Fei''er returned from lunch to her room. Perhaps the butler or maid came and found her missing and then notified Liu Yinyan."


    "But how did they manage to escape with a person in under an hour?" Xiao Liu asked. "We''re up against a professional team this time. Then what shall we do next?"


    I pointed at the lipstickying t on the vanity table. "Liu Fei''er has OCD. Look at the plushie toys on her bed, the clothes in her closet and the books on her bookshelf, even the folders on herputer. Everything''s well-arranged. Only a person with OCD will go to such an extent to arrange them considering how much material she has to work with. Just the closet alone will take days to arrange. Therefore, the single lipstick shouldn''t sit out like that, someone has touched it and it was not Liu Fei''er. Furthermore, I believe Liu Fei''er was ying a game on theputer when she was kidnapped, or else her OCD would havepelled her to close the game and then shut down theputer, and not leave it idling on the desktop. All these clues suggest that Liu Fei''er was not brought away from her room willingly."

 Chapter 79: Dogs Blood

    Chapter 79: Dog''s Blood


    "Take this lipstick for examination, I believe we''ll be able to find something on it." I told Guan Zhenglin. Guan Zhenglin nodded and bagged the lipstick as evidence. "If that''s the case, I''ll be sure to take a good look back at theb."


    Xiao Liu looked around and said, "By the way, that Jessie guy doesn''t have the same professional equipment as we do, what do you think he''d do next? Do you think he saw the problem with the lipstick too?" I looked at the name card Jessie gave me, Jessie''s PI Agency, located at Nara. I shrugged. "He wouldn''t have missed it but he didn''t take the lipstick with him, perhaps the PI way is different than ours, but I''m sure we''ll run into them again. Don''t worry, I see more encounters with them in the future." I walked out the room and said, "We should go look outside the bungalow. The most important thing now is to figure out how the kidnappers manage to abscond with the girl. This group is too professional, other than Liu Fei''er, they didn''t make off with anything else. Any of the bags inside the closet can sell for several ten thousands RMB, but they haven''t been touched at all." But that one lipstick had been moved, was that on purpose or unintentional?


    Gu Chen added in exnation, "That''s so that they eliminate the risk of leaving behind additional traces. For the bigger benefit, they ignored the small immediate profit before them. Those who can suppress their urges are meant for great things. This does not bode well for us."


    To our surprise, Liu Yinyan was still standing at the top of the stairs. When he saw use out, he asked nervously, "So did you find anything?" I was silent. As we apanied Liu Yinyan down the stairs, I asked, "My guess is Liu Fei''er returned to her room after lunch and then 1 hourter, someone went to knock on her door but no one answered. They opened the door into the room and that was when they found out that she had disappeared?"


    Liu Yinyan nodded. "I haven''t briefed you on that, so how did you know that?"


    I answered, "It was a guess. If that''s the case, then I have to be honest, the team that kidnapped your daughter is extremely professional. They are quick and departed without leaving behind any trace. Other than a lipstick which had been touched, nothing was out of ce. There are quite a lot of valuable stuff inside your daughter''s room but they didn''t take a single one of them." Liu Yinyan''s expression froze from hearing that. "Yes, after seeing the room, that was my first impression too. You know about my background, many people want to share my piece of the pie. I''m not afraid of those people, I can give them as much money as they want but I''m afraid of people whose thought I cannot read."


    I sighed. "I''m afraid your suspicion is not wrong this time. Your daughter has been missing for 2 hours already but there is not even a peep from the kidnappers. If I''m not wrong, they won''t be calling any time today, but don''t worry too much, I doubt anything will happen to your daughter until they reveal their true intention."


    A long sighter, Liu Yinyan said, "I guess there''s nothing else we can do now."


    I helped him into the living room sofa and said, "But there''s something that I need to discuss with you, sir. We might need to impose on your hospitality further. It''s easier for us to work if we can set up an operation base at your home. I hope you won''t mind."


    "Of course not, there are plenty of rooms upstairs." Liu Yinyan waved his hands.


    "Right!" I added, "If the kidnapper does call, please try to keep them on the phone. You must know that your phone andndline are currently monitored. If the other party stays on the phone for more than 3 minutes, we''ll be able to triangte their location. Do not jump to agree to anything, because once the kidnappers achieve their goal, the easiest way for them to clean up is to eliminate the witness. I hope you can understand that." Liu Yinyan looked at me silently. He slumped into the sofa, he didn''t look as spirited as the pictures I had seen of him. It was clear that his daughter''s disappearance had taken a huge toll on him. Normally, at this hour, he would be working at thepany, not fretting about at home. He might be a genius venture capitalist but first and foremost, he was a father.


    "I''ll go look into the lipstick." Guan Zhenglin told us. "I''lle back to join you when I get any results. If you find anything new, call me or send someone to bring them to theb."


    Guan Zhenglin went back to theb while the rest of us stayed to look around thepound. Standing under the balcony of Liu Fei''er''s room, I asked Gu Chen, "5 minutes, is there a way to get up there?" Gu Chen studied the wall and told me, "This wall is clean, and white, that means people wash it regrly. There is no footprint on the wall, so our culprit had to be wearing some kind of shoe cover. Now look at the ground beneath us." Xiao Liu and I did. We saw dirt. Gu Chen exined, "If the culprit already wore the shoe cover before the ascend, the cover would still track dirt and leave a trail on the wall, so the only exnation has to be that the shoe cover was put on in mid-air. A human cannot fly so they must have some kind of tool that suspends them in the air long enough for them to put on the shoe cover. Perhaps something like a hook? They can hook at the balcony rails, and then use a rope to climb up."


    "But won''t that alert Liu Fei''er?" I asked with a frown. Xiao Liu suggested, "If she was gaming with the headsets on, she might not have heard anything. Anyway, since we''re already here, why not set up a crime scene simtion? See how long it''ll take for Gu Chen to get up there with a rope." Something still didn''t sit right with me. Even if Liu Fei''er couldn''t hear the intruder, she would have seen a living person climb onto her balcony, after all, she would have sat facing it. Crime scene simtion was the most direct way to get an answer. With just a request, Liu Yinyan got us all the tools immediately. Gu Chen threw the hook and pulled on the rope. When he was sure his weight could be supported, he started to climb. Using arm strength to pull up the weight of a whole person with just a rope was not easy. Even though he had tried his best, Gu Chen used far longer than 5 minutes to ascend. The wall was set at 90 degrees and a special material that made it slippery meant that it was hard to find a purchase on the wall. In contrast, Gu Chen used less than a minute to slip down.


    With the experiment, we knew that climbing up in 5 minutes was nearly impossible, even Gu Chen, the Superman, was unable to do that, so there wouldn''t be that many people in this world who could do it. Then could they have used a different tool? Perhaps a foldabledder? That didn''t feel likely either. If they walked away with something like that, it definitely would have grabbed attention. I stood under the balcony and pulled my hair. If I was the kidnapper, what would I do?


    First, I belong to a very professional team, a team that doesn''t allow any mistake. Because the moment one of the members fails, the whole team will be exposed. We have to stay away from things which are too risky. The team has been scoping out the ce for a very long time. The best time to strike is at night but Liu Fei''er doesn''t necessarily spend all her nights at home. The only constant in her schedule is that she will always return home for lunch. Sometimes, the most dangerous ce is the safest ce. Liu Yinyan hired a lot of bodyguards for Liu Fei''er and they follow her everywhere except for one ce, and that is Liu Fei''er''s room.


    People often put their guard down when they believe they are in absolute safety.


    Actually, I have already ascended the balcony at night and snuck into Liu Fei''er''s room. I spent a whole night hiding under Liu Fei''er''s bed. When I got bored, I picked up a random lipstick and inspected it.


    After lunch, Liu Fei''er appeared like clockwork and settled down to y a game. I came up from behind and knocked her out with a sedative. I carried her on my back. Using the rope, I slid easily to the ground. With a yank, I retracted the rope. I only need to move a few paces to meet up with my aplice.


    Then a thought entered my mind. For a team as professional as this, they would have lowered the risk of being exposed to as minimum as possible. There was a simple way to do that and that was to bribe the guard. If they could get the payload from the man who was worth several billions RMB, paying off a guard wouldn''t be that much of a problem. The security guards were assigned by the human resourcepany, they won''t necessarily be loyal to Liu Yinyan, so this was something we could look into.


    But first, we needed to check if someone had truly hidden under Liu Fei''er''s bed or not, so we hustled back to her room. Pulling back the bedsheet that draped to the ground and looking under the bed, we saw a space that wasrge enough to fit a man as big as Gu Chen. Perhaps this was specifically designed for ease of cleaning. Switching on the police shlight, we looked inside. We saw that the ground on the left and middle of the floor was cleaner than the rest. It suggested that someone had indeed crawled in and out from under the left side of the bed recently. The clothes had inadvertently wiped away the dust. In other words, my spection was right. They still opted for the safer solution. If that was the case, the chance of them bribing the guard became much higher. However, this guard was also an outsider, they weren''t a part of the team, thus a risk.


    "Xiao Liu!" I told Xiao Liu, "Summon all the guards working here, I have something to ask them."


    "Okay."


    I was about to turn my attention back to Liu Fei''er''sputer when a call came from Guan Zhenglin, "Wu Meng, I just found a substance on the lipstick, you''ll never guess what is it."


    "Other than chemicals, what can there be? Liu Fei''er''s epithelial cells?" I asked rhetorically.


    Guan Zhenglin replied, "Actually you''re right. Hers and someone else."


    My eyes shone as the image formed in my mind. Perhaps out of boredom, hiding under the bed, the kidnapper took Liu Fei''er''s lipstick, brushed it against their lips or skin. This seemingly casual action might be our biggest breakthrough.


    "I''m not done yet." Guan Zhenglin reeled me back to reality. "I also found some canine blood on it."


    "What?" I asked.


    Guan Zhenglin repeated, "Canine blood, the blood of a pet dog perhaps."

 Chapter 80: The Patrol Guard

    Chapter 80: The Patrol Guard


    Dog''s blood, how could that be found on the lipstick? It definitely didn''te from the lipstick itself, so someone had to have stained the cosmetic with dog''s blood, it couldn''t have been Liu Fei''er so it had to be the kidnapper. I closed my eyes and pulled on my hair.


    There weren''t that many things inside Liu Fei''er''s room but there were some interesting items. So why would the kidnapper be interested in a lipstick? If I was the kidnapper and I was browsing the room out of boredom at night, I might look at Liu Fei''er''s state of the artputer and never the cosmetic. I opened my eyes, the kidnapper was probably a woman. Only a woman would be interested in Liu Fei''er''s high ss make-up. Perhaps she had note into contact with such high end cosmetic before and wanted to try one out. A woman with dog''s blood on her lips, why would there be dog''s blood on her lips? I was suddenly reminded of another person, a man who fed on dog''s blood. Was it them who were behind this kidnapping? When Zhao Mingkun was at Lin Fen, we didn''t run into Lai San so where was Lai San now? After his operation was shut down, he was forced to turn to kidnapping? But it was still too early to tell


    "Xiao Wu!" Xiao Liu shouted from the ground floor. "All the security guards are here, you cane down now." I shared a look with Gu Chen and went down the stairs. The security guards plus the patrols, they lined up in 3 rows at the living room. They looked imposing and refreshed. ording to the butler, the guards rmended here didn''t have any criminal background and some of them were still in university. Working here provided them with a sry of 5000 RMB per month and there was a bonus at the end of the year so the treatment was not bad. There had never been any cases of misdemeanour. I looked at the guards and said loudly, "I''m not going to waste time, you must already know why you''re here. You''ve heard about what happened this afternoon, but I''m not suspecting anyone who is here. I only wish to ask, is everyone here? Is anyone missing?"


    The lead security guard looked around and frowned. "Er Zi, where is the university student you''re supposed to lead? Where is he?" Er Zi was a heavily-tanned, muscr man, he looked honest and trustworthy. He looked around and said, "You mean Xiao Wang? Huh, I saw him early this morning, why did he disappear to? Has anyone else seen him?" Everyone shook their heads in response, no one knew where this Xiao Wang was. Looking at this, I knew that something must have gone wrong. I asked hurriedly, "Who is this Xiao Wang? What is his full name, how old is he, where did hee from? Tell me everything!"


    The lead security guard said urgently, "Er Zi, if your people are missing, you should have reported it sooner. If this is the opening the kidnappers used, we''ll all be in trouble. Do you not understand that? This is bad." I stopped the lead guard and said, "Reserve the lecture forter, tell me everything now or else you would be seeing a dead body instead!"


    Er Zi hurriedly gave me the info about Xiao Wang. Xiao Wang''s full name was Wang Yikai, 24 years old. He graduated from Dong Xing City''s Shi Fan University. He was unable to find a suitable job after graduation. He joined the team here after he passed the exam. He had worked there for a year already. Wang Yikai was not a local, he rented a room at Dong Xing City and lived alone unlike the other guards who lived at the hostel. Within Er Zi''s patrol group, when asked about their opinion regarding Wang Yikai, they said the kid was condescending because he was the most educated among the team.


    After today''s lunch, Er Zi led everyone on the patrol and Wang Yikai was still present then. "Is your team responsible for patrolling thepound around Mr. Liu''s bungalow?" I was reminded of something, "The patrolsts about 5 minutes every round?''


    Er Zi answered, "I''ve not really counted the time but our team has 6 people, 3 responsible to patrol the front of the bungalow and 3 the back. Xiao Wang and other 2 were responsible for patrolling the back. Was Xiao Wang around during the noon patrol?"


    "Yes. But halfway through, he imed that he suffered from a stomach ache." One of them answered. "He practically doubled-over. We stopped because we were concerned about him. We only continued when he felt better. Then he excused himself to use the toilet and we hadn''t seen him since."


    "Then, where is his rental home located?" I asked.


    20 minutester, we arrived at Wang Yikai''s home. This was a countryside locale quite a distance away from the bungalow. The scenery was quite beautiful too but there were a lot of small houses that peppered the area. Looks like this ce was built specifically to amodate the staff that worked at the coastline bungalows. Er Zi pointed at a red brick house on a hillside, telling us that it was Wang Yikai''s home. I nodded and signalled for Gu Chen to follow. We pushed on the door lightly and realized it wasn''t locked. I shoved it open and saw that the ce was empty. The first thing that I saw was the bed, the bedsheet was well made and the pillow sat neatly on top of it. It looked like it had not been slept in. Beside the bed was a simple closet, the copsible kind, instead of a door, it used a piece of cloth as cover. I pulled down the zipper in the middle of the cloth, the closet was empty. Turning to the side, there was a table. From the indentation of the dust, there were 3 rectangr pieces that had recently been removed.


    There was another door inside the room, it led to the toilet. "If you ask me, this kid has to have yed a part in it." Gu Chen said inside the small room. "When the kidnapper made their move, the kid pretended to be sick to distract the other patrols so that the kidnappers had the chance to escape." Gu Chen nodded along to his hypothesis. "Plus, since the kidnappers were able to avoid all the surveince, it meant that they must be very familiar with the security of the bungalow, someone from the inside must have helped them with that. This Wang Yikai is highly suspicious. Look, all the clothes have been removed and the door wasn''t even locked, he must have left in a hurry."


    I shook my finger. "You only got half of it correct."


    "What do you mean?" Gu Chen turned to look at me.


    I said, "Wang Yikai is suspicious, no, I mean he is definitely the insider, you''re not wrong about that but thetter half, you got it all wrong. First, Wang Yikai didn''t leave in a hurry. His home is only so big, if he had to take away all the clothes inside his closet, he at least had to fold them first so they could fit inside the luggage bag." I pointed at the bed. "The best ce to do that is on the bed but look, the bed is fully made. Either he didn''t fold his clothes there, or he stayed to make the bed after he folded all of his clothes."


    Gu Chen nodded, and then I pointed at the table. "Now look at this table, it''s very dirty except for 3 rectangr spaces. Based on the sizes, it should be a 15.6 inchptop, keyboard and mouse pad." That was quite easy to deduce and it was confirmed by Er Zi. "Yes, when I was here before, that was where hisputer was."


    I snapped my fingers. "So therein lies the problem, he had taken his time to put away his clothes andputer, but he didn''t lock the door when he left? That is contradictory. If a person was in a hurry to escape, would they stop to arrange their stuff so neatly before they took off? Plus, if he had been bribed, why would hee back to take his old clothes andputer? He could have used the money to buy new ones."


    Xiao Liu frowned. "So he wasn''t bribed? Wait, but you said he is the insider. Hmm Perhaps that is the man''s nature, he''s a cool and collected person. He came back to pack his stuff after Liu Fei''er''s disappearance. He took his sweet time because he knew still had time, as the investigation would be focused on the daughter''s disappearance first."


    I shook my head. "If he is that cool and collected, he would have done better at distracting his colleague. He wouldn''t have put on such an amateurish performance that practically shone the suspicion on himself." I then pointed at the door. "The door wasn''t locked! It''s the same question, if he had the time toe back to pack up his stuff, why didn''t he lock the door? The door lock is the oldest kind, the one that uses an external lock, he could have easily locked it from outside. There is only one exnation."


    "What is it?"


    "After Wang Yikai got to work, someone cracked the lock and took away Wang Yikai''sputer and clothes." I exined, "Wang Yikai never really returned home but someone wanted to create the impression that he had." I walked out from the room and continued, "And why? It''s because the kidnappers want to misdirect us away from the truth. There''s no need to stay here anymore, I have 100 percent confidence that after Wang Yikai escaped using the excuse of toilet break, he had already been taken by the kidnappers."


    Hearing that, everyone was silent except Er Zi who didn''t seem to understand the implication. "What do you mean by taken?"


    "He was probably killed to keep him silent." I said lightly, "And it should happen near the bungalowpound. Er Zi, do you know any ce within the bungalow that has no surveince and is rarely used?"


    Er Zi thought for a while and then nodded. "Yes, actually there is such a ce. Thepound is connected to the mountain at the northern side. There is an iron fence but the fencees with a door. That is to make it convenient for Mr. Liu''s family to use should they wish to go on a nature walk but they are too busy to really employ it. Basically no one will go there. The ce has no cameras and we, the patrols, rarely go there as well!"


    Wang Yikai was most likely dead somewhere on the mountainous woods.


    "Bring us there now."

 Chapter 81: Cutthroat

    Chapter 81: Cutthroat


    Mobilizing all the police effort, we started to search for Wang Yikai''s body on the mountain north of Mr. Liu''s bungalow. Two hourster, we were rewarded for our effort. Wang Yikai was found dead in his guard uniform and cap. From the body''s exterior condition, we only saw one wound. It was located at Wang Yikai''s neck, it was a very small cut, right under the throat. I put on the gloves and pressed on the two sides of the neck wound, to agitate the wound. Fresh blood oozed out from the wound. This meant that the body was still fresh, the cause of death was a slice to sever the airpipe. The murderer must have been quick because this didn''t look like the first crime scene. There was too little blood on the ground for this kind of wound.


    "Call Guan Zhenglin. Tell her not toe, we''ll send the body to her." I looked at the body and said, "Keep on with the search, this is definitely not the first crime scene." Just as I said that, someone screamed, "Come here. This might be it! There is arge pool of blood here!" We followed the source of the voice and saw that about 5 metres away, there was an officer waving at us. We rushed over and confirmed he was correct. This part of the woods was drenched in blood and the sprays faced the dead body. We followed the trail of the spray and saw there was more blood on the branches and trunks. Some were sprays, others were dropping spatter.


    "There''s a bloody handprint here." Gu Chen waved for me to get to him. I looked towards Gu Chen and saw the handprint. From the directional analytic of the blood spatter as well as the handprint on the tree, an image formed in my mind. I closed my eyes.


    I am Wang Yikai. Based on our promise, I''ve arrived at this location early. When I arrive, the criminals are already waiting. One of them hands me a bag of cash. I thank them and prepare to leave. But I only walk for a few steps when a knife appears on my neck. The owner of the knife grabs the bag of cash and swipes the knife across my neck, severing both my airpipe and artery. I want to scream for help but I can only hear the bubbling of air rushing up my shed throat.


    At that moment, a woman who carries Liu Fei''er enters my view. It was then that I realized these people never meant for me to walk away from here alive. They disappear among the forest. I can feel my life fading away. I have to get back to the bungalow, only then I can be rescued. Therefore, I stumble towards the bungalow with a hand pressed against my wound. But the wound was too deep, I only managed several metres before I fell. Then I wait for death toe. The darkness starts to creep around me. The world is fading away. My body is shaking, there is nothing left.


    Until someone pped my shoulders. My eyes flew open and sweat dribbled down my forehead. "Are you alright?" Gu Chen looked at me with concern. I took several deep breaths. "I''m fine."


    I rubbed my temples, at that moment, I almost got sucked into a different persona again. That was why I was sent into the mental hospital in the first ce, paranoia. But it did not happen after I was admitted into the hospital. Would it only happen when I was on a case? Didn''t that spell doom for a career inw enforcement? But what else could I do other than solving cases?


    To force myself away from these thoughts, I said, "Based on the trace evidence, it is clear that the victim had his throat sliced here and managed to stumble to where we found him. Based on the blood spatter, it suggests that none of the blood got on the killer. How did they manage to do that?"


    Gu Chen looked around contemtively before he said, "Mind lending me your neck?" Then Gu Chen moved to stand behind me. He reached his right hand before my neck and then pulled it swiftly back. After a moment''s contemtion, Gu Chen said confidently, "The killer must have undergone professional training. Based on my prediction, the killer used something like a dagger and made a quick gash on Wang Yikai''s neck and then retreated immediately. After the killer took several steps away, the wound only opened due to the blood pressure from within and the blood gushed out."


    "Such a ruthless method." I rubbed my temples. "But is that humanly possible?" Gu Chen nodded. "If the de is sharp enough and the killer fast enough, it''s entirely possible." If such a character was part of the group, then this felt more like an assassin''s group than a kidnapper''s group. Anxiety surged through me. If such professionals were involved, then they would demand a lot of money, or rather, things which were more valuable than money. "Let''s go," I ordered, "Time to move the body back."


    Xiao Liu stood before me and looked at me with interest. It was clear that he wanted to say something but in the end, he didn''t. I sighed and smiled at him. On the way back to the station, I didn''t say anything, I just kept on massaging my temples. I was suddenly reminded of Zhao Mingkun and the short time we shared inside the tomb. Captain Zhao once told me that if I was not with the police, I would definitely be a genius criminal. What did that mean for my future? What would I tell Zhao Mingkun should I run into her next?


    When we arrived at the morgue, Guan Zhenglin was already ready. She held the scalpel and sat quietly on the chair like a customer waiting for her food at the restaurant.


    "Well, I didn''t expect to see one so soon." Guan Zhenglin stood up and said, "The other person''s skin cell on the lipstick had been sent for DNAparison. However, China is so big and our DNA database is very small. If our culprit has a criminal past, it might show up in the search but we should be prepared to look elsewhere." I nodded. Guan Zhenglin had considered everything. Then she asked, "Is there any update from the kidnappers? Have they called Liu Yinyan?"


    I shrugged and plopped myself on the chair. "No, the kidnappers are probably cleaning up their tracks as we speak and I don''t expect them to be calling today. The longer they wait, the greater the pressure would be on Liu Yinyan. It would mess with his mind and give them leverage in the negotiation." As Guan Zhenglin removed the clothes from the body, she listened to me. I watched as Guan Zhenglin moved the scalpel along the body''s skin. "The kidnappers are ying a mind game with us, to see who would lose their footing first. If it was me, I would wait 3 days before I make the call. By then, Liu Yinyan''s hope on the police would have been dashed and he''d be more susceptible to the kidnappers'' demands."


    Guan Zhenglin removed the body''s skin to reveal the internal organs. "In any case, Liu Yinyan is a professional venture capitalist, I believe he''ll be able to hold his own. Or else he wouldn''t have been able to survive for so long in the ever changing market. Don''t worry too much."


    I sighed, "Even Achilles had his weakness. Liu Yinyan might be a force to be reckoned with when he is a venture capitalist, but when he''s a father, you saw how the man was faring yourself. He was like a normal old man. Liu Fei''er is his weakness and someone with a weakness is someone easy to deal with." We stopped talking. I watched Guan Zhenglin continue with her autopsy silently. Guan Zhenglin''s movement was slow and graceful, even though the adjective might not exactly fit what she was doing.


    "The victim died from asphyxiation." Guan Zhenglin concluded, "The knife wound went very deep, severing the victim''s airpipe and carotid artery at once. The blood flowed back into his lungs from the airpipe, causing him to die from asphyxiation. It would have taken 3 to 6 minutes for the man to die. But look at this wound, it''s very thin and the skin ps are even and clean. This means that the killer used a very sharp instrument, one that is much thinner than a normal dagger. Maybe it''s a shaving de or something of the sort, but to inflict such a deep wound, the weapon has to be sturdier than amercial shaver."


    I nodded. Guan Zhenglin started to sew the body back. "Other than that one wound, there is no other wound. That is the fatal wound, the time of death was about 2 hours ago."


    The killer did something that was only possible in wuxia novels, like how the masters could use Qi to cut through people''s throats. Who exactly was our killer?


    While I was thinking, Gu Chen pushed the door open and walked in. Seeing the excitement on his face, I believed he found something so I asked, "What''s up?"


    Gu Chen smiled, "Come to the office, the result from the DNAparison of the skin cell left on the lipstick came back. One belongs to Liu Fei''er but Mary has found the owner of the other epithelial cells too!"


    "You mean." I couldn''t believe it. "We''ve found the kidnapper?"


    Gu Chen nodded and told us. "The result revealed that the culprit is a fugitive, the name''s Chen Lin. Chen Lin was supposed to be serving life imprisonment but 3 years ago, Chen Lin managed to escape. Until today, Chen Lin is still a Grade B fugitive, it''s to everyone''s surprise that we''d encounter Chen Lin''s trace in this case."


    Guan Zhenglin was almost done so I said, "Come, let''s all go to the office. I''m surprised that this woman is a Grade B fugitive."


    "Woman?" Gu Chen shook his head. "Chen Lin is not a woman, but a man."


    "A man?"

 Chapter 82: Ladyboy

    Chapter 82: Ladyboy


    As we arrived at the door of the office, we heard smattering of voicesing from inside. We walked in and saw the whole office was seated before the television. Many reporters were on the screen and behind them was Liu Yinyan''s bungalow. The team of security blocked the reporters from barging in. The situation looked chaotic, it could turn into a mob at any moment.


    "Liu Yinyan''s daughter, Liu Fei''er was kidnapped today, is that true?" "Could this the working of Liu Yinyan''spetition?" "Have the police been involved?" This was a big issue at Dong Xing City. After all, the smallest thing Liu Yinyan did would get on the news, much less something as big as this. Then again, we knew this would eventually happen, we couldn''t silence everyone. Facing these reporters, the security had the same answer, "This is a private property, please leave."


    "Captain Zhao." Gu Chen said softly. Captain Zhao switched off the television and moved the tea cup around his palm. "This thing has raised hell and high water at Dong Xing City. The rumors are flying everywhere, some say this is the working of Liu Yinyan''spetition, others im it was Liu Fei''er''s rabid fans who were behind it. There''s even one theory where they suggest Liu Fei''er has eloped. They came up with such details that you''d think they were behind this kidnapping themselves." Captain Zhao sat down and took a sip of the tea. "These people are professional pot stirrers, who know what they will say next. The upper management is under a lot of pressure and that means there''s a lot of pressure on me. We have to find Liu Fei''er as soon as possible. Even if we aren''t able to capture the kidnappers, we have to ensure her safety." Mary nodded while she heard that. "After all, her father is the biggest business mogul at Dong Xing City, if something happens to him or his daughter, the stocks for Rong Ding Corporation will plummet and it will bring a lot of people down with it. It''s not surprising that people are worried."


    I didn''t know much about the stock market, I hadn''t participated in it but I knew the theory behind it. Based on what Mary said, the copse of one person would cause a horrible domino effect. I scratched my head and said, "I hear that Chen Lin''s DNA is found on Liu Fei''er''s lipstick?"


    Guan Zhenglin nodded. "Yes, 2 people''s DNA are found on the lipstick." Mary turned herptop around, "Yes, and one of them is this man. Chen Lin, here''s his picture." We leaned forward to take a closer look, this was a perfect beauty. She had an oval face, handsome features, and voluptuous body. She was about 1.75 metres tall. That struck me as weird. Gu Chen and Mary said that Chen Lin was a man but no matter how I saw it, Chen Lin didn''t look like a man. Therefore, I asked in confusion, "This Chen Lin, is he a man or a woman?"


    Mary answered, "Officially he''s a man but in appearance, he''s a woman." Guan Zhenglin frowned, "Is he trans? A crossdresser or hermaphrodite?"


    I looked at Guan Zhenglin and then at a picture of Chen Lin. Imented, "He''s a man but he has a bigger chest than you do, plus don''t those terms mean the same thing?" Guan Zhenglin rolled her eyes at me.


    Mary said, "Based on the info I found, Chen Lin has been taking shots of oestrogen since he was a boy but he hasn''t had his male genitalia removed. He''s 28 years old now and he has never been seen again since his prison break 3 years ago, until now." Guan Zhenglin nodded. "In that case, he should be a different category all together, a genderqueer." Then Guan Zhenglin turned to educate me. "Since you''re so clueless about these things, I''ll exin them to you. First, transgender is itself an umbre term, it includes both pre-op and post-op individuals. For example, Zhang Mingliang in our previous case would be a post-op transgender person. While a cross-dresser merely is an individual who likes to dress like their opposite gender, they have no interest in transitioning. While hermaphrodite is a rare condition where a person is born with both male and female genitalia. Chen Lin technically belong under the category of transgender individual but based on his history, I would say he''s more of a genderqueer person, their gender identity falls outside the binary categories of man and woman."


    I nodded with confusion. Guan Zhenglin sighed and said, "Perhaps you''ll understand more after you get to know his story. I just wish that you''d have the decency to respect these individuals and their choices. Stop being such a dunce, Wu Meng!"


    To prevent the lecture from continuing, I changed the subject, "So what exactly has this genderqueer person done that he has been imprisoned and when did he escape?"


    So Mary told us about Chen Lin.


    Based on the system file, Chen Lin was an orphan. When he was small, he was adopted by a travelling circus. This was a circus that didn''t have many animals, only several snakes, a monkey and a cow with 5 legs. That was because the circus relied not on the animals but humans to attract the people''s attention. The circus was home to deformed individuals. There was a Siamese twin who had 2 heads, 4 eyes, 4 legs and 2 arms. They crawled about like some kind of insect. There was an old dwarf over 79. She was less than 1 metre tall and had Alzheimer. She was hunched over and looked like a giant rat. There was a man who lived inside a bottle because he was stuffed inside one since he was young and the bottle restricted his growth. The circus earned money by entertaining human nature''s attraction to the grotesque, they travelled around the country. They came to a ce and settled down with their big top and started to sell tickets. It was during one of the circus'' tours that Chen Lin was picked up by the circus. The ringleader was a man with big boils on his face, one on each cheek, lending him the look of a toad so people referred to him as Ringleader Toad. Ringleader Toad was both a good person and bad person but he was always good to his people.


    There was no one who stayed at the circus for free and their ie was barely enough to survive the days. This was not a permanent job. After staying at a ce for too long, no matter how grotesque it was, people would be numb to it. Therefore, they had to go around the country and the travels required money. Even though they were stretched thin on budget, Ringleader Toad still decided to adopt this boy but the boy was too normal to fit into the circus world. For Chen Lin to be a part of this family and for him not to be ostracized by the other circus members, Ringleader Toad decided to turn Chen Lin into adyboy, then he would be so much more normal. Therefore, since he was the age of 3, Ringleader Toad would inject Chen Lin with heavy doses of oestrogen daily, plus, Chen Lin would be given various talent lessons so that she could pull in the coins.


    Chen Lin at 14 was already very mature and sexy. His Adam''s Apple disappeared and his boobs grew into peaks. His penis stopped growing and remained a boy''s genitalia. His skin was fair as snow and his body proportions enviable by real women. By then Chen Lin was already performing and little Chen Lin soon found himself being the main attraction of the circus. His poster started to appear, The Great Ladyboy, Chen Lin.


    Chen Lin''s performance was a striptease. His beautiful face, gorgeous body and burlesque training would get the crowd riled up everything time. Compared to the Siamese twin, the hobbit and the man without limbs, Chen Lin''s performance was always packed because there was something alluring about someone who embraced their freakiness. Chen Lin flourished in his gender ambiguity. The climax of Chen Lin''s show was at the end when he stripped down to nothing. The crowds would scream like they were crazy. 20 years ago, most people didn''t have phones with cameras and the inte wasn''t thatmon, or else we would have known about Chen Lin on the inte already.


    They saw Chen Lin''s bulging breasts and his boy''s penis and scrotum. This strong contrast made them open their wallet and the biggest tipper would be able toe on stage to touch thedyboy who was only 14 in person. That was the biggest draw every night. The winners fondled Chen Lin''s breast and caressed his balls and dick. It was as if they couldn''t believe what they were touching. This kind of life continued until Chen Lin was 18, that year, Chen Lin massacred everyone at the circus.


    That day, it was Chen Lin''s 18th birthday. Since it was his 18th birthday, there were 18 candles on the cake. Chen Lin looked at the cake, closed his eyes and made a wish. The story of the wish had to be traced back to several months before his birthday. Like usual, Chen Lin took the stage to perform but this performance was different from the rest because during thest segment, Chen Lin''s penis got erect. Since he was born, this was Chen Lin''s first and only erection. That day, a 20 plus girl was sitting in the audience.


    "Wait a minute!" Xiao Liu interrupted, "Chen Lin likes girls?!"


    Guan Zhenglin sighed, "Gender doesn''t decide a person''s sexual orientation, okay? You people are reacting this way because prejudice has been deeply carved into your bones. Since a man can be gay or straight, why would you assume Chen Lin didn''t have that right of choice?!" Xiao Liu was instantly silenced and Mary picked up the story.


    Chen Lin fell in love with the girl at first sight. She was chubby and beautiful.


    "Look, the tranny''s penis is standing up!" Someone shouted.


    "Oh, it''s real but even at full erection, the thing is so short. That''s interesting!" Another person added.


    "I wonder if he can ejacte or not!" Someone cheered.


    "How is that possible, his balls are so tiny, I don''t think they can even produce semen!"


    The screams andments of these people drifted into Chen Lin''s ears as he stared at the girl who sat in the middle of the audience. The girl peeked at Chen Lin''s penis with a red face, she had no idea Chen Lin was looking at her. Only those who hadn''t been in love would believe that love woulde slowly. Real love struck like lightning and in that moment, Chen Lin fell in love with that woman. And it was also the first time Chen Lin felt the sting of shame.

 Chapter 83: Hope at 18

    Chapter 83: Hope at 18


    Everyone has the right to love and to be loved, of course Chen Lin had that right too. Chen Lin loved this woman, this woman he had seen for just once. That was the first andst time Chen Lin saw her. But once was enough, right? From that day onwards, Chen Lin refused to take the stage, refused to expose himself so openly to people other than the one he loved anymore. At the start, the members didn''t say anything but after he didn''t take the stage for a whole week, people started toin. Why the rest needed to work while Chen Lin could rest day after day, this was not fair. The circus didn''t keep those who didn''t work, that was the rules.


    The first toin was the man without limbs, people called him the Worm Man. He slithered before Chen Lin and shouted, "Chen Lin, you have to take the stage already. Why do the rest of us need to work but you can rest backstage, that is not fair."


    The Bottle Man who spent his life inside the bottle concurred. "That''s right! Why do we have to work to feed you? Do you know how hard is it to earn money? Master Toad has invested in you for over 10 years but how much you''ve earned back for the circus? You''ve only been working for years and you already demand special rights?" They were reasonable, because what else could they use other than reason? They weren''t able to win Chen Lin in a fight considering they were both missing limbs. Chen Lin was silent because he believed they were right. If not for the circus and its people, he would have died 18 years ago.


    But Chen Lin still refused the stage. In those few years, Chen Lin became a philosopher. That was the first time Chen Lin learned to think independently and the big question surfaced, why was he alive? Were he and his circus friends born to be gawked at by others? Was he going to spend the rest of his life like the rest of the circus people, being treated like monsters, feared and disgusted before eventually forgotten? That was such a sad life and one Chen Lin didn''t want for himself.


    The young girl who came to see a freakshow probably wouldn''t know that her appearance had caused such a strong ripple effect in another person. Sometimes, the world was that strong, and life was that strange.


    When he was presented with the cake with 18 candles, Chen Lin hadn''t taken the stage for months already. Other than a fewints, his circus family didn''t do anything. They were actually all kind people, they just had an ugly exterior. In fact, it was his circus family who purchased the birthday cake for Chen Lin. Ringleader Toad went into the city to buy the cake for Chen Lin. He was frozen at the counter, conscious of the gaze of the others. In the end, it was the Worm Man who leaned on the Ringleader Toad''s body who said, "Hello, miss, we would like a big birthday cake!" The Worm Man said he had never felt as courageous as he did that day. The Bottle Man and Worm Man sang the happy birthday song while the senile dwarf twirled around. The Siamese twins put a birthday cap on Chen Lin''s head. There were 2 more performers tapping the table along the song. Ringleader Toad said, "Our Xiao Lin is finally a grown man."


    18 years were too long but also too short. Suddenly a mncholy settled over the celebration. The big top was normally filled with people to see their performance but that day, they took a special day off. The tent was empty, almost as empty as their hearts.


    "Why don''t you make a wish?" The Siamese Twin smiled at Chen Lin and said. Chen Lin made a wish and his wish was that his circus family didn''t need to survive based on derision by others anymore. Therefore, Chen Lin picked up the knife meant for the birthday cake and stabbed everyone else. After they were dead, no one would look down on and make fun of them anymore, at least that was what Chen Lin thought. First, he sliced through Ringleader Toad''s cheeks. The pus exploded and brackish liquid flowed out and filled the tent with an indescribable stench. Everyone was shocked by this sudden aggression. The two deformed performers beside the table never got the chance to run before they were killed by Chen Lin.


    His next target was the Siamese Twins. They had four legs but they couldn''t run faster than Chen Lin. Chen Lin cut off one neck and then for the sake of insurance, cut off the other. The rest was easier to deal with. The old dwarf didn''t even know what happened. She was still dancing beside the table, hoping to get a piece of the cake. Unfortunately she was too small to reach the table. Chen Lin picked some cream up with the knife and extended it towards the old dwarf.


    "Don''t! Granny, stay away!" The Bottle Man was unable to move so he could only shout from inside the bottle. The old dwarf didn''t heed his advice. The moment her mouth touched the cream, the knife pierced through her neck. "Why, why are you doing this?" The Bottle Man cried. Chen Lin ignored him and began his search for the Worm Man. He finally found him, he was wiggling on the ground trying to escape but of course, how fast could he move like that? Chen Lin only took 2 steps before he stopped before the Worm Man. Worm Man lifted his head and Chen Lin gave him a sweet smile. Finally, only the Bottle Man was left.


    The man was wailing openly now, his despaired cries echoed inside the empty big top. "Do we not treat you well?" The man demanded between tears. He had worked at this circus for decades already but today everyone he knew had died, suddenly he was not that afraid of death anymore. Bottle Man had more than once considered suicide due to his circumstance but he ultimately didn''t dare to do it due to fear of pain. But now it didn''t matter anymore. At that moment, he understood it was not because of pain that he feared to die, it was because of hope. He always had his circus family around him and they gave him hope to face the world together but now they were all dead, he no longer had hope so he wasn''t afraid of death anymore.


    Chen Lin answered, "You guys are the best family I could''ve asked for but I do not want any of you to continue living a life like this." Therefore Chen Lin murdered everyone. Chen Lin''s goal was for everyone to die and that included himself. However when he was supposed to kill himself, he hesitated. Chen Lin still had hope, he hadn''t given up. Chen Lin sat among the bodies and contemted for 3 hours. He was hungry and stopped to finish his birthday cake. Chen Lin cleaned out the circus'' savings and before he left, he burned the tent.


    When the police intervened, the coroner soon found out that the bodies were burnt after death and didn''t die in the fire. Everyone''s fatal wounds were caused by a knife so that was probably only one killer. The identity of the dead was very easy to check because they were all freaks. They had different bone structures than normal humans, through boneparison and witness testimony, the identification waspleted. The police soon noticed one person was missing and that was Chen Lin. Therefore, they had all the reasons to believe Chen Lin was the killer, this was a very simple case. All the evidence was ced there to be collected and Chen Lin had no alibi. However, the equipment 10 years ago was not that good, Chen Lin had disappeared into anonymity. After releasing the warrant, there was nothing else they could do until one day many yearster, Chen Lin was captured in a total ident.


    It was a different city, involving a car ident. A car derailed from the road and the driver identally drove into the river due to exhaustion. Thankfully the car windows were open or else the water pressure would have shut the passengers in. But that didn''t mean that there was no danger. None of the family of 3 knew how to swim. The pedestrian was stunned but at that moment, a woman jumped into the river. The woman first rescued the child and then the wife. Finally with the aid of another Good Samaritan, they managed to save the husband. The family of 3 was saved by this woman, they knelt before her to thank her for saving their lives. But the woman was unable to say anything, she was too tired. Hauling people out of water was extremely exhausting. It was already tiring to fight against the current alone much less when one had to carry another person with them. When the police and ambnce arrived, the woman was ferried to the hospital as well.


    "Wait, this person looks familiar." One of the officers said.


    "I think so too." The other officer looked closer. Then another officer pped his thigh. "Wait, she''s the wanted fugitive we saw online, isn''t she?"


    And that was how Chen Lin was captured.


    The family who was saved would never know that their savior was also a murderer. One year ago, this woman who saved them had murdered 7 people. They wouldn''t know that this woman wasn''t even a woman. So was Chen Lin a good or bad person? If he didn''t stop to save the family, he wouldn''t have been captured. Chen Lin was given life imprisonment, if everything went like usual, he would spend the rest of his life behind bars. But if there was a word that defined Chen Lin''s life, it was unusual. 6 years after his detention, Chen Lin escaped from prison, he had been keeping a low profile for 3 years until now.


    So it was Chen Lin who hid inside the room and kidnapped Liu Fei''er.


    "How did he escape from prison?" Xiao Liu asked.


    Mary exined, "Chen Lin has been nning to escape since he was detained. He used a small spoon and dug a path through the toilet for 6 years. He escaped through the sewer and disappeared."


    "Wait, no one noticed that?" I shook my head. "This prison''s management is so bad. The prison that I grew up in would never allow this to happen. What about his cellmate, why didn''t they report him?"


    Mary shrugged and asked, "That will circte back to Chen Lin''s unique gender identity. If you''re the prison master, would you put him in the male or female cell?"


    I shook my head helplessly.


    "Therefore, to solve this problem, the prison master opened a single cell just for Chen Lin." Mary said, "And because of that, no one noticed his work for 6 long years until the day he escaped."


    Six years of digging. When Chen Lin was 18, he prepared to kill himself but when he was 28, he appeared to have found hope.


    Gain ess to 30 extra chapters of this book on my patreon /lonelyman).

 Chapter 84: The Worm

    Chapter 84: The Worm


    Based on the prison records, Chen Lin could only start digging at night, and it had to be after the prison closed its main power. He wouldn''t be able to see anything and he had to make sure his digging was soft enough that no one would hear him. With such caution and bravery, no wonder Chen Lin was tasked with the kidnapping. Since we already found out about Chen Lin, we would use him as the opening. Hopefully he would lead us to the greater criminal gang. As a genderqueer person, it was logical for Chen Lin to test out Liu Fei''er''s lipstick but there was another point that was less logical, the dog''s blood. While he was inside Liu Fei''er''s bedroom, Chen Lin wouldn''t have brought food with him so the dog''s blood must have been there before his infiltration.


    "We need to find a ce where there are a lot of stray dogs, a secluded, abandoned ce." I said slowly. The moment I said that, I shared a look with Gu Chen. I knew that the same answer came to our mind and we breathed out at the same time, "The abandoned construction site!" Indeed, the very same construction site where Zhang Mingliang killed him and Ol'' Zhang guarded before he escaped. No one would pass by there even in the day and it had be a haven for the strays. The most dangerous ce could be the safest ce, if I had to find a ce inside the city where not many people frequented, the abandoned construction site was a perfect choice.


    "Let''s go!"


    One hourter, we arrived in cars. This ce looked the same as when we visited it half a year ago. Looks like no constructionpany had taken over the revival of this ce. The site door was left hanging open and a lot more wild grass covered the ground. Unreadable graffiti covered the walls. Half a year ago, Zhang Mingliang''s head fell from this building. Returning to this ce, even though it hadn''t been that long, it felt like a lifetime ago.


    "This is the ce, let''s start the search." I told the officers who came with us. "Come with me." I summoned a few of them. Half a year ago, when I came for Zhang Mingliang''s case, I remember Ol'' Zhang had erected a simple wooden shed for himself. Outside the shed, many dead stray dog bodies were strung and underneath them were pails of dog''s blood.


    When I returned to this ce, I knew that my prediction was right. There was arge pool of blood before the wooden shed and it had fully dried. Guan Zhenglin walked over and brushed the blood against her gloved finger. She ced it before her nose and frowned. "It''s not human blood, probably dog''s blood but we better bring it to theb for testing to be sure." Watching that, I couldn''t help butment, "Why are you acting like Doggie Wang Er all of a sudden? Speaking of which, why aren''t we bringing Doggie Wang Er with us? The man, I mean, the dog has a better nose than most dogs." With that in mind, I fired off a message to Captain Zhao to ask him to spring Doggie Wang Er out of the hospital.


    Guan Zhenglin stood up and said, "It''ll take about 2 days for the blood to dry until this stage. In other words, someone has been here and knocked the pails over. Could that someone be Chen Lin?"


    I pulled my hair and said, "From current evidence, that does appear to be the case. Chen Lin and now Ol'' Zhang are confirmed to be members of this criminal group but then who else?" Chen Lin and Ol'' Zhang had a simrity and that was they were both fugitives on the run. Since they were already fugitives, they would have no gumption to kill innocent people. Suddenly, a frightening thought struck me, what if Liu Fei''er was already dead? After all, these people would do anything.


    But who was the mastermind behind this? Was it Ol'' Zhang who saw human lives as no different from dog''s lives, Chen Lin who still didn''t know the reason for his existence or someone elsepletely? How big was the group and what was their purpose? So many mysteries.


    "Guys, we found another body!" One of the officers shouted.


    Another body? We shared a look and hurried to the voice. We saw a dead body lying in the bush. From the shape, it looked like a woman. My heart winced, could it really be Liu Fei''er? As I got closer, I realized this was not Liu Fei''er but someone even more unexpected. The dead body was Chen Lin. From the appearance, this was definitely Chen Lin but he didn''t look as gorgeous as his picture did. Chen Lin''s face was blotchy and his skin was not as fair as I was led to believe, if anything, he looked waxy. For some reason, even though he was only 28, the descriptions, aged and elderly fitted him quite nicely.


    "This is Chen Lin?" Xiao Liu gasped in disbelief, "He doesn''t look at all like his picture! Are we offering touch up services to warrant pictures now?"


    Guan Zhenglin leaned forward and said, "I believe that''s because he hasn''t been given ess to oestrogen for a prolonged period of time. After all, where would he find those in prison? Therefore, the oestrogen level in his body slowly decreased and his beauty faded. He should be 28 but he looked 48." As she examined the body, she continued, "If you must know such is the life of Thai Kathoeys. They share life arcs simr to Chen Lin. Before puberty, they started to take oestrogen injection and practice various talents. Age 18 to 25 is the prime age for Thai Kathoeys, that is the period when they rake in the money, and are at their prettiest. Their career and life start to go downhill after 25 and the average lifespan of a Thai Kathoey is around 35 to 40 years."


    Xiao Liu shook his head and sighed withmentation. "That is such a short life."


    Guan Zhenglin shook her head. "For them, that is already long enough. Especially at thest stage of their life, most Thai Kathoeys choose tomit suicide. They are like moths, they know that fire awaits them, but they cannot help but fly right into it." That saddened me for some reason. I added, "Perhaps but some might have an empty life even if they live until over 100 years old. The biggest regrets in life are often what we have not done and not what we have done."


    "The injury pattern is simr to the patrol guard." Guan Zhenglin inspected the wound. "I can only see this wound around the neck. The wound goes deep so it''s probably the same killer. But it''s better to be careful, I''ll know further when I cut him open. We might find something else." Chen Lin''s body was soon moved to the morgue, the trace analysts stayed to inspect the crime scene. Gu Chen and Xiao Lin stayed as well. I followed Guan Zhenglin back to the morgue.


    I had seen autopsy of a male and a female but I had not seen the autopsy of a genderqueer person. For some reason, there was anticipation within me. This was perhaps how Chen Lin''s circus managed to earn money, it took advantage of people''s innate attraction to the grotesque.


    The guard was dead, Chen Lin was dead, everyone we had investigated was dead. This group of criminals was ruthless. To stop our investigation, they would stoop to the lowest level. A chill gripped my heart, if we continued this investigation, would we end up getting Liu Fei''er killed? This was only the first day and so many things had already happened. However, 2 people who worked for the gang had been murdered, wouldn''t that shake the surviving members'' confidence and loyalty? Or this meant that there were less people to share the spoils?


    Guan Zhenglin was ready to start. I sat to the side and watched. Chen Lin still had a good body proportion but the same couldn''t be said for his face. If he had dog''s blood on his lips, would we find more canine remains inside his stomach?


    Guan Zhenglin that held the scalpel was steady like every cadaver thatid on her autopsy table was the same. "As a forensic doctor, does that mean you''ve ustomed yourself to death?"


    Guan Zhenglin answered without stopping her work. "Yes, humans are like all the organisms in this world, we''re all going to die and leave behind a body, and my job is to help them speak, to find their cause of death so that they can depart without any more regret."


    "If one day, it''s me or Gu Chen lying on that autopsy table, will you be so calm as well?" I joked.


    Guan Zhenglin paused before saying, "I hope that day will nevere." But her tone suddenly changed, "But if it''s you, I''ll cut off your penis after I''m done with the autopsy."


    "The fuck!" I closed my legs inadvertently. "You perv!"


    Guan Zhenglin was moving towards the stomach but at that moment, she screamed and frightened me as well. I jumped up and hurried over. "What''s wrong?''


    "Look!" Guan Zhenglin pointed at the cut open body. I turned and lowered my head to look. The sight almost made me vomit on the body. Inside therge intestine, there was a white worm moving about. The worm was curved and t. Only a small segment of it was poking out, the rest of its body was still hidden inside the intestines. Based on the segment that I saw, this worm was at least 1 metres long. It was disgusting and unexpected.


    "Why is this thing inside his stomach? And how long is it actually?" I resisted the nausea and asked.


    By then Guan Zhenglin had calmed down. She said, "If I have to guess, it''s about 4 metres long. So what do you think?"

 Chapter 85: Tapeworm

    Chapter 85: Tapeworm


    4 metres plus long... Just inparison, the length of a normal adult intestine was about 4 to 5 times their height, in other words, Chen Lin''s intestines was about 7 to 9 meters. This worm was half or 2/3 that length. Just imagine that. I didn''t know about others but I wouldn''t have much appetite for at least the next 3 days. Guan Zhenglin said, "I was spooked when I first saw it. But now that I know what it is, it''s not that scary anymore. Actually, wait here, I''ll show you something amazing." Seeing the inexplicable excitement on Guan Zhenglin''s face, I could feel my stomach churn, making me that much closer to vomiting out my morning breakfast. Guan Zhenglin used the tweezer to pinch the head of the worm and slowly walked backwards. It reminded me of the stringiness of cheese, it was also at that moment that I swore to not touch cheese in my life anymore. With a steady pull from Guan Zhenglin, the worm slowly eased out of Chen Lin''s body. 1 metre, 2 metre, 3 metre, 4 metres.


    Guan Zhenglin was purposely moving towards me. I tried my best to back away but behind me was already the wall, there was nowhere to hide. When Guan Zhenglin stopped beside me, she raised her brow in challenge. I had never been so humiliated in my life. I wanted to do something about it but when I saw the worm that was already more than 4 metres long in her hand, I swallowed any words that I had. Guan Zhenglin started to saunter down the side of the wall, pulling the worm with her. Eventually, the whole worm exited Chen Lin''s body. Based on the morgue''s size, the worm was about 5 metres plus long. I didn''t get it, how could Chen Lin not realize there was a worm that was more than 5 metres long in his body?


    Guan Zhenglin found a box and ted the worm like how a chef would noodle. "Want toe take a closer look?" Guan Zhenglin hooked her finger at me. "Don''t be so scared, it won''t eat you. Plus, this worm might give us many clues. Do you still want to solve the case or not?" Taking a few deep breaths and summoning all my courage, I slowly inched my way to the box. Guan Zhenglin knelt down and while holding the worm by its head, she turned to ask me, "Do you know what this worm''s name is?"


    I shook my head. "This disgusting thing has a name?"


    Guan Zhenglin grinned. "Well you have a name so why not it? Look at its milky way color and t body, does it not remind you of angel hair spaghetti with Carbonara sauce?" Well, there was another meal off my life''s menu. "Are you telling me this thing is called Angel Hair worm?" I asked slowly. Guan Zhenglin shook her head. "Of course not, it''s called beef tapeworm."


    "Beef tapeworm?" I was speechless, "Great, you''re making me cut beef off my diet for life."


    Guan Zhenglinughed, "It''s also called Taenia Saginata. Look at the head of the worm, it''s rectangr in shape. Unlike most worms, it doesn''t have hooks around its mouth but instead it has 4 suction cups." I looked closer and realized she was correct. Guan Zhenglin continued, "It uses these 4 suction cups to attach itself to the human intestine and to absorb the nutrients from the human host. If you must know, there is a close rtive of this species called pork tapeworm but instead of suction cups, they have hooks."


    "How did the worm enter the human body?" I asked before she destroyed my diet further. Guan Zhenglin shrugged. "By eating uncooked meat. Eggs for these parasites can be found in uncooked pork and beef. If ingested by humans, they would hatch inside the human body. In about 3 months, they would grow into adult worms."


    The worm was still wiggling. I asked, "Is this thing harmless? Could Chen Lin not feel its presence?" Guan Zhenglin shook her head. "Of course he could feel it. He was lucky this is a beef tapeworm. It''s far less dangerous to the human bodypared to the pork tapeworm. For pork tapeworms, their cysticercus can spread to any part of the human body through the bloodstream, it mightnd in the brain, or the eyes. I''ve seen such unfortunate victims in my university sses." While I shivered in difort, Guan Zhenglin continued, "Beef tapeworm is less dangerous but it will still cause symptoms like headache, diarrhoea,ck of spirit and in severe cases, even death. I believe Chen Lin would have suffered from at least some of these symptoms. Whenever he used the toilet, he would eject arge amount of parasitic eggs as well." Guan Zhenglin studied the worm before frowning. "This beef tapeworm is about as long as it can be. It is more than 3 months old already. But if that''s the case, Chen Lin might have ingested not the eggs but an adult worm."


    I was confused by that. I asked for rification. "Wait a minute. Can you exin in more detail?"


    Instead of looking at me, Guan Zhenglin continued to toy with the worm. "Human body has a natural immunity against beef tapeworm. In other words, having beef sashimi once in a while will not get you infected that easily. Unless you eat uncooked beef daily, then that''s another story."


    "You mean Chen Lin has been eating uncooked beef daily?" Now it was my turn to frown. "Or perhaps he got infected from drinking dog''s blood?"


    Guan Zhenglin shook her head. "Impossible, dogs aren''t valid secondary hosts for beef tapeworms because they don''t eat grass. Normally, the beef tapeworm''s secondary hosts are animals like cows, sheep, deers and so on. It won''t exist in dog''s blood. Therefore, as I concluded earlier, Chen Lin ingested this worm himself."


    "He ate the worm?" I couldn''t believe my ears. "How?"


    Guan Zhenglin stood up and signalled for me to follow her. She left the morgue and said, "Think about it, if a normal person ate uncooked meat and got infected by parasites, the symptoms would show immediately. His first reaction would be to go to the hospital and have the parasites removed, right?"


    "Indeed." I nodded.


    "But Chen Lin did not. The worm is already 5 metres plus long, I might ept that he didn''t notice the symptoms if the worm was 1 metre long but this is a 5 metres plus long worm, he wouldn''t have not suffered from the symptoms." Guan Zhenglin removed the gloves and waved me to join her at the sink. "Make sure you wash your hands clean. I do not wish to see such a worm end up inside your body either." I had never been so serious in hand washing before. I used about the whole bottle of hand shampoo.


    Guan Zhenglin continued, "So that''s the problem. Granted Chen Lin couldn''t go to official hospitals because of his fugitive status but there are over the counter meds for things like this. He could just buy more of them. So why would he allow the worm to grow to such length in his body? There''s only one exnation, he purposely allowed it to live there."


    "But why would someone do that?" I was befuddled.


    Guan Zhenglin turned around and looked at me seriously. "The worm is attached to its host''s intestine and lives off of the host''s nutrients. And the intestines are the human body''s most important organ to digest and absorb nutrients. Have you seen Chen Lin''s body? He didn''t have one inch of fat on his body. That body proportion was to die for."


    Suddenly, it dawned on me. "You mean"


    Guan Zhenglin nodded and said confidently. "He did this to lose weight, the daily goal of every woman!"


    That was the same idea that popped into my mind as well. I enquired weakly, "But would it really work?"


    "Well, Chen Lin''s body is the best evidence to answer that question." Guan Zhenglin added with condescension, "But you''re paying for it with your own life." Guan Zhenglin walked away from me and towards the office. I was still a bit confused about things. I chased after her and asked, "So what are we supposed to do now?"


    Guan Zhenglin didn''t answer me exactly, "Think about it, the human body is not a conducive growth environment for parasitic worms so Chen Lin chose to ingest an adult worm directly. To ensure that the worm could continue to thrive in his body, he would have to find ways to provide it with additional nutrients. That would exin the dog''s blood."


    I nodded, finally following up on Guan Zhenglin''s train of thought, "If that''s the case, someone out there must be a specific breeder of these worms, someone whom Chen Lin sourced the adult worm from! If we can find that person, they''ll lead us to more clues."


    "Bingo!"


    At the office.


    When we said we had found a worm more than 5 metres long inside the body, everyone was shocked. Like horses at the race track, they rushed off to see the thing for themselves. I tried my best to stop them but it was to no avail. I could already imagine the group of officers doubling over and vomiting. This night would be destined to be a disquieting night. Even Mary and Captain Zhao joined in the fun''. Such was human nature!


    Soon, I saw Captain Zhao and Mary walk back with difort on their faces. At the same time, I heard the sound of heavinging from the morgue. I had already persuaded them but humans could be such obstinate creatures.


    "That thing." Captain Zhao said softly, "is something else."


    "That''s right." I suggested, "Why don''t we set up a booth at the station, we can charge 5 RMB for each viewing"


    Guan Zhenglin rolled her eyes at me. "Sister Mary, I believe this worm''s breeder made the transaction online, after all, this is not something that would have an official business registration. Can you look into Chen Lin''s recent bank activities? If we have that, we might be able to narrow down our investigation area further."


    Mary''s face was green as she made an ok sign. Looks like the worm had left quite an impact on her.

 Chapter 86: Parking Lot

    Chapter 86: Parking Lot


    To single out an online transaction among billions that went on every day was not something which could be done quickly. Using Dong Xing City as the focus, Mary started to look for people who would work with beef tapeworms online. By then the day was gettingte. After a whole day of work, it was time to rest.


    However, lying in bed, I couldn''t sleep. Other than worry for Liu Fei''er, I worried about myself and my ability to continue the investigation. Paranoia was itself a disease hard to cure and it could only be suppressed with meds most of the time. In my case, my prison master father had brought me to various big hospitals and there was no cure, only meds to control it. However, after spending a year in the asylum, my condition stabilized enough that I didn''t have to take the meds anymore but it looked like it was time to pick up the medicine bottle again. My night was spent in such anxiety.


    The sun rose. When I came to the office, I was told that Liu Yinyan had called the city more than 10 times yesterday night, they were all to demand for updates. Not 24 hours had passed since his daughter''s disappearance but Liu Yinyan was already such a mess. It was hard to imagine he was a ruthless business mogul. "By the way, is there any news from Jessie?" I asked Xiao Liu who looked like he hadn''t slept yesterday night too. Turns out he just returned from Liu Yinyan''s bungalow.


    Xiao Liu shook his head. "Yesterday, after you guys returned to the station, Gu Chen and I stayed at Liu Yinyan''s home. But he was so worried about his daughter that he kept waking us up to call the city for updates. We barely got the chance to sleep." With a yawn, he continued, "But the private investigators didn''t fare much better than we do. I did try to probe them for information. As expected, Vivian only gave me a cold stare but Jessie did reveal to me a clue."


    "What clue?"


    Xiao Liu scratched, "He said, if someone needed to take someone away without being discovered, transportation was a necessity. With the amount of traffic cam at Dong Xing City, if we could identify the getaway car, we would get more clues."


    I shrugged. Looks like instead of focusing on the lipsticks, Jessie''s team went down a different path. In any case, we were working for the same goal. Our opening was the beef tapeworm and their opening was a car. It would depend on who was faster to achieve the breakthrough. However, investigation was not a race. We sat there and waited for things to happen. I yed games on my phone, Guan Zhenglin sat on the couch and spaced out while Xiao Liu bustled about, busy with god knows what.


    Throughout the day, Mary was busy looking into the business of beef tapeworms. She had found quite a few sellers on the ck market but she needed more time to pinpoint the exact one which Chen Lin had frequented. Gu Chen stayed alone at Liu Yinyan''s bungalow to work as liaison. The number of clues the kidnappers left behind was so minimal that there was not much we could work with. We were working against a very professional team because they still hadn''t called after a day. The longer they took to make the ransom call, the more passive we''d be. This team was different from normal criminals, they were too calm and collected. Just as I thought nothing was going to progress that day, Mary suddenly eximed. "Found it!"


    That sent a surge through our spirit. We rushed to Mary''s side and she said. "Using some special skill, I found the sellers of beef tapeworms at Dong Xing City. These sellers sold tapeworms or ascarids to those who wanted to lose weight the extreme way. However, these organisms couldn''t be mailed. Therefore" Mary clicked on a picture on herputer, "The transactions have to be done in person. And the seller that Chen Lin chose was unique in the sense that the seller promised that as long as the transaction was done in Dong Xing City, the buyer could pick the transaction location. I believed that would be alluring to a fugitive so I hacked into this seller''s system and managed to find the transaction records between Chen Lin and the seller!" Then Mary erged the picture.


    These were messages between Chen Lin and the seller. In the beginning, it was Chen Lin enquiring about the danger and effectiveness of this method. The seller naturally fed him with the sales pitch but that was not the main point, the main point was the following exchange:


    Chen Lin, "Okay, but we have to meet up in person? You can''t mail it?"


    Boss, "No, the system will identify it, thew forbids us from mailing living organisms. Dear, why don''t you pick a spot and we''ll deliver the thing there."


    One minuteter.


    Chen Lin, "Then can youe to Eastern Street No. 74 Underground Parking Lot? I''ll wait for you there."


    Boss, "Okay, our delivery boy will be there in about an hour. He''ll be riding an e-bike and wearing red."


    Chen Lin, "Noted."


    This was a recorded message between Chen Lin and the boss about the drop off point. From the conversation, we could analyse many things.


    Mary yed a video which featured a parking lot. Mary pointed at the time stamp and said, "So I picked up the surveince video from the address where Chen Lin was supposed to meet with the seller. Thankfully, the surveince at that ce was wiped every 2 months and that was how I got my hands on this video." We focused on the video. 1 minuteter, 2 people appeared at the underground parking lot''s entrance. One of them stood at the entrance but didn''t enter. In the video, only his body was shown, not his face.


    The other person walked into the parking lot. Even though he wore a mask, from his clothing and figure, we knew this was Chen Lin. Chen Lin didn''t stay long inside the parking lot when a young man came in on an e-bike. He wore a red short-sleeved shirt. Chen Lin waved at him and the young man drove over. He then pulled out an opaque bottle from his basket. The young man handed the bottle to Chen Lin. Chen Lin looked into it and took a subconscious step back as if frightened. With a chuckle, the young man leaned the bottle closer to Chen Lin and then said something. With his gestures, we believed he was exining to Chen Lin how to ingest the worm. After taking the 400 RMB payment from Chen Lin, the young man rode on his bike and left. Chen Lin hurried out from the parking lot and left with the other person. The video was short but it told us many things.


    From the video, Chen Lin and his partner walked to this ce. From the time stamp, we knew that it had been less than one hour since Chen Lin made the order. This proved that Chen Lin got here from a ce not far away, at least somewhere within 1 hour walking distance from this parking lot. When discussing the dropoff location with the seller, Chen Lin hesitated for a minute. Chen Lin was a fugitive so naturally he wouldn''t give his actual address. But he wouldn''t give a random address either. He only used 1 minute to respond so this address must have meant something to him. If I had to guess, this underground parking lot was one of the bases the team used before they abandoned it and moved to the building site.


    In any case, now was not the time for spection. I summoned, "Come on, let''s go there and take a look ourselves." It was already 10 pm, the few of us drove to Number 74 Underground Parking Lot. This parking lot was an automated, membership only parking lot. You had to swipe your card on the scanner and then the baton would raise. When you leave, the payment would be charged into the card based on the time you spent in the parking lot. In other words, if you didn''t have the membership card, you couldn''t park here. The ce to join the membership was a small room near the parking lot but when we arrived, it was empty. Therefore, we parked by the roadside and walked into the parking lot. The underground parking lot only had 1 level but it was quite huge. It was big enough to fit more than 100 cars. When we arrived, there were different types of vehicles parked there, from the highest price range to the lowest price range.


    I stood in the middle of the parking lot and took in the vehicles all around me. The others also stopped to look around, hoping to find some clues.


    "What is the parking lot used for?" I suddenly asked. Xiao Liu answered matter-of-factly, "Of course it''s for people to park their cars, what else do you expect? It''s a market during the day?"


    "No, I mean what is the purpose of this ce specific to Chen Lin?" I pulled on my hair and looked at Xiao Liu, "Psychologically speaking, if a person provided the answer within a short period after the question was asked, the answer must be meaningful to the person somehow. For example, if I am to ask you now which restaurant you will frequent tomorrow for lunch, you will not tell me a restaurant you have not heard of. Simrly, the reason Chen Lin gave this address was because he had been to this ce or had heard about it before, I am leaning towards the former.


    "I believe the getaway car they used has been here or is still here!" I said firmly, "Perhaps they stole a car from here or nted the car that they needed for the job here beforehand. After they kidnapped Liu Fei''er, they probably changed it for another vehicle though."


    At that moment, I heard a familiar voice say, "Jessie-kun, are you sure the car will be here?" The person who spoke was Mariko. We lifted our head and saw Jessie''s team walk in. We shared a look. This was an unexpected reunion. Jessie was clearly surprised when he saw us. He then started to guffaw. "Well, looks like you''re not a waste of taxpayers'' money after all, this should be fun."


    I shrugged. "We were just lucky."


    Jessie licked his lips and said, "In that case, why not we test that luck further? How about a bet?"


    "What bet?" Hearing the derision in his tone, I was fairly annoyed.


    "We''ll see who finds Liu Fei''er first." Jessie suggested, "If we do, then this beautifuldy must go on a dinner with me." Looks like Jessie had a bit of a crush on Guan Zhenglin. I asked, "What if we win?"


    Jessie smiled, "If you win, then you can enjoy a lovely romantic candlelight dinner with 2 of my assistants, so what do you say?"


    I shrugged, "Doesn''t matter to me because the bet is between you and Guan Zhenglin. She doesn''t belong to me so who am I to make this decision on her behalf?"


    "Oh?" Jessie''s eyes twinkled. "And I thought thisdy is your girlfriend. Looks like I was wrong. Well, my princess, would you ept my bet?"


    "Of course." Guan Zhenglin smiled. "If you win, I''ll go to that dinner with you. If you lose, you go back to where you came from. We don''t need an outsider PI."


    Jessie nodded. "You got a deal."

 Chapter 87: Rolled Tobacco

    Chapter 87: Rolled Tobo


    To find 1 car among 100 cars, that shouldn''t take long. In less than 20 minutes, one vehicle appeared before us. This was an old van, it had no license te and was parked at the most secluded corner. It could be very easily missed. "This is it!" Xiao Liu said confidently, "The car''s old and it''s purposely parked at this dark corner, clearly it doesn''t want to be found. Plus, the trunk isrge enough to fit 2 people. Therefore, I am 100 percent certain this is our criminal''s getaway car!"


    Seeing how hyped he was, I was a bit hesitant to tell the truth. This was definitely not our criminal''s car because this car was too old and poor. It was probably the poorest vehicle at the parking lot. A vehicle like this would not attract attention on a normal street but at a privatepound like Liu Yanyin''s bungalow where every vehicle was modern and of thetest model? It would stick out like a sore thumb.


    "This is definitely not the vehicle we''re looking for." To my surprise, both Jessie and I said at the same time. We shared a look. This Jessie was a good detective, no wonder he could operate his own PI agency at Nara. I bowed and said, "In that case, why don''t you point out the criminal''s car for us?"


    Jessie smiled at me. He walked away and said, "In such arge parking lot, this old van stands out the most. It''s probably a smokescreen by the kidnappers, so that we''d waste our time on this van. Perhaps they had even nted evidence in there to lead us down the wrong way." Jessie stopped before a ck Audi and said, "In contrast, what do you think about this?" The Audi A6 was parked not far from the van and it looked like it had been on the road for years already. It was not old but not particrly new either. If there was a term to describe it, it was low profile. At a small city, an Audi would grab eyeballs but at Dong Xing City, no one would have batted an eye.


    "This one?" Being corrected in front of so many people, Xiao Liu was quite embarrassed, "No matter how you look at it, this doesn''t look like the criminal''s car. Look at the model, the license te, everything''s normal. What''s so special about it?"


    "Wu Meng." Jessie turned to nce at me and then continued, "Since I''ve found the car, why don''t you exin the rest?" Jessie looked at everyone else and then at me. His brow raised in a taunting manner. Looks like Jessie wanted to test me. In that case, I would step up to the te.


    "See the scratch on the side door?" I pointed at the line. "That is the suspicious part." Everyone turned to the body of the car. On the outside of the right door, there was a long scratch. It was probably the work of some kind of metal. The scratch looked new. I said, "Pay attention at the scratch''s height and size." Then I leaned my hand forward andpared the crown of my watch with the scratch mark. "I believe the kidnappers shoved Liu Fei''er into the car through the right door. But her hand dragged on the door, and the crown of her watch identally left this mark on the paintjob."


    Jessie shook his head but didn''t say anything. Clearly he didn''t agree with me. Even though Xiao Liu had his hesitations, he didn''t say anything either. I knew he was looking out for me, even if I was rambling nonsense, he wouldn''t counter me before others. But that didn''t mean others would pay me the same respect. For example, Vivian scoffed, "What, that''s your reasoning? What a load of bullshit. We should hear what Jessie has to say."


    I shrugged and then continued, "That is just one of the spections. But the most important clue is on the tyres, am I right, Jessie?" I bent down and picked out a small piece of leaf from the tyre tread. I sniffed at it. The onset bouquet was a light fragrance but it was followed by a unique stink. It was hard to describe. "Even though I don''t know what nt this is," I stood up and showed it to others, "But at Dong Xing City, I''ve only seen it once and it''s at Liu Yinyan''s bungalowpound. In other words, this car must have been there before to track this leaf in its tyres."


    Guan Zhenglin walked over and gave the nt a close inspection, "This is Chinese Mahogany, or Toona Sinensis. At Dong Xing City, it''s only grown around the bungalowpound! You have such a close observation." I shrugged and turned to Jessie, "Is there anything you would like to add?"


    Jessie guffawed. "No, you''ve said everything that''s on my mind! It''s now autumn, the season of falling leaves. I''ve inspected the area around the bungalowpound. If a car has been there, they would carry this kind of leaves in their tyre threads. It was why I zoomed in on this car, I''m surprised you noticed it as well."


    I was about to speak when my phone rang. It was Gu Chen. "I''m at the parking lot already but I can''t find you guys. Never mind, I can hear you now, I''ll be there in a minute." Gu Chen followed the sound of my ringing phone and eventually he appeared with Doggie Wang Er. Doggie Wang Er and I hadn''t met for months already. Seeing him, I was quite happy. Doggie Wang Er was overjoyed, like a dog seeing its master. He raced over on 4 feet and brushed against my leg. My heart broke slightly seeing him like this, after all, he was still a human. But then again, if Doggie Wang Er really remembered everything about his past and became a human, would his life be better?


    Sometimes, people couldn''t be happy because the burden of knowledge was too heavy. If there was a choice, what was wrong being a happy little doggie?


    Jessie was clearly frightened by this, that a man was behaving like a dog. I ruffled Doggie Wang Er''s head and said, "Don''t look so shocked, the world is big enough that there''s many things you haven''t seen before."


    Jessie responded with a gentleman''s smile. It was Vivian who squealed, "Oh my god, he is so cute. I love him so much, can you give him to me?" Now it was our turn to be shocked. I coughed. "No! Let''s focus back on this car." I stood at the door and frowned, "But how are we supposed to open it?"


    At that moment, Mariko walked over and bowed at me. "Let me." She took out a square item and ced it on the driver seat door. The rectangle lit up and then momentster, the door clicked on its own. The rm sounded but the door was already open. "Go ahead!"


    Everyone put on their gloves. Vivian took out a magnifying ss from her pocket and handed it to Jessie while Guan Zhenglin took out her toolbox. The procedure on both sides was the same, looking for fingerprint, footprint, DNA evidence like saliva, sweat and so on. These would be direct evidence. If these were not found, then we would turn to look for things the culprit might have identally left behind like tissue paper, lighter and so on, these were called circumstantial evidence.


    The result was disappointing but expected. There was no direct or circumstantial evidence on the car. Mary was still scanning through the surveince video but since she hadn''t called us, I believed her progress was not going so well either. I led Doggie Wang Er by his cor and leaned against one of the pirs.


    All of a sudden, Doggie Wang Er pulled on the rope. I loosened the grasp and he crawled towards the car. His nose twitched like he could smell something. "What did you find, Doggie?" I asked.


    Doggie Wang Er crawled to the front passenger side and then sniffed for a long time around the door handle.


    "What is it?" I asked Doggie Wang Er. He barked twice and said happily, "I smell tobo, white sugar and wine."


    Tobo, white sugar and wine, that reminded me of something a mafia boss told me when I was in prison. For some traditional smokers, they would often roll their own cigarette to acquire that exquisite taste. They would buymercial cigarettes and cut the tobo leaves out. Then they would mix the leaves with some white sugar, some wine and even honey. The mixture would be ced inside an oven to bake for 24 hours. The finished product would be rolled in cigarette paper and enjoyed. This self-made cigarette had more olfactoryyers thanmercial cigarettes. They might even carry a hint of sweetness which would enhance the vor of tobo. Honestly, this was not a widely-practiced habit, because a faulty concoction would produce a horrendous product. With that in mind, I had a few people whom I believed we could approach to push this case forward. People who knew how to make such cigarettes and people who had a penchant for them.


    "Doggie, well done." I praised Doggie Wang Ervishly.


    "Of course, I''m the cleverest doggie in the world." He was very happy too.


    Hearing our conversation, Jessie offered, "This gentleman is amazing. He can pick up such subtle scents?"


    "I''m a doggie!" Doggie Wang Er growled at him. I ignored Jessie and told Guan Zhenglin, "Since Doggie can pick up the scent, then the source might still be here. They might have fallen into a gap or something. Try to find it, this is crucial."


    Half an hourter, Guan Zhenglin used a tweezer to pick up some tobo leaves from between the gap of the car window. It still had cigarette paper stuck to it.

 Chapter 88: A Prostitutes Love Story

    Chapter 88: A Prostitute''s Love Story


    Back in theb, Guan Zhenglin was analysing the tobo with the cigarette paper found inside the car. With the special goggles on her face, she turned to tell me, "Found something." I was immediately jolted out from my seat as I hurried over to ask for the result. Guan Zhenglin removed the sses and said, "The tobo is not from China, but I don''t really know cigarettes, Sister Mary should be able to find out more about that on the inte. And this cigarette paper it''s notmon rolling paper either." After a pause, she continued, "A normal cigarette paper is about 82 to 87 percent bleached, tight and highly opaque. They also stretch very well. Most cigarette paper would be added with a minute amount of chalk to make them firm, and a small number of oxidants to help withbustion. But," Guan Zhenglin looked at me, "This particr rolling paper is not that white and it doesn''t contain any oxidant. That way, the cigarette would burn slower andst longer, probably to prolong the sensation of the experience. However, like Doggie Wang Er said, I did find traces of white sugar and wine inside the tobo. You''re a smoker so you should know about this more than I do."


    I am a smoker but I only smokemercial cigarettes, but I did know someone who had a higher standard than I did.


    "I''m going to go find someone." I told Guan Zhenglin. She looked out the window. "It''s already 1 am, who are you going to find?"


    "Someone who can tell us about the origin of this tobo." I smiled at her. "Mind lending me some of that tobo leaves?"


    Even though the day was dark, I was certain she was still awake. The person in question was Sister Mao. In the previous case, Sister Mao had helped us identify the victim and this time, I needed her help again. When I found her, it was already 4 am. The season was turning cold but Sister Mao was still in short skirts and high heels, you''d think summer was still around.


    "How can Sister Mao help you this time?" Sister Mao offered me a cigarette while she lit one herself, "You''re either here for a dead person or a dying person, so state your business." I epted the cigarette with both hands but didn''t light it, instead I twirled it with my fingers as I studied it. The cigarette was a brand that I didn''t recognize. Sister Mao was a clever woman as she soon asked, "Oh, so you''re here this time because of cigarettes?"


    I ced the cigarette behind my ear. "Yes. I am dealing with someone who likes to roll their own ciggies. I know Sister Mao, you''re an expert in this field. I believe this tobo is not from China, I wonder if you can help me identify its country of origin." I handed the evidence bag to Sister Mao. She used her finger to lightly pinch out the sample. She ced it under her nose, closed her eyes and sniffed. Her brows creased. Momentster, her red lips moved, "This is indeed not a Chinese product. The scent is aromatic, even pungent, but then there is a light fragrance in the background. That should be the effect of wine." Then, Sister Mao tossed the leaf strand into her mouth and started to chew on it. I should have stopped her but it was toote now. I hoped that Guan Zhenglin still had copies of the evidence back at theb. Sister Mao chewed slowly as if savoring the small tobo strand. "Davidoff English Mixture, the country of origin is Hond but mixed in Ennd. It''s an English mixed cut tobo, the white sugar and wine are addedter. Compared to normal cigarettes, this one has a strong kick and thus provides a very enjoyable smoking experience, but its biggest draw is the unique fragrance thates intermittently."


    Sister Mao spat out the chewed tobo and curled her finger at me. "Follow me." I obliged. Sister Mao started smoking before she was of legal age. Even though she was only in her 30s, she probably had been smoking for more than 20 years. That was especially true after she had some money, and thus had ess to more luxury items like designer cigarettes. I was right toe find her, in just minutes, I already knew the country of origin for the tobo.


    I followed Sister Mao into her car and arrived at an apartment. We got up the stairs and Sister Mao opened the door with her keys. This appeared to be Sister Mao''s private residence. The first thing that greeted me was a whole wall of shelves. Behind the ss were various alcohol bottles, there were red wines, white wines, gins, and others. Sister Mao had me sit on the sofa while she opened one of the cupboards to pour me a ss of red wine. "Have some to rx, while I go get some Davidoff tobo for you topare." Then she squatted down. While she went looking for the thing, I looked around. Suddenly, Sister Mao knelt lower and her buttocks were basically disyed before me. Furthermore, she was in a very short skirt. Certain things I couldn''t write down here, I had seen that day. I frowned and at that moment, Sister Mao gasped in pain, "I believe I''ve twisted my ankle, do you minding to help me?"


    Even though I did prefer mature women, I also knew why Sister Mao was doing this. I sighed and said, "Sister Mao, I may be young but I''ve been in the business for decades already. The inmates in prison have taught me many things. I know why you''re doing this, you''re hoping to lower the sentence on Brother Huang Er. Don''t worry, Brother Huang Er is a model citizen in the prison, and your help in our cases has not gone unnoticed."


    Hearing that, Sister Mao stopped twisting her buttocks. She didn''t say anything but took out a round tin can from the cupboard. "This is the tobo you are looking for." Sister Mao said matter-of-factly. It was like everything that happened earlier was a dream, I naturally yed along with it. I opened the can while Sister Mao disappeared to what I assumed to be the kitchen because she soon returned with white sugar and wine. She took out some tobo samples and said, "I''m sure this is the tobo used but the wine is harder to determine because the amount in it was too small. How about this, I''ll try to replicate the product as closely as I can. With my collection, I''m sure I''ll find that particr wine eventually. It''ll take time to bake the mixed tobo though. Give me until noon, I should have a result by then."


    I shook my hands and exined, "That is not the point, Sister Mao. The point is, can you help me identify the people who might own this tobo? Furthermore, not many people still know how to make traditional hand-rolled cigarettes. I''m sure the ovepping in those two circles is very small. Take for example, where do you source your tobo, Sister Mao?"


    Sister Mao finally understood why I was there. She thought about it and then said, "I will give you an answer this afternoon. This tobo is not that easily found in Dong Xing City and the number of buyers will be even smaller. When I get the list, I''ll send it to you."


    "Thank you." I nodded. "I''m still in the middle of a case, I better get back." Sister Mao nodded before she added, "How about I give you a lift? There''s probably no train heading back into Dong Xing City now." I knew I should have said no but knowing Sister Mao''s history, the rejection sat in my throat. One time when Brother Huang Er had too much to drink, he told me his story with Sister Mao. Those who didn''t know Sister Mao''s past and only saw her now would think she was the daughter of some rich man. But in reality, before the age of 25, Sister Mao was a prostitute and Brother Huang Er was her pimp.


    Brother Huang Er ran a spa at Qing Cheng and he had more than 10 masseuses'' working under him. For others, Brother Huang Er was the worst of the worst because he ended the lives of these girls. Their lives were ruined because Brother Huang Er was earning money off their backs. They were selling their bodies for his profit. But for these girls, Brother Huang Er was their savior. When these girls had no one else to turn to and had to turn to prostitution, most people only took the moral high ground and berate them but Brother Huang Er took them in. Brother Huang Er gave them a ce to stay, food to eat, and if they were bullied by customers, Brother Huang Er would be the first to stand up for them.


    When the girls served'' the customers, they never saw themselves as a person but when they were with Brother Huang Er, at least they were still a human being. Brother Huang Er was a kind and gentle person. For example, on each of the girl''s birthdays, he would give them a day off, buy them cake and offer them surprise presents. If they were living in sin, then the spa was also their sanctuary.


    When did Sister Mao fall in love with Brother Huang Er?


    It was an early morning, and Sister Mao had just finished one of her sessions''. She was on out-duty business. She had walked for 2 hours from her customer''s home. She didn''t take a taxi because she wanted some time to be by herself. She was abandoned before she was ten. She had always lived off the streets just to survive. She had been a prostitute for several years already and she saw no future for herself. To be honest, she wanted to kill herself that morning. Without even realizing it, she had arrived back at the spa. She would bid farewell to her sisters and be done with her life.


    But as she walked in, Brother Huang Er wasing in as well. Seeing how tired she was, Brother Huang Er said something and it was that sentence that made Sister Mao fall in love with him. "You look tired. Let me help you massage your feet. Rx." That was what he said.


    That day, Brother Huang Er helped Sister Mao clean and massage her feet. From then on, Sister Mao never let other men touch her feet. She was a prostitute, her virginity was no longer precious. But the feet that Brother Huang Er had touched, they became her treasure, her final pride.


    Eventually, Brother Huang Er''s spa was exposed for the brothel that it was. Brother Huang Er was jailed and the ce sealed. Thedies all escaped as fast as they could, only Sister Mao remained. Sister Mao promised, "I will wait for you to return. And when you do, you''ll be a richer man than now."


    Who knew what Sister Mao had experienced but the reality was, while Brother Huang Er was still in prison, Sister Mao had opened more than a few spas in his name and all of them wererger than the one she stayed in.


    Every Monday Sister Mao would go and visit Brother Huang Er, be it rain or shine.

 Chapter 89: The Call

    Chapter 89: The Call


    Therefore, when Sister Mao said that, I didn''t reject her kindness. I was reminded of Widow Wang who killed herself due to loneliness. Her main difference between Sister Mao was, Sister Mao still had hope, while Wang Yiman had lost all hope. They were both women who suffered from endless nights. I knew why Sister Mao offered to drive me back to the police station, that way, she had a chance to show herself before the precinct chief. Maybe she could win some brownie points for Brother Huang Er. After Brother Huang Er''s imprisonment, the two things that featured permanently in Sister Mao''s life were waiting and money.


    "Xiao Wu, tell me, what is the case you''re investigating this time?" Sister Mao said in way of conversation.


    I smiled, "Sister Mao, you know I can''t discuss the details of ongoing cases."


    Sister Mao scoffed, "You think I wouldn''t know otherwise? I''m confident it''s rted to the disappearance of that Liu Fei''er. The whole Dong Xing City is talking about it, and naturally I would have heard about it as well. So, am I right?"


    I shook my head and didn''t say anything more. It was warm inside the car. Leaning into the real leather sofa, it was curling up with a good book in front of a firece. There was no other noise, just the slow humming of the motor. It was quite lulling. I could feel my eyelids getting heavier. Even though technically I had not done much this day, once the rxation settled in, it was hard to fight the drowsiness. In contrast, I could have run on adrenaline for 3 straight days without sleep.


    Sister Mao continued, "You''re quite a tight lip. Okay then, we''ll talk about something else then. At your age, you should be in the season of romance. Do you have any girlfriend? Do you have someone you fancy? Do you want Sister Mao to help you introduce someone?" Honestly, at that moment, I just wanted to sleep. Sister Mao''s words echoed in my mind. Before I drifted away, 2 people appeared in my mind, one was Guan Zhenglin, the other Zhao Mingkun. It felt like they were standing there, looking at me. Are they people I fancy? Am I that shallow that my heart will house 2 people at the same time?'' Sleep imed me.


    After who knew how long, I could feel someone shaking me softly. When I opened my eyes, the sun was already lightening. Sister Mao looked at me with a smile. "You sure have a good night''s sleep. Pity old me have to drive for 2 hours without anypany."


    I smiled apologetically at Sister Mao. "Sister Mao, since you''re already here, why don''t youe in. With your help and Sister Mary''s help, we should be able to trace this cigarette''s owner soon enough." That was Sister Mao''s original intention so she didn''t reject it and followed me into the station. Even though the day was just starting, the station was already bustling with people. I led Sister Mao into the office. After a simple introduction, Mary asked Sister Mao to help with her work.


    Captain Zhao was still studying the white board on the wall. In contrast to the first day, the names and pictures on the wall had been removed by aplenty. I walked to Captain Zhao''s side and looked at the people on the wall. Seeing me walk over, Captain Zhao put down the tea cup and said, "Have you found anything?"


    I nodded and then shook my head. I said with conflict, "This group of criminals is too vicious. Based on the trace evidence in Liu Fei''er''s room, we were led to the suspect Chen Lin and his identity. Just when we thought that was be our lead, Chen Lin was found dead."


    Captain Zhao nodded. "I''ve already been briefed about that. Chen Lin must have let slip that he used Liu Fei''er''s lipstick when he was inside the room. So for the sake of safety, the others murdered him. The team is incredibly careful. This is already the third day but we still haven''t heard from them yet."


    I sighed. "But we have another clue. Inside the criminals'' getaway car, we found a specially-made tobo roll. It''s made from Davidoff tobo, it''s rare in Dong Xing City. It''s why I have asked Sister Mao for help, she''s an expert in this area." Captain Zhao and Sister Mao shared a nod. I continued, "By the way, Sister Mary, did you find anything on the surveince video?"


    Mary shook her head. "The killers are very cunning, I never saw the car enter or leave through the camera. The only blind spot is that someone used a bunch of balloons to block the camera, I believe that was when the car entered the parking lot."


    "Balloons?"


    Mary nodded. "The kind that you can easily find on the market. The person held a whole cluster of them, they blocked the camera and the entire upper body of the person. With just the lower body that had no defining feature, it''s impossible to find him. That''s why I haven''t contacted you guys, I''m still makingparisons."


    "That has to be one of the kidnappers." I sighed, "These people sure have great imagination when ites to anti-surveince."


    Mary concurred, "Indeed, if they had destroyed the camera, they''d risk leaving behind trace evidence. Using this kind of method, it wouldn''t raise the suspicion of the guard and when the car was parked, the person could just walk away. It would leave behind no trace."


    "Indeed!" I grumbled. "They would only need to then give away the balloons to random kids they saw on the streets and the evidence is gone just like that. It''s brilliant." I turned back to Captain Zhao. "Captain Zhao, what about your side? How is the analysis going?"


    Captain Zhao moved over a chair to sit and pointed at the white board. "We started with so many people but after interviews and investigations, we''ve narrowed down the suspect list to 4." Captain Zhao listed them one by one for me. "Suspect 1, Zhao Dongfa! The Director of Dong Fa Corporation, Liu Yinyan''s oldpetitor. Liu Yinyan worked under hispany before he opened his own. But over the past few decades, Rong Dong Corporation has far surpassed Dong Fa Corporation and knocked Dong Fa Corporation down as the biggest capital venturepany in Dong Xing City. More than that, Liu Yinyan has lured quite a few talents away from Dong Fa Corporation over the years and that most definitely has pissed his old boss off. Zhao Dongfa has the money and motif to hire the team of kidnappers because once Liu Yinyan is affected, the stocks for Rong Ding Corporation will fall." Captain Zhao said, "But we have no concrete evidence. We are still keeping an eye on him."


    Captain Zhao moved to the next one. "This is our suspect number 2, Cao Jie. Cao Jie was the manager who rejected Liu Yinyan in the first ce. At that start, Cao Jie only med himself for missing out on a talent like Liu Yinyan but unfortunately for him, Liu Yinyan was someone who could hold a grudge for a long time. Whenever a potential client approached Cao Jie''spany, Liu Yinyan would swoop in and steal all of them away. Recently, Cao Jie''spany is facing the threat of bankruptcy. All because of the work of Liu Yinyan. He definitely has the motif to arrange the kidnapping but he has no capital to do so." Captain Zhao analyzed, "So he''s low on the suspect list."


    "Suspect 3, Hou Yao. She is Liu Fei''er''s ssmate and is deemed one of the 4 prettiest girls of their school alongside Liu Fei''er. Coincidentally enough, they are also in the same ss." Captain Zhao tapped on the picture of a young girl. "Hou Yao''s crush, Zhang Yunhu rejected her because he had a crush on Liu Fei''er. Liu Fei''er did date Zhang Yunhu for a while and that incensed Hou Yao." Captain Zhao sipped on his tea. "She might just be a teenager but you should have heard the things Hou Yao had said about Liu Fei''er at school. She said that she would make Liu Fei''er disappear forever. Hou Yao''s father is 40 plus and is a businessman in the multiweb business at Dong Xing City. He is not as rich as Liu Yinyan but he is rich enough. So this girl has both the means and money to set up something like the kidnapping."


    "What about thest person?" I asked.


    "You know thest suspect, why don''t you take a closer look?" Captain Zhao''s eyes settled on thest picture. I leaned over to look and realized the man looked familiar. Eventually it hit me. This was none other than Lai San from Long Ze City.


    "Could it really be him?" I breathed.


    Captain Zhao was silent for a moment before he continued, "After Lin Su was apprehended, Lai San''s entire drug-trafficking chain was interrupted. Everyone who was part of it escaped at the first notice, even Ol'' Zhang who sold dead bodies for a living did as well. It has been a few months since then, so what are these people doing for a living? They''re used to thevish lifestyle, they can''t just cut it off and slum it out like that. They are fugitives and don''t have normal working experience. They wouldn''t work normal jobs anyway." Captain Zhao tapped on the table. "So they have the capability and the need to do something like this, to keep the money flowing."


    I nodded, I had considered that as well.


    Captain Zhao''s hands circled around the cup. "These kidnappers are ruthless, and cautious. Normal kidnappers wouldn''t kill so easily but now before the first call came, 2 people already died. There''s a high chance that we''re dealing with fugitives. Since they''ve already killed, the numbers don''t matter anymore. From our current information, the only one who can mobilize so many fugitives around Dong Xing City is Lai San. The man might look unhinged at times but he''s incredibly clever. He''s born to walk the path of crime." I was silent and then asked, "Do you really think people will be born into a criminal life?"


    Captain Zhao took an equally long break before answering. "From my years of experience, yes. The world''s huge, anything is possible."


    I sat down and said, "Then we should look into these 4 further."


    Captain Zhao nodded. "Yes, we already have people doing that but if your team wants to be a part of that, be my guest. I''ve already notified the whole force of that. You have been given the qualification to mobilize most of the task force, make good use of them. This is bigger than Liu Fei''er and Liu Yinyan. We''re dealing with a team of professionals, if we allow them to flourish, it''ll be hard for us to deal with them in the future."


    "In that case" Before I even finished, Mary suddenly shouted. We were all shocked and turned towards her. She said, "An unknown number just contacted Liu Yinyan''s cell phone. This should be the kidnappers. I''ve already notified Gu Chen and we can monitor the conversation from here. Other than that, Liu Yinyan has agreed to let us coach him through the conversation, so think about what we should say on our end."


    We all nodded.


    "Hello, good morning." A shrill voice said.

 Chapter 90: Kidnappers who Dont Want Money

    Chapter 90: Kidnappers who Don''t Want Money


    The voice was too shrill to belong to any human, it was obvious that it had been adulterated by a voice-changer. Mary was using some kind of software that I didn''t understand to triangte the caller''s location. In less than a few seconds, a projection of the situation at Liu Yinyan''s bungalow appeared on the wall. This was a livefeed. Gu Chen and Liu Yinyan were sitting on the couch. Thetter held a phone tightly in his hand. Gu Chen had a mic in his ear and it was directly connected to a line at the office. Gu Chen had one of his hands on Liu Yinyan''s shoulder, telling him to calm down. Xiao Liu sat on the other side with a severe expression. Captain Zhao said into the phone, "Tell Liu Yinyan that he has to draw out the conversation with the kidnappers. Regardless of the request, he needs to prolong the call as long as possible. He mustn''t promise anything too easily." Gu Chen ryed the exact words to Liu Yinyan.


    "Who are you? Where is my daughter? What do you want?" Liu Yinyan fired off 3 questions consecutively, it was directly what Captain Zhao told him not to do. Captain Zhao sighed as a frown settled on his face. Liu Yinyan was concise and to the point but in this case, it was just reckless.


    "Why the need to hurry?" The shrill voice replied, "We have to be calm under any circumstances, isn''t that your life mantra? Your daughter Liu Fei''er is with us, do you want to hear her voice?"


    Before Captain Zhao could say anything, we heard Liu Yinyan respond nervously, "As long as my daughter is fine, I will satisfy any condition you want. I will give you as much money as you want, there''s only one condition, do not hurt my daughter! And let me hear her voice now!"


    "Nope, nope, nope." The voice replied, "You''ve already lost the chance. You should have jumped on the chance when I asked you earlier. Why waste time with all the titudes? I know the police can triangte my ce within 3 minutes so it''s not my fault but yours. Furthermore, why would you think I want money?" When the kidnapper said that, everyone''s expression shifted. I frowned as I pulled at my hair. This promation by the kidnapper was definitely unexpected. Normally speaking, a kidnapping was done for ransom but this kidnapper didn''t want money? Then what did they want?


    "What, what do you mean?" Clearly Liu Yinyan didn''t expect that as well. The person howled withughter, it sounded unhinged through the voice distortion. Theughter echoed around the room like it came from everywhere. After theughter ended, the man said, "You know what you have done! Think about the sin you havemitted in your life! I wille greet you again in the near future. In the meantime, think, think, think! Goodbye, my brave risk taker, have a nice day."


    "Who the hell are you people?" Liu Yinyan practically shouted into his phone.


    The man chuckled. "Why so serious? Life should be happy. After all, the game is only beginning." Then the call ended. The call was perfectly maintained within 2 minutes, it meant that Mary failed to get the caller''s location. On the projection, we could see the phone slip from Liu Yinyan''s hand and fall to the ground. The man slumped helplessly back onto the couch. He looked lost, and aged like years in just the course of a few minutes. Gu Chen didn''t say anything. He silently picked up the phone, stood up from the couch, walked over to the side and whispered into his earpiece. "So what do we do now?"


    Captain Zhao sat back down in his chair and told Gu Chen. "Try to appease Liu Yinyan and calm him for now. This group of kidnappers is not as simple as we think. We don''t even know Liu Fei''er''s current condition and the kidnappers have shown how unpredictable they are. Watch Liu Yinyan closely, I''m afraid he might do something stupid."


    "Understood." Gu Chen answered, before he hung up, Captain Zhao added, "By the way, where is Detective Jessie and his team? Where are they?" Gu Chen shook his head. "I don''t know. They left before the call came. They haven''t returned."


    "Okay then." Captain Zhao concluded, "Later Wu Meng and the rest will go over there to talk to Liu Yinyan. You and Xiao Liu wait there for now." After hanging up, Captain Zhao swivelled in his chair to ask me. "Did you pick up anything from the call?"


    I nodded and pulled a chair over for myself, "I picked up a lot. Even though the kidnapper didn''t say much, it was more than enough for us to work with. First, it looks like the kidnappers know Liu Yinyan, or else they wouldn''t have listed his quote right back to him so easily. Either the kidnappers know Liu Yinyan, or they have done a lot of research on the man."


    Captain Zhao''s lips stretched into a line. "Indeed, the kidnapper didn''t want money but instead wanted Liu Yinyan to think about what he had done. This proves that the kidnappers are familiar with Liu Yinyan''s past, maybe they are, or their clients are, part of his past. In that case, the question bes, what exactly has Liu Yinyan done to warrant something like this?"


    I didn''t know the answer. Instead I turned to the pictures of the 4 people on the white board. Momentster, I said, "Zhao Dongfa and Cao Jie are both Liu Yinyan''s businesspetition and they have been bullied by him for decades. Even a saint will be mad after the treatment they''ve taken. Furthermore, from the info I saw, Liu Yinyan is quite a vengeful person. He might have done more than just taking their share of the market."


    Captain Zhao picked up his cup. "Indeed. But Liu Yinyan didn''t get to his height today by being charitable and kind. People say you''ll mellow out with age but even in his 60s, Liu Yinyan is still as recalcitrant and irritable as a child who doesn''t get what he wants."


    "He does have a tempestuous personality." I turned to Guan Zhenglin. "Come on, let''s go. Perhaps we''ll find out about Liu Yinyan''s past from the man himself." Then I turned to Sister Mao, "Sister Mao, do you mind staying here? If youe up with anything, just tell us." Sister Mao understood my intention and tossed me an appreciative gaze. Guan Zhenglin and I drove to Liu Yinyan''s bungalow. When we arrived, there was a gauntlet of reporters at the gate. When they saw us, they crowded around us like flies. We ignored them and drove right into thepound. The moment we parked, we heard rather than saw the person we were looking for.


    "What? You got nothing?" Liu Yinyan''s voice travelled far and wide. "I got you here to help me find my daughter, not for you toe on vacation! You can''t even do that, so why do I need you people for? This is already the 3rd day, 3rd day! And you tell me you have nothing? What is thisck of efficacy? What have you people done with the taxpayer''s money? It''s all in your pockets, isn''t it?!"


    Even from a distance, we saw the crowd at the front door. Liu Yinyan was pointing his finger angrily at Gu Chen, none of the words that left his mouth was good for the ears. Seeing how red Gu Chen''s face was, I knew this was not going to end well. Gu Chen was already indignant that we had to waste so much manpower because Liu Yinyan was someone powerful and rich. Now, he was being scolded and insulted before so many people. The Gu Chen that I knew would not stand for this much longer. "Gu Chen!" I shouted, hoping that he wouldn''t do anything dumb.


    But I was still toote. I saw Gu Chen p Liu Yinyan''s hand away and pointed back at him. "I call you Elder Liu because you are older than me, but do not bully me with your age. Every single penny that I earn, I earn it from honest work. But what about you? And who do you think you are? Ordering people around like you''re an emperor, all just because you have money? I can go home and sleep peacefully at night because I have done nothing wrong but what about you?" Gu Chen stressed. "Is your conscience quiet? Have you really not done anything that mighte back to haunt you? Have you not sinned for the sake of money?"


    Ever since he got his rocket rise in sess, no one had dared to point and scold Liu Yinyan to his face anymore, much less someone who was at least 40 years younger than he was. Liu Yinyan was so stunned that he could only look at Gu Chen in shock. Noticing the explosive tension in the air, Xiao Liu quickly hurried over to mediate. "Elder Liu, please don''t be mad. He''s still too young and doesn''t know what he''s saying. He''s only saying this because he too is concerned about the case." Xiao Liu hurried to find excuses for both parties, "Please don''t take him too seriously. Gu Chen, would you please quiet down already?"


    But Gu Chen didn''t give Xiao Liu face at all. "Liu Kai! It is because there are too many people like you who always bow to power and wealth that the world is the state it is today! Have you been blinded by money? Is that why you''re taking his side?"


    Liu Yinyan finally came to his senses and he exploded, "Fine, get lost, get the hell out of my house! Is that how the government trains the police? I''m telling you, this is not over! After this incident is over, I will make sure that you''ll never find a job within the force anymore."


    Gu Chen sneered and said, "I''ll be waiting for you." Then he turned to storm off.


    I didn''t expect things to escte like this. I quickly hurried over to ost Gu Chen. When he saw me, he gave me a smile that looked harsher than a frown. I patted his shoulders andforted. "Don''t worry, leave this to me. You should go back to the station first. Don''t be mad for no reason. Compared to the kidnappers, Liu Yinyan is already one hell of a good man."


    Gu Chen was still angry. But at least, he had stopped grumbling. The only thing he said was, "I was being unfair to Xiao Liu earlier. Help me apologize to him. I''ll be going then." I nodded.


    Liu Yinyan saw me and thus turned his anger to me instead. "What is wrong with your people? Do you not know how to train them?''


    I waved my arms and cut him off. "Now is not the time for this. Don''t forget that the kidnappers still have your daughter. If you want to find your daughter, please cooperate with us. Why would the kidnappers say those things on the phone? Have you done anything wrong to others? Or do you have some unsavoury history you''re not telling us?"


    Liu Yinyan red at Gu Chen who drove away. Then he huffed and said, "No, I have not done anything wrong, I don''t know what those people meant. Why are you interrogating me when it is my daughter who has gone missing?"


    Evasion, the typical sign of a lie. Well, that was a problem if there ever was one.

 Chapter 91: Young Masters Love Story

    Chapter 91: Young Master''s Love Story


    Liu Yinyan''s whole life could only be described as legendary. However, everyone only saw his sess, no one knew what he had done for that sess. Someone said that all capitalists are dirty. Then how heavy was the dirt on Liu Yinyan who managed to turn his life from an unknown person to the lynchpin of the business world in just a few decades? Had Liu Yinyan done anything shady in his past? If he didn''t, why would the kidnappers bring that up? And what was their purpose? Revenge? Expose?


    I asked for boration, "Elder Liu, what kind of business is Rong Ding Corporation involved in?"


    Liu Yinyan answered with in impatience, "We mainly focus on venture capital investment, basically we''ll invest in anypanies that we believe have a future, in return, they will provide us with theirpany share, so in reality, Rong Ding Corporation''s business venture is so wide that I''ll never be able to list it out. For example, real estate, interweb, manga, movies" I nodded. As a man who was worth several billions, that was understandable. Logically speaking, Liu Yinyan must have known what the kidnappers were referring to but we couldn''t help it if he didn''t want to talk about that.


    "Elder Liu." I couldn''t help myself from saying, "There''s a reason why the kidnappers said the things they did. 1, they are trying to muddle our focus; 2, they are trying to take revenge on you. Perhaps you can try to think about the second possibility. If something doese up, you can tell Xiao Liu and he''ll ry the info to us." Then I turned to Xiao Liu and whispered to him, "Xiao Liu, before Gu Chen left, he told me to tell you that he was sorry. He was in the heat of the moment, he didn''t mean to offend you. Also can you give me the car key? I need to go somewhere else."


    Xiao Liu sighed as he tossed me the key. "It''s no problem. You guys are still young. Anger is not going to solve the problem, it''ll only make it worse. Finding Liu Fei''er is our main objective. It''s alright, I know the kind of person Gu Chen is, I won''t take offence. By the way, I still need to stay here, if you''re free, mind buying a lottery ticket for me?" I nodded. Xiao Liu was an agreeable person, he rarely got into arguments with people but his luck was definitely bad. He had been buying lottery tickets for 3 to 4 years already but he had not won a single penny.


    "Elder Liu, we''ll be leaving then." I told Liu Yinyan from afar. "If the kidnappers do call back, please listen to Captain Zhao''s advice." Then I left with Guan Zhenglin. Walking towards the car, Guan Zhenglin asked me, "Where are we going?"


    I smiled. "We''re going to investigate the 4 suspects on the white board, starting the most easily-essible."


    "Who is that?" Guan Zhenglin asked.


    I answered, "Huo Yao, she''s the easiest to find and we don''t need to book any appointment to see her." After a pause I added, "From what we know so far, the kidnappers are not doing this for money so it''s entirely possible that they have been hired by another party to do this. If that''s the case, Huo Yao has both means and motive to do that."


    "How much do you think a life is worth?" Guan Zhenglin looked at me. "After all, we already have two deaths on our hands."


    I sighed, "In China, a human life is practically worthless. In a recent case about a fatal domestic violence, the husband only sat for 6 years of prison and had to pay 40000 RMB to his dead wife''s parents. For hit and run cases, most drivers would end up running over the victims even though they were clearly still alive, because paying for one''s death was much cheaper than paying for one''s convalescence fee. So it doesn''t really cost much to order a hit on someone." I started the car and told Guan Zhenglin, "We better inform their university dean, tell them to find Hou Yao because we have a lot of questions for her."


    We came to Dong Xing University, one of the best universities in Dong Xing City. We parked the car at the underground parking lot. When we climbed up the stairs, we appeared in front of a basketball court. Many young adults were ying, this was a ce filled with youth and life. I sighed, "The biggest regret of my life is not attending university, I never knew what university life is like."


    "Shame." She said even though Guan Zhenglin didn''t sound like she meant it at all. Only then I realized the 19 years old Guan Zhenglin was in her second year of university. After spending so much time with her, I had forgotten about that. Walking through the meandering wooded path, we encountered quite a few numbers of young couples. In fact, walking side by side, Guan Zhenglin and I could be mistaken as a pair easily. We were about the same age as these university students but our lives couldn''t have been more different. "Sometimes, I consider just graduating after university, find a normal job, settle down, and start a family, it''ll be a stable life." Guan Zhenglin said as she turned to study the yellowing leaves around us. "But perhaps this exciting life is more for me. Victims, cases, killers, how many people will have a life as exciting as that?"


    Guan Zhenglin''s words echoed what I was thinking, some people could live without excitement, perhaps, that was the simrity between the police and the criminals that they didn''t even realize.


    It was the head of the Business Management Department that came to wee us. The police wereing to investigate their students, this was something huge. The head had the surname Wang. He had a potbelly, and a strange hairstyle. He had male-pattern baldness but the hair that he did have was extremely long. He wound them around his head like a turban but if he put them down, they would reach his waist. "Ha ha." Seeing my attention on his hair, Department Head Wang chuckled, "I was once like you, a head full of hair but this is what I have left now."


    "Is Miss Huo Yao here with us?" After a polite smile, I asked.


    Department Head Wang shook his head and shrugged, "This Miss Hou, how shall I put this, is quite a trickster. Even though she has ss now, she is free to go whenever she pleases. However, even though she often skips sses, she has never failed a subject and her result is always good. But I''ve already called her father so we would be able to find her soon." Department Head Wang invited us into the staff lounge to sit. While I was there, I was reminded of something so I asked, "Do you know of a student named Zhang Yunhu? If he''s around, do you mind getting him here?"


    "Zhang Yunhu, is it? Okay, I''ll go ask." The man left. Momentster, he came with the document that had Hou You''s ssmate''s information. He handed it to me and told me that Zhang Yunfu would be here soon. I looked through the document and saw Liu Fei''er, Hou Yao and Zhang Yunhu''s names all on it. The document also included their parent''s phone number and their family background. Zhang Yunfu came from a rich family too but not as rich as Hou Yao and Liu Fei''er. After taking a look I smiled, "I am quite shocked to see the names on here. There are quite a number of rich second generation here. About 1/3 of the students in this sse from a good and respectable background. At least they don''t need to worry about anything in their lives."


    Guan Zhenglin shrugged, "Those with money will naturally get ess to more resources. But those who got in with pure effort are the real respectable ones."


    While we spoke, the door was pushed open. We lifted our heads to see a very handsome young man. He was 1.8 metres tall, and had a trim body. He was muscr but not overly so. He was casually-dressed but everything was branded. His hair wasbed to the back, giving him a clean look. He looked like a model. But then again, I shouldn''t be surprised. Liu Fei''er and Hou Yao wouldn''t have fallen for someone less presentable. When Zhang Yunhu saw us, he was clearly surprised. He was expecting someone older, not 2 people about his age.


    "These two are officers from the city station." Department Head Wang said, "They have some questions for you, just answer them honestly."


    "Please take a seat." I gestured at Zhang Yunfu. "Do you know why we''ve summoned you?"


    Zhang Yunfu sat and Department Head Wang sat across from us. Momentster, the young man answered, "You''re here for Liu Fei''er, aren''t you?"


    "You''re very clever." Imented.


    Zhang Yunfu shook his head. "The news is all over the media, they all suggested that Fei''er has been kidnapped. I''m her boyfriend, if I didn''t even know that, I wouldn''t be able to get into Dong Xing University."


    "In that case" I continued, "On the day of Liu Fei''er''s disappearance, did any of your ssmate act strangely? Like say, Hou Yao?" When he heard the name, Zhang Yunfu was silent for a moment before responding, "Hou Yao is my coursemate, she will not do something like this."


    "But hasn''t Hou Yao said that she would make Liu Fei''er disappear forever?" I asked.


    "She did." Zhang Yunfu nced at us and then at Department Head Wang. He confessed. "I''ll be honest, before I got into a rtionship with Liu Fei''er, Hou Yao was my girlfriend. It happened during the second semester of the first year. One time, a group of us went out for dinner. We all had quite a bit to drink that night. I ended up in a hotel room with Hou Yao I wasn''t proud of what I did that night." Zhang Yunfu grimaced with regret. "As a man, I took full responsibility. We became an official couple but one day, out of boredom, I looked through her phone. I saw her past messages and then I realized a friend of hers had dropped an aphrodisiac in my beer that night. The whole thing was Hou Yao''s n. After I knew the truth, I immediately stayed away from her." Zhang Yunhu exined, "I broke up with her but I didn''t tell her the real reason why, because I wanted to save her face. Furthermore, I already had a crush on Liu Fei''er, if not for Hou Yao, I would have confessed my love to Liu Fei''er a long time ago. One month after the break-up, I finally summoned my courage to make the confession and Liu Fei''er epted me. When the news spread, it incensed Hou Yao. She got into her mind that it was Liu Fei''er who stole me away from her."


    I wasn''t not expecting drama from these kids but I listened quietly.


    "One time, the 3 of us ran into each other. Before the crowd, Hou Yao swore she would make Liu Fei''er disappear forever." Zhang Yunfu frowned with despair.

 Chapter 92: A Losers Love Story

    Chapter 92: A Loser''s Love Story


    Zhang Yunhu continued to regale us with his love story, "But she was just saying that. She didn''t reakt do anything. In fact, Hou Yao has been staying at the campus the days before Liu Fei''er went missing, many students know about that. Why don''t you call Hou Yao here and ask her yourself?"


    "She''ll be here soon." I told Zhang Yunhu. "You can stay and wait for her." Zhang Yunfu nodded and said nothing else. He sat there quietly. Psychologically speaking, Zhang Yunfu didn''t fidget or do anything else, that proved a clean conscience. Furthermore, he was in a rtionship with Liu Fei''er, he had no motive to do this. We waited like that for an hour before Hou Yao finally arrived. Hou Yao strode into the room like she owned the ce. I took a look at Hou Yao and felt like I was transported back to my own high school days. At the time, the mainstream was the non-mainstream. You could see every color under the sun on people''s heads. One of my ssmates even came with an afro, at the time, these outcasts were the shot callers. I was sucked into the fashion of the day and dyed a head of rainbow-colored hair. When my prison master father saw me, he shaved my head instantly. From then on, my status at school plummeted, no one cared to evene talk to me anymore. Seeing Hou Yao, it reminded me of my younger days.


    Hou Yao had shoulder-length hair but she had colored strands of them into different colors. This was a variation of my old rainbow-colored hair. She had on smoky eyes and had that Goth look. Her clothes had one unified color schemeck. She also had a pierced nose. "What''s up?" Hou Yao nted herself right on the couch across from us and gave us a side-eye. "I was busy too, you know? You''re the cops? You don''t look older than me. Are you the interns?"


    Zhang Yunhu gasped in shock. "Hou Yao, what happened to you?"


    Hou Yao cursed. "Fuck, what does it have to do with you? Let me tell you, I don''t like you anymore, do whatever or whoever you want. And you people, hurry up. My time is precious." Looks like this Hou Yao had a fiery personality, I could imagine her drugging someone just to make him her boyfriend, but I couldn''t bring myself to believe that someone like this coulde up with a cautious and wless kidnapping. Unless of course, this whole thing was a front but Hou Yao didn''t look like a good actor to me.


    "Okay. Not too long ago, you swore to make Liu Fei''er disappear forever, is that true?" I cleared my throat to ask.


    "I did." Hou Yao admitted it easily.


    I nodded. "So what did you do about it?"


    Hou Yao grumbled. "The hell?! I was just saying that for fun. You know? I was angry at the moment and I soon forgot about what I said. Furthermore, I have already found out the truth from a little birdie. Zhang Yunfu, it was indeed me who drugged you and then raped you. Did you call the police on me? Is this why I''m here? Stop being such a pussy."


    Zhang Yunfu looked at us and then at Hao Yao, he shook his head helplessly.


    "Is she always this impertinent?" I turned to Department Head Wang. The man''s face was dark. After a long time, he sighed, "Yes, she''s always been like this. Such a headache."


    "Okay then, you can go now." I shook my head. "If she''s the one, the whole world would have known about it already. Sorry for wasting your time."


    Hou Yao cursed and then paused to look at me. "You know what. Mr. Policeman, you are quite handsome. Care to y with me after work?"


    I shook my head again and said, "But if you have any clues, I don''t mind hearing them." Hou Yao shrugged, stood up and headed to the exit. She was about to exit when she turned back in again. "Actually, speaking of clues, I do have one." Hou Yao leaned against the door and pointed her chin at Zhang Yunfu. She began, "Do you know who was the person who helped me drug youst time? It''s your roommate, Song Ze. Iter found out, he was not just helping me for the money."


    "Song Ze?" Zhang Yunfu stood up and he said shakingly, "He has always been my best bro, there''s no way he''d do something like that."


    Hou Yao toyed with her hair. "He might be your best bro, but he also likes Liu Fei''er. Furthermore, he didn''t really lose anything by kicking you out aspetition. However, when I went to find him that one time, I identally glossed through his diary. Let''s just say, there''s one particr entry that opened my eyes. You''ll understand when you see it yourself." Then Hou Yao turned and walked away.


    Song Ze''s diary?


    "Who is this Song Ze?" I turned to ask Zhang Yunfu. The young man''s brows were locked together. "No, Song Ze would never do anything like this. I rented a ce outside of campus, I was bored living alone so I asked him to be my roommate. Song Ze came from the countryside, he doesn''t have a rich family, he wasn''t able to afford the hostel amodation fee. And I was doing it out of kindness. I didn''t think" It was clear the shock of betrayal was heavy on Zhang Yunfu. Then again we hadn''t really understood what exactly Song Ze had done, Hou Yao didn''t go into details. I asked Zhang Yunfu, "Do you know if your roommate has the habit of keeping a diary or not? If he does, can you help us find that diary?"


    Zhang Yunhu nodded. "I should be able to. My rental has 3 bedrooms and 1 living room. The diary should be hidden in his bedroom, he''d have nowhere else to hide it." Zhang Yunfu''s rental was not far from the campus, it only took 10 minutes of driving. Zhang Yunfu opened the door and strode in. Since it was afternoon, Song Ze was in ss. Zhang Yunfu didn''t say anything and pushed open the door to Song Ze''s bedroom. Standing at the door and looking in, Song Ze''s room was neat. The bed was well-made, there was no trash at all. Looks like this Song Ze took care of his room. I wondered where he''d put his diary. Thankfully, the room wasn''t that big. With the closet, bed and study table, there was already no space for anything else.


    "You set up all these things for him?" I turned around to ask Zhang Yunhu.


    Zhang Yunhu nodded and uttered softly, "Yes. It''s nothing much. The only worthwhile thing is theputer, we''ll sometimes y games on it. Honestly, at our hostel, other than Song Ze, the other kids are all quite well-off. They spent their free time smoking and ying mahjong, it was not an environment conducive for studying." I shook my head. I didn''t expect to find such a saintly character in Zhang Yunhu.


    Soon we found Song Ze''s diary, it was a very old and thick diary, it was hidden under his bed. From the thickness of the book, I believed Song Ze had been writing in it since high school. But we were only interested in his life after he entered university. From the diary entries, it was clear that Song Ze did have a crush on Liu Fei''er. Thest entry was written a few days ago, at the time, Liu Fei''er still hadn''t been kidnapped.


    The entry was as such:


    Today in ss, Liu Fei''er sat in front of me. I couldn''t believe it, the Goddess decided to sit so close to me. I wanted to have a conversation with her but I didn''t know what to say. She is still so beautiful and gorgeous. There is a fragrance about her that is very irresistible. To have a further interaction with her, I purposely dropped my pen to the floor. My Goddess is as kind as I thought. She helped me pick it up again and again. She even smiled and asked whether I was suffering from the onset of Parkinson, since I couldn''t even hold a pen firmly. Her smile, her expression, I would sacrifice my whole life to protect her. I love you, Goddess Fei''er, I will protect you forever.''


    Most of the diary was filled with his interaction with the goddess, like Liu Fei''er had smiled at him in passing and so on. There were also entries where he was disappointed because he didn''t encounter his Goddess that day. The diary spoke of a hopeless love.


    The other part of the diary was about his family situation back home. For example, this one, Today, mother called again. She told me everything is fine at home and told me not to worry. Through the phone, I could hear her catching her breath. She must have just finished working. My parents have worked so hard to send me to this university, therefore I have to work hard to repay them. I need to make something of myself, then I will build the biggest house back home so that no one would dare look down on us anymore.


    It was clear that Song Ze suffered from an inferiorityplex, so much so that he didn''t even dare to speak to the girl he liked. He only dared to use small tricks to interact with her. However, Song Ze was a filial son, he cared about his parents. 2/3 of Song Ze''s coursemates were rich second-generation, which wouldn''t have been good for his inferiorityplex.


    That was proven when we found more than one asion in his diary where hembasted these rich second-generation. He berated them for wasting their lives and money simply because they could. If he had half of their resources, he would work extra hard and focus more on his studies. I sighed, the environment had slowly demented Song Ze''s mind and heart.


    But these were not that shocking until one of the entries appeared. I finally understood why Hou Yao said she was shocked when she saw it because I was shocked as well. I took several deep breaths before I could calm down. Seeing this, Guan Zhenglin asked, "What is it?" I handed the diary over to her and pointed at the particr offending page. The entry wasn''t long but each of the characters was impactful and heavy.


    Guan Zhenglin''s face shifted. I looked at Zhang Yunfu and then at Guan Zhenglin, I announced, "Even though Song Ze doesn''t have the means to hire the kidnappers, we need to look further into this man. This is too much. After Liu Fei''er disappeared, he stopped writing in his diary. Why is that? Is it because he knows something?"


    Zhang Yunfu was made intensely curious by my announcement, he asked in a small voice, "Can, can I take a look?"


    I nodded. "Of course, you are involved in it as well, but I''d advise you not to. Sometimes, the more you know, the more unhappy you''ll be. I just need to remind you of that fact."


    After hearing that, Zhang Yunfu was even more curious.


    He took over the diary and momentster, his face turned green and purple. "The fuck"

 Chapter 93: Demented Love

    Chapter 93: Demented Love


    Song Ze was a very thin and dark-skinned young man. He wore the school uniform and a pair of sports shoes that had been bleached so many times that I couldn''t tell what their original color was. This get up definitely stood out at this university, where poverty was the minority. We asked Department Head Wang to get us an office that no one used and gathered both Zhang Yunhu and Song Ze there. Compared to Zhang Yunhu''s natural confidence and Hou Yao''s rebellious impertinence, Song Ze was incredibly cautious. He fidgeted as he decided whether to stand or sit. He kept ncing at me and Guan Zhenglin with his pair of innocent puppy-dog eyes. When Guan Zhenglin showed her id, Song Ze was taken aback but that didn''t prove anything. Most people wouldn''t cross paths with thew enforcement throughout their lives. It was natural for first-timers to get nervous around us, I wondered what that said about our reputation.


    "Please sit, Song Ze." I turned to the flustered Song Ze. He moved to oblige. He ced his hands obediently over his crotch. "I''m sorry but I have not done anything. I have always been a good student." I ced Song Ze''s diary on the table. As I made the show of flipping towards it, I said, "Department Head Wang said no one wille to this ce, in other words, only the 4 of us will know what we''re going to discuss here." When he saw the diary, Song Ze''s expression shifted and he reached subconsciously for it. I pulled it back and his hands dangled awkwardly in mid-air. After a long time, he mumbled indignantly, "It''s immoral to look at people''s diary"


    With severe expression, I started to recite from the diary, "I''m a loser, the opposite of what my roommate is. Today, he went out to meet up with my goddess again. He returned home at 3 am, looking extremely tired. After he fell asleep, I quickly removed his pants, knelt down and sucked on his dick. I finally tasted the Goddess in my mouth." It was a truly eye-opening entry. With each of the words that I read, Song Ze''s head lowered even further. His face was red like a ripe tomato. I knew it was wrong to expose a person''s secret so openly but now we were in a crunch to find Liu Fei''er, there was no time to be concerned about Song Ze''s feelings.


    Zhang Yunhu shifted ufortably as well.


    "So when did this start?" I turned my eyes to Song Ze. But Song Ze kept his head lowered and refused to speak. "Speak!" I mmed on the table. Song Ze jumped and finally let loose the secret.


    When a person''s world was turned upside down, most people would go insane. For Song Ze, that happened when he moved to Dong Xing City. For someone whose house didn''t even have a television, he had to deal with something called theputer. When people in his vige could only afford to have 1 wife, he realized the concept of mistresses wasmon for the people here. It was like Song Ze was dropped into a different universe. It was not that the university didn''t have poor students but no one was as poor as Song Ze. During a mass media ss, Song Ze whispered to the person beside him, "How do you use this?"


    "You''ve not seen aputer before?!" Song Ze would never forget the cackles and mockery that followed that day. Thoseughters were like knives piercing through his heart. It was like he was being killed by a thousand cuts. But Song Ze only smiled in response, convincing himself that they wereughing with him and not at him. Song Ze was aplete mismatch with this world. He sat spacing out in the hostel. He wanted to join the other boys but Song Ze realized there was too big of a gap. He didn''t know what LoL was, he didn''t know what Ferrari, Hermes, Gi and so on were. When he found out 1 meal would cost several hundred RMB, he couldn''t believe his eyes.


    When Song Ze said his mother only earned 300 RMB a month, the others refused to believe him either, they just said Song Ze was being stingy. To be fair, even Song Ze couldn''t believe their parents earned more in a month than his parents did in a year. Neither of the party believed the other, they were like frogs in two different wells, one was an empty well, the other filled with gold. If not for his good studies, Song Ze would be like his parents, never ever leaving the mountains and seeing the world beyond it.


    Song Ze became very quiet, his pride was slowly grinded down by these people''s words andments. But at that moment, Zhang Yunhu appeared. He knew about Song Ze''s family condition and knew that he was telling the truth. Zhang Yunhu was a kind person, every time they went out for lunch, he would pay the bills for everyone, including Song Ze. For someone like Zhang Yunhu, it was little money.


    During that first year, Song Ze''s heart was basically not in it anymore. During sses, he spaced out; after sses, he spaced out. That year, Song Ze scored thest ce. 9 courses, he failed 8. That year, he faced expulsion.


    But at that moment, someone walked into his life, it was none other than Liu Fei''er. Liu Fei''er was on the university''s counsellingmittee, it was her responsibility to talk to students like Song Ze whose result deteriorated drastically. Liu Fei''er was the first person who voluntarily came to talk to Song Ze. Liu Fei''er didn''t do much but to lend her ears. Song Ze knew that he didn''t belong to this world, the people here looked down on him. He was not a solitary person, it was just that no one was willing toe talk to him.


    Liu Fei''er finally knew why Song Ze was giving up on his studies, it was not because he was not bright. It was because Song Ze just found out that his father had sold one of his kidneys to pay for his recent semester fee. But there were more semesters toe and a person only had 2 kidneys. So Song Ze hoped that he would get expelled because his parents would not allow him to drop out.


    Liu Fei''er told him that there was something called a schrship. If he did well in studies, these organizations would pay for his living and tuition fee. Song Ze was stunned. He had never heard of bountiful things like that. But he already lost his chance for that semester as the semester was ending. Liu Fei''er told him that she would cover for him that semester because she had confidence that with his hard work, he would have more than enough money to pay her back in the future. Liu Fei''er also shared with him that her own father also only had 1 kidney, and he too came from a small vige, but now everyone knew who he was at Dong Xing City. Poverty wouldn''tst a lifetime and hard work was the way out of it.


    It was then that Song Ze saw the halo of godliness of this girl. The letter of expulsion didn''te, the university decided to give Song Ze another chance.


    At the same time, Zhang Yunhu knew about the situation from Liu Fei''er. As Song Ze''s best bro, Zhang Yunhu organized a charity ball to raise funds for Song Ze. That night, many people attended the ball, those from their courses, outside their courses, even people from outside the university. That night, 2 people became famous, Song Ze and Zhang Yunhu.


    From that day onwards, Zhang Yunhu''s poprity shot even higher. He was handsome, rich and kind, the quintessential fairytale prince. Song Ze became famous too because the university waived his 4 full years of tuition fee. Education was also a business, and doing small acts of charity like this would only boost their reputation.


    When Song Ze was at the cafeteria, the uncle told him, "You have to study hard. Do not bow down to poverty. When youe here in the future, I will not charge you anything."


    When Song Ze visited the bookstore, the boss told him, "I know you, you''re that kid from the mountain. I''ll let you in on a secret, I''m also from the countryside. But your future is better than mine. Take those with you, it''s on the house."


    When Song Ze walked past the fruit stall, the staller owner told him. "I recognize you. It must have been a long time since you tasted a good watermelon. Here, this is the biggest one. Uncle will treat you today. Work hard, okay?"


    Song Ze''s result soared and for the second year onwards, he always took first ce in his subjects. But no one knew that Song Ze''s second year was even more painful than the first year. It was because Song Ze realized that there was something even more painful than others'' ignorance and condescension, it was pity. Everyone had their own bottom line but people assumed that line could be crossed on the basis of kindness. In reality, kindness only pained Song Ze even more. He became both self-abasing and self-conceited. He looked down on others and looked down on himself.


    He hated everyone except of course, his goddess Liu Fei''er. By then, Song Ze''s heart was already twisted. He started to collect Liu Fei''er''s used products and he loved her from afar. The water bottle that Liu Fei''er dumped, Song Ze would pick it up and lick it for a long time. The bench that Liu Fei''er sat on, Song Ze would go and touch it. Everyone needed a goal in life, and this was Song Ze''s. He knew he would never be with Liu Fei''er but this was already enough.


    Liu Fei''er already promised to foot his semester bill but Zhang Yunhu had to step in. For that Song Ze hated Zhang Yunhu but he hated him even more when he found out Zhang Yunhu liked his goddess as well. It was why he promised Hou Yao to drug Zhang Yunhu''s beer. But to his disappointment, Zhang Yunhu still ended up with Liu Fei''er.


    Whenever Zhang Yunhu left their rental, Song Ze would follow him. When he saw his goddess enter the hotel with Zhang Yunhu, he would squat for the whole night across the street.


    That day, Zhang Yunhu left the hotel early in the morning. He went home and copsed in bed. Seeing the unconscious Zhang Yunhu, Song Ze suddenly knelt down and did the things he described in his diary. Song Ze knew he was demented but he couldn''t control himself. Loving someone meant loving everything that she came with, at least that was what Song Ze told himself.

 Chapter 94: A Present

    Chapter 94: A Present


    Actually the person Song Ze hated the most was Zhang Yunhu. Zhang Yunhu had manipted Song Ze''s financial problem to gain poprity while kicking Song Ze into the depths of hell. Song Ze did consider taking revenge but whenever he saw Zhang Yunhu''s smiling face, his heart would soften. Zhang Yunhu was already friendly with him during his first year of university, technically he was Song Ze''s only friend. Song Ze would sometimes take a step back and reflect on his thoughts. Perhaps he was being unfair to Zhang Yunhu.


    "I''m sorry." After hearing what Song Ze had to say, Zhang Yunhu stood up and apologized sincerely to Song Ze. Song Ze shook his hands. After the secret was out, he was no longer as nervous as before and was more open around us. There were many manifestations of love and Song Ze had chosen the most despicable and lowliest one. But ultimately, he had not hurt anyone, he just kept himself in the shadows. It was both pitiable andughable.


    "It''s fine." Song Ze closed his eyes and said nonchntly. "This world is filled with unfairness, I''ve learned to ept it." Zhang Yunhu didn''t say anything but stood up to give Song Ze a tight hug. Zhang Yunhu smiled brightly, the kind that reached his cheeks but there was a sh of derision in his eyes that I managed to catch. After a long time, the boys parted.


    "If there''s nothing else, Zhang Yunhu, you can leave now. If there''s any update, we will inform you." I told Zhang Yunhu. Thetter nodded, and left. I looked at his departing back and felt sorry for the young man. Guan Zhenglin opened her mouth to say, "Song Ze, now that everything''s out in the open, we''ll cut to the point. Since you follow Liu Fei''er that much, you must have known that she has gone missing." With the mention of Liu Fei''er, the word concern'' immediately crossed Song Ze''s face. "I know, it''s all over the inte now. There are all kinds of conspiracies thate with it. I only found out about it yesterday. Originally I thought she took a day''s break from school but I soon realized that was not the case."


    I looked sternly at him and asked, "Then what theory do you have? Do you think it could have been done by Hou Yao?" Even though I had already eliminated Hou Yao as a suspect, I had nothing to lose to get another person''s perspective. Song Ze shook his head vehemently, "It can''t be Hou Yao. She might be a little bit brash but she isn''t capable of something like this. I know she did say that she would make Liu Fei''er disappear but that was only because she assumed Liu Fei''er had seduced Zhang Yunhu away from her. After I told her the truth, and that the incident with the drugging had been exposed, Hou Yao left it be. Furthermore, until recently, Hou You was still drowning herself in alcohol and nightlife to get over her break-up. She wouldn''t have the time or energy to arrange something like this."


    "Then do you have any other suspects?" I pressed. Song Ze nodded as his pupils darted to the right. Psychologically speaking, that was a sign that the person was thinking. Someone said when a person was lying, they would not dare to look you in the eye but that had been disproved. In fact, when a person looked right at you, it was because they hoped that you would believe what they said as what they said was mostly false.


    Momentster, Song Ze lowered his head and uttered, "When I felt particrly lost in my life, I once stalked Liu Fei''er, hoping that her presence could provide me with guidance. At that same period, I saw a man following Liu Fei''er too. But I didn''t get a good look at him because he was too far away."


    "There was a man who was stalking Liu Fei''er?" I asked to confirm.


    Song Ze scratched his chin in thought. "That was probably about 2 to 3 months ago. Since Liu Fei''er would be apanied by her group of bodyguards whenever she went home from school, we didn''t dare to get too close. The man was about 1.8 metres tall. He was always dressed in ck, that''s all I know."


    I held my chin. A man was tailing Liu Fei''er 2 to 3 months ago, could this be the man sent by the kidnappers to scout out Liu Fei''er''s habit? Based on their actions, that was highly probable. But the kidnappers probably didn''t expect a lovelorn student to spot their scout.


    Song Ze continued, "At first, I didn''t think much of it, because there are literally thousands of people who have a crush on Liu Fei''er. I could follow her so others could as well. But now that this incident happened, only then I realized how suspicious that man was!"


    "You didn''t see his face at all?" I pressed.


    Song Ze shook his head. "I didn''t dare to go too close, I only watched her from afar. The man went closer than I did so I only managed to see him from the back. Oh, but I did notice something. The man might be left-handed."


    "Oh?" My eyes lit up. "How could you tell?"


    "When a normal person opens a bottle, they would hold the bottle in their left hands and twist the cap with their right." Song Ze gestured as he exined, "But that man held the bottle in his right hand and twisted the cap with his left hand. I believe only a left-handed person would do that."


    I snapped my fingers. "You''re right, the grain of the bottle cap was meant to go anti-clockwise because it''s more convenient for the right-handed who are the majority in the world. If that''s the case, then your spection is most likely correct."


    Song Ze pleaded, "That''s all I know. I hope you''ll find Liu Fei''er as soon as possible." Then his face closed down like the world was lost to him. Perhaps Liu Fei''er was indeed his whole world, but this world never realized that someone had built his whole life around her. Since there was nothing else to say, we let Song Ze go and informed him to call us if he could think of anything else.


    After Song Ze left, Guan Zhenglin said, "Do you think he''ll still have the face to stay with Zhang Yunhu? After how he treated that fine young man?" I sighed heavily. I wanted to say something but I decided to hold my tongue. Was Zhang Yunhu really sincerely concerned about Song Ze? Did he really see Song Ze as his best bro? At least I personally didn''t think so. From that fleeting gaze, I saw derision and disgust in Zhang Yunhu''s eyes. Furthermore, with Zhang Yunhu''s social experience and upbringing, he should be able to handle Song Ze''s fragile ego more sensitively. Even Liu Fei''er knew that it was uncouth to expose Song Ze''s family background because it would harm his pride but Zhang Yunhu practically dug it all up for everyone to enjoy. He had no care at all for his best bro''s emotional well-being. I believed Zhang Yunhu was doing all the charities'' for his own gain. Being good to Song Ze, holding the fund-raising ball, was all to raise his own reputation. After all, the prince would shine brighter with a pauperpanion. That was his way of creating this kind, handsome and wealthy image before girls like Liu Fei''er.


    But what was the truth? Only the man himself would know. I hoped that I was being cynical, so I didn''t share my thoughts with Guan Zhenglin. The world deserved more hope.


    After a simple lunch, we returned to the station. Sister Mao appeared to have left. When she saw us, Mary said, "You''re back? Based on the clues provided by Sister Mao, we located around 5 to 6 ces which might carry this kind of Davidoff mixed tobo at Dong Xing City. Gu Chen has already left to visit them, we''ll get a lead soon." I nodded. "That''s good. As long as we catch one alive, we''ll get the rest of them."


    "Also." Mary resumed, "I''ve used a software to reconstruct the kidnapper''s voice, it was male with a rasp in his voice. He sounds like he is between 20 to 25, the rest I can''t tell anymore."


    20 to 25, so young but so experienced, that was a rarebination, who could this be? I shook my head and put this aside for now. I reported Guan Zhenglin and my findings to Captain Zhao and a person''s name was removed from the white board. Hou Yao wouldn''t do something like this. So our next interview target was either Zhao Dongfa or Cao Jie. To interview Zhao Dongfa, we might face a team ofwyers so we decided to visit the soon-to-be bankrupt Cao Jie first.


    Just as we were about to leave, Mary called after us, "The kidnapper is calling again!" The kidnappers just called this morning so I assumed we wouldn''t be receiving another call so soon. I really had no idea what the kidnappers were up to. All of us sat back in our seats. Everything was the same, Captain Zhao could see everything at Liu Yinyan''s bungalow.


    The call began with a big yawn like the speaker just woke up. "Hello, my friends. So Boss Liu, have you figured out what you''ve done yet?"


    "Just ramble on about some random incidents, keep him talking." Captain Zhao advised. Xiao Liu repeated the order.


    Liu Yinyan answered, "I, I don''t know what you mean. Why, why don''t you give me a hint?"


    The kidnapper sounded disappointed. "Liu Yinyan, this is no fun. When I was six, I had a friend that I liked to y with. One day, I was ying aputer game at home. I couldn''t solve the puzzle and was stuck. At that moment, he walked in, and gave me the answer to the puzzle, and" The kidnapper suddenly turned sharp. "Guess what happened next."


    "What?" Liu Yinyan answered.


    The kidnapperughed, "I smashed his head into theputer! People who give unsolicited hints are horrible people but even more horrible are those who dare to ask for hints instead of working hard for the solution themselves. So you''ve run out of chances. But we''re very fair. I''ll mail a present to you. Be happy." Then the call ended. We looked at each other, we had no idea why the kidnappers had said these things.


    Half an hourter, someone knocked on Liu Yinyan''s door.


    The butler walked in. "Elder Liu, just now a toy ne dropped this box in ourwn. This is written on the surfaceA present for Liu Yinyan." We immediately understood this was the present the kidnappers referred to earlier. Liu Yinyan opened it immediately. Captain Zhao yelled. "Don''t! It might be a bom" Before Captain Zhao was done, Liu Yinyan already undid the box. The present was not a bomb but a finger.


    A long and fair truncated middle finger, that came with a bow tied nicely around it. Liu Yinyan only took a nce before he toppled backwards. The finger fell to the ground and happened to lean against the wall like it was giving everyone present the middle finger.

 Chapter 95: Toy Plane

    Chapter 95: Toy ne


    Guan Zhenglin shared a look with me and she sighed, "Come on, the kidnapper might call again to confirm we''ve received the present. Furthermore, we need to go grab that finger back for analysis." I didn''t say anything and followed behind her. Even though no one stated explicitly whom the finger belonged to, everyone knew. I couldn''t help the image forming in my mind. A young girl was tied to the chair in a damp basement. With tears staining her cheeks, she begged the kidnappers to let her go. But instead of doing that, they cut off her middle finger. Blood squirted everywhere. The girl''s howls echoed in the basement, mixed with the kidnappers''ughter. Liu Fei''er was being tormented, we needed to hurry up before worse happened to her.


    What exactly were the kidnappers trying to tell Liu Yinyan? Had Liu Yinyan done something wrong to others in his life? Were the kidnappers taking revenge for themselves or they were just hired mercenaries? Could we really save Liu Fei''er? What were the most dangerous people in this world? It was not the criminals, not the murderers, but those who didn''t operate ording to epted logic and rules. It was like you had checkmated them in chess but suddenly they told you their king had superpower and could fly.


    I had a feeling I was ying with such an opponent. The kidnapper''s 2 calls so far were just to toy with Liu Yinyan. Unlike normal kidnappers, they didn''t ask for money; unlike someone holding a grudge, they didn''t go into hysterics. The kidnappers were calm and even enjoying themselves. Furthermore, they seemed to know that the police had been involved. Just how arrogant these people must be that they not only didn''t rein in their hubris but instead went for an even stronger response after knowing thew''s involvement. No wonder Captain Zhao stated earlier that this had gotten bigger than Liu Yinyan and Liu Fei''er. We were facing a group of sociopaths.


    We arrived at the bungalow at the fastest speed possible. We were notified that Liu Yinyan was in bed. He had gotten so weak that he could barely stand. The butler had already ced the finger inside the fridge, hoping that a reconstruction surgery was still possible. Xiao Liu was in the living room checking out the toy ne that delivered the present''.


    Guan Zhenglin took the finger out from the fridge and told the butler, "I''ll take care of this carefully. As long as we can find Liu Fei''er soon enough, it should be possible to reattach this back to her."


    The butler sighed, "Please help us find Fei''er, these kidnappers don''t want money or evenpany stock. This time they''ve removed a finger but what about next time." Guan Zhenglin removed a small piece of skin from the finger and then reced it back into the fridge. "I''ll bring this with me when I go. For now, I''ll analyse DNA first." Guan Zhenglin then settled down with her toolbox.


    I turned my attention to Xiao Liu and the toy ne. The toy ne was so small. There were 2 main questions we needed to answer, how far it could fly and where it could have flown from. To answer these questions, we needed to buy a ne of the simr model and experiment with it ourselves. I messaged the picture of the ne to Mary, asking her to help me find a simr model on the market.


    Momentster, Guan Zhenglin answered, "ording to the DNA result, this finger does belong to Liu Fei''er. Compared to pictures we have of her, I believe this is her left middle finger. The wound at the root of the finger is smooth and the edges clean, that means that the knife used is extremely sharp. From the amount of blood in the finger, at least when the finger was removed, Liu Fei''er was still alive. I''ll need to do further analysis to know more." Then Guan Zhenglin ced the finger and packs of ice into her toolbox. The butler waspletely dazed hearing all that.


    "Sir." I called softly. "I think I''ll go take a look at Elder Liu."


    "Okay, but you better don''t bring Fei''er''s incident up before him. I don''t think he''ll be able to ept the news in his state." The butler walked with me and said, "Elder Liu is a good person, but you do not want to get on his bad side. You can say he does everything in doubles, if you are good to him, he''ll be doubly nice to you; if you are horrible to him, then he''ll be doubly ruinous to you."


    "I don''t get that impression so far." I honestly didn''t have that good of an impression of Liu Yinyan. The butler shook his head. "When I was young, I worked in the samepany with him. One time, he sprained his ankle and I only bought extra meals for him every day. But after he achieved sess, he never forgot about me. He paid me 20000 RMB per month, and guess what he had me do? Someone like me who didn''t know anything. He told me to help him guard his gate, where have you heard that a guard could earn 20000 RMB a month?"


    "Really? That has remained the same until now?" I followed behind the butler. The butler answered, "Yes, I''ve been with him for decades already. Not too long ago, he even gifted a house to my son in Dong Xing City. He''s such a good man. Why would God be so cruel to him? Fei''er is the only daughter he has, she''s his everything."


    "But all I''ve heard is negative press from the others." I chided. The butler scoffed. "That''s only because you''ve only heard their side of the story. Theymented about how Elder Liu had treated them but they never told you how they treated him first. Take for example, our old boss Zhao Dongfa, Elder Liu had confided in me multiple times that he was ignored and belittled whenever he handed in his reports to the old Director Zhao Dongfa. Elder Liu always has an admirable work ethic despite how our old boss treated him. There was one time where Elder Liu was left stranded in the pouring rain for the whole night because Zhao Dongfa was too busy frolicking with his mistress." The butler said indignantly, "It was also that experience which steeled Liu Yinyan''s resolve to make something of himself. The document that Zhao Dongfa didn''t want, it helped Rong Ding Corporation earn its first bucket of gold. Like Confucius said, to repay kindness with kindness, and repay enmity with justice."


    When we arrived at Liu Yinyan''s bedroom door, the butler tapped on the door softly and told me, "And Elder Liu has always lived his life by that motto."


    To repay kindness with kindness, and repay enmity with justice. I ruminated, no wonder the old man was still acting like the whole world was against him at his advanced age. I always thought Liu Yinyan was horrible to everyone but now I had a new understanding of this business mogul. Seeing me, Liu Yinyan struggled to stand up from bed. His right hand reached for the staff beside his bed. He looked like he was 80 years old, like a hunchback, swaying all over. A few days ago, this fragile old man was the person who had the whole Dong Xing Market by its ears.


    "Inspector Wu!" Liu Yinyan cried out with a hoarse throat, "Did you find anything?" Seeing the state he was in, I couldn''t bring myself to deliver anymore bad news, so I said, "We already found some clues but you''re still our biggest hope. The kidnapper doesn''t want anything but to y a game with you. If you know what they''re talking about, please tell us, so that we can help you." Liu Yinyan nodded and then shook his head. "Let me think, let me think. When I got it, I will inform you at first notice!" Then Liu Yinyan started to pace inside his bedroom with the aid of the staff. He looked deep in thought. I didn''t want to disturb him any further but seeing the state he was in, I felt something was off. However, I couldn''t put my finger on exactly what


    As I walked down the stairs, I could hear Xiao Liu calling me, "Wu Meng, get down here. Sister Mary has already ordered for us the same model of toy ne!"


    "So soon?"


    "Yes!" Xiao Liu confirmed. "You know how she is." Half an hourter, an officer delivered the remote-controlled ne to us. I looked closer and realized even the color of the model was simr to the one used by the criminals, I was impressed. Xiao Liu and I stood at the top floor of the bungalow and tried to fly the ne. The control was quite easy. I said, "Let''s see how far we can go, then it''ll be easier for us to figure out where the criminal could have been when they sent the ne into thepound. I''ll pilot the ne here while you go and follow it, see how far is its maximum distance."


    "Fuck, you always leave thebor work to me." Even though that was what he said, Xiao Liu was already running down the stairs.


    40 minutester, the experiment ended. This model airne''s maximum distance from the controller was 1500 metres. Beyond that, it would go out of control and just tumble to the ground. But based on what the butler said, the nended smoothly on thewn, so the criminal was within 1500 metres of the bungalow when the present was delivered.


    For the kidnapper tond the ne smoothly on thewn, there was another needed criterion and that was a vantage point. They must be able to see the ne and the bungalowpound from where they were hiding. However, there was no high building around thepound, the only elevation was the mountain. However, the mountain was so big, how were we supposed to search through it? Looks like that was exactly what the criminals were banking on.


    I shook my head, this lead would definitely be hard to follow. Right then, my phone rang, it was Gu Chen. "Wu Meng, I need you with me. I believe I''ve found the person who had that speciality cigarette."


    "Who is it?"


    "He''s also an escaped convict, his name is Lin Dafa, he''s 42 this year." Gu Chen exined, "I''ve already informed Sister Mary to look into this person but the ck-market boss told me that Lin Dafa just purchased the Davidoff mixed tobo from him yesterday, and he mighte backter today!"


    I was shocked. "You sure?!"


    "Yes, that''s why I need you toe here with me!" Gu Chen said.


    Lin Dafa, another escaped convict, was this team made of all escaped convicts? The dead Chen Lin escaped from prison as well, but why this special membership? Was it because they wouldn''t hold back because they knew it was the death sentence waiting for them if they got caught? Death was not scary, at least for those who were already numb to it.


    Looks like I needed to go meet up with Gu Chen.

 Chapter 96: A Father

    Chapter 96: A Father


    Xiao Liu continued to stay guard at the Liu mansion and he assigned a group to search the mountain. Even though the chance of us finding a clue was slim, we were not giving up. As an officer, it was our job to see clues when others failed, to see answers where others were unable to. Only then, one could be called a good police officer. I knew that was impossible for me but I would take it one day at a time.


    I soon reached my destination. This was an illegal market, the boss didn''t even have the permit to sell cigarettes. It was because of Sister Mao that we even managed to find this ce. Seeing the boss cower before Gu Chen, I knew that the boss must have had a friendly'' discussion with Gu Chen before I arrived. Why else would he be so cooperative?


    "Well." Gu Chen cracked his knuckles loudly. The boss smiled genially and said, "Erm, about a month ago, someone came here, it was a new customer. As you know, in our line of business, normally we''ll only open our wares to people who came with rmendations. After all, there''s no telling what they might do with the tobo, right? We don''t want people to get injured, do we?"


    "Go on." Gu Chen urged without even looking at the boss. Thetter nodded and continued, "Normally we don''t have many customers looking for these specialty items but there is something that stood out about this customer." The boss paused again as if to build tension. "What is it?" I asked.


    The boss burst outughing and then said, "The man has a full face of beard but he has male-patterned baldness. It''s like all of the hairs have decided to grow on his face. He is about 1.75 metres tall and has a square face. He looks about 40 to 50. He''s quiterge and muscr. He''s not like your usual middle-aged uncle." The boss nced at Gu Chen before he continued, "It is hard to forget someone so unique so when this brother showed me the picture, I recognized him immediately. Even though he didn''t have a beard in the picture, but I am sure it was him." In other words, the purchaser had to be Lin Dafa but to confirm, I asked, "Did he purchase Davidoff mixed tobo?"


    "Yes, yes, yes!" The boss pped. "That was the tobo he wanted. As you know, that kind of tobo has a strong kick. It''s not for beginners so I warned him about it. He assured me it was going to be fine because he is an old smoker." The boss was surprisingly chatty. "In fact, he even told me that the taste of the mix was not yet what he wanted, it was too English for his taste. He would add Zhang Ye City''s wine, those were cheap but incredibly fragrant. After that, he would add some white sugar. When I heard that, I knew I was dealing with a pro!" The boss was basically brimming with joy, "Oh, it was like I had found my brother from a different mother. As you know, I too am a connoisseur of specialty cigarettes. I asked him to leave me his name and phone number so that we could exchange tips in the future, but that bastard!" The boss sighed and shook his head. "He not only didn''t want to share with me his phone number, he even refused to even give me his name! If not for ourmon hobby, I would have kicked him out that day. I might not look like it, but I''m quite well-versed in kung"


    Gu Chen mmed his palm on the table and growled, "Get to the point!"


    The boss jumped and then mumbled weakly, "And so I purposely sold him the item at a marked-up price. He epted it, he thought he could just walk all over me because he had money. After he left, I told the story to my friends and swore to not sell him anything else again. My pride is worth more than his money. But he came back again yesterday. I stood by my ground and refused his business. He should have asked around to know who he''s dealing with."


    Gu Chen frowned. "Didn''t I tell you to get to the point?"


    "Right, right, right!" The boss said hurriedly. "So I told him I had no more stock, I just wanted him to show me some respect but the bastard only nodded and told me he''d be back again. Won''t you be mad too? He''s like a stone, impossible to crack!" My eyes brightened. The boss was definitely not a person you''d want to befriend because there were too many negatives in his personality but it was also his nature that aided us this time. Of course, I didn''t show that on the surface. "Do you know what business this brother is in?" I pointed at Gu Chen.


    The boss nodded. "Of course, he''s Sister Mao''s people, isn''t he? I know Sister Mao, she sometimes will source her tobo from me." I smiled, thankful that Gu Chen didn''t expose his real identity. That was the right thing to do or else this man would have closed up and escaped the next day. With a warm smile, I added, "Actually that man''s name is Lin Dafa, he''s Sister Mao''s enemy. He''s recently escaped to Dong Xing City, he must not know that this is Sister Mao''s territory. So my brother here will stay with you for a while until we can capture Lin Dafa, understood?"


    "Of course!" The boss answered. "Little brother, I''ve been in the business for decades already, how could I not understand something as simple as that? I knew from first nce that this brother is someone admirable. Don''t worry, I''ll take care of his living arrangements here. That Lin Dafa, I knew he is a good-for-nothing, a rat in the sewer, a bug in the rice" I waved my hands to stop him. "In that case, thank you for your cooperation. I''ll go back to inform Sister Mao about this."


    The boss must have thought I would go and praise him before Sister Mao and that would trante into more business. A sneaky look appeared in his eyes, I found itughable. After we walked away, Guan Zhenglin told me, "That boss sure is interesting, a typical tailcoat rider."


    I chuckled. "Indeed, people like him like to bully the weak and lick the boots of the strong. They''re cheap and stingy but at least we know they won''t do anything too out of line."


    Back at the office, I updated Captain Zhao with our situation. He nodded and finally his frown softened a bit. "If we can catch one alive, we''ll nab the rest."


    Mary added, "I''ve already found all the info about Lin Dafa, he''s currently 42 and has a 19 year-old daughter. 4 years ago, Lin Dafa was sentenced to life imprisonment due to murder. 3 years ago, he was given the death sentence after killing a cellmate in prison, but before the sentence arrived, he chose tomit suicide. He cut his wrist but he failed. He was sent to the hospital. While he was hospitalized, he used the bedsheet to make a rope and climbed down from the 7th floor, he wasn''t seen until now." As I expected, these people were all death row inmates.


    "Why did he kill in the first ce?" Guan Zhenglin asked. Mary then told us a story about being a father. The event happened 4 years ago, at the time Lin Dafa was 38 and his daughter, Lin Rong 15. Lin Dafa''s wife died a long time ago, and so he had to work hard to raise his daughter alone. He would return home after midnight. Whenever he came home, his daughter would be asleep or she''d left a note that she was sleeping over with a friend. 15 years old was a sensitive age and Lin Dafa had no experience raising a daughter. Sadly, Lin Rong didn''t understand the difficulty of her father as well. She looked down on him. Other people''s fathers wore ties and suits but her father was a small-timeborer. She felt embarrassed by him and didn''t want to be seen with him.


    Lin Rong at 15 strayed on the street before she''d go home; Lin Rong at 15 had already learned how to cuss like a sailor; Lin Rong at 15, got to know a rich second-generation who was 20 plus; Lin Rong at 15 went on a car trip with the man to another city; Lin Rong at 15 disappeared for a whole month.


    Lin Rong''s teacher went to her home to find her and she found an empty house. The teacher couldn''t contact Lin Dafa because he was too poor to afford even a phone. Lin Dafa worked a continuous contract at a construction site for a whole month and Lin Rong was absent for a whole month.


    Lin Rong and her friend; the rich second-generation and his friend. 2 male, 2 female. 2 men in their 20s, 2 girls in their 15s. The rich man gave Lin Rong 3000 RMB, she had never seen so much money in her life. Lin Rong couldn''t remember being so happy. That month, the four of them stuck like glue, in more ways than one. Nothing was off-limits, within or without the bedroom.


    Lin Rong came home from her trip and Lin Dafa was still none the wiser. Until one day the school had a physical exam. That day, Lin Rong was diagnosed with AIDS. Finally Lin Dafa managed to pry the story out from her. Lin Dafa brought this to the police and the rich second-generation was summoned. Turns out when he was 20, he got AIDS from some random woman. He felt cheated, because he was still young and rich. So he turned his anger outwards. He wanted to make as many people suffer as he did. That month, Lin Rong and her friend became a woman but they also got AIDS.


    When the rich second-generation was questioned, he onlyughed, "Those women, you''ll be able to pry their legs open if you shower them with enough money. Ha ha, interesting. Yes, I did it. I only wanted those gold diggers to feel what I feel." The police who did the interrogation wrote this on the file, That smile was the happiest and the most disgusting smile I''ve seen in my life.''


    Lin Rong was expelled from school because AIDS was still a great stigma. No school wanted her and the other kids'' parents wouldn''t let here to the same school as their kids. What if AIDS was contagious?


    Therefore, Lin Rong spent her whole time at home. She morphed into a different person, she became as silent as her father. Most of the time, Lin Dafa and Lin Rong sat there quietly, not saying anything from morning to night.


    But as they say, quiet always precedes the storm.


    One day, Lin Dafa left home with a cleaver.

 Chapter 97: Why Am I Killing You?

    Chapter 97: Why Am I Killing You?


    Intentionally spreading AIDS fall under attempted murder, but with money, the rich second-generation got the least severe of sentence. The day Lin Dafa left with the cleaver, it was the day the rich second-generation was released from prison. Lin Dafa waited at the door of the young man''s home. Lin Dafa hid the cleaver inside his clothes and waited at that spot for a whole week. In the morning, he subsisted on dry bread; at night, he slept by the roadside. His eyes were red like a hunger panther; his eyes were sharp like an eagle. He was like a statue, a statue demanding for blood.


    1 weekter, Lin Dafa finally saw the rich second-generation. Even though he was just released from prison, the young man tumbled back into the life of sin. His life was frozen at 20, what did he have to lose? The rich second-generation was opening the door when Lin Dafa pounced like a beast. He kicked the young man into the house. Then he locked the door behind him. The young man was so drunk that he couldn''t even struggle to stand up from the ground. Seeing this, Lin Dafaughed. The young man looked like such an ugly little maggot. But Lin Dafa didn''t n to squish him just like that, he had ns for the young man.


    Lin Dafa tied him to an armchair, he ced the cleaver on the young man''s neck and rewarded the young man with a basin of cold water to the face. That finally woke the man up from his hangover. He saw the skinny dark-skinned man before him and the cleaver around his neck, his eyes started to fill with fear. "What, what do you want?" The young man stammered, "I can give you all the money you want as long as you don''t hurt me!"


    Lin Dafa studied the young man before him silently. The young man was 20 plus but he looked like he was approaching 40. He looked about as old as Lin Dafa himself. The fear of the young man was aplete contrast to the arrogance he showcased inside the police station. How could someone with AIDS be so afraid of death? "I do want to kill you but I will give you a chance." Lin Dafa said, "Guess why I want to kill you, if you''re correct, then I''ll let you go. You don''t have much time left, so get thinking."


    Lin Dafa sat across from the young man. He slowly took out a wrinkled cigarette box from his pocket and then lit one. He held the smoke in one hand while his other hand slowly pushed the cleaver. The de was sharp and it slowly carved into the young man''s supple skin. "Sir, please, slow down. I have something better than the cigarette you''re smoking in my drawer over there." Survival instinct made the young man''s brain move fast, "Take a look, I''m not lying to you." Lin Dafa opened the drawer where a box of tobo sat inside. The box of tobo bought the young man some time. At the same time, that was when Lin Dafa fell in love with specialty cigarettes. He split open his cigarette and reced the cheap leaves inside with the tobo. The kick was amazing, it made his head spin but he didn''t forget his purpose for being there.


    "Guess." With the cigarette loosening him, Lin Dafa became chattier. "Come on, guess! You''ll be punished if you don''t!" To prove his point, Lin Dafa used the tip of the de to sh across the young man''s cheek, fresh blood leaked out from it. For others, the rich second-generation''s blood was a lethal weapon but Lin Dafa was not afraid of it. After all, he already had nothing to live for so why would he be afraid of AIDS?


    "You, you are Xiao Wan''s father." The young man cried, "You''re Xiao Wan''s father. I got her pregnant but I kicked her aside. She didn''t dare to let her parents know and she didn''t dare to go to the hospital, so she gave birth under a civilian pass-over. Due to ack of medical attention, both her and her baby died from blood loss. But wait, the police didn''t even know that''s my child, so how would you know?" The young man rambled as his body shook, "So no, you''re not Wan Er''s father, you''re not here for her." Lin Dafa smiled gently and with a push, the cleaver inched deeper into the young man''s flesh. Blood slowly leaked out. The man could feel itchiness and warmth around his neck. It was his blood, his poisoned blood.


    "I know! I know!" The blood, sweat and tears mixed together. When they touched his wounds, it felt like his face was bitten by fire ants. "If you''re not Wan Er''s father, then you have to be Xiao Mei''s father. I was wrong there, I''m an animal."


    Lin Dafa chuckled, "Continue."


    The young man thought he was correct and his expression rxed. "You''re Xiao Mei''s father. That time, just for fun, a few of us tied Xiao Mei inside a factory, and took off her clothes. When we came back an hourter, we realized she was still tied there but she had been gangraped. And Xiao Mei, Xiao Mei''s eyes were closed and she had no more breath in her." The young man shivered. "We were so afraid so we ran. But, but I heard the real culprits, the factory workers have all been captured. I know I was the one who kidnapped Xiao Mei but it wasn''t my fault, right?"


    Lin Dafa''s cleaver inched in further. "It''s not that, that''s not why I''m here." The young man was in despair, he could feel his life slipping away. Even if he didn''t die from decapitation, he would die from massive blood loss. The wound was getting deeper, he didn''t have too many chances left. The young man hadbored breaths like he had just finished a marathon. His brain spun quickly. Just what had he done that he deserved something like this?


    "Don''t keep your thoughts to yourself." Lin Dafa rolled another cigarette and urged gently, "How can I know what you''re thinking if you''re not talking?"


    "Of course, of course!" The young man answered. "Erm, erm, I know, I know. It should be this then. I lived at the countryside before I was 10. That night I was ying with fire and identally burnt a whole wooden house down. I was too young and too afraid so I ran. Onlyter I found out the fire had killed the wife and her young daughter. You must be the husband, that night you were away from home due to work. Is that it?" The young man pleaded like a hooked fish.


    Lin Dafa scratched his head with the end of the cleaver, he was surprised that the young man was responsible for so many tragedies and he had killed so many lives but Lin Dafa didn''t care about them. The world was filled with people, if he had to mourn everyone that died, then he wouldn''t have time to do anything. These people had nothing to do with Lin Dafa and he didn''t feel even a bit sorry for them, but he was angry. Why was it that the young man had reached into his childhood but he still couldn''t remember what he had done to Lin Dafa''s daughter?!


    With his anger, the de pressed deeper into flesh. The response was loud but no one heard it. The rich second-generation''s house had perfect sound instion.


    "That''s also wrong?" The young man trembled. He struggled against the knot but it was pointless. Lin Dafa was a man ofbor, he was at least 10 times more powerful than the young man. So how could thetter struggle loose from the knot? With each struggle, the wound on the young man''s neck opened further and more blood oozed out. "Why are you treating me like this!" The young man wailed indignantly.


    Lin Dafa responded easily, "Well, guess."


    The young man cried but with the press of the cleaver on his neck, he continued, "If it''s none of those, what what can it be I know, you are Sister Hua''s husband! Sister Hua did say she has a husband about your age. I transmitted AIDS to her but she didn''t know about it and when she was back home, she transmitted it to her husband. So you have AIDS too." The young man looked at Lin Dafa before him. "So you''re doing this for revenge? But this is really not my fault, it was Sister Hua who came onto me. She was doing it for my money and I was only ying along. This isn''t my fault, she did this to herself." The young man blubbered, "Plus I didn''t kill her. Sister Hua killed herself. She came demanding for an exnation, and I told her she was the one who couldn''t wait to jump on my dick, and then she jumped off the building. I didn''t do anything to her! How about this, I have a lot of money and thetency period for AIDS is very long. My money will be your money from now on, okay?"


    Lin Dafa was livid. He didn''t know who Sister Hua was and he was definitely not her husband. But at the same time, he was disappointed. The memory that Lin Rong held so dearly didn''t even feature at all in this young mind''s mind. Her daughter was just like so many nameless women ruined by this young man and then forgotten by him. Things were often one-sided, one-sided love, one-sided hatred, one-sided remembrance and one-side dismissal.


    "You''re running out of chances." Lin Dafa grinned coldly, "When you''re down there, tell the Lord of Hell that your murderer is Lin Dafa." He readied the cleaver.


    Lin Dafa! This man''s surname is Lin! Who else did I know that has the surname Lin? Which woman has the surname Lin?'' Suddenly a name popped in the young man''s head.


    "Lin Rong! Lin Rong!" He shouted. "You''re Lin Rong''s father, you''re here for her! She''s only 15, 16, isn''t she? Right!" The young man bellowed between tears. Before this, he thought that having AIDS was no different from death. But when he faced death so starkly then he realized how scary death was.


    The cleaver halted in mid-air and Lin Dafaughed.


    The young man saw the halted cleaver and heughed.

 Chapter 98: Father

    Chapter 98: Father


    What did the young man feel at that moment? He felt like even the world around him was brighter. Lin Dafa''s cleaver stopped on the young man''s neck but didn''t push further. Lin Dafa even pulled back the cleaver and nodded satisfactorily. "Looks like you did remember it after all. It''s because of you that her whole life is ruined. But I''m a man of my words. Since you did solve my question, then I won''t kill you." Then Lin Dafa squatted down and yanked down the young man''s pants. The rich second-generation screamed. "Stop that, you''re sounding like a girl." Then Lin Dafa continued to remove the young man''s underwear.


    The young man''s eyes widened as he looked at Lin Dafa who knelt between his crotch. Instantly the light snuffed out again. Blood was still trickling down from his neck wound, but he had given up. He was numb. He was rethinking his life. Perhaps on the day he decided to take revenge on the world, he should have known one day the society would take revenge on him.


    "Eh! Stop closing your legs like that!" Lin Dafa pried the young man''s thighs open. "Make this easy on yourself. You should be thankful that I''m not killing you." There was a cold and then a hot sensation. When the young man lowered his head, there was nothing there anymore. He didn''t feel pain, or perhaps it was already over his pain threshold. His face was bleeding, his neck was bleeding and now his crotch was bleeding. "When I was young, I helped neuter our home''s livestock. Even my father praised me for my handiwork, saying that I''m a born swordsman." Then Lin Dafa reced the bloody cleaver into the pocket and left the scene.


    Seeing Lin Dafa walk away, the young man perhaps was thinking, I should have bitten him when I had the chance.'' He still wanted to live even though he no longer had his offending weapon. The young man struggled until his phone fell to the ground. He tipped himself over and used his teeth to call 911. In the process of waiting, he died, enveloped by despair. He had lost too much blood. In thest few minutes, no one knew what was on the rich second-generation mind. In the reflection of the blood, did he see the girls whose lives he had ruined, the baby born under the bridge and died, the women who were charred in the mes or the youngdy who jumped from the building? Or his own despair? The blood dripped slowly, tik tok, tik tok. Those were the wails of the women whose souls he had crushed.


    We had no idea whether Lin Dafa meant to leave the rich second-generation to die in his own blood or he really nned for the young man to survive. In his testimony, Lin Dafa said he didn''t mean to kill the young man but only Lin Dafa would know the truth. Lin Dafa was soon captured, he didn''t escape, in fact the cleaver was still left in his home.


    "Goodbye, my girl." Before Lin Dafa was brought away, he told Lin Rong this, "I don''t know anything, I am not a good father. From now on, you have to live for yourself. My money is hidden under my bed. Don''t do anything stupid, this will be thest time we meet, yes?" For some reason, Lin Rong couldn''t stop her tears. Lin Rong had never cried, not when her mother died, not when she was told she had AIDS. But now she did.


    Staring at her own father, the father whom she hated and was embarrassed by, she cried.


    From then on, Lin Dafa spent his life in prison. No matter where he went, Lin Dafa was still that honest, straightforward person. When he was bullied, he smiled; when he was targeted, he smiled. Lin Dafa knew that he was given life imprisonment with parole, so in other words, he still had hope of leaving this ce. He would wait 20 years, 30 years as long as he could see his daughter again. Lin Dafa was imprisoned due to murder but Lin Dafa didn''t look like a murderer at all, he was easily bullied and was always friendly with everyone.


    Therefore, one day a new inmate who was imprisoned due to malicious injury asked why Lin Dafa was there. He probably thought Lin Dafa was easy to pick on due to his personality. So Lin Dafa told him about his story. The young ruffian asked, "Sounds like your daughter is quite a beauty, or else the man wouldn''t be interested in her."


    Lin Dafa took that as apliment, "Yes, she takes after her mother, thankfully."


    "Well, I''ll have to go look her up and have my fun with her when I''m out of this ce, to see what I''ve missed." The young ruffian joked. No one minded it, everyone knew it was a joke. No one would have gone after a woman with AIDS willingly. But Lin Dafa was livid. He pped the young ruffian. "If you dare toy a hand on my daughter, I''ll kill you."


    Being pped by a man in his 40s, this 20 plus youth instantly exploded. He wanted to jump on Lin Dafa but he was held back by the other inmates. Apprehended, the young ruffian shouted, "Fuck, I''ll definitely rape your daughter when I''m out of here. You''ve killed someone, you won''t be leaving this ce before I do. Lin Rong is it, okay, I''ve remembered her name! Just you wait! Just you wait!" At the prison, this small altercation was soon forgotten. The year passed in the blink of an eye and it was almost time for the young ruffian to be released.


    That night, the ruffian was very happy. After 1 year inside the mmer, he had forgotten what the air outside tasted like. As he brushed his teeth, he hummed a song. No one was going to rain on his parade. With a thud, a mug fell beside him. The young ruffian turned around and saw Lin Dafa standing beside him. The young ruffian smiled, "Oh, it''s you, Master Lin. I''ll be leaving this ce tomorrow. Be a good man and maybe I''ll see you on the other side."


    Lin Dafa didn''t answer. Noting the silent treatment, the young ruffian shrugged and then turned back to his teeth brushing. When he was done, he turned to leave. At that moment, a hand fell on his shoulder. Since there was only Lin Dafa around him, the offender couldn''t be anyone else. The young ruffian turned around and grumbled with impatience, "What is it, Master Lin, what do you want?" Just as he whipped his head around, a brush pierced into his eye. A brush about 4 cm stuck out from the young man''s left eye, it punctured the eyeball. The ocr liquid sttered all over Lin Dafa and some even dropped into his mug. The young ruffian groaned and copsed onto the clean tiled floor. His remaining eye stared at Lin Dafa before that closed as well. Several secondster, the young man passed away. When the prison guards arrived, Lin Dafa was brushing his teeth with the murder weapon. His teeth were sparkling white, he brushed them daily.


    No one knew why Lin Dafa had killed, other than Lin Dafa himself. When asked, he said matter-of-factly, "He said he would rape my daughter after he leaves prison. I''m in jail, I can''t protect her, therefore I can''t allow him a chance at survival like that rich second-generation. So to be safe, I have to kill him."


    The guards interviewed other cellmates to see if Lin Dafa was telling the truth. The interviewed cellmates were shocked. One of them gasped, "The young man did, but, but that was 1 year ago!"


    The day after, the young ruffian would be released from prison so Lin Dafa had to kill him that night. Perhaps the young man himself had even forgotten about his altercation with Lin Dafa from a year ago but Lin Dafa did remember it. From then on, no one dared to mention Lin Dafa''s daughter again.


    So a person''s memory could be that good when it involved something important.


    This time, Lin Dafa was given the death sentence, it would be delivered 1 monthter. This time, Lin Dafa would die in prison. This time, Lin Dafa had no hope of seeing his daughter again. When someone was absolutely obsessive about something, they coulde up with normally unimaginable ideas. Lin Dafa considered breaking out from prison but the defense of the prison was high, he wouldn''t be able to escape. He didn''t have time to start digging tunnels either.


    When he waspletely flummoxed, he was reminded of an incident that happened 2 months ago. A cellmate was sent to the hospital outside the prison because he suffered from acute gastritis. Lin Dafa used half a month to sharpen the end of his brush. Then e night, he punctured the brush into his left wrist. He wailed in pain. The prison infirmary doctors suggested sending Lin Dafa to the big hospital or else he might end up with lower body disability for the rest of his life. This sounded quite ironic because Lin Dafa would be dead after another 15 days, would he still care about disability? But as doctors, they had to treat their patients without discrimination.


    The defensive system at the hospital was not as firm as the one at the prison. No one at the hospital expected a patient to rappel down a 7th floor building. And it was only the night after Lin Dafa had the surgery. Although, technically he used the bedsheet rope to escape from the 7th floor to the 6th floor and escaped the hospital. When the police who were responsible to watch over Lin Dafa woke up, the man was already gone.


    It was drizzling that night. A criminal tied bed sheets into a rope with one hand and then sneaked out unnoticed. The walls were slippery and the night was dark, if he was not careful, he''d slip and end up a st on the ground. But Lin Dafa did it, he left the hospital unnoticed and had been unnoticed for the next 3 years. Lin Dafa, a reticent criminal, who had a single obsession. His biggest merit was his biggest weakness.


    "Find Lin Rong." I said, "When Lin Dafa is captured, only Lin Rong will be able to make him speak. And I believe it''s only a matter of time until Lin Dafa is captured."


    Captain Zhao nodded and said seriously, "Okay, I''ll have it arranged."

 Chapter 99: What Makes a Venture Capitalist?

    Chapter 99: What Makes a Venture Capitalist?


    Lin Dafa came from Luo Bei City which was at least 1 day away from Dong Xing City. It had been 4 years and one wondered if Lin Rong was still staying in Luo Bei City. However, we were certain that Lin Rong must have known that her father escaped from prison 3 years ago. We were unable to leave Dong Xing City so we had to rely on the police at Luo Bei City to find Lin Rong for us. Gu Chen stayed with the tobo boss while Xiao Liu guarded beside Elder Liu. The only people who could move freely were me and Guan Zhenglin. No one knew where Jessie''s team had disappeared to, ever since we parted at the underground parking lot, we hadn''t seen them. Perhaps they had found a new lead of their own.


    That night, the kidnappers didn''t call again, but as I was just about to lie down to sleep when Xiao Liu''s call came. On the phone, he told me that Liu Yinyan finally remembered what he had done and he wanted me there instantly. Based on his tone, it sounded like something serious and I had no time to lose. Guan Zhenglin was already asleep so I didn''t wake her, instead I drove to Liu Yinyan''s bungalow alone. Even though night had already fallen, Dong Xing City was still busy. The people at this city never seemed to rest, they were like worker ants of a colony. I drove into the bungalowpound, and parked right before the bungalow itself. The ce was lit up as if waiting for me to arrive.


    I walked into the bungalow and saw Liu Yinyan and Xiao Liu seated in the living room. The butler and several bodyguards surrounded them. When Liu Yinyan saw me, he said, "Please leave us, I have something to discuss with Officer Wu. Officer Liu, do you mind giving us some privacy too?" The rest nodded and turned to leave. Then Liu Yinyan told me a story about him. This story happened 33 years ago when Liu Yinyan was only 35. At the time, Liu Yinyan only joined Rong Ding Corporation for not too long. Thepany was still new and during the first few years, no one dared to take this unknownpany on as their investor. Even though Liu Yinyan had plenty of ideas and proposals, no one believed him. After all, in this business, there was no right or wrong, only matters of uracy. Before the investment was made, no one could guarantee it would result in profit. People instead relied on thepany''s experience and reputation. For apany as new as Rong Ding Corporation, it meant that no one was willing to put their trust in them. That day, the founders of thepany sat together to discuss this issue. One of the shareholders said, "If this year we do not ept new capital, with just a few of us, we won''t be able to keep thispany running anymore. In other words, we''ll break up in another half a year. I guess we''ll treat this as a learning lesson. We can seek employment elsewhere, we''re still young." The others nodded. They were only in their 20s but Liu Yinyan was 35 already. He was at least 10 years older than them. And that was not just in age, it also meant that Liu Yinyan entered the business at least 10 yearster than them. If thispany failed, this industry would have no ce for Liu Yinyan anymore.


    Young people had the chance to make mistakes, 2 years were nothing for these young people but for Liu Yinyan, it was a period of his life that he couldn''t waste. He was 35 and he didn''t even have a home or a girlfriend yet. As mentioned earlier, these young people were the cannon fodder for this industry and no one had high hopes on them.


    "I guess this is it. We''ll clean up the space and request for bankruptcy." The few founders agreed. If thispany closed down, then Liu Yinyan would end up with nothing. He had no savings and had even sold one of his kidneys, this was his only chance. "There''s no need to rush." Liu Yinyan stood up. Among the founders, he was the oldest and also the most capable. These younger founders knew that. They believed that if Liu Yinyan was given a chance, he would be a great legend in this industry, that was something they understood from working with Liu Yinyan for 2 years. But unfortunately, no one was willing to trust Liu Yinyan and provide him with the investment capital.


    Liu Yinyan had remained silent until now. Everyone waited for him to continue. Liu Yinyan looked around and said confidently, "We still have half a year right? Leave everything to me in this half a year. If we seed, we''ll share the profit ording to our current percentage of shareholdings; if we fail, I''ll take on all the responsibility myself." They looked at Liu Yinyan and saw a great future in his eyes. Therefore, they decided to trust Liu Yinyan. However, they never saw Liu Yinyan again for the next 3 months. Where was Liu Yinyan? Naturally he was out looking for capital.


    As long as he had the capital, Liu Yinyan had confidence he could triple them within a year. In the first month, Liu Yinyan ran all over Dong Xing City and knocked on the doors of all the millionaires, but the answer was expected. No one was willing to invest in apany who was facing bankruptcy.


    "If you were me, what would you do?" Inside therge living room, only Liu Yinyan and I were left. His voice was soft, like he was whispering. A fleeting smile appeared on his face, his eyes were filled with regret and helplessness. He crossed his palms on the top of the staff and leaned forward. I thought for a while and shook my head, "I don''t think I''d have any idea. Probably I''ll borrow money from my family and friends, but my conscience won''t allow me to gamble with other people''s money."


    Liu Yinyan sighed, "That''s why you''ll never be a venture capitalist. I''ve been invited to many lectures and I always ask people, what do they think is the most important aspect of a venture capitalist? I have been given all sorts of answers like a wealth of capital, a sharp business acumen, a strong analytical mind."


    I was curious, "Then what do you think is the most important aspect?"


    Instead of answering me, he continued his story. No one was willing to give Liu Yinyan any money. As long as he had capital, no matter how small it was, Liu Yinyan was confident that he would turn a profit. But once he lost this opportunity, his documents and analytics would lose their timeliness and be waste paper. Therefore, Liu Yinyan came up with a method that would allow him to acquire arge amount of wealth in a short amount of time. This incident happened 35 years ago. It had been so long that Liu Yinyan had forgotten about this most important thing, how he acquired his first bucket of gold. People say the basis of capitalism is umtion of gore and blood. People had different interpretations of it but for Liu Yinyan, it was undeniably true. Liu Yinyan was a genius, he came up with a perfect solution.


    One of thepany founders had a rtive who owned a gold trading shop. Liu Yinyan found him and stayed at the gold trading shop for a month before he left. No one knew what he did there, but after he left, he never returned to that shop. Half a yearter, Liu Yinyan managed to find quite an amount of money, he invested all of them into an interwebpany which was just in operation for 3 years and acquired 35 percent of their shares. Soon Ding Rong Corporation did go bankrupt but all the shareholders had shares of this interwebpany.


    When Ding Rong Corporation returned, it was 3 yearster. In these 3 years, the interwebpany soon became the lynchpin of the inte and telmunication industry. The value of the share had flipped so many times that the people with its shares could live afortable life without doing anything ever again. The interwebpany''s founder started to buy back the share from Ding Rong Corporation and each of the original shareholders now found themselves with several ten million RMB. To own more than ten million before 30, that was the dream of so many people.


    When Rong Ding Corporation returned, the original founders joined without any hesitation. This time, Liu Yinyan was officially the main shareholder of Ding Rong Corporation. From then on, Liu Yinyan''s name also spread around Dong Xing City and the capital kepting.


    "But how did you get that first capital?" I looked at Liu Yinyan with confusion. "What did you do at the gold trading shop? Was it a loan from the boss? But why would they loan someone they don''t know and who had nothing, several millions just like that?"


    Liu Yinyan stood up and took in the spacious living room. His mouth twitched. "Wu Meng, look around you. How much do you think this bungalow costs?"


    I shook my head and guessed, "I don''t know, several millions?"


    "Several millions?" Liu Yinyanughed. "You must not be nning to buy real estate in Dong Xing City soon. Do you know how expensive thend is now? The price near the city centre is about 60000 RMB one cubic meter and at the city centre, it''s about 200000 RMB one cubic meter. With several millions, you''ll only be able to afford a small studio apartment." He was right, I wasn''t that interested in the real estate market, that was so far into the future for me. I never nned to marry and buy a house. But I suddenly understood why Xiao Liu would buy lottery tickets every day. The chance of winning first ce in the lottery was about the probability of getting struck by lightning. But why did so many people still buy lottery tickets every day? They knew how low the chance of winning was but they also knew, even if they worked their whole life, they wouldn''t umte several millions. The chance of winning the lottery was low but it was bigger than 0.


    Noting my silence, Liu Yinyan chuckled and answered his own question, "3 hundred million RMB! Do you understand how much that is?" I honestly could not. I couldn''t imagine owning ten million much less 3 hundred million.


    "One 100 RMB note weighs around 1.15 grams, 3 hundred million RMB would weigh 3450 kg!" Liu Yinyan stood up. "What is the most important aspect of being a venture capitalist?!" Liu Yinyan stressed word by word. "It is knowing to grab at opportunities. Opportunity does note easily but once you grab hold of it, everything else wille"

 Chapter 100: Fools Gold

    Chapter 100: Fool''s Gold


    I had a feeling Liu Yinyan had something to tell me because he was acting very much unlike himself. Normally, Lin Yinyan would never waste time on talking but today, he had been chatting with me for so long. Heughed andughed until he cried. I believed the main point wasing soon. I kept my silence but that seemed to stimte Liu Yinyan even further. "Do you know? A normal person might not even earn a hundred million for 3 lifetimes, but I, I have several billions! Do you know how much that is? I don''t, for me it''s just a string of numbers in my bank ount. I''ll be honest with you." Liu Yinyan swung the cane around and in that moment, I saw the passion from his youth. "When I earned my first billion, I made an appointment several months beforehand to withdraw them in cash. I was so serious when I went to take the money but no one knew how ecstatic I was when I saw the money pile up at my home." Liu Yinyan''s expression filled with feverish passion. "I was a country bumpkin who had nothing and slowly reached the state that I am in today. When I arrived at Dong Xing City, I only had 20 RMB, but from there, I earned a hundred, thousand, ten thousand, million and now billions! Money is a good thing!" Liu Yinyan sat back down on the couch. "It can buy you anything you want, everything you can ever imagine."


    I frowned and then spotted the tears in his eyes. I could guess the thing which wasing. I uttered softly, "But not the peace of your mind?"


    After hearing that, it was as if Liu Yinyan lost the power core that kept him running and copsed to the ground. His eyes were muddled and finally, I saw the business legend for the old man that he was. His hand slowly wiped away the tears. "I thought there would never be a third party who knew about this after 35 years. I assumed if I didn''t bring it up, it would eventually be forgotten. But I guess the secret is finally out after 35 years. Officer Wu, you have to help me save my daughter." He almost knelt before me.


    Liu Yinyan had selectively blocked that incident out of his mind, but when you tried harder to forget something, the more often it would appear in your mind. It would be there as a constant reminder. After I left that morning, Liu Yinyan had spent the whole day thinking and ultimately decided to open this Pandora''s box. And I finally knew what Liu Yinyan had done during that month at the gold trading store.


    35 years ago, the desperate Liu Yinyan came to the gold trading shop. He stayed there for a month, because he needed 1 month to convince the boss of his n. Finally the boss agreed to his demands. This incident became the deepest secret in Lin Yinyan and the boss'' heart, it was forever sealed.


    2 months after Liu Yinyan left, a robber robbed this gold trading store. The shop''s location was not that isted but it was not at the city centre either. The date the robber picked was perfect as well. That day the shop was doing routine inventory so most of the staff was not around. It was approaching dusk. The warm rays showered into the shop and the golden essories shimmered like a dream. After he got down, the robber looked right and left before he walked in. There was only the boss and a single staff manning the store. The robber''s head was trapped inside a bad quality silk stocking, but it did the job of distorting his features. He took out a cheap pistol from his pocket and shouted in a thick country ent, "This is a robbery! Get down! Get down!" Both the boss and the staff were shocked. The robber dropped the gunny sack to the ground and ordered. "Move, get all the gold into this bag or I''ll shoot your heads off! Quick, I''m not joking! Move!" The boss and the staff shared a look and they slowly moved the gold and essories into the gunny sack. The staff was extra cautious and silently pressed the button under the counter. The counter was connected to the police station and it wouldn''t make any sound while it did that, but strangely enough, it wasn''t working that day. Then she remembered, the system was switched off because they were opening all the cases for examination and inventory that day. The robber had chosen a perfect timing like he knew this was going to happen.


    Since the police were noting, the staff surrendered to her fate and obediently followed the robber''s instruction. With a sack of gold, the robber jumped into the car and drove away. It was an old van with no license te. The boss stood before the staff and asked with concern, "Are you alright?" The staff was touched that her boss cared about her that much. She answered, "I''m fine, but boss, we''ve lost so much gold. You''ll lose a lot of money."


    The boss shook his head and sighed, "That''s fine, as long as we are safe. Plus at least we have insurance, we won''t be losing much." The boss'' merchandise was insured and based on the contract, the insurancepany would need to pay 80 percentpensation. With the testimony of the staff, the insurance coverage soon arrived. Based on primary estimation, about 1 billion worth of gold had been lost and so the boss waspensated 80 million. The people from the insurancepany didunch an investigation because everything happened too coincidentally. The guard was not there, the security system was down, the cameras were in repair, it was like the boss had discussed the n with the robber. But it didn''t take long for the robber to be found, or more precisely, for the body of the robber to be found.


    The robber was a construction site worker, he didn''t know the gold shop boss, they had no interaction before. The recording of the robber going to the supermarket to purchase the silk stocking was on tape. The other construction site workers also confirmed that the man had gotten to the ck market to purchase a cheap pistol. The robber had a daughter but she was diagnosed with uremia when she was just 10. The robber needed money for treatment so in his desperation, chose to rob a gold store. The timing matched, the motive matched and the witness as well as evidence matched. Before the robbermitted suicide, his daughter unfortunately passed away at home.


    The conclusion given by the police was, the construction site worker got a cheap pistol from the ck market and the silk stocking from the supermarket to get money for his daughter due to her illness. He chose to rob the store about 3000 metres away from his farm. The timing was totally random, it just happened to be when the security at the gold shop was the weakest. After he got the sack of gold, the robber rode away in his van. He tried to unload the gold on the ck market for 3 whole days but before he could find a buyer, his daughter had already died. Unable to take that disappointment, he chose to jump into the ocean to kill himself. 2 monthster, the robber''s body was washed ashore but the sack of gold was nowhere to be found, they believed it had sunk into the bottom of the ocean.


    10 years ago, the boss of the gold shop died in his sleep at age 67. So only Liu Yinyan knew what really happened back then and now I was the second person. I heard a story that would stay with me for a lifetime.


    1 month after the robbery, 50 million was wired into Liu Yinyan''s ount. Liu Yinyan used that fund to invest in the interwebpany and that started his meteoric rise to sess. The money was wired by the gold shop boss to Liu Yinyan. So technically speaking, the robbery was nned by Liu Yinyan. When Liu Yinyan was young, he had worked all kinds of odd jobs, including a brickyer at the construction site. When he was there, Liu Yinyan got to know many people. When he was 30 plus, Liu Yinyan already left the construction site through his education but many of his friends still worked there. One of them was a man called Ren Tian and he had a daughter with uremia. That day, Liu Yinyan identally'' bumped into Ren Tian who wasing out from the hospital.


    That day, Liu Yinyan invited Ren Tian to dinner. They both drank quite a bit outside an old eatery. Ren Tian told Liu Yinyan that his daughter was doomed. There was only so much he could earn from brickying but his daughter would require thousands per day at the hospital. He was asked to take his daughter home, to wait for death toe im her. Yes, such was the life of the poor.


    Liu Yinyan said drunkenly'', "Brother Ren, even though I have no family and daughter, I empathize with you. If my daughter is in the same situation as yours, I''d rob the bank to get the money for her treatment!"


    "Rob the bank?" Ren Tianughed, "Little brother, you''ve had too much to drink. It''s not that easy to rob a bank, you think I haven''t considered that before?!"


    As Liu Yinyan tossed back another bottle of beer, he said, "Brother Ren, that''s where you need to think creatively. Since you know it''s too hard to rob a bank, then rob something else. Speaking of which, there is a gold trading shop nearby, isn''t there? I''m sure the security there can''t be that tough! I''d buy a mask, a pistol and charge in, what''s so hard about that? In fact, I''ll let you in on a secret. I know that the gold shop would check its inventory by the end of every month. There would be little staff and basically no security."


    "You''ve had too much to drink." Ren Tai said hurriedly.


    "What else can you do? Let your daughter die?" Liu Yinyan scoffed with derision, "If I can''t even save my own daughter, I''d jump into the ocean to kill myself."


    "You''ve had too much to drink." Ren Tai said patiently.


    "Says who?" Liu Yinyan copsed on the table. "I can remain sober even after 1000 bottles of beer. Bring me more! More! I can still drink!"


    That night, Ren Tian helped Liu Yinyan check into a cheap motel. The moment Ren Tian left, Liu Yinyan woke up immediately. He moved to the window and saw Ren Tian leave with determined steps. That night, Liu Yinyan wasn''t drunk but Ren Tian got drunk. The second day, Ren Tian scouted out the gold store. By the end of the month, Ren Tian robbed the shop. The gold that he robbed was actually fake, it was fool''s good, iron ingots with gold instion on the surface. The whole gunny sack would probably be worth several hundred RMB. But this was all Ren Tian''s fault, he was the one who purchased the gun, he was the one who robbed the store. No one ordered him to do anything. Liu Yinyan was rambling drunkenly. Could you really me everything on a drunkard''s words?


    Ren Tian stood beside the sea with the bag of fool''s gold. His daughter still died. And he no longer had any reason to live. He carried that bag of fool''s gold and jumped into the ocean.


    Until death, Ren Tian had no idea that the chance'' encounter he had with Liu Yinyan in front of the hospital wasn''t coincidental at all.

 Chapter 101: Caught

    Chapter 101: Caught


    Liu Yinyan said he had only done 1 wrong thing in his life but that thing would make his heart bleed whenever he thought about it. 10 years ago, after the death of the gold shop boss, Liu Yinyan started a charity for the uremia patients and he was the charity''s biggest donor. In fact, he personally donated 1 billion to help these people. Did he really care about these people or was it just to help him sleep a little better at night? I had no clue, only Liu Yinyan could answer that. But hearing this man talk about his act of charity, I had the urge to punch him.


    For his own profit, he made use of a father''s love and worked together with the gold shop boss to scam the insurancepany. He forced a father to his death, Ren Tian died due to overwhelming disappointment. Liu Yinyan kept that a secret for 35 years. In an ironic twist of fate, 35 years ago, to save his own daughter, Ren Tian was willing to do anything; 35 yearster, to save his own daughter, Liu Yinyan was willing to do anything. Honestly, if not for his advanced age, I definitely would have delivered that punch.


    Liu Yinyan leaned on the couch and looked at me quietly. Momentster, he said, "Don''t look at me with that gaze, I''ve only done one bad thing in my life! Do you know how many people rely on me for their living, do you know how many children with uremia my charity foundation has saved? Without me, they would have ended up like Ren Tian''s daughter!" Could a life really be bought and calcted? Were the lives of many worth more than the life of one? It was undeniable that Liu Yinyan had done plenty of good, his foundation might have saved those who had died but that didn''t change the fact that 2 people had died because of him 35 years ago.


    "When this incident is over, you''ll be punished ordingly." I looked at him and said firmly.


    Liu Yinyan looked at me with confusion before he broke into a guffaw like he had heard the biggest joke. "Officer Wu, do you know why I''ve sent everyone away but you? I''ve been in the business for decades already, do you really think I don''t knoww?" He caressed his cane slowly, "I know your single testimony won''t amount to any kind of evidence. Everyone who knows the truth is already dead, except you and me, do you think you''ll be able to find other evidence?"


    "I will." I looked at him and said seriously.


    Liu Yinyan nced at me and eventually said, "Can you earn ten million working under thew for your whole life? I can say confidently that this is the one thing I did wrong my whole life! The kidnappers will definitely call again, if you''re willing to help me then say; if you''re not, then leave and bring the police away with you. What have you found after so many days anyway?" Liu Yinyan shrugged. "You got nothing, I don''t trust the police anymore. I''ll ce my hope in the kidnappers, they can do anything they want."


    Seeing how emboldened Liu Yinyan was, I knew he had already given up. He not only shared with me the secret which he had kept for 35 years, he had given me an ultimatum. 1 finger, 5 days and that was enough to make a man who was famed for his ruthlessness surrender himself for ughter. The living room was empty, the conversation would forever be kept between me and Liu Yinyan. The night outside the bungalow was still as water, but was the night darker or human heart? Perhaps there was no real saint in this world, who could really say they have not done anything wrong? Some could just let it go easier than others.


    "Even though I know you won''t find any evidence, I still need to remind you, if I fall, many others will suffer from the domino effect. At that moment, they will me you and not me. I''m telling you that as a venture capitalist." Liu Yinyan stood up and slowly headed to the stairs. Walking up the steps, Liu Yinyan turned around, "I''m already in my 70s. Confucius said, at fifty, I shall know the decrees of heavens. But at 70, I still can''t read human hearts, much less heaven''s decrees. If you still intent on creating a big news, I hope you''ll do that after my daughter is found." He turned back and uttered as if to himself, "And I''m telling you that as a father."


    Liu Yinyan had a point but I couldn''t just do nothing with the knowledge that I had. Only oneself could decide one''s fate, not anyone else, not even if that someone would end up saving a lot more people in the future. But at the same time, I understood that to bring down Liu Yinyan, to open a case for a man who died 35 years ago wouldn''t be easy. But most of the time, we didn''t carry on because of hope but it was because we had carried on that we saw hope. I still decided to look into Liu Yinyan''s past after this case was over. I didn''t choose to stay, I stood up and left.


    Early the next morning, Liu Yinyan''s call came. He called the police a bunch of maggots who only knew how to feed on the taxpayers'' money. He demanded for all the police force to be removed from his estate and he didn''t want police intervention in his daughter''s abduction anymore. Everyone was surprised by Liu Yinyan''s sudden directive. Only I knew why Liu Yinyan was doing this, naturally he wouldn''t have exposed the despicable thing that he had done 35 years ago to more people. Captain Zhao sat on his chair and tapped repeatedly on the table. In psychology, that was a sign of anxiety. Soon I heard Captain Zhao say, "Has he lost his mind to do something like this all of a sudden?!"


    I wanted to say something but in the end, decided against it. At this moment, no matter what I said, Liu Yinyan would not change his mind. If anything, if I reveal the seedy information, it would only addplications to this alreadyplicated case. So I decided silence was golden. Captain Zhao tinkered with his tea cup and eventually said, "Mary, pull back all the officers for now. In the afternoon, send the inclothes over to patrol around his bungalowpound."


    Mary nodded. She asked, "Then what about the monitoring system?" Captain Zhao sighed. "It''ll be easy for him to switch to a new system. Even if he shut us down and refused to let us listen in further, we would be none the wiser. We''ll take it step by step then. If he leaves thepound or has any actual interaction with the kidnappers, we''ll send people to tail him." Then Captain Zhao turned to me. "By the way, what did the two of you speak of yesterday night?''


    I shrugged. "He only scolded me." Captain Zhao sighed. "I guess that''s all we can do for now."


    At 10 am, Gu Chen walked in the door, or more precisely, a man with male-patterned baldness and bushy beard barged in and then he was followed by Gu Chen. My heart exploded, wasn''t this Lin Dafa described by the boss? In less than 24 hours, Lin Dafa had been captured!


    "Captain Zhao! Captain Zhao!" I shouted, "See what the cat dragged in." Captain Zhao put down his teacup and looked up, "This is?"


    Gu Chen bounced out from behind the man, "This is Lin Dafa, he went to the tobo shop to make a purchase early in the morning and was captured red-handed. I can confirm that he hasn''t contacted anyone on his way here." Bright lights lit up Captain Zhao''s eyes. I wanted to kiss Gu Chen at that moment. Then I heard Captain Zhao say, "Well done! Bring him into interrogation! We''ll get the location of the others out of him!"


    Inside the interrogation room, Gu Chen, Captain Zhao and I ran the interrogation while Mary was responsible for recording everything. "Lin Dafa, with 2 murders and a prison break," Captain Zhao said slowly, "What do you think awaits you?"


    Lin Dafa looked at the four of us and revealed his teeth stained yellow by tobo. He smiled. "In my first 2 times, the police didn''t give me such a big wee. What is waiting for me? Of course I know. Everyone has to die eventually." Before he walked down the criminal path, Lin Dafa was a reticentbor. But now this man was quite chatty. Looks like the 3 years in running had changed him a lot. "Some would run into cars when they were out walking; others choked to death while eating." Lin Dafaughed. "Such is life. When I was 10, I went for a palm-reading. The sensei told me I''d face a big tragedy at 42. If I manage to ovee that hurdle, my life after that would be smooth sailing, but if I fail, I would be dead or incapacitated. Death penalty huh? Well, I was supposed to have that 3 years ago." We knew that Lin Dafa was purposely wasting our time and messing with our minds.


    Captain Zhao mmed on the table and shouted, "Lin Dafa, if you give up the location of your other partners, we will put in a good word with the judge, perhaps we can get you off the death penalty!"


    "Get me off the death penalty?" Lin Dafa guffawed. "Now, why would you do that? Do you think that will get me to speak? What is so scary about death, death is the least scary thing in the world. Everyone will die, I will die and you too will die. No one can escape death, so what''s so scary about it?"


    My heart squeezed, I knew then Lin Dafa would not give up his partners with just our interrogation. Death was not threatening to Lin Dafa, perhaps only by having Lin Rong in the same room with us that Lin Dafa would really speak.


    "But what about your daughter?" Captain Zhao switched tactics. "We know why you got imprisoned in the first ce. After so many years being a fugitive, have you seen your daughter, do you know how she''s faring? You might be fine with dying but what about your daughter? Have you considered her feelings?" Captain Zhao''s tone softly, "Your daughter is around the age of an adult now, isn''t she?''


    Lin Dafa''s lips trembled like he was going to say something.

 Chapter 102: Traitor Among Us

    Chapter 102: Traitor Among Us


    Lin Dafa sobered up immediately when we brought up his daughter. When he was in jail, a ruffian was killed simply because he joked about having sex with his daughter. For Lin Dafa, his daughter was his whole world. "My daughter." Lin Dafa closed his eyes and his eyelids twitched. "My daughter''s life was ruined so I went to ruin his life, unfortunately he died too soon. I was my family''s butcher when I was young. A livestock could live much longer with the same wound to their neck." Lin Dafa shook his head and said. "One time, I was told by my mother to ughter a chicken because we had a guest. To my surprise, the chicken managed to run out from the yard after the head was chopped off. When I caught up to it, it had almost gotten to the vige gate. Tell me, how can animal life be so sturdy but human life so fragile?" He opened his eyes, "I really didn''t intend to kill that bastard, I only cut off his penis and balls so that he wouldn''t be able to hurt anymore girls. Butter I found out, AIDS could still be transmitted through blood. No wonder they say knowledge is power, if I knew that back then, I would have bled him dry."


    Lin Dafa told us the incident from 4 years ago, like this was thest time he had the chance to tell the story from his perspective.


    "That''s not what I asked!" Captain Zhao interrupted, "You''ve kidnapped a young girl, have you not considered she''s someone daughter as well? Your own daughter is worth killing for but not other people''s daughter? Tell me where is Liu Fei''er now! Who is there among your group?!" Captain Zhao demanded.


    Lin Dafa shrugged and said, "I only care about my own daughter, how is other people''s daughter my business? I''m not her father. But honestly, if her father decides toe kill me, I''ll have nothing to say about it but do you know where her father is now? Where has he been up to?" Hearing that, the 4 of us all stared at Lin Dafa, he seemed to have a meaning hidden behind his words. Captain Zhao stood up and pointed at Lin Dafa. "Lin Dafa! What is it that you people are up to?" At the same time, Captain Zhao gave a signal to someone beyond the one-sided ss, telling them to look up Liu Yinyan.


    Lin Dafa chuckled. "I have no idea what they''re up to, perhaps they just want to y. After I became a fugitive, I only realized how interesting this world is and how many interesting souls there are. I was so ignorant. But now I understand pure adrenaline alone can be someone''s religion and life source!"


    "Don''t you want to see your daughter before you die?" Captain Zhao suggested with a threat.


    "My daughter?" Lin Dafa scoffed and hissed through his teeth, "Do you think I''ve not seen her? Let me ask you, how can I know my daughter is really with the police? I''ve been through this before, you want to trick the info out from me? In your dreams!" Lin Dafa growled, "The show is only starting, so just sit back and rx! The girl you''re looking for is called Liu Fei''er, isn''t it? Well, I''ve heard you''ve found her. No wait, you''ve found her finger. That''s better than nothing, right?"


    "Motherfucker!" Gu Chen couldn''t stand this anymore, he crossed the distance to stand before Lin Dafa. Without warning, Gu Chen gave the man a gut punch. "Tell me, where is Liu Fei''er, who are your partners, what is your goal?" The punchnded squarely on Lin Dafa''s stomach, I saw his face grimace from pain but he was stillughing, "You''re not getting anything from me. If you dare then, kill me. I was supposed to die 3 years ago, I''ve already stolen 3 more years and did so many things I thought I''d never get the chance to do. I have no regrets." Another punch on the stomach. Lin Dafa dry-heaved. "Good, hit me. Kill me! Let me die!"


    With this kind of criminal who had no demands and weakness, no one could get anything out of him. Gu Chen wanted tounch another punch but Captain Zhao stopped him. "Gu Chen, don''t waste your energy." Gu Chen looked at Lin Dafa and pulled back. "Leave him be." Captain Zhao said and walked out. As we filed out from the interrogation room, Lin Dafa shouted at us, "Hey, why are you leaving? I''m not done talking yet! You''ll never find anything! Do you have even a small piece of clue? I''m your biggest lead. Where are you going? Come back here!"


    I looked through the ss and saw Lin Dafa struggle against the cuffs. His face was red and his body was hunching over. He howled to get our response. It was like a banshee shrieking.


    Xiao Liu called and Captain Zhao put it on speaker.


    "This is bad! This is bad!" Xiao Liu said anxiously, "I just went to the toilet and Liu Yinyan disappeared! Not only Liu Yinyan, even his butler did as well. I asked the other maids and servants, they all said the two have gone to the police station. But that can''t be!" Xiao Liu concluded, "This morning, Liu Yinyan just chased us out of his house so how could he have gone to the police station? But all of them gave me the same answer. They said Liu Yinyan have gotten a call from the police and left immediately!"


    "Fuck" Captain Zhao who was normally so calm, cursed, "It''s not carelessness that led Lin Dafa to us, I suspect the kidnappers had purposely sent him to us, but why? And why is it that the moment our monitoring of the phone line in the Liu household got cut off, the call from the kidnappers came in?"


    Lin Dafa was still creating a ruckus inside the interrogation room but honestly, he didn''t need to do that. We had gained a lot of valuable info from his words. Lin Dafa was careless when he said, do you know where her father is now?'' That meant that before Lin Dafa was apprehended, he already knew what the kidnappers were going to do next. However Lin Dafa was caught when he went out to purchase a morning smoke, so how did the kidnappers know that Gu Chen wasying an ambush at the tobo shop?


    A thought popped up in my mind, one that chilled me to the core.


    "Mary, go and check the bungalow''s surrounding surveince, see if you can track Liu Yinyan''s movement." Captain Zhao ordered. "Xiao Liu, bring a group of people around the area and see if anyone has seen Liu Yinyan."


    "Understood." The two answered. Just as the call with Xiao Liu ended, another call came in. Captain Zhao picked up. "This is Zhao Shilin, who are you, what is your business?"


    "Captain Zhao!" The man on the other end said, "I''m Captain Wang from Luo Bei City''s police station. Based on your request, we''ve located Lin Rong''s home. We visited her multiple times but she was never there. So we interviewed her neighbours and finally got hertest news from her best friend. Turns out Lin Rong is no longer in Luo Bei City." Captain Zhao frowned. "She''s not in Luo Bei City? Then do you know where she is now?"


    The man appeared to not hear the severity in Captain Zhao''s tone because he continued in a chuckle, "It''s interesting that you asked. Based on what her best friend told us, Lin Rong said she was going to Dong Xing City about a month ago. So Lin Rong is probably there for a month already, isn''t that something? The person you''re looking for is in your own city. By the way, I heard" Before the man finished, Captain Zhao hung up. After a moment''s silence, he said, "Lin Dafa has probably seen his daughter before and I believe she is with the kidnappers. Lin Rong should be safe with them as long as Lin Dafa continues to work for them. But he understood that once he did something that was averse to the team, Lin Rong would be in grave danger."


    "Then what should we do now?" Gu Chen asked urgently. "Liu Fei''er is still nowhere to be seen and now even Liu Yinyan has gone missing!" No one had the answer. Suddenly I piped up, "There is a traitor among us!"


    "A traitor?" Everyone turned to me.


    I turned to Guan Zhenglin. "Do you still have the business card Jessie gave you?" Jessie gave me a name card and I gave it to Guan Zhenglin. She snapped her finger. "I do, I haven''t done myundry yet so it should be in my coat pocket!" Then she produced the name card. Jessie''s PI Agency, based in Nara, Japan. It was followed by a string of numbers. "Verify the authenticity of this business! Get Sister Mary to help you!" I told Guan Zhenglin. She nodded and moved to oblige. I continued to exin, "Have you noticed that whenever wee up with a new lead, the lead would be curtailed? It happened with the security patrol, Chen Lin and now this timely phone call. The kidnappers are too clever and too brave. Lin Dafa was clearly sent to us by the kidnappers. But to do that, they have to have known Gu Chen was stalking the tobo shop!" I pulled on my hair and tried to remember, "If we eliminate the possibility of traitors within the force, then the only other party who could know about our movement is Jessie''s group.


    "The car that Lin Dafa drove, the one where we found the specialty tobo was parked at the underground parking lot." I thought back to the event, "We arrived about the same time as Jessie''s team, wasn''t that a bit too much of a coincidence? And then he practically led us to Lin Dafa''s car! Of course, the car was spotless because he didn''t expect us to find anything from it. However, he missed something.


    "He was not expecting Doggie Wang Er. If not for Doggie Wang Er, we wouldn''t have found the tobo and wouldn''t have traced that to Lin Dafa. When that happened, he knew he had to cut off Lin Dafa. But before that, he decided to use the man to lead us on a wild goose chase! This was his design all along!"


    "Found it." Guan Zhenglin shouted from a distance, "There is indeed a Jessie''s PI Agency at Nara but none of its agents has any record of entering China recently!"

 Chapter 103: Excitement Can Be a Religion

    Chapter 103: Excitement Can Be a Religion


    From the start until now, we had not seen Liu Yinyan''s wife and had no idea whether she had really hired a team of PIs or not. Simrly, we had no idea what the real Jessie looked like. Therefore, it was entirely possible for the kidnappers to make use of this and pretend to be Jessie to get close to Liu Yinyan. The image of the gentlemanly fake Jessie appeared in my mind, now his identity was called into question. And who were his two assistants? But the man looked too young to be a fugitive.


    "Now we can basically confirm that Lin Dafa was purposely sent here by the kidnappers but why?" Captain Zhao leaned against the wall and looked at the ceiling as if in thought. "Based on our avable clues, Lin Dafa is still our best lead. He''s our best chance to get any information about the kidnappers." Gu Chen scratched his head. "But Lin Dafa doesn''t seem like he will be talking anytime soon. How are we going to get him to cooperate with us?" Captain Zhao straightened and looked at the interrogation room. "As long as he''s not mute, there are ways to make him talk." Captain Zhao seemed to havee to a decision. "Mary, I need you to continue to check the surveince. The few of us will continue our interrogation of Lin Dafa, Guan Zhenglin, you''ll take Mary''s ce to take down everything." Everyone nodded.


    But before we moved, Mary suddenly said, "A phone call ising in."


    "An unknown number?" Captain Zhao asked.


    "No." Mary shook her head, and turned the phone screen to face us, "It''s Liu Yinyan." Captain Zhao frowned as he walked towards the table. "Answer it." We surrounded Mary and listened to this call by Liu Yinyan. The shrill voice came again, this was the same adulterated voice used by the kidnapper before. I remembered that Mary had sessfully reconstructed the kidnapper''s voice, he sounded like a male between 20 and 25. But it was not Jessie, we had all heard Jessie''s voice before. So who was this young man then?


    "Good afternoon, officers." The voice saidzily, he sounded friendly like this was a chat between old friends, but we all knew that the owner behind this voice had kidnapped one of the most powerful individuals in Dong Xing City and shouldn''t be underestimated. Captain Zhao was silent for a moment before saying, "Good afternoon, have you had lunch?"


    The man probably didn''t expect Captain Zhao to be so calm and he sounded surprised. "Based on the voice, is this Zhao Shilin? I''ve heard of you, the leader of the heavy crime unit and you have solved many big cases and captured many criminals. I wonder if you''ll be capable enough to catch me."


    Captain Zhao reminded Liu Yinyan repeatedly that he should never take the kidnapper''s bait and should always try to keep the kidnapper talking, however his advice fell on deaf ears. Captain Zhao though handled this in the textbook manner. "I was just lucky. By the way, what do you n to have for lunch? We''re going to order take-out, do you want us to order some for you?"


    "Ha ha!" The manughed. "Officer Zhao, you sure are interesting but I don''t want to trouble you. Plus home cooking is always better than take-out. I will let you in on a secret, I''m quite a good cook, you shoulde and let me cook for you."


    Captain Zhaoughed and said, "Yes, we should make a date. In fact, I too know how to cook. Where do you get your ingredients? The traditional market or the supermarket? Are you vegetarian? Do you have any allergies?"


    "Aren''t you going to ask me why I''m calling?"


    "What are your favorite dishes?" Captain Zhao ignored the man and continued his own conversation, "Maybe seafood? Or soup? How about a steamboat? That way, all of us can sit down and enjoy the meal together. All this talk of food is making me hungry. So what are you guys having for lunch?"


    The man was clearly running thin on patience. "If you must know, we''re having seafood!" With that, the call ended. Looks like the man was still quite cautious, the callsted less than 3 minutes. Mary said, "Liu Yinyan''s phone is untraceable anymore, I believe they have destroyed the SIM card. The kidnappers are extremely cautious and they have an expert with anti-tracking ability."


    "Then what should we do now? Return to interrogate Lin Dafa?" Gu Chen asked.


    Captain Zhao shook his head. He tapped his finger against the table. "We wait. The kidnapper didn''t get the chance to speak his piece so he would definitely call back. As long as we continue to engage them in conversation, we''ll eventually trip them up. Even if there''s a small clue, it might be the thing that can help us crack this case wide open." I was mightily impressed with Captain Zhao''s intuition because soon an unknown number came in and it was the kidnapper.


    "I''m so sorry, Officer Zhao. I lost signal earlier." The man apologized.


    Captain Zhao scoffed. "Lost signal or you''re afraid that we might have tracked you?"


    "Well, aren''t you the joker?" The man chuckled, "The reason I''m calling is because I hope that you''ll track me down. How else is this game going to continue?" This time Captain Zhao didn''t talk in circles probably because he was worried that it might anger the kidnappers. "Game? I don''t remember saying I''m down for a game."


    "Oh, Officer Zhao, do you really think you have a choice? If you don''t want to y, then I can''t guarantee the safety of Liu Yinyan and Liu Fei''er."


    Captain Zhao was silent and then said, "Fine, I''ll y this game with you but you have to promise that you won''t harm Liu Fei''er and Liu Yinyan. Plus I have to warn you, certain paths are irreversible. If you release the hostages now, you might still be able to walk away from this and escape."


    The manughed, "Escape? I have quite a number of people with me who have been escaping all their lives. Sometimes, life can be quite boring. Killing, raping, robbing, stealing, we''ve done so many exciting things in life and now we can''t stop, can you understand that feeling?"


    "Oh?" Captain Zhao encouraged the man to keep on talking, "I don''t. Mind telling me more about it?"


    The man answered, "Sometimes, crime itself can be addictive. How many peoplemit crimes because of gold, power and women? Many repeat offenders do it for the sake of the crime itself, not for anything else."


    "Tomit crime for the sake ofmitting crime?" Captain Zhao chuckled, "Your perspective is quite new-fangled, have you considered bing a criminal psychologist?"


    The man scoffed, "When you kill a person and dismember his body; when you walk down the street and mug a woman before the crowd; when you burn down a perfectly beautiful house with a big fire, oh, if only you can feel that sensation. Humans are born with the instinct to attack and destroy." The man said coldly, "But the current society does everything within its power to suppress those natural urges. Is that not a vition of human rights? Those who are only living their true selves are sent into jail and killed! The survival of the fittest, that is the rule of evolution but human beings have to go against it. If you really look at it, we''re the ones who are helping the overall goodness of humanity by being more in touch with our baser human nature."


    The man''s voice wasced with feverish excitement. I believed if I was there in person, I would see a face dominated by fanaticism. Those without faith were pitiable, but those with fanatic faith were dangerous.


    Criminology categorized criminals into different types, those who killed for money, power or sex were criminals of passion, they were not scary because we knew clearly what they wanted. But this man on the phone, if he was given enough power, he''d be the second Hitler, these were the most dangerous kind of criminals because they didn''t want themon things like money, power and six but something that we normal humans couldn''t understand. Captain Zhao called these people born criminals.


    In our lives, we might have the chance to encounter people around us who were talked into joining MLM Marketing Group. After being brainwashed by the program, they would fall into the dream of wealth. No matter how hard you tried to exin to them the truth, they refused to believe you. We felt pity for these people because they were submerged inside their own little world. But what about criminals who were brainwashed by some kind of twisted ideology? We would only find them frightening. Because they were going against the whole principle of humanity and we often referred to them as terrorists.


    "What is it that you want?" Captain Zhao heard the danger in the man''s way of thinking and he asked seriously.


    The manughed, "Finally, the million-dor question! What do I want? I''ve already told you the answer, I want to y a game. From this moment onwards, I will chop off their finger every 1 hour until you find this ce. Of course, if you fail to find them, they might die, who knows. And now the game starts!" The call was over.


    The few of us went silent. From the conversation, it was clear that this man was unhinged, if we didn''t capture him, he would do something crazier and wilder.


    Sometimes, desire is a bad thing but it can also be a good thing, because a man without desire is extremely dangerous.


    "So the kidnappers did all these just to y a game with us?" Gu Chen said incredulously, "So that they can get some kind of twisted joy out of it?"


    I was reminded of what Lin Dafa told us in the interrogation room,


    Pure adrenaline alone can be someone''s religion and life source.''

 Chapter 104: Interrogation

    Chapter 104: Interrogation


    Captain Zhao closed his eyes before he eventually spoke, "20 years ago, I met someone simr, I wasn''t expecting to meet another such person now. Every single step has been carefully calcted, perhaps from the start, their goal is Liu Yinyan. Kidnapping Liu Fei''er was just a way to get to Liu Yinyan." Captain Zhao said firmly, "Liu Yinyan must have something that they want."


    He might have told them about his murder 35 years ago, so far only I knew about that. Now that I thought about it, I realized Captain Zhao might have a point. Compared to Liu Yinyan, it was much easier to kidnap Liu Fei''er. At least his butler was with Liu Yinyan 24/7.


    "We can''t give up now!" I told everyone, "The only way we can get to them is through Lin Dafa, that is probably the reason why they have sent him to us. They have Lin Dafa''s daughter and his love for his daughter surpass any expectation."


    Captain Zhao continued, "They wanted us to crack Lin Dafa, to get him to give up the kidnappers'' location, knowing that Lin Dafa would never do. That is the game that the kidnappers want us to y!" I nodded. "Regardless, we need to get back to interrogation with Lin Dafa, we do not have much time left!"


    "Let''s go." Captain Zhao waved his hand. I moved to stop Captain Zhao and said softly, "Psychologically speaking, a person is more likely to speak when faced with another person rather than a whole group. Humans might be social creatures but they are also creatures that value privacy. We do not want him to m up due to the impression that we''ve ganged up on him."


    "What do you suggest then?" Captain Zhao looked at me.


    I told him, "If it''s possible, I wish to interrogate him alone."


    Captain Zhao gave me a once-over before saying, "Okay, then I''ll leave this to you. But you have to remember that Liu Yinyan or his daughter will lose 1 finger with each passing hour. You have to be fast, or else they might die. If Liu Yinyan dies, you should know very well how big the impact is going to be." I nodded and hurried towards the interrogation room. Looking in from the one-sided window, Lin Dafa had stopped yelling but he was still looking around. He licked his lips constantly and fidgeted. I smiled, I knew it was his smoke addiction acting up. Pushing open the door, when Lin Dafa saw me, he smiled to reveal his yellowed teeth.


    "Officer, you''re the only one?" Lin Dafa purposely looked behind me. "Where''s the others? Have youe up with a new clue?"


    I didn''t say anything but walked to the camera and switched it off. Lin Dafa observed that but didn''t say anything but I knew my action had given him some sort offort. I sat back down in the chair and took out a cigarette box from my pocket. I lit a cigarette. The light scent of cigarette permeated the small interrogation room. Lin Dafa leaned forward as if trying to suck in all the cigarette smoke but I knew this kind of cheap cigarette would not be able to satisfy him. I began, "I hear that you''re quite an expert at specialty cigarettes. Davidoff mixed tobo, which is not easily acquired on the market. So how did you gain contact with the tobo shop anyway?"


    Lin Dafa scoffed. "Ever since I tasted that bastard''s tobo 4 years ago, I got addicted to it. I tell you, human beings are one weird creature. When I was in prison, I thought about my daughter 100 times a day but I thought about that tobo 101 times a day. But such is the world, when there''s a will, there''s a way."


    I nodded and flicked the cigarette. "Brother, I might look young but I''ve learned how to smoke since I was about 10. I was so afraid of being discovered by my father back then so I could only hide inside the toilet to smoke. It was only after I was 18 that I dared to smoke around my father. But do you know what kind of effect that had on me?" I took another puff of smoke and said, "Now, I can only shit when I am smoking. But thankfully, it''s not the other way round where I will shit whenever I smoke."


    Lin Dafa guffawed. "Officer, you''re funny. You''re different from the otherw enforcement people I''ve met. If not for this circumstance, I would like to have a longer chat with you."


    I shrugged, "But speaking of, your partners let you wander around going to buy tobo? Aren''t they afraid that you might be captured?"


    Lin Dafa''s eyes followed my cigarette. What I was doing was no different from eating fried chicken before a man who had been starved for 3 days. Lin Dafa''s face was almost green with desire. He swallowed audibly before saying, "They do watch over my movements but it''s not that strict that I wasn''t allowed the opportunity to satisfy my cravings. They still give me time to go out, but recently, I''ve been allowed more free time." I nodded, took out a cigarette and walked towards Lin Dafa. "Oh, doesn''t that mean you have to hurry back soon? Do you have a car?"


    "What do you think?" Lin Dafa grinned. I ced the cigarette on Lin Dafa''s lips and lit it up. Lin Dafa gave a satisfied moan like a worker who crashed onto his bed after a long day of work. As he did, the cigarette dropped to the ground. I bent over to pick it up. When I was down there, I nced at Lin Dafa''s shoes, he was wearing a pair of ck cotton shoes. They had white spots on them. If not for the close distance, I wouldn''t have spotted them. Recing the cigarette in his mouth, I walked back to my spot and continued to ask, "Dong Xing City''s eastern and southern sides are near the sea, which side are you from?"


    Lin Dafa''s expression shifted. "I''m guessing the southern side," I said.


    Lin Dafa looked at me with a gobsmacked expression. The cigarette in his mouth bounced with each of his words, "South, north, east, west, what do you mean?"


    "Thank you." Then I turned to walk out from the interrogation room.


    "Hey!" Lin Dafa shouted behind me. "What are you talking about? Come back here!" When I left, I saw Captain Zhao and the rest standing on the other side of the ss. Gu Chen was clearly confused by my action, "What did you find out? I wasn''t able to follow your conversation at all, all you did was to ask about the tobo, what was the clue?"


    I exined quickly, "When I walked in, I immediately asked him about the tobo. His answer told us that he only has limited time to go out daily. He doesn''t have a car so he has to take public transport, taxi or bicycle. We can eliminate taxis, because if driving can leave behind a trail of evidence, then taking a taxi will be even more so. If he took the bicycle, Gu Chen would have discovered the bicycle but he did not. So he must have taken public transport. When I visited the tobo shop with Gu Chen, I noted down the bus routes."


    Gu Chen looked at me. "There are buses passing through there?"


    I continued, "Yes, the tobo shop is an illegal business so the location is rather secluded. It is not close to any subway line, only bus routes. Only Line 10, 6, 13, 27 and 32 Bus Routes pass by there. Most of these routes circle around the eastern or southern part of Dong Xing City, only Line 13 is from the western side."


    "That''s right." Captain Zhao confirmed.


    I nodded. "When the cigarette fell, I took close note of his shoes. There are small white spots on them. That proves that he might live near the seaside, because those white spots are salt crystals. The sea breeze carries sea water with them and after they dry, they crystallize on his shoes. Furthermore, during Captain Zhao''s first call with the kidnapper, he mentioned they were having seafood." I said as I moved out, "These few factors add to the hypothesis that they might live by the seaside or at least along the coastal line."


    Gu Chen nodded. "That''s brilliant! But Dong Xing City''s coastline is so wide, where are we going to start?"


    I exined, "That''s why I asked him whether it was south or east and his expression changed. I picked one of the two. When I picked the south side, he acted all flustered, but he''s not as good of an actor as he thinks. That means that my guess was wrong. So it should be on the east side." I asked, "The map please!"


    Guan Zhenglin grabbed a map and spread it on the table. "Sister Mary, stop looking at the surveince, we don''t have much time. Can you help me mark out the bus routes for Line 10, 6, 27 and 36 instead?" Then I marked out a spot on the map, it was the location of the tobo shop. Soon Mary did what I asked of her. Only Line 10 and 32 were close to the seaside but neither of them had a stop by the coastline, in other words, Lin Dafa must have changed route in the middle. That left us with arge territory to search. Even if we mobilized the entire police force, it would take a whole afternoon or a whole night to scan the whole area. By then Liu Yinyan and his daughter would be dead already.


    "What are we supposed to do then? Are we going to go back to interrogate Lin Dafa?" Gu Chen looked at the big circled out area and sighed, "We do not have that much manpower."


    "It''s pointless," I sighed, "This trick can only be used once. No matter what we ask now, Lin Dafa will not open his mouth again." Everyone was silent when Captain Zhao sighed, "We''ll need to conduct the search regardless. As long as there''s hope, we can''t give up. How many possible locales can there be? We can eliminate ces with crowds and near the city. I''m sure we can find this ce!"


    Captain Zhao''s words gave me inspiration. I immediately enquired. "Sister Mary, you''ve recorded all the conversations we''ve had with the kidnappers, right?"


    "Yes." Mary answered, "That''s part of the protocol, is there any clue among the conversation?"


    "Not the conversation!" I snapped my fingers. "Dong Xing City is a metropolis, a city that never sleeps. But on the kidnapper''s side, it was always deadly quiet. This means that either the kidnappers are at a ce where the sound instion is very good or there is practically no human activity around them!"


    Mary nodded, "You may be right but there''s one more thing. You guys probably didn''t hear it because you weren''t wearing professional earphones. Actually there has been a constant low frequency static in the background."


    "Then can you remove the kidnapper''s voice and heighten the background noises?" I asked.


    "No problem!" Mary pulled over herptop. "Give me a second."

 Chapter 105: Infiltration

    Chapter 105: Infiltration


    It didn''t take long for Mary to remove the kidnapper''s voice, and leave the background noise behind. She increased the volume to the maximum and we perked out our ears to listen. The background noise was so quiet that I felt like sleeping, like Mary said, in the silence, there was a low humming of sorts. We closed our eyes to listen better but I wasn''t good at this, the sound made no sense to me. Suddenly Mary announced, "That''s a transformer!"


    "Transformer?" I was thinking about the toy.


    Mary exined, "There are manyrge harbours at the eastern side of town, and industrial buildings use muchrger voltagepared to normal households. Normal household appliances wouldn''t cause such arge flow of electricity, so that means our kidnappers are near a factory near the sea, a ce where you''d find plenty of voltage transformers." Then Mary pulled out a map of the industrialization of Dong Xing City on herputer. "Portside industries, they wouldn''t be in chemical nts, that will require special clearance; the harbours will have too much traffic; so fisheries?" Mary marked down locales on the map, "Other than arge seafood processing factory, the other factories are rtively small! Dong Xing City will go into an off season for fishing starting from June. It''llst as long as 3 months, so now, most fishing boats are out on the ocean already."


    "In other words, we''re now in the fishing season." I looked at the map. "The fishers will be out at sea for 1 to 3 months on their boats. It''s entirely possible for the kidnappers to rent one of the smaller fishery factories while the fishermen are out."


    Mary nodded. "That''s my guess too."


    Captain Zhao mmed on the table. "We do not have the time to verify it anymore. We''ve already considered so many factors, if we still get it wrong, then we can only me it on luck. Mary, contact the local police to search the fishery factories. Get their help to narrow down the list for us. Gu Chen, round up everyone at the station. Ready their gears, we''re going to head out soon." Everyone mobilized.


    Seeing the pistol pressed into my palm, I had a lot of emotions. This was not my first time seeing a gun but it was my first time holding a gun. However, my pistol didn''t have any bullets due to my mental history. Technically, I was given one just for show. Gu Chen inspected his bullet chamber. When he saw me study the gun, he chuckled, "I say Brother Meng, have you not yed with a gun before?"


    I holstered the gun and said, "I''ve yed a lot with my own gun but not this kind of gun."


    Gu Chen looked at me for a long time before giving me a thumb''s up. "Fine, you win. After this case is over, I believe we''ll all get a promotion. When that happens, I''ll apany you to the shooting range and have you fire a few shots of your own." Gu Chen chuckled. "Stop looking at me like that. It creeps me out."


    While everyone was preparing, I asked Gu Chen, "When you were in the armed forces, have you fired a gun before?"


    "Of course!" Gu Chen answered, "For armed forces, gun training is the most basic skill. But ever since I''ve been transferred to this unit, I haven''t got the chance to even touch a gun, much less fire one. But it''s like riding a bike, everythinges back easily. But I don''t think it''ll escte to a gunfight. Do you think these kidnappers will be that audacious?"


    I nodded and warned, "It''s entirely possible, we''re not dealing with a normal team of kidnappers here. They are all fugitives on the run, they have nothing to lose. But the most dangerous one has to be the one on the phone, that man just sounds like a sociopath."


    Gu Chen shrugged, "He can be a sociopath or a garden path, if he dares to do anything dangerous, I''ll shoot him right through his head." Gu Chen raised his gun and closed one of his eyes to mimic making an aim. "Hmm, this feels like old time."


    I leaned closer to whisper, "I say Brother Gu, you''ve had your fun but I have not. See, this pistol of mine doesn''t even have a single bullet. How about you sneak me a bullet? I''ll at least be able to protect myself if I''m in danger, right?"


    Gu Chen and I were transferred to this unit at the same time, we were about the same age so naturally we had a good rtionship. Seeing the desire in my eyes, Gu Chen looked around and told me, "Hand me your gun." I obliged. Gu Chen loaded one bullet and said, "I''ve switched on the security. If you''re in any danger, just remove the security and fire. I''ve already loaded the gun for you. I also kept your magazine clip empty because I believe Captain Zhao will check it before we leave. Just be sure you know what you''re doing. Don''t make me regret this."


    "Don''t worry!" I said. Gu Chen had clearly vited the rules but the fact that he had done it for me, touched me greatly. Captain Zhao used me mostly for my unique talent, while Gu Chen trusted in me fully. In my life, other than my father, Gu Chen was the second one to do so.


    When everyone was ready, Captain Zhao did check my clip. "It''s not that I don''t trust you but this is the rules. Due to your mental history, if there''s any problem, both of us will be in hot water and I can''t risk anyone else''s life." Captain Zhao regarded me with aplicated look.


    "I understand." I smiled. "I know you have your own factors to consider from your position. I''m not offended."


    Captain Zhao smiled thankfully. "It''s great to hear you say that. Okay, let''s head out now."


    When we got out of the vehicles, we split up and headed down the coastline to search the nearby buildings. There were only several minutes left until the end of the first hour. This meant that Liu Yinyan was close to losing a finger. This might not be that serious for a young man but Liu Yinyan was already an old man in his 70s.


    Another hour passed and another finger was gone.


    "Wu Meng!" Captain Zhao''s voice came from themunicator. "Bring everyone over here, we''ve found the ce."


    "Really?"


    Captain Zhao answered, "Yes, I''ve sent you the address on your phone."


    10 minutester, I finally arrived. The ce was indeed very remote, far away from the noisy industrial factories. Captain Zhao led his people along the path less travelled and eventually they happened upon this ce. From the outside, the ce looked like an abandoned factory. The red bricks and metal bones were exposed. It looked like it was going to copse.


    We leaned against the wall beside the gate and Captain Zhao whispered, "This ce looks abandoned but the gate shows recent signs of use. Also this ce is near a mountain so it provides an easy escape route. That''s why I''m certain we''ll find our kidnappers here."


    Gu Chen nodded and whispered back, "But we do not know what''s the situation inside. We don''t know how many people there are, where Liu Fei''er and Liu Yinyan''s locations are, we don''t even know if the enemy has guns. If we charge in blindly, I fear they might harm the hostages."


    "That''s why we need to infiltrate the ce to scope it out." Captain Zhao said, "No one is better than you here in terms of infiltration. We''ll need you to get in there and get a sense of things without exposing yourself. It has been 2 hours and 12 minutes since ourmunication with the kidnappers. 48 minutester, the kidnappers will cut off Liu Yinyan''s 3rd finger. We need to be quick." Indeed, from the current situation, a rash action might cause the whole operation to fail. Captain Zhao added, "The special agents are on their way but we need to know the enemy''s location to set up the snipers."


    "Understood." Gu Chen nodded. Mary patched a small lens around Gu Chen''s chest. "Through this camera, we''ll be able to see everything you see." Then she opened her bag and handed Gu Chen several spheres. They looked small, about the size of a marble. They weren''t exactly spherical in shape either, they had plenty of indentations on the surface. Gu Chen epted the balls and asked, "What are these?"


    Mary exined, "They are simr to the thing on your chest, they''re all cameras, but they''re easier to carry and use. Plus they look just like dirt balls so it''ll raise little suspicion. If you can''t be sure if there''s anyone inside the room, just throw one in. The material is specially made to cushion anynding sound. And I will be able to monitor its captured footage from myptop."


    "Okay!" Gu Chen nodded. "I''ll go in then."


    "Good luck." Captain Zhao said, "You''re allowed to fire if necessary." Mary rolled a rubber ball camera through the gap of the gate. The ball rolled forward and we were given a view of the situation inside the buildingpound. The outside space was quiterge but there was no one around. Mary said softly, "There''s no one in sight. Be careful and be mindful of your camera angle."


    Two officers leaned against the wall and bent over. Gu Chen stood on their shoulders and the two officers slowly supported Gu Chen into the air. Gu Chen ced his hands on the wall, he looked around and then gave us an okay sign. Then his arms pulled and his whole body slithered into thepound. The whole sequence was smooth and soundless.

 Chapter 106: Meet the Kidnappers

    Chapter 106: Meet the Kidnappers


    Once Gu Chennded inside thepound, he assumed a squatting position. He looked around and ensured no one was around before he began to move. "There''s no need to hurry." Mary said through the mic. "Look around at theyout and the geography. I''lle up with the 3D image on myputer, so that we can get a better handle of things." I stood beside Mary and saw the left side of herptop screen was a series of cameras, while the right side was a spinning 3D building, it was a virtual construction of what Gu Chen saw. No wonder she was one of our country''s bestputer experts. 3D modelling at such speed was amazing.


    Through Gu Chen''s video, we saw that beyond the gate, there was a small garage to the left which was empty, suggesting that this ce had been abandoned for some time already. To the right was the shutter door that led to the actual factory building but currently the door was down and so we couldn''t see inside it. Gu Chen kept close to the outer wall and moved like a cat. It didn''t take long for him to reach the shutter door. Since there was no idea what was inside, instead of barging in, Gu Chen leaned his ears against the door, attempting to pick up the sound. After staying there for a while, Gu Chen slunk to the other side of the building and soon came upon a barred window. Gu Jun didn''t poke his head up to look in but instead tossed one of the camera balls inside. The ball rolled twice before it stopped. Throughout this process, we didn''t see anyone. The camera was on the ground so we could only see about 10 cm off the ground. In other words, if someone was there, we''d only be able to see their calves.


    Mary whispered, "Gu Chen, it looks like there''s no one inside. But we still don''t know how many floors there are in this building. Be careful." Gu Chen made an okay sign before the camera. He stood up and looked through the barred window. Through the camera, we confirmed that there was indeed no one inside the factory. The inner space was huge, there were some rotten tables, broken boxes, iron racks and so on. From the tracks on the floor, this space used to be an assembly line but after it was abandoned, the factory owner probably sold all the machinery already. To the side of the spacious room was a staircase that led to the second floor.


    The second floor was hollowed out in the middle. There were several doors that lined the walls. Some of the doors were closed and there were some windows too but we were unable to see what was beyond the window from our vantage point. The factorypound was quiterge but its location was secluded. Looks like transportation and ease of ess were its biggest problem. No wonder the owner had to build an individual garage.


    After a quick look around, we concluded this garage was most suspicious. But the strangest thing was there was no security, this was not what we expected. Were the kidnappers so confident that we wouldn''t find this ce? Gu Chen dropped a few more balls, some of them he tossed onto the roof, that way we would have a full sight of thispound. Mary''s software kept calcting the actual modelling of the factorypound. The outside had been fully constructed but the inside was still mostly a mystery. The garage was the most likely location where Liu Yinyan and Liu Fei''er would be kept, it was also most likely where the kidnappers would hide. Gu Chen continued to move forward until he encountered a small shack in the yard. As if sensing something, Gu Chen stopped to assess the situation. No one came out and there was no sound. Gu Chen unholstered his gun and put on the silencer as he slowly approached the shack. Gu Chen gestured before the camera but since I didn''t know tactical signnguage, I had no idea what he was trying to say. He stopped where he was close enough to toss a camera ball through an open window.


    "There''s no one inside!" Mary informed Gu Chen after she checked the video. Then Gu Chen walked in. From the camera, we saw that this ce was a kitchen. There was an induction cooker and arge pot. The pot lid was left sitting to the side and there were some leftover fish and soup inside the pot. Looks like the kidnappers did have seafood for lunch. Next to the induction cooker was a rice cooker. Gu Chen pinched the leftover rice inside. The rice hadn''tpletely hardened up, that meant that they had their lunch not that long ago. At the corner of the kitchen was arge water vat. The vat was half filled with water. That was a sign that people had been living here for quite some time already. Above the vat was a faucet. Gu Chen twisted the faucet but no water came out.


    Since this ce had been abandoned, there would not be electricity and water supply. However, the kidnappers could have wired electricity from the voltage transformer. It was dangerous but doable. But the kidnappers wouldn''t have been able to dig out a clean water pipe within a month. This proved that among the kidnappers, there was someone extremely proficient with these technical stuff.


    Not far from the kitchen was another shack. Gu Chen walked over but before he got close, he made a sign for the toilet. He probably smelled refuse. He moved further and came upon a rectangr brick house. It had doors on both sides and windows in the middle, but all the ss had been shattered. Gu Chen sneaked over and tossed a camera ball inside. Through the camera, we realized that this was amunal bedroom. There were more than 10 kangs or Chinese brick beds covered with straws and mattresses. Looks like this was the ce the kidnappers had been sleeping for the past few months. Gu Chen was about to proceed when we saw someonee out from the toilet and another person wasing from the other side through the cameras left behind by Gu Chen. We couldn''t see their faces but we did see their legs walking.


    "Gu Chen!" Mary quickly warned. "There are two peopleing your way from different directions. Find a ce to hide, maybe sneak into the building and hide under the bed!" Gu Chen was about to do that when Captain Zhao ordered, "No, go up the roof! Quick!" Mary came from a rich background, she probably hadn''t seen a traditional brick bed in her life. The underside of the bed filled with smoke flues, there would be no space for a grown man to hide. If Gu Chen heeded her advice, he would be caught instantly. Gu Chen decided to follow Captain Zhao''s order. He stepped on the window ledge and with a kick, leaped up onto the roof. When his both legs disappeared from view, the man turned from the corner.


    Gu Chen ced a camera ball at the edge of the roof and thus we were given the actual view of this man''s face. This man was none other than Ol'' Zhang who had managed to evade us for so long!


    Ol'' Zhang''s lips mumbled like he was singing. At that moment, another person came from the corner. We had not seen this man before. He had long hair and a chubby face. A long scar cut from his left eye to his right lips. There was arge mole with a single hair on his left lip. After Ol'' Zhang greeted the man, he entered the bedroom. Ol'' Zhang immediately crawled into bed, but the moment he did, our heart squeezed because Ol'' Zhang happened to lie down on the camera ball that Gu Chen dropped inside the building.


    Ol'' Zhang sprung up immediately as he rubbed his back. Even though the camera couldn''t pick up the audio, we could easily imagine Ol'' Zhang yelping as his body made contact with the foreign object. He grabbed at the camera and the screen went ck immediately. Soon, the screen was dominated by Ol'' Zhang''s face. He was studying this camera ball. The expression on our faces was serious. Even though the camera was well disguised, if Ol'' Zhang peeled off the surface and saw the circuit inside, he would immediately know what this was. But now we didn''t even know where the hostages were kept yet. At that moment, Ol'' Zhang suddenly turned to the side, probably the scar face had walked in. Ol'' Zhang shrugged and tossed the ball to the side. Unfortunately, the cameranded facing the wall, so other than the yellow paint, we saw nothing. We sighed in relief, looks like we had fooled Ol'' Zhang. Gu Chen stayed on the roof and remained motionlessly lest he was discovered.


    5 minutester.


    "Gu Chen, find a spot where there is no window and slowly climb down." Captain Zhao said. Gu Chen made an okay sign but right after he moved, he immediately crawled back into his hiding space. Turns out 2 more people wereing this way. One of them wore a hat and carried a backpack. The person looked young, like someone in his teens. The other wore a mask. The mask painted ck had a red gash of a mouth and a painted bloody tear dripping down the left eye. We waited for some time and there was no more new arrival.


    Gu Chen leaped down the roof and headed towards the kitchen. He found a cloth inside the kitchen and doused it in the water vat. Then he headed towards the barred window of the garage. There wouldn''t be that many kidnappers, and 4 men were already gathered in the bedroom. So there shouldn''t be too many left at the garage.


    Liu Fei''er and Liu Yinyan might be kept there so Gu Chen was nning to go take a look.

 Chapter 107: Exposed

    Chapter 107: Exposed


    It was not as hard as you might think to bend two sturdy iron bars. You only needed a wet cloth and a piece of wood. First you bound the wet cloth across the two bars and tied a knot. You then ced the wood inside the knot and started to turn it like you would a valve. That was exactly what Gu Chen did. Soon, the iron bars bent towards the centre of force and exposed a gaprge enough for Gu Chen to squeeze through. The camera ball inside the garage caught nothing, at least there was no one in sight. Gu Chen led with his leg and then the rest of his body.


    He was careful lest he made any noise. At that moment, the camera which was left on the roof of the bedroom building saw the masked man and scar face walk out. They appeared like they were heading towards the garage. If Gu Chen moved too slowly, he would be spotted. Currently Gu Chen had half of his body inside the garage and the other half outside. He wouldn''t be able to fight like this. "Gu Chen, you need to hurry in. People areing." Captain Zhao warned calmly.


    Hearing that, Gu Chen picked up his speed. As hended, he shed the cloth he stole from the kitchen. He grabbed the shredded cloth but the wood slipped through his fingers and knocked against the window ledge, causing a sound. By then, it was already toote for Gu Chen to reach out and pick up the wooden stick. All Gu Chen could do was to hide by the wall and remained motionless.


    The camera lost sight of the 2 men. Gu Chen didn''t ce any camera outside the window, so we had no idea where the 2 men were. We could only pray that the men didn''t hear the fall and see the twisted iron bars. Minutes ticked by and our hearts were to our throat. However, there was no othermotion. Gu Chen remained unmoved for 10 minutes. Gu Chen poked his head out to look and there was no one outside. We all sighed in relief but just as Gu Chen turned around, a gun was pushed against his head. Everything happened so fast that we only saw a blur on the camera.


    But the next minute, the camera on Gu Chen''s chest was plucked off. At that same time, a mask appeared on screen. It was the masked man. The man aimed the camera lens at himself. With one hand holding the gun at Gu Chen''s head, his other hand fixed his hair. Then the man tossed the camera to the people beside him while he yanked off Gu Chen''s ear mic. Everyone was silent, no one spoke. The masked man took out a camera ball from his pocket and Mary gasped, "That was the camera that dropped by the wall inside the bedroom earlier. Howe I didn''t realize it had been moved?" The masked man put the ear mic on his ear and began gleefully, "Hello, hello, my police friends, can you hear me?"


    Without the order from Captain Zhao, no one spoke. The mask man called twice and then he shrugged. "Can no one hear me? Then I''ll have to shoot. In count of 3!" With a wave of his hand, he signaled the people beside him to give us a tour of the scene around him. "3!" At that moment, we finally saw the full view of the garage. A group of people had materialized on the second floor. Liu Fei''er and Liu Yinyan were tied to two chairs. Their mouths were stuffed and they struggled weakly. We saw that Liu Yinyan was missing 2 fingers on one of his hands but it had been bandaged. It was not bleeding. Liu Fei''er looked like she had gone through hell and one of her fingers was missing.


    "2!" The mask man continued. At that moment, Captain Zhao finally spoke, "What do you want?"


    The mask man chuckled happily. "Captain Zhao, you''re finally willing to speak to me?" Then a few people rushed down from the second floor to detain Gu Chen. Even though Gu Chen was a good fighter, out of concern for the hostages'' safety, he didn''t resist. After Gu Chen was tied to the staircase banister, the mask man continued, "You''ll eventually understand what I want. This is just a small prelude. As they say, the day is still young. I''m sure you''ve gotten to know our members, do you spot some familiar faces?"


    "What is it that you want?" Captain Zhao repeated. This time the masked man didn''t walk us in circles verbally but said, "Fine, since you''ve asked with such sincerity, I''ll give you something to do." The masked man nced at the time and continued, "In a moment, someone will arrive with a bag of cash, that is the deal between me and Liu Yinyan. So I need you to send in a police officer to bring the bag of cash to me."


    The expression on Captain Zhao''s face rxed. This was a good development. The kidnappers were giving us a chance to gain contact with them and with that came the opportunity to rescue the hostages. "Okay! We will agree to all of your demands." Captain Zhao said calmly, "As long as you do not injure the hostages, we''ll do anything you ask." Mary pointed behind us and whispered to Captain Zhao, "The special agents are here." Captain Zhao switched off themunicator. "Okay, I need you to go and brief them about the situation inside the factory, and have them take their ces. But without my order, do not make any sudden moves. We saw quite a number of people among the kidnappers, but what about those we haven''t seen?"


    There were 6 people who appeared on camera so far, the masked man who had beenmunicating with us; scar face, a man who invoked fear; Ol'' Zhang, the blood drink; Jessie, the gentlemanly fake PI; Vivian, the explosive Russiandy. We didn''t see Mariko, the reticent Japanesedy. Also we didn''t see Lai San. Ol'' Zhang and Lai San were on the samework, so if Ol'' Zhang was here, where was Lai San?


    Soon, the butler appeared in our view. Then I realized we were told Liu Yinyan left with his butler but only Liu Yinyan was seen inside the garage. The butler must be the man sent out to fetch the money. The butler had followed Liu Yinyan for decades already. If Liu Yinyan told him not to call the police when he was off to withdraw the money, he would listen to Liu Yinyan''s order. If all of these were nned by the masked man, then this was a very scary person.


    The butler was clearly shocked to see us there.


    "How, how did you guys find this ce?" The butler guarded the bag and he said anxiously, "How is Elder Liu doing? The kidnappers told me to go get 10,000,000 RMB in cash. They only want that specific amount. 10,000,000 RMB is nothing for Elder Liu. Please don''t do anything to harm him please." Captain Zhao looked at the butler. Without any exnation, he said, "Give me the money, that''s the kidnappers'' request. Don''t worry, we will protect Liu Yinyan and his daughter''s safety. So who among us wishes to go?"


    We didn''t have time to waste, a decision had to be made soon. Xiao Liu and I said at the same time, "I''ll go!" We shared a look. Before I could say anything, Xiao Liu grabbed the bag. "I should do this. I''m older and more experienced than you." Everyone knew that once you went through that door, your life was up in the air. Actually I did consider whether it would be worth it to die on the job. I never was able toe up with an answer. There were too many people in this world who were not afraid of death but I was not one of them. I had a natural fear of death but sometimes, death was not the scariest thing. As I grew older, I slowly realized, there were more things in life more important than personal safety.


    As Mencious said, I adore life but there are principles I adore more than life, so I shall not give up my principles for life; I abhor death but there are evils I abhor more than death, so I shall not surrender to said evils due to my fear of death.''


    Therefore, before Xiao Liu reacted, I snatched away the bag and spoke to themunicator. "I am Wu Meng, Jessie knows me, I''m heading in now."


    "Wu Meng, Wu Meng." The mask man repeated my name twice as if savoring it. "Okay,e in." The iron door opened a gap. A finger reached out to signal for me.


    "Be careful." Captain Zhao patted my shoulders and then leaned in to whisper, "Gu Chen and your safetye first. Let the kidnappers go if necessary, we''ve caught them on camera. Even if it takes decades, we''ll eventually catch up but life cannot be gained after it is lost. Understood?" Captain Zhao straightened himself and regarded me seriously. I nodded.


    Xiao Liu said worriedly. "You need to be careful and have to return safely."


    "Don''t worry." I joked. "You''ll win the lottery before anything can happen to me." Xiao Liu chuckled sadly, "Then you''ll be fine. I''ve been buying tickets for 4 years and I''ve not won a single cent."


    "Kid, don''t die in there." Mary suddenly uttered coldly, "It''ll be too quiet without you." Guan Zhenglin added, "Yes, a pervert like you is dying out. To preserve the diversity of the human gene pool, you better take care of yourself" That was what they said, but I could see the concern in their eyes. For some reason, my heart warmed.


    That orphan who was shunned by everyone now had so many people around him.

 Chapter 108: Let the Game Begin

    Chapter 108: Let the Game Begin


    I pulled on the bag and believed it weighed around 40 kg. Liu Yinyan once told me one RMB was about 1.15 g, so 10,000,000 RMB would be 115 kg, but 40 kg and 115 kg was a huge difference. In drama, you''d see people tossing a briefcase out and imed inly, "Here''s 10,000,000 RMB, where''s my stock?" Clearly that wouldn''t have happened in real life. A bag weighing 115 kg wouldn''t arc so beautifully through the air As I walked forward, I pulled back the zipper and took a peek. I saw green. They were American Dors. No wonder the butler only managed to get the money almost 3 hours after Liu Yinyan was kidnapped. For Liu Yinyan, withdrawing 10,000,000 RMB was a non-issue but changing them to US Dors would take time. But why would the kidnappers request the currency change? For easier transport? But if they asked for RMB, they would have left this ce a long time ago. But a thought struck me. They were purposely buying time, they were waiting for the police toe.


    These people could not be understood normally. When they kidnapped Liu Fei''er, they''d kill their own people because they didn''t want their trace to be exposed; but now they personally sent us Lin Dafa to y this crazy game. What were they really up to? These thoughts crowded my mind when I arrived at the gate. As I walked in, the gate closed behind me. Then I realized it was scar face who opened the gate for me. When he saw me, his expression didn''t change. He pointed at me and then at the garage, giving me the direction.


    To my surprise, scar face didn''t search my body, perhaps they were confident that we wouldn''t dare to do anything. After all, they still had the hostages. That meant that I still had a weapon with me, even though I literally only had one shot.


    I strode towards the garage. The shutter door was rolled up a gap. Scar face and myself entered the garage. I looked around. Liu Fei''er and Liu Yinyan were tied on the second floor facing the shutter door; Gu Chen was tied to the iron banister of the stairs that headed upwards. As I entered, I felt a kick to the back of my knee. My leg weakened and I knelt to the ground on one knee. Then a hand pulled out the gun from the back of my waist.


    The man who held the camera, and wore the hat took the cash bag away from me. He weighed it and then opened the bag. He tossed the camera to the side and reached his hand in to check the money. "They are all US dors, and they aren''t serial notes. Looks like the man didn''t y any tricks on us."


    Scar face removed the magazine clip and chuckled, "His gun is unloaded, it''s just a prop."


    The masked man took his time to walk towards me. He used the gun to prop my head up to study me closer. I was studying him as well even though most of his face was covered up by the mask. That was strange because no one in this team was wearing a disguise, it was like it didn''t matter that the police saw them. But this masked man was the sole exception, and from the looks of things, he was this team''s leader. Could this masked man be Lai San? That couldn''t be. Lai San was over 30 but this man sounded around 20 to 25.


    "Wu Meng." The masked man lobbed another kick on my knee, causing me to kneel fully to the ground. He continued, "Actually, I know you."


    "You know me?" I frowned. "How?" I would remember someone wearing such a unique mask. Was it a former inmate in my father''s prison? He blocked his face because I''d recognize him? I was only getting more confused.


    "Do you remember the case from a year and a half ago?" The mask man chuckled, "It was me who got you admitted into the mental asylum!"


    Instantly the fire burned through me. I wanted to stand up but scar face pressed me firmly in ce. He was much stronger than I was. During that case, with the killer carefully plotting every detail of the case, I eventually sunk too deep and came out suffering from paranoia. I didn''t expect the culprit to be standing before me now! "You!" I growled angrily, "It was you who was behind that case?"


    "Yes, I was me. Surprise~" The manughed. "I''m sure you still remember that poor woman. You''re very talented, you can put yourself into people''s minds. Tell me, what am I thinking now?"


    I stared at him wordlessly. I really wanted to read his mind but it was to no avail. I could only see his dark pupils. I didn''t even know what his face looked like.


    "Remember my name, it''s Wu Zui." He put away the gun. My heart skipped when I heard that name. No wonder he repeated my name twice, we shared the same surname. Then again, China was such a big country, this could be just a coincidence. Noting my silence, the mask man continued, "Remember my name because you''ll hear it more often in the future. When I first met you, I sent you into a mental hospital. This is the second time we meet, Wu Meng, good name. But I''m sure we''ll meet again a lot more times in the future. There are still so many games we can y."


    "What is it that you want?" I stared at him and hissed out word by word. Wu Zui settled on a chair and literally looked down on me. Then Jessie walked down from the stairs and leaned in to whisper into Wu Zui''s ear. Wu Zui nodded and whispered something back. Then Jessie returned upstairs.


    Wu Zui looked at me and then at Gu Chen. He suddenly asked, "How about this? Entertain me, brief me about the police''s investigation of this case. Why do you think I''m doing this? See Liu Fei''er and Liu Yinyan upstairs? Why do you think we''ve kidnapped Liu Fei''er?" My thoughts were pulled back to the start of the case. Liu Yinyan called the police to report the disappearance of his daughter, he suspected she had been kidnapped. Due to his influence, the city instantly sent us to verify Liu Yinyan''s im. Our initial investigation confirmed his suspicion. Someone sneaked into Liu Fei''er room the night before and then abducted her. The kidnappers also bought out the security guard and then murdered him to silence him.


    Then from the lipstick, we found Chen Lin, the genderqueer ex-circus performer. From her, we found the underground parking lot and eventually Lin Dafa. That became our only clue, the clue that wasn''t truncated. Then the kidnappers called. I shared my thoughts and Wu Zui nodded. "That sounds like standard protocol but I notice one thing''s missing, and that''s criminal profiling. Is it because you''re afraid you might go crazy again? Ha ha." Criminal profiling or offender profiling refers to the process in which the nature of a crime is used to make inferences about the personality and other characteristics of the likely offender. But in China, this system wasn''t that mature and there wasn''t a specific criminal profiler affiliated with the police. However, I was born with this natural talent. I could bring myself into the headspace of the criminals through the evidence and crime scenes as well as their past and background. However, this came with a great side effect, the major one being my mental illness.


    Therefore, when I was released from the hospital, I never used it that much, because one careless slip and it''d be a quick return back to the loony bin.


    This was a professional term, amon person wouldn''t know about it, but Wu Zui was familiar with it. Did he like to read psychology-rted literature too? In this young man who refused to show his face, I felt abination of iciness and passion. He was like both fire and ice, incredibly hard to read.


    "But we still found you." I said.


    Wu Zui shook his head. "You could find us because I called you and we sent Lin Dafa as a present to you. And that was one of the tests I wanted to give you. If you can''t even do this, then you do not deserve to be my rival."


    "Rival?" I asked.


    "Yes, a rival, like Joker and Batman!" Wu Zui nodded.


    I asked another question. "But I have a question that I wish you could answer me."


    "What is it?" Wu Zui caressed his mask.


    "You killed 2 people earlier to cover your tracks but now you''re openly interacting with us? Why the flip in attitude? Do you suffer from schizophrenia?"


    Wu Zui didn''t sound offended. He shook his finger at me. "You''re the one who is mentally insane, not me. But you did ask an interesting question and I will answer you. Why am I doing this? You''re very talented but if you do not utilize it, you''ll end up amon man. Think about that."


    I sighed. Actually after I was released, I had been trying my best to suppress my talent, but now I was told to live up to my full potential by a criminal. The whole situation was quiteughable.


    Then again, his words did leave an effect on my mind. Was there something I missed in Liu Fei''er''s kidnapping?


    "It''s about time." Vivian called from the 2nd floor.


    "Okay." Wu Zui stood up and headed to the second floor. Scar face lifted me up likeundry and hauled me upstairs as well. From the corner of my eye, I saw the young man with the hat take out aptop from his backpack. Soon a low humming was heard, it was hard on my ears.


    "Done." The young man said.


    Wu Zui nodded. He stood before Liu Yinyan and Liu Fei''er. He opened his arms like they were wings. He closed his eyes and tilted his head slightly upwards.


    "Now, let the game begin."

 Chapter 109: Gotcha!

    Chapter 109: Gotcha!


    Wu Zui leaned forward like he was about to fly. The gag was removed from Liu Yinyan and Liu Fei''er''s mouths, they could finally speak freely now. Wu Zui moved over a table and chair. He sat on the chair and ced the gun on the table. I was ced beside the table by scar face, it appeared like I was going to be a yer of this twisted game too. Due to my near brush with death when I was a baby, my physique had always been bad. I wanted to counter but I was not Gu Chen. Scar face gripped my hands behind my back like a vise. I couldn''t even move even if I wanted to.


    "What is it that you want?" Liu Yinyan shouted, "I''ve already brought you the money, what more do you want? If 10,000,000 RMB is not enough, I can give you more money. I only ask that you let my daughter go. We didn''t call the police, they came here on their own." Wu Zui used his hands to tussle Liu Yinyan''s hair and said patiently like a parent would to an unruly child, "Shush, be quiet. There''s no need to scream. Naturally I know the police didn''te here because of you, I believe you. Look at how cooperative your daughter is. She''s so cute." Liu Fei''er''s eyes were filled with tear. Her body trembled and her face was as pale as wax.


    Then Wu Zui leaned his face close to Liu Fei''er''s cheek, as if taking in her scent. Liu Yinyan''s face darkened. Only God knows what was going through his mind then, but I was sure it was not positive thoughts. After a long time, Wu Zui leaned back and said, "My apologies, where was my manners. Now, we will y an interesting game, it''s called, I have many secrets but I''m not going to tell you about them. The name itself already makes you shiver already, hasn''t it?"


    "What is it that you want to do, just do it to me. Don''t harm my daughter!" Liu Yinyan pleaded. "If you want to kill someone, kill me. Leave my daughter be!"


    "Dad!" Liu Fei''er called before she started to cry. Instantly the two broke down and cried.


    Bang! Wu Zui shot a fire into the air and instantly the two quieted down. "One more pointless word out of you two, and you''ll get a new hole on your forehead each, understood?" The two nodded. Wu Zui was satisfied and he continued, "Wonderful. Now the game shall begin. The game rules are very simple. You will answer whatever question that I ask you. If you lie, I will shoot. Don''t tempt me, no one living in this world has been able to lie to me yet." Wu Zui casually aimed the gun at Liu Yinyan, "Alright, first question, Liu Yinyan, did you n to rob a gold trading shop 35 years ago?"


    Liu Yinyan looked at his daughter before answering, "Yes I did."


    "Very good." Then Wu Zui turned to Liu Fei''er. "Darling, it''s your turn next. Are you still a virgin?" All the eyes were all the girl, especially Liu Yinyan, as a father, he understandably cared deeply about this question. Liu Fei''er lowered her head and said softly, "No, I''m not."


    "Good, you now know how the game works." Wu Zui nodded. "But these are just simple questions, it''ll only get harder from now on. The consequence of lying is death, I hope you understand that. Well then, Elder Liu, do you know that the man whom you framed had a daughter with uremia?" This question directly unearthed the incident from 35 years ago. It was meant to directly shatter the pride and reputation of a father before Liu Fei''er. Liu Fei''er was going to know how dirty of a man her father was under the sharp suit and clean appearance. Liu Yinyan looked at Liu Fei''er and his tears started to flow. His lips twitched but ultimately, he admitted, "Yes, I did know that."


    "It''s your turn now, Liu Fei''er." Wu Zui asked, "Now, remember not to lie. Did you give your virginity to your boyfriend?" Liu Fei''er face turned from fear to shock. She looked at Wu Zui numbly. From that expression, I knew that Wu Zui must have a lot of dirt on these 2 people, or else he wouldn''t suggest this crazy game. And this Liu Fei''er wasn''t the innocent young girl that she appeared to be.


    "No, I didn''t." Liu Fei''er forced out the word with difficulty. Liu Yinyan looked at Liu Fei''er withplicated emotion, it had a mix of both shock and shame. "Fei''er, how did dad always teach you. How, how could you do something like this?"


    Wu Zui shook his head and warned, "Ah, ah, ah, now is not your time to ask questions." Wu Zui tutted. "Remember the rules. Elder Liu, it''s now your turn to answer the question. Did you not feel shame doing what you did knowing the man had a daughter with uremia?"


    "But even without my intervention, the girl would have died," Liu Yinyan argued, "She was at ate stage of uremia, even God couldn''t save her! Money wouldn''t save her daughter! Since she was going to die, why not make her life more worthwhile?"


    "That was not the answer to my question." Wu Zui shook his head with disappointment, "I asked, did you feel shame?"


    Liu Yinyan deted like a balloon. "I, I do." Liu Yinyan said, "The shame has never left me for 35 years. I often dream about it, about the man''s body which was salvaged from the sea, the daughter who was pining for her father to return but who never did. It was why I set up the charity foundation for uremia patients, I''ve helped so many people because of it."


    "Shhhh." Wu Zui ced his finger on his lips, signalling for Liu Yinyan to shut up. "Okay, Liu Fei''er, when did you lose your virginity?"


    Liu Fei''er''s head sank even lower, she didn''t dare to look at her father. Perhaps she considered lying but when she saw the mask, she admitted, "It, it was when I was 16. I was out that day and met a man" When he heard, Liu Yinyan trembled from fury. He couldn''t believe his ears. "What? 16?! Who is that man?! Why didn''t you tell me?! I''ll get the police to arrest him, how dare he goes after a minor. He will rot in jail"


    Wu Zui suddenly pped happily, "Yes, well said! These kinds of people should be arrested, but when you orchestrated another father''s death, did that thought not cross your mind? But, no wait, forget what I said. That was not my question. My real question is, do you now understand that father''s willingness to do anything to protect and save his daughter?"


    "I." Liu Yinyan suddenly was stumped. 35 years ago, Ren Tian was willing to sacrifice his life just to save his daughter. He could take on the whole world just so that his daughter could live. 35 years ago, Liu Yinyan didn''t have a daughter, he might not understand that feeling. But 35 yearster, Liu Yinyan''s own daughter was 19 already. So could Liu Yinyan empathize with that man now?


    "I understand it now." Liu Yinyan said with a bitter smile. "35 years ago, I didn''t have a choice, if Ren Tian didn''t die, I would die. But now I have plenty of choices, I can and have helped many people so why must you bring up something from 35 years ago?" Liu Yinyan was crying openly now.


    Wu Zui ignored the man and turned to Liu Fei''er. "My dear darling Liu Fei''er, you gave your virginity to a man when you were 16. Was that with full consent?" Wu Zui nned to leave no stone unturned. After shattering a father''s pride, he was now going to dissect a young girl''s self-respect openly before her father. How was this pair of father and daughter going to face each other in the future?


    Liu Fei''er had stopped crying. Perhaps after a certain stage, she just didn''t care anymore. Things couldn''t be worse. She confessed, "Yes, it was." That answer broke Liu Yinyan''s heart. He was strict with others so understandably he was even stricter with his family. He assumed his daughter was raped when she was 16 but the truth was much worse than he thought. It was easy to break one''s mind, you only needed to crush his most precious thing before him.


    "Well done, my darling." Wu Zui caressed Liu Fei''er''s face. He turned to Liu Yinyan, "Liu Yinyan, you heard it here first. Now you know how helpless and powerless a heart is when it is overburdened by sadness and pain. Now, are you willing to pay penance for the sin you''vemitted 35 years ago?" Wu Zui didn''t speak that loudly, but every word registered in Liu Yinyan''s ears.


    A glow suddenly appeared in Liu Yinyan''s eyes. He said, "I''m 70 already. Not many people can live until that age. I only started studying when I was 30, began my career at 35 and had my daughter at 50. I always feel like I do not have enough time, so every time, I am gambling, gambling with my money, luck and life." Liu Yinyan said lightly, "I''ve been alive for so long and only now I understand this life lesson, what you have is never what you really want. When I first came to Dong Xing City, I only wanted to find a wife and start a family." Liu Yinyan closed his eyes, "How could I have lost sight of that?"


    These wordsnded like soft blows in my heart. This legend of Dong Xing City didn''t really want much but when one was racing, they often forgot for what purpose they were racing.


    "Sounds like repentance is on your mind!" Wu Zui suddenly stood up.


    "Yes" Liu Yinyan sighed. A gun aimed at Liu Yinyan''s head.


    "Don''t!" I shouted.


    "Do it!" Liu Yinyan shouted.


    Wu Zui sighed, "All man is kind when death is near. Perhaps we should let bygone be bygone." He put the gun away, and we all sighed in relief. Liu Yinyan''s tense expression rxed too.


    Bang!


    Blood sttered and Liu Yinyan tumbled backwards. There was a new bloody hole between his brows.


    "Ha ha, gotcha!" Wu Zai guffawed.

 Chapter 110: The Perfect Escape

    Chapter 110: The Perfect Escape


    Liu Yinyan died just like that. He flopped on the chair. Blood flowed and they dripped down the stairs to the first floor. The dripping sound reminded me of a grandfather clock. No one spoke. The gunshot appeared to echo in the garage. It caused my head to buzz, everything was nk.


    "Motherfuckers, what have you done?!" Gu Chen''s voice broke the silence, "Wu Meng are you okay?" From his vantage point, Gu Chen couldn''t see the events on the second floor. He only heard the shot, he had no idea who was shot. Hearing Gu Chen, I snapped back to reality. "I''m fine!" Then I red at Wu Zui. "What the motherfucking thing have you done?"


    Wu Zui scratched his head as if confused. "What have I done? Didn''t you hear anything earlier? He said he was willing to pay penance for his sin 35 years ago. A tooth for a tooth, a life for a life, don''t tell me you don''t understand that? And honestly, you should be thanking me. I''ve helped you deliver justice. What is it that they say Justice has long arms?"


    I shouted, "You motherfucker, who asked you to do this for us! You''re a cold-hearted murderer and like you say justice will always be served! Just you wait, I will personally capture and kill you. For Liu Yinyan and for that woman who died a year and a half ago!"


    Wu Zui steepled his hands and wiggled his fingers. "Wonderful, I''ll be waiting for you because you won''t have that chance today." Wu Zui suddenly turned around and kicked at Liu Fei''er. "Here''s a little parting present." The railing on the 2nd floor was already very old and many ces were fragile and cracked. Liu Fei''er mmed into the railing and broke a few of the banisters. Her whole person and chair were only supported by a single pole. She teetered dangerously. I immediately lunged towards her to grab at the leg of the chair. But the pole still snapped and Liu Fei''er careened downwards with the chair. The second floor was around 5 metres off the ground. Liu Fei''er was still tied to the chair. If she fell, she''d die. I jumped forward to grab at the rope that tied around Liu Fei''er with one hand while the other grabbed the other standing pole. However, I wouldn''t be able to support this for long. Liu Fei''er weighed at least 50 kg and I was only holding her with one hand. If I let go of the hand that held the pole, we''d both fall down.


    Wu Zuiughed as he adjusted his mask. "Wu Meng, we''ll soon meet again. Adieu."


    Scar face looked at me and tossed me back my gun, "Don''t carry a pistol if it''s empty, what''s the point?"


    The gun dropped beside me and I could reach it easily. Then the kidnappers slowly moved towards one of the rooms. I could feel the muscle in my right arm tightening, and then the pain came. At that moment, I had many choices. One of them was to let go and pick up this gun which had 1 shot. At this distance, I had confidence I could shoot through the masked man''s head. But if I did that, Liu Fei''er would die and after the mask man died, Gu Chen and I would die too. The other choice was to kick the gun down to Gu Chen. Had him use the gun to break the banister holding him and then rush up to save us. My upper body was already leaning out from the second floor so I could see Gu Chen from where I was.


    The kidnappers disappeared into the room. Without much thought, I used my leg to kick the pistol down and itnded not far from Gu Chen''s feet. I shouted. "Quick, I can''t hold on much longer!"


    Gu Chen used his foot to edge the pistol towards him. Then he closed his feet around the pistol. Then like an acrobat, he used his core muscle to lift his legs up the ground, performing literally a handstand. When his legs were almost vertical to his body, he let go of the pressure at his feet and the pistol fell and slipped into his open palm.


    Then I heard a gunshot. With a leap, Gu Chen rushed up the stairs. By then I couldn''t feel my arms anymore, they didn''t belong to me. My hands started to shake, Liu Fei''er could fall at any moment. Liu Fei''er looked at me with fear. She didn''t even dare to breathe, lest any motion would make me lose my grasp on her. However, I was already at my limit. Holding something at her weight with just one hand was not something I had trained to do. I felt a weakening in my hands and then the fingers let go. Thankfully, right at that moment, another hand reached out. With a grunt, Gu Chen lifted Liu Fei''er up to safety.


    "After they entered that room, I didn''t hear them anymore!" I couldn''t move my right arm so I pointed with my left. Something special must be inside that room. There should be a path that led outside but how did they expect to evade the police and special agents. Gu Chen rushed to the door and kicked it down. He looked in. As I removed the rope around Liu Fei''er, I asked, "What''s in there?"


    Gu Chen shouted back, "There''s an iron pole that leads underground. I believe they''ve dug an escape tunnel earlier. I''ll go down to chase after them, get reinforcements for me!"


    "You don''t have a gun, be careful!" I warned.


    "Don''t worry, I know what I''m doing." Then Gu Chen slipped down from my view. I helped Liu Fei''er up and we stumbled outside the garage. The north side of the factory was a mountain range. If they decided to run towards the mountain, it would be impossible to find them. We might seal up every road, but we couldn''t seal up underground tunnels that we didn''t even know existed until this moment. These kidnappers had thought of everything.


    "Don''t shoot! Don''t shoot!" I shouted as I opened the iron gate. When they saw it was me, everyone sighed in relief.


    "Where''s Gu Chen?" Captain Zhao asked, "And Liu Yinyan? We heard gunshots but we didn''t dare to rush into action. There are no windows on the second floor of the garage, so we couldn''t tell what happened."


    I exined quickly, "The kidnappers dug a tunnel under the garage, Gu Chen is chasing after them. Liu Yinyan is dead. Call an ambnce for Liu Fei''er. Set up the blockage on the northern side, from theyout of the factory, that''s the most likely direction they''ve headed."


    "Move! Move!" Captain Zhao ordered into his walkie-talkie, "Everyone, move to the north and set up roadblocks. They might split up into smaller groups. Here are their characteristics. A male between 20 to 25 with a ck mask; a young man around 17, with a cap and carrying a backpack; a man with a knife scar on his face; an old man in ck shirt; a man in bright western suit; two women with mixed heritage. Get moving!" Then Captain Zhao turned around, "Mary, apany Liu Fei''er to the hospital and contact her family. Guan Zhenglin, bring a team to investigate Liu Yinyan''s body. Xiao Liu, bring a team into the tunnel to support Gu Chen."


    "Understood."


    "Come, get in the car." Captain Zhao told me. Once we hopped in, the car moved north. Seeing how constantly I rubbed my right arm, Captain Zhao asked, "What''s wrong, did you injure your right arm?"


    "It should be nothing serious. It''ll be fine." I asked. "Why didn''t the team send in any reinforcement earlier?"


    Captain Zhao answered. "Not long after you entered, all the cameras were shut down. Since we couldn''t tell the situation inside, we didn''t dare to barge in. There are no windows on the 2nd floor so the special agents couldn''t look into the garage either, all we could do was to wait for your news. We heard 3 gunshots. Even if we charged in, it wouldn''t have helped the situation." Captain Zhao was thinking from the big picture. If the shots were fired at us, it was already toote; if they were not fired at us, then there was no reason for them to charge in.


    "The masked man fired 2 shots and Gu Chen 1." I exined, "The first was a warning shot, the second killed Liu Yinyan and the third shot Gu Chen fired to free himself from the bindings."


    Captain Zhao took a deep breath. "It''s great that you and Gu Chen are fine. I''ll talk to the superior about Liu Yinyan but I''m afraid the few of you might be transferred out of Dong Xing City. Liu Yinyan was a very powerful person, someone would have to take the fall for his death." I nodded. To be honest, I didn''t care because solving cases was the same everywhere. But I didn''t know how Gu Chen, Guan Zhenglin and Xiao Liu would feel. After all, at Dong Xing City, they would have greater chances and thus an easier time at promotions. "By the way." I added, "The masked man told me his name was Wu Zui and he said he was the killer for Case 7.25 that happened one and a year ago!"


    "What?" Captain Zhao was shocked. "Are you sure?"


    I nodded. "He admitted it to me himself. He was behind everything, the poor woman and that mysterious note."


    "Does that mean Zhao Mingkun is really unrted to the case?" Captain Zhao scratched his head. "But only she would know about the content on the note. Could there be a rtionship between these two?"


    Suddenly, Captain Zhao and I lurched forward. The driver stepped on the emergency brake.


    "What the hell?" Captain Zhao cursed angrily.


    "Sorry, but look!" The driver pointed out the windshield. All the vehicles had stopped before us. Every driver got down from their cars. Even the pedestrians wandered onto the motorway. Our vehicle was stuck and so was the police cavalcade behind us.


    "Fuck!" Seeing this, Captain Zhao punched at the back of the chair. "We''ll get down and search for them on foot!"


    These kidnappers were too cunning.

 Chapter 111: The Failed Operation

    Chapter 111: The Failed Operation


    Raining money sounded like a dream but that happened in real life that day at Dong Xing City. This was not some kind of miracle, it was because a toy ne was flying around carrying an open bag which was filled with cash. As a big city, the citizens of Dong Xing City were familiar with US Dors, but they were not familiar with US Dors raining down from the sky, especially when they were all 100 USD notes. They had never loved Ben Franklin as much as they did that day. 100 USD was about 600 RMB and most people wouldn''t be able to earn 600 RMB in a day. Therefore, it was literally worth more fighting for the raining money than to go to work.


    10,000,000 RMB equaled to around 1,500,000 USD so there were 15000 dors notes fluttering through the air. You could literally reach into the air or bend down to earn cash. However, the bag on the toy ne was not big enough to fit 15000 notes, therefore, I had reasons to believe there were several simr nes flying around Dong Xing City. In other words, the whole city''s traffic was on shutdown and our team had to walk to continue our investigation. No wonder the kidnappers asked for the money only when Liu Yinyan came to meet them at the factory, they never wanted the money, they only needed to use it to slow the police down.


    "They must still be within 1000 metres!" I shouted. "The maximum control range for this kind of toy ne is 1000 metres, Xiao Liu and I have experimented on it ourselves. They''ll go out of control when they move beyond 1000 metres!" Just as I said that, the toy airne teetered dangerously in the air, it looked like it was about to do a crashnding. This meant that the kidnappers had already escaped more than 1000 metres away. The bag that crashnded still had a lot of money in it. The people were like zombies seeing brains, they all jumped at it.


    We had to wade through the crazed crowd, pushing away people to move forward. However, the allure of the money was too high. Fights started to break out for the money. The situation was getting more and more chaotic. At that moment, I had to admit this was the worst operation we had ever had. We werepletely yed by the kidnappers. Each move that we made, every clue that we had was basically calcted, predicted and even given to us by the kidnappers. At the end of the case, we got nothing but a big presenta dead Liu Yinyan.


    What kind of man was Wu Zui under that mask? He was ruthless, cunning, well-versed in psychology, he had studied anti-surveince, he was familiar with investigative protocol. He had a group of capable underlings working for him. He didn''t need money, he literally showered them on others. I was suddenly reminded of the term Captain Zhao always repeatedborn criminal.


    I stood in the middle of the street, jostled about by the crowd. Looking at the skyscrapers, I ruminated over what Wu Zui told me, You''re very talented but if you do not utilize it, you''ll end up amon man.''


    "Wu Zui, one day, I will personally capture you."


    2 hourster, all the police forces were gathered in one room. This operation was aplete failure. The kidnappers escaped before most even saw a glimpse of them. Everyone was feeling down. An operation of this scale was notmon even at Dong Xing City. Inside the conference room, the station head had been scolding people for an hour already. Captain Zhao had almost the same standing as he did so he couldn''t berate Captain Zhao directly but the intention was clear. Liu Yinyan''s case was valued heavily by the city centre, and it ended with Liu Yinyan''s death and Liu Fei''er''s rescue.


    The few of us stood outside the room, not knowing what to say. Gu Chen sighed and asked me, "How is your arm?"


    I answered, "The doctor said I have pulled a muscle and I shouldn''t use my right arm too often for the foreseeable future. I''ll have to use my left hand for everything now." I shrugged and wanted to make a joke but I realized I wasn''t in the mood.


    "How did the case end up like this? Do you know how big the influence Liu Yinyan''s death will bring?!" The station head was still scolding, "Did he have time to set up a will? What about hispany? Who is going to lead Rong Ding Corporation now? What about thepany stock? Do you know how many people will lose their jobs because of this? How many of them will turn to crime to survive? How could you people fail to even look after one single person" Economy was the lifeline of a city. Above the station head, there was possibly someone else breathing down on him.


    There were around 8 kidnappers but we caught not one of them, except a dead Chen Lin and an abandoned Lin Dafa. But those two were presents given to us by the kidnappers. However, in this case, I still had a few questions that bothered me. I had tried to ask Wu Zui about them but he didn''t answer me. For one, why were they so careful to not expose their tracks at the beginning but then act so grantly near the end? There was only a 3 days gap in between. What changed in those 3 days? For another, how did Wu Zui know so many of Liu Fei''er''s secrets, secrets that her father didn''t even know. Where did Wu Zui get these facts? And how could he be sure Liu Fei''er wouldn''t lie?


    One dayter, Liu Fei''er inherited all of Liu Yinyan''s estate. Turns out before Liu Yinyan left for the factory, he already made his will. He knew he wouldn''t return. In that way, he was a good father. Unfortunately, the time had passed for Liu Fei''er to have her finger reattached. Also we finally got to meet Liu Fei''er''s mother. She was statuesque, gorgeous. She invited us to lunch because we saved her daughter. We didn''t say much during lunch. She kept serving us food. Liu Fei''er and her mother were quite adept at using chopsticks, but one was left-handed and the other right-handed. In contrast, as a pure Chinese, I could only use a spoon with my left hand.


    "I''m sorry about your father." I apologized to Liu Fei''er.


    "Thank you, Wu Meng." Liu Fei''er nodded and lifted her ss of wine. "I was there when everything went down. It wasn''t your fault." Then tears dripped into her ss. "My dad was already 70, he has already lived a good life. In any case, thank you for saving me. Without you, I wouldn''t be here now." I clinked our ss. At that moment, something strange grabbed at me but I couldn''t tell what it was.


    The lunch was quite depressing, but during the limited conversations, we did find out that the Russian mother did hire a team of PI, but for some reason, her email didn''t reach Jessie''s PI but instead was intercepted by others. The person who was behind this had to be a tech expert. And they had to know when Liu Fei''er''s mother fired off that email to intercept it in time. Something was fishy. But at the dining table, I didn''t bring any of these up. I silently finished the meal.


    When we returned to the station, the punishment was meted out. Captain Zhao took on all the me and was demoted a rank. However, since Captain Zhao belonged to a special unit, technically a demotion was meaningless. And for us, this failure meant that we wouldn''t be participating in any big cases any time soon. Other than Xiao Liu who looked quite downtrodden, the 3 of us were fine with it. Gu Chen was on the reserved team, Guan Zhenglin was still a student and I wasn''t even on the government payroll. So Xiao Liu got the short end of the stick. "This is already good enough." Xiao Liu consoled himself. "At least I wasn''t demoted back to a patrol guard. Anyway, I''m going to buy myself a lottery ticket. Perhaps my luck will turn." Seeing Xiao Liu walking away with dragging steps, we hadplicated emotions.


    "So the case ends like that?" Gu Chen picked up a handful of pebbles and tossed them against the ground. "This is our first failed case and I still find it hard to ept. Fuck, when I run into them again, I''ll headshot all of them." I watched as the pebbles bounced against the floor. My right hand reached subconsciously for the pebbles but then the jolt of pain reminded me of my injury. The pain also loosened something in my mind, I looked at my right hand dumbly.


    "What are you looking at?" Guan Zhenglin noticed this and said, "Your arm will take at least a month to heal. Your arm has literally no muscle and you hung onto that girl for so long, you should be thankful that your arm isn''t broken."


    Shaking my head, I stood up. "I''ve been feeling that something''s not right with this case and it finally came to me when I wanted to use my right hand earlier."


    "What is it?" Both of them asked.


    "If both the parents are right-handed, could they give birth to a left-handed child?" I asked Guan Zhenglin, "I don''t know gics so I''ll have to ask you that."

 Chapter 112: Blood

    Chapter 112: Blood


    Liu Yinyan was not a left-handed person, in the few days I had spent with him, I knew that. Liu Fei''er''s mother was not left-handed either, she used the chopsticks with her right hand. But their only daughter, Liu Fei''er was left-handed. It could be something or nothing. Guan Zhenglin puffed up her cheeks and then said, "Hereditary genes don''t decide everything. As you know, the human brain controls the opposite side of our body. The left brain monitors the right hand and vice versa. When the mother was pregnant, an external factor might cause the fetus'' left brain to be underdeveloped and thus the child would be left-handed." Guan Zhenglin was cautious with her words but I caught the meaning within her words, I asked to confirm, "In other words, we can''t tell anything concrete from that alone?"


    "Pretty much." Guan Zhenglin nodded.


    I snapped my fingers. "But we have DNA identification technology! It''ll be simple to check whether they''re biologically rted. Liu Yinyan''s body is at the morgue and we still have Liu Fei''er''s broken finger. Even if I was wrong, the result wouldn''t hurt anyone!" Guan Zhenglin nodded tentatively, "I can do that. But even if you''re right, Liu Yinyan is dead. We''ve all read your report. Liu Yinyan''s love for Liu Fei''er was unquestionable." Guan Zhenglin was not wrong. The words that Liu Yinyan said before he died did change my perspective on life. When I was small, I thought money was everything and it could ensure lifelong happiness but now I realized money was not everything. Instead, the money built up walls, the people inside wanted to get out and the people outside wanted to get in. They envied and looked down on each other.


    "Okay." I sighed and told Guan Zhenglin, "I''ll leave that to you. Gu Chen,e with me!" Guan Zhenglin widened her eyes at me with confusion, "Wait a minute, where are you guys going?" There was a witness who told me an important detail that I had forgotten all about until now. Several months ago, two people had been following Liu Fei''er, one was Song Ze, and the other was an unknown man. At the time, I thought it was someone from the team of kidnappers but after meeting them in person, I realized it couldn''t be them, because none of them would be stupid enough to let a student notice that they were following Liu Fei''er. And the defining feature that Song Ze noticed about that man was that he was a left-handed person.


    At that moment, things started to click. The pieces that I found started to fall into ce, things wereing to an end. The rush wasing back but the moment I thought about what Wu Zui told me, the rush was dampened immediately. Shaking my head, I told Gu Chen, "Come on, we might find something." Guan Zhenglin bade us farewell. Gu Chen and I walked down the road. Sensing my less than ster mood, Gu Chen said, "Wu Meng, I''m not one to speak my mind but we''ve been transferred to this unit for quite some time already. I remember the first time I saw you, there was a confidence about you." I turned back to look at him, there was sincerity in his eyes. He continued, "I remember the first case we worked together. You came up with so many analyses with just a nce and even managed to pick out the correct one. But several casester, howe it feels like you''re getting less and less confident in yourself? It''s like you''re suddenly cautious and afraid."


    "Do you think so?" That was a question I had for myself too. Honestly, ever since my talk with Zhao Mingkun inside Chu Ye''s tomb, an indescribable anxiety had been haunting me. A sense of powerlessness swallowed me and it made me feel like I was only a tool being used by people around me and slowly I lost my passion towards case-solving. Even though Captain Zhao had imparted some wisdom to me, I still felt perhaps I was not doing the world a service, it pained my conscience peeling back other people''s secrets for the world to see.


    Gu Chen took out a box of ciggies from his pocket and lit one for me. I smoked it silently as I listened to Gu Chen. "To be frank, I don''t know what you''re so afraid of. Inside the garage, you weren''t afraid of even death. So reim your pride because from what I''ve seen, you have everything you need to back it up. Even though that version of you can get quite grating on people''s nerves." Gu Chen chuckled, "That is the real you."


    We didn''t speak the rest of the way and the burning cigarettes were the only sound.


    One hourter, we arrived at Song Ze''s university. The young man was still that self-defeating man we encountered, it was hard to change a person fully in a short amount of time. When I told him that Liu Fei''er had been saved, he almost knelt down to kowtow to me. In Song Ze''s eyes, Liu Fei''er was the embodiment of an angel, pure, kind, pretty, generous. I told Song Ze, "Liu Fei''er might have been rescued but she is still not safe. The man who you saw following her hasn''t been captured, so I have a test for you."


    "A test for me?" When he heard that, Song Ze shrunk involuntarily backwards. I sighed helplessly, "Yes, Liu Fei''er and you are ssmates. In the next few days, Liu Fei''er would need toe back to school to deal with some paperwork. That man might return to stalk her, so I need you to keep an eye on her. If you spot anything suspicious, call me immediately, okay?"


    Song Ze nodded hurriedly. "I thought you were going to tell me to do something else. If it''s about Liu Fei''er, you can trust me fully. The moment she shows up, I will not let her out of my sight. Don''t you worry about that." The feverish passion in his eyes startled me and Gu Chen. I wondered what Song Ze would feel after he found out the real reason why I was asking him to do this. However, I knew Song Ze would not disappoint me. That middle-aged man should share a unique rtionship with Liu Fei''er. Now that Liu Yinyan was dead, the butler was busy with his funeral and everyone in the Liu household had something on their te, if Liu Fei''er wanted to see that man, now would be the perfect time. "I will inform you when Liu Fei''er leaves her home, pay attention." I patted Song Ze''s shoulder. "Remember to stick close to her and don''t let her spot you."


    After saying everything, Gu Chen and I returned to Liu Yinyan''s bungalow. The big bungalow was covered with whitenterns and arge ck coffin sat at the front door. Based on Liu Yinyan''s hometown culture, the coffin would be ced there for 7 days. Technically, this was supposed to be an open-casket ceremony but thanks to Wu Zui, Liu Yinyan''s body was not in a viewable state. Sometimes in drama, you''d see only a small hole when people were killed by gunshot. It looked clean and presentable but in reality, a gunshot might have a small entry wound but it would cause severe damage within the human body. The exit wound could be ginormous. In Liu Yinyan''s case, it had shattered the back of his head. Death was never anything beautiful.


    It was cruel for a daughter to face such a stark death.


    Eventually we saw Liu Fei''ere out. "Where are you going? Do you need a lift?" I asked.


    Liu Fei''er smiled. "I''m just going to school. The driver will send me there. Thank you." As Liu Fei''er rode away, I sent a message to Song Ze.


    "Are you sure about this?" Gu Chen scratched his head. "You think there''s something wrong with Liu Fei''er? Her father just died, isn''t it inappropriate for us to suspect her?"


    I shook my head, "I don''t know but this time I chose to believe in my instinct. Liu Fei''er is not as simple and innocent as we think. Perhaps, someone who grew up in this kind of environment is never going to be simple and innocent." I turned to look at the big bungalow and the verdancy around it. It was impossible to find such a quiet ce at Dong Xing City, it was like a ce isted from the city itself. The people who lived here upied a different world from the normal citizens of Dong Xing City.


    Soon Guan Zhenglin called. The first thing she said was, "Wu Meng, the result is out. Based on DNAparison, the simrity between Liu Yinyan and Liu Fei''er''s genes is too low, they cannot be biologically rted. In other words, Liu Fei''er is definitely not Liu Yinyan''s biological daughter." I sighed, the result verified my suspicions. Liu Fei''er was not Liu Yinyan''s daughter, and that middle-aged man who followed Liu Fei''er was probably her real father. I had no idea how Liu Yinyan would feel after knowing this truth. His life motto was, to repay kindness with kindness, and repay enmity with justice. Now, he had left everything he had rued in his life to a person who was not his daughter, someone who might be plotting against him for a long time already. The person he was kindest to could harbor the greatest enmity against him. Then again, Liu Yinyan imed to have Liu Fei''er when he was 50 years old, the chance of that biologically speaking was too low.


    So perhaps Liu Yinyan already knew the truth?


    Who knows.

 Chapter 113: All I Want is Company

    Chapter 113: All I Want is Company


    "So?" After I hung up, Gu Chen asked me, "Is the DNA result out?" I nodded and walked away, "The result is out. Liu Fei''er is not Liu Yinyan''s biological daughter, so I believe my spection will most likely be correct. Do you still remember the questions Wu Zui asked Liu Fei''er at the garage?" Gu Chen thought for a while before he answered, "I do, at the time I was tied to the first floor staircase, I couldn''t see up there but I could hear everything clearly. But is there any problem with the questions Wu Zui asked?"


    "Yes, there is a huge problem." I pulled on my hair and uttered slowly, "The questions Wu Zui asked were extremely personal, so much so that Liu Yinyan didn''t know about them. So how did Wu Zui know about them, I don''t think it was Liu Fei''er who told him." Gu Chen''s eyes went round. "So who did?"


    Everything wasing together in my mind. Now I only needed to see Liu Fei''er with that left-handed man and everything would be cleared. I stopped and turned to Gu Chen, "I still can''t tell you yet. But when we find Liu Fei''er, I''ll tell you everything, okay?"


    Gu Chen shrugged. "Fine, you''re always like this anyway." I smiled. What we needed to do next was to wait for news from Song Ze. We waited for one and a half hours, Song Ze only called us when the sky was almost dark. "Hello, Officer Wu?" Song Ze whispered, but it did nothing to hide the excitement in his voice, "Come to No. 26 Peace Road. I just saw Liu Fei''er and that man enter the building. I have no idea when they''ll be leaving. Come quick. You might miss them otherwise."


    I shook my phone at Gu Chen. "The truth is about toe out soon. Our destination is No. 26, Peace Road. If I''m not mistaken, we''re going to bear witness to a tragedy."


    "Tragedy?" Gu Chen asked intively.


    "Yes." I didn''t know how to describe my feelings. "Sometimes, I feel like we police are like doctors, some people look perfectly fine on the surface but when you peel back their skin, you''ll see that their interior is severely rotten. But not everyone can ept when all that pus and guts are exposed before them." Gu Chen was silent as he drove to our destination. When we arrived at the location given by Song Ze, we spotted Song Ze hiding behind a trash can, but his eyes were fixed on No. 26 Peace Road. This was a shop lot with 2 storeys, the decoration was cute. It was a cake shop, but it had a temporarily closed'' sign on the door. I tapped Song Ze on his shoulder and the young man jumped so high, he almost fell into the trash can.


    "Oh, it''s just you guys." When Song Ze saw it was us, he calmed down, "I thought I had been exposed."


    "You sure they''re in there?" I asked him. Song Ze nodded. "Yes, after I got your message, I skipped school and waited for Liu Fei''er under a tree in front of the school. As you said, she soon appeared. Even though I was standing there in the open, she didn''t seem to see me." Song Ze sighed, "But it didn''t matter, I didn''t expect to matter to her anyway. In any case, I followed her. After she came out from the school office, she didn''t leave from the front gate but from the side gate." Song Ze scratched his head. "That was when I realized something was wrong. Her driver was still waiting for her at the front gate after all. I followed her from behind and then I saw that middle-aged man. I trailed them all the way to this cake shop. After the man went in, the cake shop closed for business."


    I nodded, "I don''t think you should stay, you might not be able to survive what might happen next."


    "Really?" Song Ze looked at me with disbelief, "What possibly could happen here? You guys will be here to protect Liu Fei''er, right?"


    I didn''t answer but turned to Gu Chen, "Is there any point of entry for us?"


    "There is one." Gu Chen looked at the cake shop. "But there might be consequences. How much do you really need to enter the shop?"


    I looked at the closed door and said, "We need to get in there." Just as I finished, I heard the crack of ss. Before I knew what happened, Gu Chen was already standing inside the cake shop. I was shocked. Gu Chen shrugged and said, "Well,e on in." Gu Chen kicked the ss door down, the shards scattered everywhere. Once I stepped over the broken ss, I saw something I knew Song Ze would never be able to ept. Man and woman clothes, and underwear littered the floor. From the trail, it was clear that the couple underdressed as they made their way deeper into the shop. As we parted the curtain that separated the front of the shop from the back, the shocking image appeared before us. A naked man and woman were lying in bed. From their frantic actions, it was clear that Gu Chen''s kick had startled them as well. The only thing they could do before we barged in was to use the sheet to cover their most important body parts.


    "Fei? Fei''er?" I didn''t realize Song Ze had followed behind us. Then he copsed to the ground. "How, how could you do something like this? I, I always thought you were different from the others, but, but you''re the same. Even the beautiful, generous, kind girl is like the others" Then he devolved into a blubbering mess. I did not have the time to deal with his emotions so I moved Song Ze to the side. Then I turned to address Liu Fei''er and the middle-aged man. "Come on, put on your clothes, we need to talk."


    The duo didn''t speak. Gu Chen and I walked out while I had Song Ze deliver the two their clothes from the front of the store. Soon the couple sat before me and Gu Chen. The middle-aged man was around 1.8 metres tall and he was incredibly handsome. He looked around 40 and had a well-kept beard. He was a left-hander. I believed this was Liu Fei''er''s real father, but What about the shocking image that we saw earlier? This was the story behind it.


    Back then, Liu Yinyan was already 50 but Liu Yinyan''s Russian wife was only 20. Quite a number of people talked behind their backs but Liu Yinyan never cared about other people''s opinion and they got married. Mind over body was not a thing when it came to the duty between husband and wife. Liu Yinyan was 50 and he only had 1 kidney left, so the chance of him having healthy usable sperms was extremely low. Therefore, Liu Fei''er''s mother also knew that Liu Yinyan would never have a progeny. Plus, she found out Liu Yinyan was really not good in bed.


    In other words, if not for the money, she would not have married Liu Yinyan. However, to ask a woman in her 20s to give up sex, that was impossible. Therefore, Liu Fei''er''s mother had an affair. For such a beautiful, rich and young woman, naturally if she wanted, she would have plenty of suitors. And this man before me used his good looks, perfect body and voracious sex drive to win over the otherpetition. He hit a hole in one on their first time. Liu Fei''er''s mother initially wanted to have an abortion but she eventually decided against it. She was doing it for the sake of Liu Yinyan because she knew how much Liu Yinyan wanted a child.


    The woman broke the news and Liu Yinyan never suspected anything. Perhaps hope had blinded his eyes. After Liu Fei''er was born, he gave her and her mother the best of everything. That was the moment when Liu Fei''er''s mother felt she couldn''t live with herself anymore. Her husband had given her the best of the world, but she repaid him with a horrible betrayal and a big lie. After the child was old enough, Liu Fei''er''s mother moved back to Russia, because she couldn''t face Liu Yinyan anymore. She was too ashamed.


    But this middle-aged man had fallen irrevocably in love with Liu Fei''er''s mother. What he didn''t know was Liu Fei''er''s mother was only using him as a sperm donor and a good roll in the hay, but he had ced true feelings into their rtionship. Since he could not get the mother, then he would get the daughter. Liu Fei''er at 16 looked just like her mother but younger and prettier. Hate could cross generations and so could love.


    Even though Liu Fei''er had the perfect life, she wascking in her parent''s love. Liu Yinyan was always busy and her mother was absent. At that moment, a handsome uncle appeared. He gave Liu Fei''er a father''s care and a boyfriend''s love. When Liu Fei''er was 16, she volunteered her body to this man whom she had decided to spend the rest of her life with. But at that moment, the man told Liu Fei''er that he was her actual father. Liu Fei''er wasn''t shocked or appalled, in fact, she pushed herself into him further.


    This was the life lesson Liu Yinyan learned near the end of his life, "What you have is never what you really want," Liu Fei''er learned that when she was only 16. She didn''t want money, she only wantedpany. Liu Fei''er hugged the man next to her with tears, the man who was both her boyfriend and her father.


    Now everything was answered.


    Other than Liu Fei''er, no one would have known about their secrets, so naturally the person who revealed them to Wu Zui was this man.

 Chapter 114: Father

    Chapter 114: Father


    This was another story, and it started 2 weeks ago. That noon, Chen Lin sat on the bed with Liu Fei''er. Chen Lin tested one of Liu Fei''er''s lipsticks. As he put it on, he asked, "Are you sure about this? You want to leave? What is so bad about this life, do you know how many people would kill to have your life? To have all these amazing cosmetics and money that you''ll never finish." Liu Fei''er sat on the edge of the bed. Instead of answering the question, she asked one of her own, "Aren''t you tired lying under the bed the whole night yesterday?"


    Chen Lin shook his head. "I''ve spent years sleeping in sewers, garbage dumps. If not for your father, I might have died already."


    "But you" Liu Fei''er began and then stopped. Chen Lin continued for her, "Yes, I''ve killed 7 people. That was because at the time, I felt life was meaningless. A half man, half woman like myself won''t have any semnce of a life. In fact, my family survived by being theughing stock of others. So I killed them." Chen Lin smiled, "I killed them on my 18th birthday, I shouldn''t have done it! I should have killed them earlier, because then I would be a minor and I wouldn''t get the sentence that I did."


    Liu Fei''er nced at this crazy woman and didn''t know what to say. Chen Lin chuckled mirthlessly. "I thought about killing myself after killing them, but I was captured and instead was given imprisonment for life. That meant that I would live forever in prison, that was definitely not what I wanted. Inside the prison, it felt like I had returned back to my circus days, I was gawked at again. It was then that I realized I had to leave. When I made that decision, it was like everything hit me then. Perhaps only we can decide the trajectory of our lives." Chen Lin suddenly sighed, "If I am given another chance, I would definitely not kill my family. But that''s life, every decision that you''ve made would carry irrevocable consequences." Chen Lin paused to ask seriously, "So have you really made your decision?"


    Liu Fei''er said firmly, "I have, I''ve made that decision when I was 16. Plus we wouldn''t be hurting anyone, I would pretend to be kidnapped and demand a lot of money from Liu Yinyan. That would be enough for me and my father to elope. That money is nothing for Liu Yinyan."


    Chen Lin sighed, "But are you sure you don''t want to discuss this with your father first? Will he agree to a decision like this?"


    Liu Fei''erughed. "I knew he wouldn''t so I have to do this. What is the meaning of life if you love someone but cannot be with him officially, and have to hide your love forever? Look at how hale Liu Yinyan is, he won''t die even after 90, by then I would be 40 already!"


    Chen Lin had more to say but after seeing the glint in Liu Fei''er''s eyes, she only shook her head. After a long time, she said, "Since you''ve made your decision, then we better move on. I''ve already bought out a patrol guard so that we can sneak out from this ce and then I will call Liu Yinyan to ask for 30,000,000 RMB."


    Liu Fei''er held his hands. "Chen Lin, thank you so much."


    Chen Lin shook his head and said softly, "Don''t need to thank me, I only hope that you won''t regret your decision in the future like I do. Actually Liu Yinyan treats you very well, doesn''t he?" Liu Fei''er was silent. What she wanted was apples but Liu Yinyan had given her a whole ntation of oranges. Around noon, Chen Lin carried Liu Fei''er and slid down the balcony. Based on Chen Lin''s n, after a guard disappeared, the police would realize this was not a disappearance but a kidnapping. Then he would call Liu Yinyan to demand for ransom. After he got the money, Liu Fei''er and her father could finally be together and he would continue his solitary life of a fugitive. The person who was responsible to help them leave was Lin Dafa.


    But to Chen Lin''s surprise, it was another group of people waiting for them at the meeting point. This group was the kidnappers who were bloodier and crueller than Chen Lin. They apprehended Lin Dafa and killed Chen Lin. They left dog''s blood on Chen Lin''s lipstick and started to use their method to leave trails for us. At the underground parking lot where Chen Lin visited for the beef tapeworm, he purposely left a car there and nted the leaf of the nts unique to Lin Yinyan''s bungalow in the tire treads.


    Then, everything else was as written. We slowly walked into the other group''s trap. They took over Chen Lin''s job of kidnapping Liu Fei''er and even captured Lin Dafa''s daughter. Liu Fei''er''s original n was to elope with her biological father but she was captured by an actual group of kidnappers and she assumed her biological father didn''t know about all these. But the only her real father could have known about her secrets and so he was the only person who could sell her out.


    In the early few days, the kidnappers didn''t give any call because they needed to arrange everything after they captured Liu Fei''er. Using Lin Dafa''s daughter as hostage, they forced the man to work for them. They left clues about the man and eventually sent him into our hands. They even led us purposely to the factory where Liu Fei''er and Liu Yinyan were kept. Everything was a show meant for us police. That was why the kidnappers'' motives had confused me, why the earlier part of the case, the kidnappers valued secrecy but theter part, they kept leaving clues for us. It was because this case was conducted by 2 groups of people, and Wu Zui''s group was clearly the crazier one.


    Then we knew what happened next. Wu Zui''s target wasn''t Liu Fei''er but Liu Yinyan, because only by killing someone like Liu Yinyan would Dong Xing City fall into chaos. Wu Zui''s group appeared to savor chaos and anarchy. At this point, all the truth had been exposed.


    The case started with a kidnapping'' designed by Liu Fei''er and it ended with Liu Yinyan''s murder orchestrated by Wu Zui. The man had perfectly molded the 2 cases together. It was wless. If not for my alertness, we might never know the truth. Liu Fei''er who lost a finger hugged her father tightly and her father''s face was covered in tears. Liu Fei''er''s father had no idea that how much work Liu Fei''er had done just to be with him. She had chosen to abandon her family of 20 years and abandon her own mother. But Liu Fei''er didn''t know that she was just the recement for her mother. Her father exposed all the secrets to Wu Zui because he nned to have both Liu Yinyan and Liu Fei''er die in the process, then no one would stand in his way of being with Liu Fei''er''s mother.


    Of course, that was just my spection.


    However, there was one person who waspletely fooled. Liu Yinyan, who had worked his whole life, lost everything in matters of seconds. But at 70, I still can''t read human hearts, much less heaven''s decrees.'' That was what Liu Yinyan told me after his confession that night. His mncholy, cidity was still echoing in my ears.


    3 people died, an innocent patrol guard, a fugitive, a legend in the venture capitalism world. And Liu Fei''er herself lost a finger. Chen Lin was right, when one made a decision, we would have to live with its consequences.


    I didn''t ask whether Liu Fei''er regretted it or not, I didn''t ask whether she felt guilty or not. I didn''t ask her biological father why he had exposed his daughter''s secret to Wu Zui, or whether he had only treated Liu Fei''er as a recement. I was not a good doctor, I didn''t want to expose people''s wounds and I didn''t like to y Wu Zui''s secret game''. Everyone had the right to their own secrets, be it good or bad, torture or relief.


    When the 3 of us walked out from the cake shop, Liu Fei''er finally broke down. She cried until her body shook. When Liu Yinyan died, she didn''t even cry this hard. Only oneself could manage one''s own emotions.


    "Are we going to end things like this?" Gu Chen looked at me and asked, "Don''t we need to bring her in?"


    I shook my head and looked up at the dark sky, "I don''t think so. The consequences of what Liu Fei''er has done is punishment enough. Bringing her to the station will not change anything. I just wanted to know the truth but sometimes, after knowing the truth, you''d rather not knowing about it."


    I turned to Song Ze, "What about you? I''d suggest you keep this to yourself." Song Ze didn''t speak but nodded slowly. His world was entirely ruined, this was yet another innocent victim.


    "Shall we go back now?" Gu Chen asked. I nodded. "Okay, I''m tired. I need to sleep."


    Inside the car, I nced at the shops that rolled by. Music drifted out from the shops, the heavy tempo made people want to dance. The pedestrians crowded the streets, beside them were heavy traffic, apanied by constant honking. Dong Xing City was a metropolis, everyone could find a ce here. They worked hard for their tomorrow, for the future that they wanted. But what was the final purpose? Why must dreams take so many sacrifices before it coulde true? Or was it because once one had something, they would greedily want something else?


    Gu Chen opened a radio and a bad drifted out.


    Do not assume that I know


    Everything that you have done for me


    The sacrifice that you have given


    Howe I feel not a drop of it


    Is that not worth a single promation of love?


    There is a time that I remember


    The both of us riding on the bicycle


    I hug you closely from behind


    I wish to hug tighter, refusing to let you go


    Life is like a wastnd


    If a child can hang forever from their father''s powerful shoulder


    Who would ever want to let go?


    Did Liu Yinyan really not know that Liu Fei''er was not his biological daughter? Or after 20 years, he had epted her as his own?


    I couldn''t answer this question, but as the sharpest venture capitalist around, Liu Yinyan should be able to answer that question


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 Chapter 115: Punishment

    Chapter 115: Punishment


    7 dayster, Liu Yinyan was finally buried, at the best ceremonial plot at Dong Xing City. There were more than thousands who attended the funeral. They included Liu Yinyan''s family, the leaders of the business world and normal citizens. The crowd stared at the man''s resting ce seriously. Some were quietly weeping, others were mumbling among themselves. From their whisperings, I found out that these people were beneficiaries of Liu Yinyan''s uremia charity. Without Liu Yinyan, they would have died. I stood at the back of the crowd and said nothing.


    "Elder Liu is such a good man, curse those kidnappers!" An olddy said, "It was Elder Liu who helped save our son''s life. Unfortunately, the good always die young. Hopefully he''ll rest in peace" Another old woman nodded. "Come on, let''s go. We''ll need to walk an hour to the bus station, or else we''ll miss the bus back home." Then the twodies left the crowded spot. No one paid them any attention and no one knew they had purposely travelled from another city to Dong Xing City just to pay respect to Liu Yinyan.


    What was a good person and a bad person? Perhaps for these people who had benefited from Liu Yinyan''s charity, he was a saint; but for Ren Tian and his daughter, Liu Yinywan was probably the devil. Sometimes, people only wanted to see what they wanted to see. Human beings were never unterally good or evil, they were always a mix of both.


    3 dayster, inside Captain Zhao''s office, a cup knocked noisily on the table. It was Captain Zhao who was doing it. It was clear that he was angry. "I thought things would be over after I took on all the me. But I didn''t expect these people to be so narrow-minded. Under that circumstance, no one could rush in. If we did, everyone would die. Liu Yinyan was important, but he was not fucking more important than the lives of my unit member." Captain Zhao growled, "That motherfucker has whispered into the higher up''s ears and said that if he had led the operation, Liu Yinyan would still be alive. If that is not bullshit, what is? We have already done the best we could under the circumstances."


    Hearing that, Xiao Liu quickly used the tea cup to block Captain Zhao''s mouth. "My dear captain, what are you talking about? That motherfucker is still waiting outside for you to clear out this ce. You''re already a target, if anything else happens, this is not going to end well."


    Gu Chen groused, "You mean the disgusting opportunist is that Captain Lee? He wasn''t even around when we were handling the case, but now he''s out showing and preening his feathers? Fine, we''re going to be sent to a smaller ce. But what is there for us to lose?"


    Xiao Liu hurried over to close his hand over Gu Chen''s mouth, "My dear brother, can you please pipe down? After the case ended like this, all of us should have been fired. If not for Captain Zhao, we would be searching for another job already. Just let it be" I knew Xiao Liu was concerned about his job. I was about to say something but decided against it when I saw Xiao Liu''s helpless expression. Captain Zhao drank the tea like a drinking machine. Mary nced at Captain Zhao and then said, "Well, I guess there''s no better time than now to announce the higher up''s decision. Another unit will be taking over the heavy crimes, the other unit being the one led by that Captain Lee. We will be moved to a smaller district and will be handling small cases from now on, but if you ask me, there are no small or big cases, every case is important." Mary looked at us and then sighed, "But we''ll have to clear out of this office now."


    Captain Zhao finally stopped drinking. "Let''s go, maybe the change of scenery can be good. Gold will shine anywhere it goes, I believe we''ll soon be promoted back to the frontline." As we shuffled out from the office, we saw Captain Lee standing outside. Once he saw Captain Zhao, the man said, "Little Brother Zhao, it''s not so good going to the countryside, the air is fresh and the food is natural. It''s a good ce for retirement. You''ve been working for so long already, why not consider retirement already?" Captain Lee said kindly but the meaning behind his words was clear, he was hoping that Captain Zhao would never be transferred back. I didn''t know what was the history between Captain Zhao and Captain Lee, but it definitely wasn''t amicable. Captain Lee extended his hand to shake Captain Zhao''s hand.


    Captain Zhao handed his tea cup to Xiao Liu and took Captain Lee''s hand, "Yes, it''s time for a little peace and quiet. But congrattions, you''re almost 50 right? You finally got this chair just before retiring age. But this chair is not asfortable as you might think. Careful not to slip down from it."


    "Don''t you worry about that." Captain Lee chuckled.


    Captain Zhao shrugged. "Come on, let''s go." The few of us walked out but Xiao Liu stood there motionless. Xiao Liu handed Captain Zhao''s tea cup to me and then lowered his head to say, "Erm, Captain Zhao, I don''t think I''ll be following you this time. I''ve promised Captain Lee that I''ll stay. As you know, I''ve worked here for 2 years already and I''m more familiar with this ce. And I" We were shocked but with that came the realization that Xiao Liu was saying goodbye to us. Of course, as mentioned earlier, in the big city, it was far easier to get promotions. Xiao Liu was worried about losing his job because it was not certain if Captain Zhao would even return to Dong Xing City.


    Gu Chen spat and growled, "Liu Kai, I knew you''re a spineless thing. Whenever we went out, either Wu Meng or I would pay for cigarettes even though you are our senior, and because you''re our senior, I didn''t say anything. So we have failed the mission this time, what is so shameful about that? Can you not ept that result?" Gu Chen''s voice got louder and louder, "You have been with Captain Zhao longer than Wu Meng and I did and you''re betraying him now?"


    Captain Zhao ced aforting hand on Gu Chen and said slowly, "Everyone has their own life goal, be understanding. Xiao Liu, it''s good that you''re staying here. But know that my unit will always be open to wee you back." Xiao Liu was touched and wanted to say something more but he noticed Captain Lee was already ring at him. So just like that, we parted.


    The rest of us got into the car and left Dong Xing City. In the car, Gu Chen was still grumbling, "I can''t stand that slimy douche. We were in this operation together so we should all shoulder the responsibility. For some money, for a post, he has chosen to betray us, I can''t believe it."


    Captain Zhao sighed and said, "I know what kind of person Xiao Liu is, or else I wouldn''t have kept him in my unit for so long. Sometimes, you can''t just see things from a singr perspective, many things are not as simple as it appears. Anyway, let''s not talk about that anymore. We better focus on what we should do when we arrive at Elm Town."


    Dong Xing City council had decided to transfer Captain Zhao to Elm Town, a small smidge on the map. Elm Town had a small poption, it was very far away from another metropolis. A murder would never happen here, and most of the police work involved family drama or neighbourly altercation.


    The local police treated us very kindly, they even had a weing dinner for us. From outside, the town''s police station looked small. The entire force was only the size of a single unit at Dong Xing City. Plus this ce didn''t have ab for DNA and chemical testing. If we had such requirements, we needed to post requests with another station. Even though the condition was not optimum, the pace of life here was slow. Everyone was slow and took things not so seriously. Captain Lee was right about one thing, this was a perfect ce for retirement.


    After the new office was built, Captain Zhao spent most of his days either brewing tea or drinking tea. Mary spent her time on her top of the stateputer, ying all kinds of games. The 3 of us were bored out of our mind. In fact when we saw the local police get summoned out for little altercations, we felt like following them.


    "Damn it." Gu Chen finally exploded, "This ce sure is boring. When we''re at Dong Xing, almost every day there is a murder. Even though they might not be big cases, they are at least exciting. But now, every 100 phone calls into this ce, 50 are fake and the other 50 are about someone losing their keys, someone''s cat got stuck on a tree and so on"


    Hearing hisints, I chided, "But isn''t that every police officer''s dream? If police are needed, then the world is not peaceful. If we''re all bored, then it means that this town has a low crime rate, isn''t that a good thing?"


    Gu Chen sighed, "I guess you''re right. It''s so contradictory."


    From behind a book, Guan Zhenglin rolled her eyes at us. "If you two are that bored, go and read. Improve yourself!"


    Gu Chen countered, "Do you have a movie adaptation instead? I don''t want to fall asleep."


    So the days rolled by uneventfully.


    Several monthster, the first snow started to fall and a phone arrived at Elm Town''s police station.


    "Hello, is this the police? There is a dead body in our vige! A woman''s dead body!"

 Chapter 116: First Drain Village

    Chapter 116: First Drain Vige


    We had stayed at Elm Town for more than 2 months and this was the first time we heard the term dead body. In the past, there had been cases of reported murders but whenever we arrived, the so-called dead'' were still alive. The caller only said that so the police woulde faster. But based on the tone and attitude of the caller, we had reasons to believe there had been an actual murder. The caller said the woman''s body was found at First Drain Vige.


    The body was covered under heavy snow. A viger spotted a protruding foot and went forward to examine it. The toes had red nail polish and when the person touched the foot, it was already frozen solid. The sun was setting. He didn''t dare to move the body out on his own, so he called the police and hurried home.


    Therefore, we were now on our way to First Drain Vige. We didn''t know the road so the team was led by Chief Zhou from the station''s crime unit. Behind us was a car with the officers from Elm Town. This time, basically all the members of the crime unit had mobilized. ording to Chief Zhou, this was practically the first actual murder case for some of them. However, after saying that, Chief Zhou''s brows scrunched tightly together. Noticing this, I asked, "Chief Zhou, what''s wrong? You look like you have some concern on your mind, is there something bothering you about this case?"


    The road was slippery from the snow. The country roads were rarely used by motor vehicles so the snow piled high. Chief Zhou drove very slowly in case of an ident. The headlights shone on neither person nor animals. With the wind howling outside the window, it was as if we were travelling to another world. The ce was so quiet, too quiet if you asked me. It felt like no living human would be found here. No wonder the caller hurried back home after calling the police, instead of staying at the spot where the body was found.


    Chief Zhou sighed and then said, "Actually, no one would havee to First Drain Vige unless necessary." The confidential tone used by Chief Zhou coupled with the dark environment made it feel like he was telling a ghost story. That was the perfectbination to get my interest hooked. I pressed, "Why so?"


    "First Drain Vige" Chief Zhou exined evenly, "You outsiders wouldn''t know this, but we at Elm Town also refer to this ce as the Handicapped Vige."


    "The Handicapped Vige?" Guan Zhenglin tilted her head to the side. Chief Zhou nodded and his voice lowered even more, "Yes, the Handicapped Vige, because the people who live here are handicapped. They either miss a limb, or an eye, or they''re mute or deaf. I''ll put it like this, there is not a single viger here that is like us normal people." A strange feeling gripped my heart hearing that. "Every single one is handicapped?"


    "Yes." Chief Zhou answered, "First Drain Vige has around 80 families so 200 plus people and everyone is handicapped."


    I didn''t look down on the handicapped, but something about this just didn''t seem right. Noting our silence, Chief Zhou continued, "I am a local from Elm Town, I was raised on the stories of this vige. Do you know how the parents at Elm Town discipline their children? They threaten them with a night at First Drain Vige, it works every time."


    "But why would these people gather together in the same vige?" Gu Chen asked.


    "No one knows." Chief Zhou answered, "I''m in my 30s now but I''ve heard of this ce since I was a toddler. I heard from my elders that this vige started as a normal vige but as time moved on, there were more and more handicapped peopleing over. I suppose birds of a feather flock together?"


    Gu Chen scratched his head. "I suppose. Perhaps because they''re all handicapped people, they could look after each other more easily this way. But it feels strange knowing the whole vige is filled with handicapped people."


    Chief Zhou nodded. "Yes, that''s why normally the locals won''te to this vige. It is quite backwards too. However, the specialty of this vige also made it some kind of dark attraction for thrill-seekers. Then again, during this wintry season, I doubt there are any outsiders there now."


    We drove for an hour and we were no closer to our destination. Looking out from the window, we were lined by snowy fields. There were only 2 blocks of color. White on the floor and ck in the sky.


    First Drain Vige, a vige made up entirely of handicapped people. This sounded like an episode from Ripley''s Believe it or Not. A strange feeling rose within me, it was hard to describe. I wondered if the dead body under the snow was also a handicapped person or not. The snow tires creaked noisily, the engine hummed, the wintry winds howled. The heater was on full st, I felt drowsy. The two vehicles drove like that towards the destination. After another hour, we finally arrived. By then it was already 9 pm, and every door was closed. The only light was the yellow light from the streetlights that stood on either side of the narrow road. They were the old-fashioned type of streetlights.


    "The people here sure sleep early." Imented.


    Chief Zhou chuckled, "This is not Dong Xing City, people retire to bed early here. But I''ve already contacted the vige head. Someone is supposed to lead us to the crime scene. We''ll meet at the vige entrance not far from here" Then Chief Zhou opened the door and got out. "I''ll go look for the person. It''s cold out here, you guys better stay in the car and wait." While he said that, I already got down from the car. Chief Zhou shook his head, "Didn''t you hear me? What if you catch a cold?"


    I chuckled, "Brother Zhou, I might havee from Dong Xing City but I''ve worked on the frontline before, a bit of snow is not going to pose any problem. Plus we''re searching for a dead body, we can''t just sit idly inside the car." While we spoke, the rest of the team got down as well. Even though it was just early winter, the months felt like it was going to be a cold one. Even though we were dressed inyers, we couldn''t help rubbing our hands together. Chief Zhou said someone would be here to lead us to the crime scene but I saw no one.


    Just as we turned towards the vige entrance and looked, suddenly someone grabbed me from behind. I turned back to look and almost screamed. I saw a face, a face that only had an eye. The face''s skin was shriveled, there were patches of wounds and parts of the skin was turned inside out. The face had a ck hollow at the spot where the right eye should be. The left eye was muddled and it had been studying me. Even for someone like myself, this sudden meeting almost made me scream.


    But momentster, I soon calmed down. The scars on the man''s face were caused by burns. There was no moisture on the skin so they folded like undting mountains. The man had no lips, they were probably burnt away as well. Theck of lips meant that his gums were directly exposed before me. The mouth spoke, "Come."


    Through the streetlight, I saw the great tearing on the skin near his mouth. It was clear that every word spoken would literally cause this man extreme pain. It was why he only said the worde'' and nothing else.


    Chief Zhou walked over and studied the man. "You are Ol'' Xia whom the vige head sent over to guide us? You know the way? The caller has told you that?"


    Ol'' Xia nodded. Chief Zhou nced at Ol'' Xia and said, "How about this, you can take the passenger seat and point out the direction for us. Tell us when we''re at the crime scene, okay?" Ol'' Xia only nodded.


    Guan Zhenglin, Gu Chen and I sat at the back. After Ol'' Xia got into the car, he pointed forward and then he closed his only eye as if to rest. We observed the strange man through the rearview mirror. I wondered what had happened to Ol'' Xia that he ended up like this. He was wearing an old military coat which was heavily patched. The coat looked as old as he was.


    Chief Zhou drove silently. Ol'' Xia pointed at the other side of the vige, we still had quite a bit of journey to make. Initially I nned to ask the guide for information about the victim, but seeing the state Ol'' Xia was in, I decided to just leave it be. Looks like the Handicapped Vige wasn''t just in name.


    Ol'' Xia kept his eye closed even though we had been driving for some time already. Afraid that we might have passed the crime scene, Chief Zhou asked a few times whether we were on the right path. In response to the questioning, Ol'' Xia only pointed forward, signalling for Chief Zhou to keep going without even opening his eye. This went for a few times until it grated on Chief Zhou''s nerves slightly. He tutted, "I say, Mr. Xia, I really need you to cooperate with us. The body is found at your vige, the victim might even be someone you know. How can you even spot the crime scene if you keep your eye closed like that? Ol'' Xia, are you even awake?"


    Ol'' Xiao kept his eye and mouth closed. Chief Zhou continued to drive. "Ol'' Xia, can you please say something? Or just give me some hand signals? We''ve been driving for half an hour already, are we there yet?"


    Just as Chief Zhou was about to explode, Ol'' Xia suddenly said, "Stop!" The voice was raspy but the volume was high, it shocked everyone inside the car. Chief Zhou stepped on the brake. The moment the car halted, Ol'' Xia opened the door and got out.


    With a stern look, Chief Zhou groused, "This Ol'' Xia, he either spends his time in total silence or booms like thunder. Thanks to him, I almost drove into the drain"


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 Chapter 117: The Body Dump

    Chapter 117: The Body Dump


    Ol'' Xia walked slowly towards the roadside. He made no sound walking on the snow like he was virtually floating in the air. No wonder I didn''t hear anyoneing when he grabbed me from behind at the vige entrance earlier. I already had a strange feeling beforeing to this Handicapped Vige but after meeting Ol'' Xia, the feeling only grew. If every viger was like Ol'' Xia, then this would definitely be a strange ce. With that thought in my mind, I followed Ol'' Xia.


    "Remember to bring the shovels!" Chief Zhou shouted. Both of the police cruisers had high beam highlights, and the other officers provided extra lighting with shlights. On this kind of countryside road, the distance between the streetlights was far. Furthermore most of the streetlights were out, I wondered if someone had shattered the lightbulbs, or they were dead from misuse. The branches growled creepily as the wind blew through them. There was just a creepy atmosphere about this ce. If I had to walk this stretch of road alone at night, I would be frightened to death. Now I understood why the caller left the crime scene after he called in the body. If I had to stay with a dead body at a ce like this, I would not be faring well myself. Even though I was a firm atheist, human beings were like that, they liked to scare themselves with things that weren''t there.


    However, Ol'' Xia appeared to be immune to this bizarre environment. He was practically running in the darkness since he had no shlight. He didn''t even need to stop to check where his feet fell. I couldn''t help but be reminded of the fact that Ol'' Xia was able to tell where the car was headed even though he had kept his eye closed inside the car. Like how I experienced it inside Chu Ye''s tomb, when one lost the power of one sense, the other senses would be heightened.


    We proceeded in silence. Even though I was wearing gloves, I could feel the frost biting into my fingers. Along the way, I checked the ground in front of Ol'' Xia who was in the lead. There was only one set of footprints on the ground. If I was not mistaken, the footprints should belong to the person who discovered the body. In other words, it must have been snowing when the body was dumped. The weather had helped cover up the killer''s footprints.


    "Here!" Ol'' Xia announced in his mono-sybic way. His voice was still raspy and loud, it was like the sound of a cannon being fired underwater. Ol'' Xia appeared to only have the ability of talking in monosybles because it would be too painful for him otherwise. Hearing that, we hurriedly stopped. The shlights shone on the ground. As we were told, a foot was sticking out from the snowy ground. This was a shoeless foot, it wasn''t even wearing stocking. Then again, that should be expected or else the caller wouldn''t have seen the color of the nail polish. This spot was not that far from the so-called main road''. When the call was made, the sun hadn''t fully set. It waspletely possible for a passer-by to notice a foot sticking out from the ground.


    But just from a foot alone, I didn''t dare to conclude that this was a woman''s feet. After all, I had seen too many different kinds of people in our previous cases, jumping to conclusions was never a good idea. We didn''t hurry to dig the dead body out because before that we needed to inspect the crime scene. I requested a shlight and shone around the spot. There was no trace visible. The snow had perfectly muffled the killer''s presence.


    "Wu Meng, did you find anything?" Chief Zhou asked, because our team of 3 was technically more experienced than they were in dealing with murder cases. The way he regarded me made me feel more important than I really was.


    I answered quickly, "The heavy snow stopped about 3 hours ago. When we received the call, it was still snowing but the amount of snow shouldn''t be heavy enough to cover up a person''s footprints. Therefore, the victim must have died more than 3 hours ago. With regards to the actual time of death, we''ll have to depend on Guan Zhenglin and her expertise."


    "Yes, that does sound logical." Chief Zhou nodded. I continued, "It is now 9.30 pm, so 3 hours ago, it would be 6.30 pm. Before 6.30 pm, the day was bright. The killer dared to kill in broad daylight and dump the body here, it could only mean that they are very familiar with this path. They knew that no one would use this path after the heavy snow started to fall." Suddenly, I felt like I was transported back to the first case by the train tracks, the feeling of confidence imbued me. Perhaps it was the 2 months at the peaceful Elm Town that rejuvenated me. "Even if the killer is not a viger at First Drain Vige, they must know this vige very well!" I said confidently.


    Chief Zhou nodded. "Then what should we do now? Dig up the dead woman?"


    I nodded. "Yes. But it''s still too early to confirm that the victim is female. A man could wear nail polish too."


    Chief Zhou pped his forehead. "You''re right! How could I forget about that?! A police officer shouldn''t carry their preconceptions into the cases, I always forget about that." He turned to the other officers. "You people heard that? You should learn from Wu Meng when you have the chance. He might just be in his 20s but he''s so much more experienced than you"


    We stepped back while Chief Zhou ordered his people to clear away the surrounding snow. Thankfully, the snow was soft so it didn''t take that long to remove them. In less than a few minutes, we heard Chief Zhou say, "We''ve done it!" We were blocked behind theyers of officers so all we could see was the back of people''s heads. We couldn''t tell whether the victim was male or female or even their body features.


    "So, is it a male or female?!" I shouted. Chief Zhou coughed and said, "Wu Meng, I really can''t tell!"


    "You can''t tell?" I was confused. "What do you mean?"


    Chief Zhou was silent for a long time before he hesitantly said, "Well, since there is no leg hair, I suppose it is a female" The vaguer Chief Zhou was, the more befuddled I became. I squeezed my way through theyers and finally understood Chief Zhou''s difficulty. The body had been dug up but there was only a single leg. Sometimes, life was like that. When you were confident about something, life would use a more surprising way to prove you wrong. I had considered that the victim might not be a woman but I was not expecting that the foot would not be connected to the rest of the body. I frowned as I looked at the leg which was dismembered around the upper knee. I ordered, "Quick! Search around if you can find other body parts, split up now!" The officers heard me and started to dig around with the shovels.


    Just from the leg alone, it was hard to tell the victim''s gender. After all, not all men had leg hair and not all women didn''t have them. I studied the cross section of the cut and noticed the wound was not even, that meant that the weapon used to dismember the leg was not sharp. It was not a clean cut, but instead there was plenty of sawing, pulling and yanking. From the size of the leg, I believed the owner of this leg was on the slender side. The leg was about 1 metre long, so the victim should be quite tall.


    I held the leg carefully, it was already frozen solid. I didn''t dare to use too much force because it wasmon knowledge that the harder one thing was, the more fragile it was. If my hands identally slipped, the leg would shatter into icy chips. Guan Zhenglin used a shlight to examine the cut closer. After some studying, she said in a serious tone, "Wu Meng, I''m afraid this case wouldn''t be simpler than the ones we were used to dealing with at Dong Xing City." As a very professional coroner, I had all the reasons to believe Guan Zhenglin.


    "What''s your view?" I asked softly.


    Guan Zhenglin answered, "From what I could see, cellr activity was still ongoing when the leg was removed. There is copious bleeding around the wound, the capiries are dry and the muscles have shrunk. To put it simply, the victim was still alive when this leg was removed" For some reason, hearing that, the leg in my grasp felt instantly heavier. From the uneven cuts, we knew that the dismemberment wasn''t clean. The killer shed many times before the leg was detached. Only a psychopath could do something like this. The victim must have been in great and intense pain before they died.


    Guan Zhenglin was not wrong. This case was as sick as the big cases we faced back in Dong Xing City. The image appeared in my mind. In a snowy afternoon, the killer wielded a dull de and hacked into the victim''s leg again and again. Perhaps the victim was tied to a bed. They struggled and wiggled but were unable to stop the life was seeping away. Enveloped by intense pain, the victim finally passed away from overwhelming blood loss. The killer then picked up the victim''s leg, came out here and dropped it into the snow before hurrying away.


    The snow continued to fall and eventually covered up the killer''s tracks.


    "There''s nothing else around here!" Chief Zhou shouted from afar. "It''s getting too dark. If there are other body parts buried out here, we wouldn''t be able to spot them easily. How about we seal up this ce ande back tob over it in more detail tomorrow?"


    "Okay." I shouted back. However, I worried that the search tomorrow would alsoe up with nothing. The killer probably only left us with a leg.


    "You heard the man!" Chief Zhou announced. The officers started to gather back together. I looked at Gu Chen and Guan Zhenglin, "If I''m not mistaken, this is not going to be the killer''sst dump, we''ll encounter more instances like this!"

 Chapter 118: Criminal Profile

    Chapter 118: Criminal Profile


    As the wind blew, I held a metre-long leg and the chill froze inside my heart. It travelled through my body, making my limbs numb. This was a chill stronger than the wintry wind, it frosted my heart. Chief Zhou came to my side and the air puffed out of his lips as he said, "Wu Meng, shall we return now?"


    I nced at the leg I was holding and said slowly, "Let''s go back and see if we can find any useful clues from this leg." On the way back, Chief Zhou didn''t share anymore jokes with us. It was understandable, after encountering something like this, even the most optimistic person would feel rather affected. The two vehicles slowly made their ways through the bracing winds


    Back at the station, inside an old morgue.


    The morgue looked like it had been abandoned for years. ording to Chief Zhou, this ce was just a decoration because there hadn''t been any murder at Elm Town for a long time already. Those who died from idents were processed at the hospital so this morgue was mostly left unused. The ce was not fitted with a heater and I had to stomp several times to keep my feet from freezing. Guan Zhenglin took in the dpidated condition and sighed. "The situation can be better but at least all the basic equipment is here. However, the biggest problem is the leg is like a frozen ham now, I can''t perform an autopsy on that. We need to wait until the leg thaws out before we can do anything."


    "But this ce is so cold, it''ll take forever for it to thaw out here." Chief Zhou scratched his head and said embarrassingly, "So what should we do now?"


    "How about," I said, "We move it to somewhere warmer then?" If you opened the door to Elm Town''s police station at that moment, you would be greeted by a strange scene. There were 4 people seated around a table where a leg was sitting. This was not a pig or cow leg but a human leg. Due to the heaters in the office, the ice on the outside of the leg was melting with visible speed. It formed trickles of water and dripped down the side of the table. Soon, puddles were formed on the table as well as around it. We stared at the long leg like a bunch of hyenas waiting for the food to be ready.


    After about half an hour, the whole leg finally thawed out. The defrosted leg lost its earlier rigidity and it looked wrinkled. Chief Zhou grabbed a towel to wipe off the water stains on the leg. Guan Zhenglin reached out to stop him, "Don''t, this kind of towel will leave behind fibres and it might identally wipe away the traces left behind by the killer. The friction might also scar the fragile skin"


    After hearing that Chief Zhou''s eyes shone and he said seriously, "Impressive! I''ve learnt so much in thest few hours. I have to admit, you people from the big city are amazing. My admiration for you guys is as deep as the water of the Yellow River"


    "Thank you!" Guan Zhenglin picked up the leg and said with some excitement, "We can start the autopsy now, let''s see what this leg can tell us."


    We all returned to the simple morgue. The environment here was truly unbearable. The cold was too much. Whenever we spoke, white mist woulde out from our mouths. However, Guan Zhenglin needed to dissect the leg in this environment. To not affect her motion, she only wore a simple glove, that was not going to give much resistance against the cold. Guan Zhenglin cut fast and urately, using the tools inside her toolbox. Chief Zhou gasped, "The technology is so advanced now?"


    Eventually, Guan Zhenglin finished the job. Chief Zhou hurried to grab a hot pack from the office and handed it to Guan Zhenglin. As she removed her gloves, I saw that her palms were frozen red. As she hugged the hot pack, she said, "There is no trace of fingerprints. Either the killer wore gloves or they have been washed away by the melted snow. From the current state of the flesh, the leg has been chopped off for 6 to 9 hours already. In other words," She continued, "When we arrived at the crime scene, the leg had been dismembered for 1 to 3 hours already. The conditions here and the leg itself doesn''t allow me to pinpoint the time further. But if we can find the other body parts, I might be able to make aparison analysis."


    I nodded, a general time frame was already enough to provide us with a direction. Chief Zhou looked at Guan Zhenglin and said embarrassingly, "You better hurry back to the office. The conditions here are really not thatfortable." Guan Zhenglin shrugged and then tossed me the hot pack. I grabbed it and realized the hot pack had already gone cold. I looked out the leaky windows. The snow started to fall again, looks like the cold drafting from Siberia this year was quite strong.


    "I have something to show you." Guan Zhenglin used a tweezer to pick up one brown and short fur. It looked sturdier than human hair, I had no idea what it was.


    Gu Chen asked, "What is that?" Guan Zhenglin shook her head as she ced it inside the evidence bag. "I have no clue, there''s no device here to do the analysis. If we want to know the answer, we''ll have to send it to a betterb." Chief Zhou looked abashed. "Okay, I''ll immediately send my men to send this to the nearest city. Let''s get back to the office now, it''s so cold here." Everyone nodded and left the morgue. As we opened the door, we were sted by the cold draft, it almost shoved us back into the morgue. The snow was getting heavier and the sky was getting darker. It felt like the world was ending in snow.


    As we returned to the heated office, I never felt so thankful for the invention of heaters. Guan Zhenglin ced her hands around the heater and sighed, "This is the first time I''ve encountered such a cold winter. In the summer, my life is given by air-conditioners; but in the winter, my life is given by heaters."


    Guan Zhenglin''sments made me think of the killer. Was this person immune to the cold? Based on the time frame given by Guan Zhenglin, when the body was dumped, it was snowing as heavily as it was now. We could barely function in this weather but it didn''t seem to affect the killer, why? Who was this person?


    Wu Zui''s words hit me then, if I didn''t utilize the talent I was given, then I was just a normal person. But I was afraid of sinking too deep to perfect a criminal profile. I sat on the couch and watched as ice crystals formed on the surface of the ss.


    "What should we do next?" Chief Zhou asked. I gritted my teeth and decided to give it a try. I closed my eyes and imagined myself as the killer, why would I kill, why did I dump the body, what was my motive? The images appeared in my mind, I began slowly, "I am the killer, I am around 1.8 to 1.9 metres tall and I am quiterge. I have a big gut. I wear ck or blue overalls to work, the pants are tied around my waist. I wear leather boots and gloves." The pain appeared in my mind but I continued, "I shouldered a winter coat on my back and I carried a machete in my hand. This is a machete about 60 to 70 cm long. But since it has sawn through too many bones, the de is no longer as sharp. The machete is covered in blood so much so that the de has changed color. It has a bloody scent that cannot be hidden." The headache intensified as if the killer was grabbing my brain, "My hands are calloused, there''s an apron around my stomach. The apron was originally white but it is now ck and red. After I use the machete, I will use the apron to wipe down the de I have a slice of paradise that is my own." I resisted the pain and hurried through the rest, "No one knows about this ce, this ce has no water and electricity supply" I shouted, "I am a butcher!"


    Suddenly, I felt a buzz in my brain and my head nked. I couldn''t hear, see or feel anything. I stood in nothingness, with no one around me. "Wu Meng! Wu Meng!" The voices drifted closer and closer. The senses slowly returned to me. I could feel light and warmth as well as a hand on my shoulder shaking me. Guan Zhenglin''s nervous calls entered my ears, "Wu Meng, Wu Meng!" My eyes flew open and everyone was looking at me. I touched my forehead and found beads of sweat. I took in heavy gasps of air like I had just finished a marathon. I felt my tongue going dry and the pain pounding in my head. Chief Zhou looked at me. He wanted to say something but didn''t in the end. Guan Zhenglin asked with concern, "Are you alright?"


    I rubbed my temples and cleared my throat, "I''m fine but that was all I got at the moment, if we have more clues, the image of the killer should be clearer. For now, I cannot confirm the killer''s motive or the standards they have for picking out their targets." Guan Zhenglin epted a towel from Chief Zhou and gave it to me. "Wait, wasn''t this towel used to wipe down the leg earlier?" I was quite touched but when I saw the towel, I couldn''t help butin.


    Chief Zhou shrugged, "It wasn''t used in the end, was it? But Wu Meng, that was amazing. With just a close of your eyes, you''ve given us a general profile of the suspect. Can you teach me that skillter on?"


    "Sure, if you want to learn." I smiled. What Chief Zhou didn''t know was this couldn''t be taught. The criminal psychologist who came up with the theory of criminal profiling was a psychologist who suffered from lifelong mental illness and probably only a true mental patient would be able to utilize this skill to its full potential

 Chapter 119: Ol Xia

    Chapter 119: Ol'' Xia


    Other than the police station, the rest of the town was shrouded in darkness. It was already veryte at night. Other than the wind outside, I couldn''t hear anything else. We returned to our own rooms. Wrapped inside the thick nkets, hearing the intive howling of the wind, I fell deeply into sleep. Early the next morning, I was woken up by the sounds outside. The heater inside the room was working. I looked out through the window and saw Chief Zhou and his men shovelling the snow outside the station. Currently it was not snowing as heavily as it was yesterday night, if they didn''t remove the snow now, it would be impossible to leave the stationter. Walking out from the room, I waved at Chief Zhou''s team.


    Seeing me, Chief Zhou walked over and said, "You''re an early riser! How did you sleep yesterday night?"


    "Not bad," I answered honestly.


    As he chatted, the hands never stopped. It was cold but Chief Zhou was pouring with sweat. "I''m d. The Elm Town Police Station might not have much but the heating is always on. That is a basic creaturefort."


    I smiled and looked around. There was white everywhere. asionally, there was a thud as the snow dropped to the ground. The police cruisers all had a thinyer of snow on them. This weather would hinder our investigation. I said worriedly, "I doubt someone is clearing snow for the path heading to First Drain Vige. We still need to return to the crime scene for another search."


    Chief Zhou stopped working, stuck the shovel into the ground, leaned into it and looked up into the sky, "Yes, this kind of weatheres perhaps only every few decades. I don''t know whether you guys are lucky or unlucky. I''m afraid the snow would be quite thick along the road that leads to First Drain Vige."


    "We''ve already encountered a murder that is even rarer than that, so what is a little bit of snow?" I also looked up into the sky. "Looks like it snowed for about 10 cm yesterday night, the snow depth almost reaches one''s ankle. Combined with the umted snow from before, the snow around the vige would be around 20 cm?"


    Chief Zhou sighed, "If you ask me, the umted snow would be around 30 cm thick. If it continues to snow, it''ll eventually bury us in it!" Chief Zhou turned to the side and shouted, "Guys, time to take a break!" The officers shuffled back into the station, to findfort in the heat. After the people were gone, Chief Zhou turned to me. "With this weather, I''m afraid we''ll be receiving quite a few distress calls. As you know, we are short-staffed here. With regards to the dismemberment case, do you think I should request for reinforcement from the higher-up?"


    I shook my head. "That won''t be necessary, I''ll request aid from Captain Zhao. He has much more influence than we do. The few of us can go around First Drain Vige to ask if anyone has gone missing recently. Currently we only have a leg, we don''t even know if it is a man or a woman''s leg. I believe we should do some information-collecting for now." Chief Zhou nodded. He tapped my shoulder and signaled me to join him for breakfast.


    After a simple breakfast, we departed. Chief Zhou was still the driver. Chief Zhou drove very slowly and carefully. We didn''t have much hope for the search, for one, we didn''t have enough manpower and for two, the snow was too thick. The footprints of the entire team probably had been eclipsed by now.


    Reality proved that we were being too optimistic because we were stopped halfway. A bank of snow blocked our path. Chief Zhou couldn''t tell where the road was and where the fields were. If he continued to drive, he might drive into a hole and put us all in danger. Neither of us wanted to risk our lives. Chief Zhou got out of the car and looked around. Eventually he said, "There is only one path heading to the vige and the path is twisting and narrow. The snow has covered up the pathpletely, I don''t think I will be able to recognize the path under all these snows." Chief Zhou got back into the car, took out his phone and told us, "I''ll give the head of First Drain Vige a call, perhaps he can send some people to guide us."


    Sounds like Chief Zhou was quite familiar with the head of First Drain Vige. 10 minutester, Chief Zhou said, "The vige head told me that he has sent Ol'' Xia toe to us as a guide. But as you know, I don''t have trust in Ol'' Xia to be able to guide us in an automobile. I predict we''re only 1 hour of walking distance to the vige, shall we walk then?" Chief Zhou appeared to have been scarred by Ol'' Xia''s behavior from the night before, then again, it was also extremely dangerous to drive in this kind of snowy terrain. Walking was not a bad choice even though the journey was going to take longer. Then something hit me. Wouldn''t the killer face the same problem as we did now when they needed to dispose of the leg, it was snowing too heavily for driving, so they would have walked too. If the killer had walked, then they must live not far from First Drain Vige, but it wouldn''t be too close either. If it was too far, the leg wouldn''t be dumped there; if it was too close, they risked being exposed by the other vigers.


    We waited in the car for about an hour before Ol'' Xia arrived. Through the window, we saw Ol'' Xia shuffling towards us. He wore a thick cap that covered his ears, but his mouth was left exposed to the elements. It was as heavily scarred as I remembered. When Ol'' Xia saw us, he stopped and waved his hands to signal for us toe to him. Chief Zhou locked the car, looked at Ol'' Xia and then us. "We shall park here then. We''ll follow Ol Xiao. When we reach the vige, we''ll first visit the vige head, perhaps he can tell us more about the vige."


    Ol'' Xia moved silently and quickly. He hade up with a way to walk through snow, it didn''t hinder his speed at all. The rest of us needed to test the ground before we took any step because one false step, and we might sink through the snow. Ol'' Xia appeared to have eyes on his back because when we slowed down, he slowed too; and when we sped up, he did as well. He maintained a firm 3 metres from the rest of us as if he was unwilling to mingle with us.


    This is such a strange man,'' I thought to myself, But then again when you look like that, no matter how sunny your personality, you''ll eventually be silent and reticent.'' The journey would take more than 1 hour. Ol'' Xia could maintain radio silence but not the rest of us. Along the way, we started to share our opinion of this case, whether my criminal profile was reliable or not and eventually the topic of conversation fell on Ol'' Xia.


    Guan Zhenglin whispered, "To be honest, I was quite frightened when I first saw Ol'' Xia. I''ve met quite a number of burn victims before but not one so serious. And that is because a person normally wouldn''t survive after such heavy burns." Guan Zhenglin didn''t want to offend Ol'' Xia but from the way Ol'' Xia kept moving, he probably didn''t hear her. Gu Chen nced at Ol'' Xia and said, "There''s a famous game recently called Dead by Daylight, Ol'' Xia reminds me of one of the killers in the game, the Trapper who wields a cleaver. Speaking of, Wu Meng, there''s a detail in your criminal profiling that''s quite interesting. You mentioned the killer might be a butcher?"


    I nodded. "My instinct told me that the killer should be a butcher and an experienced one at that. They are already used to gore, perhaps to them, dismembering a person is no different from butchering livestock." Perhaps it was Gu Chen and my words taking effect, I noticed Chief Zhou had been staring hard at Ol'' Xia, like trying to see through his heart. I knew that Chief Zhou had started to suspect Ol'' Xia. I quickly whispered to Chief Zhou, "I say, Chief Zhou, Ol'' Xiao might look like a killer but that doesn''t mean anything. Appearances deceive."


    "Ol'' Xia is 1.8 metres tall." Chief Zhou started to analyse, "Wu Meng, of the few conditions you listed, Ol'' Xia fulfils quite a number of them." Clearing his throat, Chief Zhou became more serious, "Plus his frame is indeedrge. He is wearing rain boots and leather gloves. Even though he doesn''t have a gut and doesn''t swing a machete around, a killer wouldn''t expose himself so openly, right?"


    I was tickled by Chief Zhou. "Of course, I was only describing the killer when they were in the midst of killing. During other times, most killers would look like you and me. After all, everyone is multi-faceted. Perhaps for our killer, the true self will only surface when they are killing."


    Chief Zhou nodded.


    Gu Chen passed us a cigarette each and he lit one himself. "But Ol'' Xia isn''t a butcher, right? We can''t assume he is one, simply because of his looks. If that''s the case, does that mean I have to quit and be a gym trainer?"


    Chief Zhou suddenly stopped me and regarded us strangely. He pointed stealthily at Ol'' Xia and whispered, "But what if Ol'' Xia used to be a butcher?"


    We all turned to look at him.

 Chapter 120: Expectation

    Chapter 120: Expectation


    "What do you mean?" I turned around to ask Chief Zhou. He stood still and took out a lighter to light the cigarette. Then as he walked forward, he borated, "Yesterday night, after we got back from the vige, I burned the midnight oil doing some digging because I knew we would being back to First Drain Vige today. I gave the vige head a call." We nodded, and perked up our ears.


    Chief Zhou puffed out a smoke ring into the air, "I told him that we''reing today and had him be prepared. Especially I requested that the first person who discovered the body to stay at home and wait for us. Then as we chatted, just like we do now, we talked about Ol'' Xia who came to fetch us yesterday night." Chief Zhou nced at Ol'' Xia at the front, seeing hisck of reaction, he continued, "This Ol'' Xia is 42 this year. Hees from a long lineage of vige butchers. Since his grandfather''s generation, their family has been the vige''s butcher." Then Chief Zhou found himself unable to stop.


    Way back then, the Republic of China (ROC) just came into power, and Ol'' Xia''s grandfather was assigned to a meat packing factory to work and became a proud butcher. At the time, Ol'' Xia''s grandfather was 20 and he stayed at that job for life. Ol'' Xia''s father grew up following his father''s example. When he was only 10, he followed his father to the factory, to learn the craft. Cutting through flesh, weighing meats, blood-letting, skinning, he became familiarized with these processes. After Ol'' Xia''s grandfather retired from the factory, his father naturally took over. At the factory, no one was more familiar with this job than Ol'' Xia''s father and he soon became a known butcher at the factory. Then Ol'' Xia had the same childhood that his father had.


    The difference was when his father was 40, the national factory had a restructuring and everyone was let go. Even though Ol'' Xia''s father was an expert butcher, he was unable to escape the fate of unemployment. Ol'' Xia''s mother suggested for her husband to use some capital to open a private abattoir and his father agreed. By then, most butchers had either retired or switchednes but Ol'' Xia''s father was different, he really had passion for this job. His suppliers told Ol'' Xia''s father that they could provide him with pre-butchered stock but Ol'' Xia''s father insisted on butchering the livestock himself. So every night Ol'' Xia would see his father grinding the cleaver in the dark and ughtering the animals as the day broke.


    When Ol'' Xia was 20, his father finally handed the abattoir over to him. The butcher''s knife that had been used for 2 generations was passed down to Ol'' Xia. Ol'' Xia was not a studying material so he naturally inherited the family business.


    We listened to Ol'' Xia''s background from Chief Zhou while Ol'' Xia continued to move silently ahead. Talking behind people''s back was not a good thing, especially when said person was not far away from you. The first cigarette was over. The 3 of us lit another. As the smoke curled into the sky and the snow fell to the ground, Chief Zhou continued to tell us about Ol'' Xia, "When he was 30, something happened, something that changed Ol'' Xia''s life forever"


    When he was 25, his parents arranged a marriage for Ol'' Xia. 3 yearster, Ol'' Xia had a child and the family of 2 became a family of 3. But it didn''t end with a happy ending.


    Before we got to the end, we had to return to 2 generations ago. Due to China''s political system, a job at the meat packing factory was considered a government job, it was a job that could be expected tost for life, so many people didn''t really treat their jobs that seriously, like the government workers that you would encounter today. An He was such an employee and he was also Ol'' Xia''s grandfather''s neighbour. In other words, An Family and Xia Family were family friends. However, if Ol'' Xia''s grandfather knew what would happenter, he would have broken off the friendship back then.


    Just like how people from 10 years ago wouldn''t believe the existence of the iPhone, people back then didn''t expect ROC to fall and for CCP (Chinese Communist Party) to rece it with People''s Republic of China (PRC) as well. An He''s son and Ol'' Xia''s father grew up together, they were friends. Both of them inherited their fathers'' posts at the meat packing factory and history appeared to repeat itself, one was incredibly hardworking; and the other cked off whenever there was an opportunity. At the time, no one cared because job security was a guarantee and the rtionship of the 2 families continued to improve. This was a friendship that crossed 2 generations. Therefore, it seemed fated that Ol'' Xia and An He''s grandson became friends too. But that year, the factory closed.


    Everyone suddenly became unemployed. Even though everyone had the same sry, Ol'' Xia''s father had been saving his money while Ol'' An''s father squandered every cheque that he had. After all, no one expected the permanent job would be lost with the fall of the government overnight. Therefore Ol'' An''s father kept borrowing money from Ol'' Xia''s father. They had lived through the biggest political upset in their country together, and Ol'' Xia''s father was a good man. Ol'' Xia''s father''s business coincided with the economic reforms of the 90s and his abattoir flourished. He often lent Ol'' An''s father thousands of RMB and never asked for them back.


    Eventually Ol'' Xia''s mother started to have words about it. After all, the An family was practically leeching off them then. When Ol'' Xia married, Ol'' An was still rolling around the society. Like Ol'' Xia, he was not a study material but unlike Ol'' Xia, he hadn''t really trained any seble skill. His life was already nned out before he was born, he would take over his father''s post and earn his paycheck justzying around at work. Ol'' Xia''s father was saddened to see his childhood friend''s son end up like this so he lent him around 50000 RMB, hoping the young man would make something of himself, perhaps start a small business. However, like his father, Ol'' An was not used to hard work, he soon spent all that money on entertainment and drink.


    After that, Ol'' Xia''s father gave Ol'' An a few more loans until Ol'' Xia''s father passed away. Now that the family ount fell into Ol'' Xia''s hands, his mother forbad him from borrowing money to Ol'' An anymore. Ol'' Xia''s mother was not as soft-hearted as her husband, she knew borrowing money to Ol'' An was like trying to fill an abyss, it would never be enough. Over the decades, they had borrowed An Family at least 500000 RMB, which was more than what was expected of them. Furthermore, Ol'' Xia and his wife had a new child on the way and they would need more money for themselves. After all, which parents wouldn''t want the best for their children?


    Therefore, Ol'' Xia went behind his mother''s back and loaned Ol'' An onest time for 100000 RMB. Ol'' An held the money and promised that he would make use of them wisely. He would start a business with them. That was the n but in Ol'' An''s 30 years of living, he had not attempted anything like that before. It didn''t take long for the 100000 RMB to waste away. Ol'' An ended up with nothing. In contrast, Ol'' Xia''s abattoir business was getting so big that he was nning to open a franchise. That year, Ol'' Xia was 28 and he had a 3 years old child. Ol'' Xia moved out from thepound allotted by the meat packing factory into a new house. It was 300 cubic metres wide. He was not particrly rich but what he had was enough for Ol'' Xia and his family to have afortable life. They didn''t have to worry about food and could even afford to go on holidays every year.


    The Xia family people were already honest and down to earth. When they were young, as they walked through the vige, people would say that Ol'' An had a bright spirit about him and he was destined for great things; while Ol'' An was too introverted and shy to seed. However reality proved them all wrong. Ol'' An might be the cleverer one but Ol'' Xia was the real sess.


    After thetest failure, Ol'' An found Ol'' Xia again, hoping to get another 100000 RMB loan. This time Ol'' Xia rejected Ol'' An.


    That night, Ol'' An stood at Ol'' Xia''s front door and scolded, "When your father is still alive, do you dare to treat us An family like this? Fine, forget all about your childhood friend simply because you''re rich now! If not for your money, do you think I''ll spend time with you? Are you still a human? You''re so rich, what''s 100000 RMB to you?" Ol'' Xia and his family ignored him. From then on, Ol'' An went everywhere ndering Ol'' Xia''s name, iming that he had seen Ol'' Xia out there with a few mistresses; iming that he valued money over generations-long friendship. Ol'' An even went after Ol'' Xia''s young daughter, saying that the bitch would grow up to be a prostitute. Every curse that Ol'' An knew, he directed them at Xia Family.


    When you lent a hand to someone when they were at their lowest, they would appreciate your help for life, but if you continued to help them even after they no longer needed it, they woulde to expect your aid and when you stopped, they would hate you for taking away the kindness which they saw as their right to im. Since Ol'' An was 10, An family had been relying on Xia family for everything, but 20 yearster, Ol'' Xia stopped that tradition. Ol'' An saw the loans from Xia Family was something to be expected, Xia Family was duty-bound to help An Family. In his mind, since Ol'' Xia was so rich, why shouldn''t he share his wealth with his childhood friend?


    But this time, Ol'' Xia stuck firmly to his decision. Ol'' An remembered this offense. He looked through the yellow calendar and picked out a good date, it was supposedly not auspicious for ancestral worship. Then he made a decision.


    By now, we were already halfway through our journey. The snow was still falling. Chief Zhou stopped the story to grumble about the horrible weather.


    "What happened next?" Guan Zhenglin urged.


    Chief Zhou decided to build some tension by asking, "Guess what was the decision that Ol'' An made that day."


    "What?" The two asked.


    "Well, guess."


    I frowned and answered, "It should be rted to the origin of his burns"

 Chapter 121: Monster

    Chapter 121: Monster


    Chief Zhou nodded and smiled, "Looks like Wu Meng knows me the best." I noticed that Ol'' Xia in front of us halted for a split second before he resumed his usual pace. I wondered if Ol'' Xia had heard us, and if he did, what would he feel. Regardless, Chief Zhou continued his story.


    The date selected was the death anniversary of Ol'' Xia''s father. That night, the entire Xia family returned to the oldpound in memory of Ol'' Xia''s father. ording to local culture, that day, they would drink to toast the departed. The family sat around the table, and there were 5 sets of chopsticks. The extra set was for Ol'' Xia''s father. Ol'' Xia by then was 30 and his daughter was 3. Ol'' Xia''s mother had been busy in the kitchen since morning, waiting for her son''s family to arrive.


    Ol'' Xia''s mother drank a few cups of rice wine and said, "When I married your father, it was not because he had a government job but it was because he was hardworking and honest. You might have an impression of this. At the time, so many people worked at the factory but how many of them took their jobs seriously?" Ol'' Xia''s mother would always say things like this whenever she had something to drink. "Back then I knew that I was right to marry your old man. How many people were left stranded when the factory closed? But not your father, he immediately bounced back and didn''t he do well for himself? Marriage is not only about matching status but also about personality as well." The family reminisced about the departed over the wine and eventually all of them felt sleepy. Too tired to clear away the table, they all retired to bed. No one would have known that was the scariest sleep Ol'' Xia ever had. If there was a chance to redo everything, Ol'' Xia would not go back to thepound that night.


    This happened 2 years after Ol'' Xia rejected Ol'' An''s loan. From the moment Ol'' Xia rejected Ol'' An, Ol'' An had a serious goal for the first time in his life and that was to take revenge on Ol'' Xia. It was truly ironic. Ol'' An was still a nobody at 30 and he didn''t dare to make a peep before others but when he was around Ol'' Xia, he acted like a lord and Ol'' Xia was there to fulfil his every whim. Sometimes, kindness doesn''t necessarily bring good karma. Ol'' Xia''s introverted personality caused a familicide.


    That night, while Ol'' Xia''s family was enjoying themselves at home, Ol'' An who still lived next door in this oldpound heard everything. The hatred welled within Ol'' An, he couldn''t wait to kill his neighbours. They came from the same background so who gave Ol Xia the right to be more sessful than him? They had the same education background so who gave Ol'' Xia the right to lord his sess over him? That night, Ol'' An finally lost control over his anger. He had to take revenge.


    He stood at the front door and looked up. When the lights went out in Xia family home, Ol'' An grinned wickedly in the dark. This was an apartment given by the government, it was incredibly cheap. It was the only valuable thing An family left but for the sake of revenge, Ol'' An was willing to sacrifice everything. This was an old building so almost the entire frame was made from wood. If there was a lick of me, everything would go up in mes in matters of seconds. Both An Family and Xia Family stayed on the first floor. To prevent theft, there were rails outside the windows. Ol'' An pulled on the rails. The rails were embedded inside the red bricks, without specialized tools, it was hard to remove them. Ol'' An was very satisfied. He walked to An Family''s front door, the door was firmly closed. Ol'' An tried the door and it was locked. He then returned to his own home.


    When he walked out, Ol'' An had a new bucket in his arms. The bucket had liquid sloshing inside it, a kind of liquid which was highly mmable. People called them alcohol. Ol'' An slowly twisted off the cap and poured some of the alcohol down the window. The window frames were wooden so they would develop gaps as time went on. The alcohol slid through the gap and no one was none the wiser. Ol'' An had considered everything. The room beyond the window was where Ol'' An''s family slept. If he lit up the alcohol here, his enemies would soon be engulfed in mes.


    Ol'' An''s fingers were itching to light the me but he calmed himself. To make sure that the n was wless, there was another step toplete. After he was done pouring the alcohol, he moved the couch out from his own home and blocked it before An family''s front door. Ol An''s cleverness was always used in ces like these.


    If Ol'' An and his wife didn''t die in the fire, they would bring the olddy and the young bitch to find the exit. The rails on the window meant that exiting through the windows was not an option, therefore, the entrance became their only escape route. And what Ol'' An needed to do was to block that route. Of course, this would burn down Ol'' An''s own house as well but it didn''t matter anymore, as long as his enemies would die, he was willing to pay any price.


    There were 2 matches, 1 was squeezed through the front door gap and the other left on the window frame. The me snaked through the trail of alcohol and instantly the fire burst. Watching the burning house, Ol'' An cackled. He never felt that happy in his life. In less than 2 minutes, Ol'' An heard the screamsing from inside the house. The burning house lit up the sky like it was daylight. A howling wail pierced through the night, Ol'' An recognized that as Ol'' Xia''s daughter crying. Then there was another female scream. It was Ol'' Xia''s wife. They sounded like the ghosts Ol'' An saw on television but Ol'' An felt no fear, only joy.


    Well, keep on unting your money and your happiness? This is all your fault for not giving me the money! Perfect, now your whole family is going to die. Bring that money down to hell with you! This is what you deserve for your heartlessness!''


    The house burned, the people cried and shouted. The people inside had no ce to escape, the windows were blocked off and the front door was a ball of fire. They were going to be burnt alive inside this death trap. The fire and screams alerted the other neighbours. They all came to rescue the fire. But once again they were thwarted by Ol'' An''s wisdom. Ol'' An knew that water would only help alcohol spread so their acts of kindness only sped up the fire''s destruction. While the neighbours helped to feed'' the fire, the man stood before the burning house andughed loudly. Theugh contained the man''s greatest joy.


    The screams inside eventually quieted down. The fire crawled over to Ol'' An''s home. The people had not seen a fire that fierce before. Someone called for the firefighter but everyone present knew that it was pointless. No one dared to barge into the building to save the people inside because it was no different from a death wish.


    But at that moment, a shrill voice was heard, "Take my granddaughter and go!" It was followed by a scream. It was Ol'' Xia''s mother.


    Later, the people found out that the entrance was burning so greatly that there was no way out. However, Ol'' Xia''s mother refused to stay there and wait for all of them to perish. She summoned super human bravery and charged into the inferno. She resisted the scalding pain and pried open the wooden front door, using her life to hack out a path for her son and granddaughter. Ol'' Xia carried his daughter and rushed out. Ol'' Xia was a walking human torch. Everyone rushed forward to douse out the fire on Ol'' Xia.


    "Save my daughter, save my daughter." Before Ol'' Xia fainted, that was all he said. Later, people used the term hell'' to describe what happened to this family. When the firefighters took down the fire, they discovered 2 charred bodies inside the crime scene. They belonged to 2 women, one was young and the other was old. One was Ol'' Xia''s mother and the other his wife. They were so charred, they were unrecognizable.


    The police reconstructed the scene when the fire started. Ol'' Xia''s wife slept nearest to the window, next to her was her daughter and finally Ol'' Xia. When the fire started, Ol'' Xia''s wife immediately caught on fire. It was her screams that woke up Ol'' Xia. Ol'' Xiao tried to put out the mes around her wife and daughter but it was already toote. The fire consumed his wife almost immediately. He turned to escape with his daughter but the fire at the door was fiercer than the one in their bedroom.


    The nearby residents came to help but they had inadvertently made the mesrger. Just as Ol'' Xia believed they were going to die inside their family home, Ol'' Xia''s mother performed a miracle.


    Ol'' Xia was heavily burnt and was in ICU for 3 days and 3 nights. Unfortunately for Ol'' Xia''s daughter, she died when Ol'' Xia was still ina. Ol'' Xia''s rtives came to help, after spending all of his savings and selling his new home, Ol'' Xia managed to keep his life. But Ol'' Xia''s life was forever changed. All the kids called him monster''.


    He lost everything. The savings of 3 generations, a happy family, everything was taken away by a heartless fire.


    Ol'' Xia couldn''t face it alone so one night, he moved from China''s southern part to this small town in the northern part. After some travelling, he settled at this so-called Handicapped Vige where he wouldn''t stick out too much. And it had been a decade since he arrived here.


    Ol'' Xia in front of us suddenly straightened himself even though he still stood facing away from us. His shoulders shuddered like he was crying but I didn''t hear any tears. After a person''s sight was damaged, their hearing would be better.


    He had been listening in.


    He couldn''t stop his emotions anymore.


    And he cried.

 Chapter 122: Fly?

    Chapter 122: Fly?


    This had undoubtedly be slightly awkward. The main character of the tragedy was standing before us and he was silently weeping, and none of us knew how tofort this man. Even though the tragedy happened more than decades ago, the scar on Ol'' Xia''s heart probably had never healed. Certain things wouldn''t be washed away by time and positive thinking, if it could, Ol'' Xia wouldn''t have chosen to move literally thousands of miles away to this vige that no one had heard of. Ol'' Xia''s shoulders were shaking so badly that it was clear he was crying. This was an iparable sadness, pure and unmitigated, like a child who tried to hold his tears in but could not. The wind carried the snow and melted on our faces, it made me feel even colder.


    Chief Zhou didn''t expect this either. He looked at us and then at Ol'' Xia''s back. As if to console Ol'' Xia, he continued the story like nothing happened, "But the local police soon captured Ol'' An. One yearter, he was given the death penalty due to arson and multiple homicides." I knew what Chief Zhou was doing, he was trying to tell Ol'' Xia that Ol'' An had been punished byw, his crimes had been paid; but even if Ol'' An died 10 times, it wouldn''t have helped Ol'' Xia. Perhaps if Ol'' Xia had died in that big fire, he wouldn''t be in so much pain now. Living was pain but living also brought hope.


    I was surprised that Chief Zhou managed to find out so many things in just one night; and simrly unexpected was the fact that Ol'' Xia used to be a butcher. Then could Ol'' Xia be the killer? To vent the anger and sadness within him, Ol'' Xia turned to murder? Based on the little interaction that I had with Ol'' Xia, I figured he was the kind of person who would not show his real feelings before others, unless the topics really hit his heart. He exploded in silence and vanished in silence.


    But there was no concrete evidence to really give us any valid suspect for this dismemberment case, we had too little to work with. The brown fur and the red nail polish on the toe had been sent by Chief Zhou to the cityb to be tested, the results would return in weeks. This efficacy was too slow, but it couldn''t be helped. The interesting thing was, as if affected by this slow lifestyle, the killer was taking his murder slow as well.


    Ol'' Xia stood like that before us for several minutes, then like nothing ever happened, he continued to move forward. He shuffled soundlessly through the snow like everything that we experienced earlier was just a mirage in the night. By then 40 minutes had passed, and we would soon arrive at First Drain Vige. For the rest of the way, we stopped chatting and hurried to keep up with Ol'' Xia. 20 minutester, we finally arrived at the vige. Due to the snow, there were no people on the road. The surrounding was silent, there was no sound of chicken or dog, not even the mooing of cows.


    We strode down the vige road and every house that we passed was silent like a tomb. Taking in the exposed brick walls and rotten wooden beams, it felt like we were entering an abandoned vige. Ol'' Xia pointed at the door of the vigemunity centre and announced, "Go!" Before we could say anything, he turned and walked away. As we saw the man shuffle away, we felt quite mncholic.


    Outside the office of themunity centre, the vige head came to wee us. He was in a wheelchair and his legs were pulled unnaturally straight, he was also a handicapped member. He was an old man in his 60s, his face was wrinkled and whenever he smiled, his eyes disappeared into the folds of skin. He said with a smile, "Chief Zhou and these 3 must be the officials from Dong Xing City. My name is Wei Shengfeng, I''m the vige head here only because I''m quite old."


    I quickly waved my hands and corrected, "Master Wei, we aren''t any government officials, we are just normal police officers. We''re here this time to investigate a case."


    Wei Shengfeng nodded. He turned the wheels to stop before us. He extended his hand for a handshake. I rushed forward to take it. He said, "Pleasee in, it''s too cold outside." We nodded and filed into the office. The office was quite small but it had all the necessary tools. A ck office table with graceful patterns sat facing the wall, it was rustic and functional. On the table sat writing equipment like paper, ink and brush. Next to them was a tea set which was releasing hot air. On the wall behind the table was a calligraphy by a Chinese historical figure, or loosely tranted as it is folly to be wise.


    Based on the brush strokes, this was the work of a master calligrapher. When I looked closer, I saw the stamp, it was written by Wei Shengfeng himself. Next to the table was a bookshelf. I frowned as I moved to examine the books. Theyer on my eye level was a row of books about economics. One of them even had a bookmark in it. This meant that the books weren''t for decoration, the old vige head did study them. Beyond that were a few couches, a coffee table and a water heater. The office table didn''te with a chair, probably because the vige head didn''t need one. The vige head picked up the tea set and used his free hand to roll to the coffee table. He ced the tea set down and then turned to pull out some tea cups from the drawer.


    "I have nothing to offer you but some tea to warm your bodies." The old vige head washed the tea cups as he exined, "I''ve asked Ol'' Xia to bring you here because I''ve ordered Lee Danan, the first person who found the dead body, to meet us here." We nodded. The vige head poured the tea for us. As the warm liquid flowed into our bodies, it brought life back to our fingers. Then a familiar voice said, "Go!"


    The door opened and a tanned man walked in with the chilly wind. This must be Lee Danan. He looked about 40 and regarded us cautiously. I saw his arms and realized this man had lost both hands. The ces where one''s palms should be were two Gu Duos, a kind of ancient Chinese stick-weapon weapon.


    "Vige head." He greeted. Ol'' Xia closed the door from outside and then left to who knows where.


    "Lee Danan, sit. Just answer the questions the officers have, don''t be nervous." The vige head signalled for Lee Danan to sit before us. Lee Danan sat and shed a shy smile. I nodded at them and asked, "Lee Danan, what time did you see that foot yesterday?"


    Lee Danan answered, "Yesterday, between 5 to 6 pm. I don''t have a watch so I couldn''t really tell for us. But the sky was already darkening."


    "The dead body that you saw was lying beside the road?"


    "Yes, yes!" Lee Danan confirmed, "I saw it at the roadside. At the time, I wasing back to the vige from outside. As I was about to enter the vige, I saw the foot peeking out. I thought it might be someone who was too drunk and passed out by the road." Lee Danan paused before continuing, "When I came back to the vige, the snow had just stopped but the person was already buried under the snow. I didn''t know whether she was still alive or not so I hurried to go take a look. It should be a woman because I saw her painted toe nails. When I tried to nudge her foot, I realized it was already frozen, that was when I knew she was dead" Then Lee Danan looked at us with fear. He probably thought we would take him as the murderer. The chance of that was low because Lee Danan had no hands, he couldn''t wield the murder weapon.


    "Please continue." I told Lee Danan. He nodded and resumed, "At the time, there was no one around, I was afraid so I left after I called the police. I immediately rushed toe find the vige head. He told me that the police woulde to interview me today and told me to stay put."


    I took a sip of the tea. "Do you remember seeing other footprints when you found the body?"


    Lee Danan thought about it. "No. When I saw the foot, I looked around, there was no one and no footprint. There was only me on the road, I have never encountered anything like this before" By then, the snow had stopped. Looks like the killer had long departed when Lee Danan discovered the foot. I continued to ask, "Did you find anything like a shoe or stocking around the foot?"


    "No!" Lee Danan shook his head. "I would remember if there was."


    I nodded at the man and said, "Okay, I''m done asking the questions. If you can remember any new clues, you can tell the vige head." Chief Zhou added, "Lee Danan, you can go back now." Lee Danan nodded, stood up and left.


    Chief Zhou turned around to tell me, "That rified some things. The killer probably dumped the leg between 4 to 5 pm."


    I shook my head and countered, "No, it should be earlier than that. One hour of snow wouldn''t be enough to cover up a person''s footprints."


    "But that cannot be." Chief Zhou scratched his head, "Based on the coroner''s report, the time of dismemberment is between 8.30 pm to 5.30 pm. Unless the killer knows how to fly, they would leave behind their footprints. Their arriving footprints might be buried under the snow but definitely not their leaving footprints. So where did they go? Is it possible that the killer had walked towards the vige after dumping the leg to confuse us? After all, it wouldn''t be that suspicious for a trail of footprints to head into the vige. In contrast, it would be too suspicious if a single trail of footprints was found moving towards the mountains." Chief Zhou suggested, "Or maybe the killer walked away from the vige using the main road. But Lee Danan would have found the footprints if they were moving the opposite direction from him."


    I frowned. Chief Zhou was right, be it entering or leaving the vige, or crossing through the wilderness, we definitely would have found the killer''s footprints, but we did not.

 Chapter 123: Granny Wang

    Chapter 123: Granny Wang


    While we were contemting that problem, the door opened and the cold draft whipped into the room. It was Lee Danan but he just stood there at the door. The vige head said, Lee Danan, if you want toe in, thene in, dont just stand there. Its so cold. Close the door please.


    Then Lee Danan snapped out of it. By the way, vige head, I just remembered something. Then he walked back into the office. Lee Danan looked at us and said, When I came back to the vige that day, I ran into someone.


    Who? I sat up straighter, this could be our prime suspect. Lee Danan sat down and said seriously, When you guys mentioned someone walking away from the vige, it jogged my memory. There was indeed such a person. When I wasing back to the vige, Granny Wang was leaving the vige. We crossed path about 1000 metres away from the spot where the body was found. It was around 4 pm.


    You sure it was 4 pm? I asked.


    Lee Danan nodded. More or less. There is a highway near the western side of the vige and near the highway is a convenience store. They sell really cheap stuff and have a big selection, so I would travel that 1 hour to get there to make my purchase. When I came back, Granny Lee was leaving the vige, I suppose she was going there to buy stuff as well. My eyes brightened. If Lee Danan was telling the truth, then timeline wise, Granny Wang might have seen the killer or at least the footprints left behind by the killer. This could be our big break. If we could get any clues from Granny Wang, it would be immensely helpful to our investigation. With that in mind, I turned to the vige head. Where does this Granny Wang live? If possible we would like to interview her.


    As I said that, both Lee Danan and the vige head frowned like I had asked for something impossible. I looked at them and shrugged.


    Why must it be her? The vige head cleared away the tea set. Anyone else would be better. This is truly unfortunate. Granny Wang is not going to be easy to deal with. The vige head mumbled, I could hear the helplessness in his voice.


    I couldnt help but ask, Whats wrong? Is there a problem?


    The vige head sighed, Ill be frank, this First Drain Vige of ours mostly houses handicapped individuals. Granny Wang is a deaf and mute olddy. Her name is Wang Meizi.


    And? Guan Zhenglin urged.


    The vige head nced at Guan Zhenglin and borated, When Granny Wang was 3, her parents divorced, the court gave her to her father who was more economically sound, but her father was a horrible man. He would vent the anger he had against his wife on their child. Domestic violence was amon thing in this household. I sighed internally, I knew this was going to be another tragedy. The vige head continued, When she was only 3, Wang Meizis father started to beat her. As a girl of 3, all she knew was to cry. Thatsted until she was 6. By then, her hearing was already heavily damaged from the physical brutality she suffered.


    What kind of animal would treat their own child like that? Gu Chen growled through his teeth.


    Youre right. The vige head continued, Due to domestic violence, Wang Meizi was introverted and weak. She never spoke to anyone at kindergarten and never dared to tell the teachers about her torture at homr. Everyone else thought she was just shy. But in reality, she could barely hear anything when she was in ss.


    At this point, Guan Zhenglins face filled with pity and concern, No one noticed anything wrong about her? No one could tell that she was facing problems in her studies?


    The vige head shook his head. That was way back when, the philosophy of education was that kindergarten was just a ce to ce the children because the parents needed to go work. As long as the children didnt create trouble, they could do anything they wanted. Guan Zhenglin shook her head. Thats sad.


    The vige head worked his neck and smiled sadly, Ill put it like this. The child was beaten up for 3 years until it ruined her hearing. Naturally you would see the bruises near her ears and on her face but the teachers probably didnt want to find trouble when there was none. So everyone just pretended to be blind for the 3 years she was there. For 3 years, Wang Meizi couldnt hear anything so she stopped conversing with others. The vige head turned to look out at the white snow. When she was 7, she prepared to go to primary school. All the new students were given free medical check ups by the government. Only then the doctor noticed the bruises on Wang Meizi. The vige head got a little heated. The doctor was shocked and appalled to see the wounds. He had no idea how the girl managed to even survive for that long. He kept asking the girl to give him more details but she refused to speak. Eventually the doctor noticed something was wrong and did an auditory check.


    With a sigh, he continued, After the check, they discovered Wang Meizis eardrum had been shattered and her ossicle cracked, she could no longer hear anything. Actually when Wang Meizi was 3, she already knew how to speak and she used to talk with people. The vige head sighed again, But in the 3 years at kindergarten, due to herck ofmunication, and her hearing problem, hernguage skill regressed. When the doctor discovered her problems, she had already forgotten how to speak.


    What happened next? Guan Zhenglin asked.


    After that, The vige head said, Due to the evidence of domestic violence, Wang Meizi was taken away from her father and given to her mother. But things didnt exactly get better. By then Wang Meizis mother had already remarried and had a 2 years old baby. The vige head exined, She had moved on and had a new family. 3 years ago, Wang Meizis mother fought to have her daughter but 3 yearster, she had found a better recement. Under her fathers constant torment, Wang Meizi was thin, weak and covered in bruises, she was an ugly child. Her new family was unable to wee someone like that into their midst. So one day. While the vige head spoke, he shook his head. His eyes filled with pity and fury, Wang Meizis mother brought Wang Meizi out to Elm Town on the pretext of taking her out to y. She knew Wang Meizi was deaf and mute so she wouldnt be able to do anything to stop her. Her mother abandoned Wang Meizi at a park and then hopped on a cab and left.


    Guan Zhenglins eyes watered with tears. If you cant be a responsible parent, then dont have children!


    The vige head was rubbing his eyes too. Well said. When Wang Meizi got down from the merry-go-round, her mother was already gone. She waited a whole day and night at the park but her mother didnt return. Wang Meizi at 6 had already cried all her tears. She didnt do anything wrong but her whole life was filled with suffering. My heart weakened and my eyes prickled. No one knew that Wang Meizi stood alone by the merry-go-round that whole night, waiting for a mother who would never return. No one knew what was on Wang Meizis mind that night. This world was weird, certain people were born into a perfect life; while others appeared toe to this world just for the express purpose of suffering.


    The vige head said slowly, At the time, public safety was not as good as it is now. No one cared about Wang Meizi. Thankfully, there is still kindness in the world. On the afternoon of the second day, an old woman found Wang Meizi who was still waiting by the merry-go-round. The old woman was a local at First Drain Vige. The vige head reminisced. At the time, I was just a young kid. The old woman brought Wang Meizi back to the vige and raised her as her own. At this point, the vige head finally smiled, With care and attention from the old woman, the bruises on Wang Meizi healed and she grew into a beautiful youngdy. With the old womans guidance, she also picked up speech again.


    Then his eyes dimmed. But, the old woman was already very old when he found Wang Meizi. When she was 14, she passed away. After the old woman died, Wang Meizi stayed in the vige, she survived by doing some sewing and simple patchwork. After the old woman died, Wang Meizi never spoke a single word again. Others did try to help her speak but it was to no avail. When she reached 18, she had quite a number of pursuers but she rejected all of them. She lived her life just like that. And Wang Meizi turned into Granny Wang, she has lived alone for 50 plus years already. Now its improbable to be able tomunicate with her.


    This was truly a sad story. Guan Zhenglin was quietly wiping away her tears. The vige head continued, I heard that Wang Meizi wasnt even her name, it was because the old woman who adopted her had the surname Wang so she took on his surname. These are all the stories I heard from the vige elders. This was a very long time ago. The kid back then is now an old man, there are not many people who know these things now. In the eyes of the others, The vige head lowered his head and said slowly, Granny Wang might be a mute, deaf, stubborn and eclectic olddy but that is because they hadn''t met Wang Meizi when she was 14. She was truly a beauty

 Chapter 124: Communication Problem

    Chapter 124: Communication Problem


    We all felt depressed after hearing about Granny Wang''s story. People that you met on the road all had their own story, a perfectly normal person could experience things that we could not have ever dreamt about. Sometimes, one''s disappearance didn''t tell all. After a moment of silence, Gu Chen was the first to say, "Even though Granny Wang is mute, she was not born with it. Since she can''t speak, at least we can interview her about the murder through writing. If we can get some clues from Granny Wang, it''ll be of great help to the investigation." Gu Chen made a great point so I concurred, "That''s right, based on the timeline we''ve established, there is a good chance Granny Wang did see something."


    The vige head nodded. "It''s not that I don''t understand that but I don''t think she''ll be able to help you. She has lived alone since she was 14. After she was 40, she spent more than 20 years notmunicating with anyone else. You suggested using writing with her but for that, she has to be literate, right?" Lee Danan suddenly chimed in, "That''s right, Granny Wang is like a ghost in our vige. She never talks to people and keeps to herself. If not for the background given by the vige head just now, I really thought she was not right in the head."


    The vige head red at Lee Danan before he added, "If only the old woman wasn''t so advanced in age when she adopted Wang Meizi, Wang Meizi might grow up into a normal person. But sometimes, fate is like that. Perhaps this is Wang Meizi''s destiny." The vige head added, "Other than her own name, Wang Meizi doesn''t know how to write anything else."


    Guan Zhenglin was anxious when she said, "But she has to interact with people somehow, or else how would she survive? How would she buy food? She would at least use some signnguage right? I know a little signnguage, I''m not proficient at it but I can stillmunicate with another signer."


    The vige head shook his hands. "How can I put this? The old woman didn''t have any family so she left everything she had to Wang Meizi. It wasn''t much but Wang Meizi also inherited the old woman''s talent in sewing. She would take however much people are willing to pay. The mostmon ce she''d visit is the convenience store by the highway to buy some everyday consumables as well as needles and threads." The vige head exined, "You don''t need to speak when shopping at the store. She only needed to ce the items on the counter. The cashier would use his finger to show the price and Granny Wang would pay him the money." With a sigh, he continued, "But if you need her to discuss something moreplicated than that, I doubt she''ll be capable."


    I patted the old vige head''s shoulder. "No matter what, Granny Wang is our most valuable witness at the moment. Since we''re already here, there''s no reason for us to give up without even meeting Granny Wang, right?"


    Seeing the determination on my face, the vige head sighed and then turned to Lee Danan. "Lee Danan, go and get Granny Wang here." Then he changed his mind, "Actually wait, she will note with you. I''ll go get her personally. I knew her when she was just a teen. At this vige, I''m one of the few people that has a connection with her." Then the old vige head added as if to himself, "After all, we''ve known each other for 50 plus years already. When I was 3 or 4, I was already toddling behind her butt."


    The vige head rolled his wheelchair to head out but I quickly stopped him, "Sir, the wind is so strong outside and the road is thick with snow. I can''t allow you to take such a risk. How about this, have Gu Chen push you and we''ll go to Granny Wang''s home together." Hearing that, Chief Zhou stood up and said, "That''s right, Master Wei. We should go all together." The vige head nodded, "Okay, that''s not a bad idea. Lee Danan, do you mind sitting here? If someonees to find me, tell them I''m at Granny Wang''s ce, understand?"


    Lee Danan nodded. "Of course."


    We walked all the way to Granny Wang''s ce. The vige''s main entrance, which we came from, was on the western side of the vige, the vigemunity centre was at the middle, Granny Wang''s home was on the east, the body dump location was by the roadside of the eastern small path. The most eastern end of the path was the small convenience store and the highway. Gu Chen pushed the old vige head at the front, Chief Zhou and Guan Zhenglin walked beside them. Igged behind by myself as I ruminated over what was said earlier.


    From the conversation, I knew that the small path on the east would lead to the highway. If that was the case, then the murderer might not necessarilye from First Drain Vige. The highway was well-used, vehicles passed by First Drain Vige daily. People like truckers might know the vige well too. That widened up our investigation scope so much more. I would have to edit my criminal profile but for now, that was just an instinct. I didn''t dare to sink too much into it.


    Other than that, there was a mystery that still eluded me. Based on what Chief Zhou and the vige head said, it had been some time since First Drain Vige became the Handicapped Vige. Theoretically speaking, there would be marriages among the vigers and there was no research to prove that 2 handicapped parents would necessarily have a handicapped child. So there was a problem. It was impossible for every viger here to be handicapped. Perhaps Chief Zhou and the vige head were just exaggerating with the Handicapped Vige name? Regardless, I had a sneaking feeling that this vige was not as simple as it appeared. But now was not the time to unearth that mystery, we still had a murderer to catch.


    10 minutester, they arrived at Granny Wang''s home. The vige head rolled the wheelchair to the door and pulled on a rope that reached out from the front door. As he pulled on the rope, he exined, "This rope is connected to a scale inside the house. When she sees it moving, she''ll know she has visitors. Everyone here knows about it." After a few pulls, the door creaked open. An olddy about 60 plus stood before us. However, she had less wrinkles than the vige head, if not for the story earlier, I would have no trouble believing Granny Wang was younger than the vige head. Then again this was a woman who could still walk for an hour to get to the convenience store to make her weekly purchase and then walk an hour back home, she must still be physically fit. In contrast, the vige head was indisposed in a wheelchair so he had less exercise.


    Then we finally understood how little'' the interaction the vige head really had with Granny Wang. The vige head gestured and shouted at the olddy, as if the volume mattered to a deaf person. Granny Wang looked at us with alertness, there was no sign stating that she was going to let us get in. Chief Zhou took out his badge and showed it to her. Then he made the sign of a gun and handcuff, after some more games of charades, Granny Wang finally got it. She bowed at us and then invited us in.


    Granny Wang didn''t seem as unapproachable as Lee Danan made her out to be. Perhaps it was a generational gap that made him feel that way. Granny Wang was smiling as she weed us into her home. She looked like someone''s kind grandmother. Perhaps she only wished forpany as most old people do.


    There was a stove inside the house and Granny Wang was cooking when we found her. On the stove were noodles and some vegetables. This was a normal meal. Chief Zhou took over the cooking and said with a smile, "Let me show you my cooking skills. When I was young, I had to take care of myself. Not to brag, but I''m quite a good cook." As Chief Zhou added the noodles, he said, "You guys should try to interview the good granny while I cook. Although I''m honestly quite afraid that we won''t get anything even after my cooking is done."


    The few of us took up the challenge one after another. I tried to use drawing tomunicate but I failed. Granny Wang had no idea what I was drawing. Then came Guan Zhenglin, she tried signnguage but clearly Granny Wang had not studied thatnguage before. The two of us tried for almost an hour. Chief Zhou was already done with the cooking. Hedled a scrumptious bowl of noodles for Granny Wang. She epted the bowl and looked at us with in confusion. She eventually interrupted us and signalled us to join her for the meal.


    Thest to take up the challenge was Gu Chen. Gu Chen stood before Granny Wang for a long time and did nothing. In the end, he sighed, "I really can''t think of anything. It''s gettingte and honestly I''m quite hungry." In the end, the vige head said, "The sun is already up high in the sky. I''ve already requested my wife to cook arge meal at home, we''ll have lunch at my ce."


    I waved my hands and looked at Granny Wang. "Sir, this time I don''t think I''ll be able to follow your orders. Do you mind telling your family to have the meal on their own? I think we will just have our lunch here. I haven''t had such simple dishes since I moved to Dong Xing City, I miss them dearly."


    After persuading the vige head multiple times, he had no choice but to call home and told his family to not wait for us anymore.


    The food was good and thepany was great. Even though Granny Wang couldn''t hear us and we had no idea what she was thinking, happiness was contagious. My heart felt serene seeing the bright smile on the olddy''s face. Even though we might not get any clue from Granny Wang, we did get a good meal and a peaceful time.


    "This is bad!" Lee Danan''s voice suddenly drifted in from outside. "Master Wei, this is bad. Pleasee out now!"

 Chapter 125: Another Dump

    Chapter 125: Another Dump


    Lee Danan shouted loudly at the door. Hearing the urgency in his tone, he seemed to have run into big trouble. Granny Wang continued to smile because she couldn''t hear the voice outside. The rest of us hurriedly stood up and rushed out. The vige head gestured as best as he could at Granny Wang. We walked out from Granny Wang''s home and opened the gate to see Lee Danan''s nervous face. I was just about to speak when Lee Danan cut in, "Officer, you have toe see this, it''s horrible."


    I nodded and said in a calm tone, "Okay, but I need you to tell me first what exactly is happening."


    Lee Danan took a deep breath and exined, "I was waiting at themunity centre for you all to return but before you did, a viger came to say he had seen something unbelievable. I naturally asked him what happened. He said he saw an arm growing out from the snow! There''s snow and then an arm!" Lee Danan''s eyes filled with fear.


    "An arm growing out from snow?" Lee Danan was tripping over his words so I didn''t quite really get him. "Is that what you''re trying to say?"


    Lee Danan decided that seeing was believing so he pulled on my arm and said, "Juste with me and you''ll understand." We all nodded and followed Lee Danan to the western side of the vige. After 10 minutes, we encountered a crowd. They had their heads lowered, looking at something in the middle. There were so many people that I couldn''t see what had grabbed their attention. The closer we got to the crowd, the clearer their conversations were.


    "This is so strange!" Someonemented, "How could there be an arm growing out from snow?" Another person countered, "This has to be fake, it can''t be real, right?"


    Gu Chen arrived pushing the vige head''s wheelchair. The old man bellowed, "What is going on? Why are you people gathered here? Move, move please!" The vigers consciously parted when they heard the vige head. Squeezing through the path, I finally saw what the vigers were surrounding. It was indeed an arm wing out from the snow, I noticed it was a right arm.


    "Move, move out of the way." The vige head ordered, "Let the police handle this." I examined the arm closely. The fingernails were painted too, it seemed to be of the same hue and model as the one on the foot. The exposed part consisted of the hand and the lower arm. The hand was fixed in a wing state but there was nothing it was holding, except air. The arm''s skin was fair. Combined that with the leg, the chance of our victim being a female had drastically increased.


    The snow here was about 30 cm deep. It was not thick enough to bury a person. In other words, like the leg, this was a dismembered body part. From the thickness of the snow and the angle of the arm, the arm was possibly shoved perpendicrly into the snow.


    Guan Zhenglin squatted down to join me. After giving it some observations, Guan Zhenglin put on her gloves. She held the arm with her right hand and pulled, yanking the whole broken arm out from the snow. The surrounding people yelped and gasped as they involuntarily retreated. As Guan Zhenglin yanked out the arm, we saw clearly the broken stump of the arm. The wound suggested that the instrument used to dismember the arm wasn''t a de, because we could see that near the wound were clear animal bite marks. On the cross section of the bone, there was even clear indentation of teeth. The toothmark was pointed and close together. They perforated through the bones. It was not a human bite mark. In this kind of vige, my guess was a dog. But from the moment we entered this vige, I had not heard a single dog bark.


    Did this vige have no dogs? Or their dogs were mute as well?


    Guan Zhenglin frowned and turned to tell us, "Look at this, the hamstring inside the arm is still pulled taut, it is why the fingers are in a w shape. Medically speaking, this is called cadaveric spasms. This happens due to muscr constriction during the time of death. The chemical changes within the body cause the limbs and muscles to stiffen. This canst for up to four days." Guan Zhenglin thought about it and appended, "It''s the same situation with the leg. The foot was arched upwards, also caused by muscr constriction. In other words, when this arm was bitten off, the person was still alive. There''s a high chance that the leg and this arm belong to the same person."


    I nodded. "Look at the fingernail polish, they are almost the same as the one found on the leg. The color is of a darker hue and the limbs are abandoned in the same way. Can we confirm that theye from the same person?"


    Guan Zhenglin nodded. "Without DNAparison, there is no guarantee but I would say there''s a 90 percent chance they do belong to the same person."


    A scary image appeared in my mind. When this victim was still alive, they were detained and apprehended by the killer. As the killer sawed through their leg, a dog was also released to chomp on the victim''s arm. Just how heartless a person must be toe up with something like this? To dismember a person when they were still alive. The killer was unfazed no matter how hard the victim cried and pleaded. Instantly, the image of a butcher walking around with a hunting dog appeared in my mind. I pitied the prey that they came across.


    I looked at the people around us. They stared at Guan Zhenglin and the arm she was holding. Some of them looked serious, others fearful. There were all ranges of emotions. The snow was covered in footprints so that was no help. In fact, the murderer might even be standing in the crowd. North and south sides of First Drain Vige were farming fields and beyond them was the mountain range, but in this season, no one would be living in the mountains. The east side of the vige was connected to the highway and it had only a single convenience store and nothing else. There was no residence there. The west side of the vige was connected to Elm Town, although it would take 2 hours of driving to move between these two destinations.


    Traffic was slow at this vige during the normal season, much less when it was during deep winter. If an outsider wanted to get here, they would need at least 3 hours. I lifted my head and saw heavy clouds. This meant that somewhere down the line, we would be facing heavy snow again.


    The fact that the murderer was able to stick an arm here without anyone noticing meant that they had to know First Drain Vige well. That heightened the suspicion that the killer was currently around us, the group of handicapped individuals who looked so harmless. There were around 20 people around us. There were some who were visibly handicapped, others looked perfectly normal but like Granny Wang, they could be mute or deaf. Did that suggest that the killer was also a handicapped individual? Was the victim one?


    Guan Zhenglin sighed, "The condition here is too barren. I can collect DNA but I can''t analyse orpare them. If I find anything more on the arm, we''ll have to send them to the cityb for analysis."


    Gu Chen nodded and then shook his head. "If we return to Elm Town now, it''ll take at least another 3 hours. That is so inconvenient, plus we haven''t really found any useful clues at the vige yet."


    Chief Zhou pped Gu Chen''s shoulder. "How about this, I''ll arrange a special unit just to help with the evidence transportation." Then Chief Zhou turned to the vige head. "Master Wei, look at the sky, it might start to snow soon. If we return now, we might get stuck on the road. Furthermore, we have a murderous killer on the loose, someone who is brazen enough to dump human body parts in broad daylight. I feel like it''s safer for everyone if we stay here." Chief Zhou asked, "Is there a ce for us to lodge temporarily?"


    The vige head nodded, "This vige doesn''t have much but we do have plenty of empty houses. I''ll find a few houses in the vige for you, but the condition here won''t be better than the city. There is no heater, we rely on a charcoal stove for heating, I worry that you might not know how to use one." Looks like Chief Zhou cared a lot about this case.


    I interrupted them. "Now is not the time to discuss these, we''ll talk about the living arrangementster." I shouted at the crowd. "Who is the first to discover the arm?"


    The crowd mumbled among themselves and ignored mepletely. Seeing this, the vige head shouted, "Quiet down! Can''t you see that a person is dead? Pipe down! The police have just asked you people a question. Which one of you was the first to find this arm? If it''s you, then step out; if not, then shut up and keep quiet." Looks like at First Drain Vige, the vige head''s words carried more weight than mine, because soon the crowd silenced.


    Then a child about 8 walked out from the crowd. I noticed the child also only had one arm.


    "Grandpa Wei." The child looked at the vige head and began fearfully, "I, I was the one who saw the arm first. I even went to touch it but my dad quickly pulled me back."

 Chapter 126: The Child with One Arm

    Chapter 126: The Child with One Arm


    "Kiddo, what''s your name?" I said to the child, "Why did you touch this arm?"


    The child pulled on his father''s sleeve before saying, "My name is Sun Kangning, daddy and I went to visit Uncle Lee''s home today. I ran all the way back, on the way, I saw this hand. I was so happy so I went to grab it." The boy looked at us and his father before he continued, "I always dream of having 2 arms and 2 hands like other people but my parents told me, I was only born with one arm. Mummy and daddy said, I was a superhero in my past life and one of my arms was stolen by the evil viin." Sun Kangning continued in a joyful tone, "Daddy and mommy told me that as long as I eat my vegetables and study in ss, I will eventually regain my superpower from my past life and I can fight the bad guy to get my arm back. Right, daddy?"


    Sun Kangning raised his head to his father. Before the crowd, his father appeared quite embarrassed. He was a man around 30. He didn''t look like he was handicapped. He ruffled his son''s hair and said softly, "Of course, be a good kid and the bad people will eventually hand your arm back to you."


    Satisfied with that answer, Sun Kangning continued happily, "I''ve been eating my vegetables and doing my homework. When I saw the hand earlier, I was sure it was the bad guy who came to return my arm to me so I wanted to touch it." At this point, the boy''s face crumbled. "But my daddy saw me and scolded me. I didn''t know what I did wrong, I just wanted my hand back. Everyone has 2 arms and 2 hands, but why do I only have one?"


    The innocence of the child only made the story harder to listen. To protect the child''s heart, to help him ept his difference from others, Sun Kangning''s parents weaved out a dream for him. Perhaps when he was older, he would know the truth but for now, there was no harm for him to live in that dream. "I just want to be like everyone else." Sun Kangning whimpered under his breath.


    I turned to Sun Kangning''s father and saw the man was silently wiping away the tears from his eyes. Everyone stood silently. All of them were handicapped, perhaps they were told the same white lie when they were young. Sun Kangning''s father looked at me, as if worried that I might shatter the little boy''s dream. I smiled and told the boy, "Sun Kangning, you are indeed a superhero, and you have been doing well on your superhero journey. But I''m afraid this is not your hand. Look at how big it is, this hand is not for you but for someone else."


    Sun Kangning nodded with disappointment, "So it''s not for me."


    I said, "Good things take time to make. Your arm will be perfect so they will take longer to arrive. Big brother has a question for you. Did you see the person who put the hand here? The bad guy who has been going around stealing people''s hands, did you see him?"


    Sun Kangning''s eyes were practically glowing, "The bad guy was around here? I didn''t see him. If I saw him, I would have captured him myself."


    "So you didn''t see anyone at all?" I asked to confirm.


    Sun Kangning nodded. "No, when I came, I only saw the hand and no one else."


    "Then what time did you spot the hand?"


    "I don''t know." Sun Kangning shook his head, he was getting bored of this line of questioning. At that moment, Sun Kangning''s father chimed in, "Officer, we reached here around 1 pm. At the time, he was running too fast for me to catch up. I arrived about several minutes after he did. When I saw him ying with it, I immediately told him to stop At the time, I didn''t see anyone else." Sun Kangning''s father added, "But I did notice a set of footprints leading away from the hand to the eastern side of the vige. But now that it''s mixed with the others, I can''t tell which one it was anymore. Anyway, after I found the hand, I hurried to themunity centre." Sun Kangning''s father turned to the old vige head. "But the vige head wasn''t there. Lee Danan told me you''ve been to visit Granny Wang, so I ryed the incident to Lee Danan. Then he asked me to stay here while he went to fetch you guys."


    Even though Sun Kangning''s father did see the killer''s footprints, he wouldn''t be able to discern it among the other sets of footprints now.


    "Did you see anything suspicious?" I asked.


    "No." The father shook his head.


    Sun Kangning and his father didn''t look like they were lying because their testimonies were easy to verify. We only needed to check with Uncle Lee whom they had visited, so I didn''t suspect them. That meant that the killer hadn''t left the crime scene for too long. However, First Drain Vige itself had around 300 people, it would not be easy to single out the killer. While I contemted, everyone was silent. Suddenly Sun Kangning pointed out, "Look, these brothers and sisters are different from us. They have 2 legs and 2 arms. Unlike Granny Wang, they can hear and speak. Unlike Uncle Lee, they can see. Unlike" Sun Kangning had more examples but his father stopped him. Sun Kangning looked at his father in confusion. Sun Kangning''s father looked at us apologetically.


    "Alright, I have no more questions." I told the crowd, "If there''s nothing else, please go back home. If you have any clues, pleasee to us. After all, I believe this will happen again. It''s my advice for everyone to be more conscious of their safety. The killer is an incredibly vicious person." Then the crowd dispersed. Sun Kangning''s father walked over and bowed to me. He told me seriously, "Thank you officer, you are a good man, Iike Officer Zhou. If there''s nothing else, I''ll have to bring my boy home. If I remember anything, I''ll tell you."


    Soon, we were the few left at the crime scene. I stared at the different footprints and tried to lose myself in their patterns. Guan Zhenglin held the arm like she was shaking an invisible person''s hands. She said, "Wu Meng, even if you stick your face to the ground, you won''t be able to see anything. The killer''s footprint is long gone. The footprints ovep over each other, even thetest technology wouldn''t be able to pick up anything. Just give up."


    I pulled on my hair and sighed, "I know. But I hope we can still find a clue somewhere else. For example, this arm. Clearly the wound is made by some kind of animal, what kind of animal do you think it was?"


    Guan Zhenglin nodded. "You''re right about that, from the shape of the wound, these are indeed animal bite marks. Looks, the humerus here has the bite mark of a canine. From the arrangement of the teeth, I believe it''s arge hunting hound."


    I snapped my finger. "The murder weapon is a dog. Today we''ve practically moved around the entire vige. Have you guys noticed anything weird about this ce?"


    "Something weird?" Chief Zhou scratched his head. "I oftene to visit this ce because the vige head is my friend, but other than the handicapped vigers, there''s really nothing too special about this ce. There''s nothing unusual or weird too, if you ask me."


    I shook my head. "There''s something very weird. This vige has no sign of dogs. We''ve walked for a whole day, have you heard a single dog''s bark?"


    If we were at an apartment building, then a ban of pets was understandable, but a vige with no dogs? That was unusual.


    "Now that you mention it," Gu Chen nodded. "That is the case. How can this vige have no dog?"


    The vige head smiled, "It''s not that there''s no dog. People used to keep dogs as pets here but eventually we stopped. Our vige is different from others. Many of us aren''t physically capable, so we rely on social donation. There has been a case in the past where wild dogs entered the vige and injured, even killed some vigers. We were too powerless to stop those beasts. So whenever we spot a dog, we would chase them away now."


    Chief Zhou confirmed, "Yes, I handled that case myself."


    "So it''s not that we ban dogs." The vige head exined, "We''re just conscious of our safety. Think about it, most of our vigers are vulnerable to beasts. So most of us gave up keeping dogs as pets. Life moves on and the influence on themunity is really not that big."


    Only then we realized there was such a history at the vige. I continued, "If First Drain Vige has no dog, then where did this bite marke from? That is our opening. Once we find this owner, we''ll find its owner."


    Gu Chen chuckled, "So we have to find a dog now?"


    I nodded, "And this dog is quite sizable, at least a medium-sized hound. The fact that First Drain Vige has no dog has saved us a lot of trouble."


    Suddenly, the vige head uttered, "No wait, the convenience store on the eastern path!"

 Chapter 127: Normal

    Chapter 127: Normal


    ording to the vige head, First Drain Vige didn''t keep any dogs after the incident with the wild dogs hurting people. The only location where one could find a dog was at the convenience store near the highway. It was a rest stop for people using the highway. With the amount of traffic came potential danger so keeping a guard dog was understandable and even necessary. The vige head told us that the convenience store''s owner''s name was Zhang Ke. He had a wolfhound which was around 1.8 metres tall if it could stand upright. If we wanted to find a dog at First Drain Vige, that should be the only one.


    If that was not the dog, then it must be a dog from outside the vige. But based on the evidence so far, the killer must live at First Drain Vige or close to it. The vige head said, "It''s alreadyte noon now. We should hurry if we wish to investigate that convenience store. The trip to and fro will probably take a whole day. Based on the weather, we''ll be facing another heavy snowing night." The vige head looked at us and added, "I''m afraid you guys would have to stay here for a few more days."


    I lifted my head to study the dark sky. The thick clouds carried a lot of water vapour. A big snow was imminent. It felt like the sky was about to fall. It was quite suffocating. In fact, the whole vige had been giving me a creepy feeling. I puffed hot breath against my palms and rubbed them together. I told them, "Then we better depart now. Looks like we''ll be staying at First Drain Vige for the next few days. We should buy some everyday items like hotpacks and food when we''re at the convenience store."


    Guan Zhenglin''s face was red from the frost. She was still holding the arm. "We better find a ce to refrigerate this arm first then." The vige head ced the arm into a cer carved out from a slope and then led us to the convenience store on the east. When he came out from the cer, he had a few old gloves with him. "I''m so sorry, how can I not notice this even though you''ve been here for so long. Put these on for now. We''ll buy some new pairs at the convenience store. We''ll put them on my tab."


    Gu Chen pushed the vige head along the eastern path. The journey would take around another hour so we chatted to fill up the time. I asked, "Sir, why are there so many handicapped people in this vige? Are all the vigers handicapped? Is it because those without handicapped emigrate from the vige after they reach a certain age?"


    The vige head shook his head and exined slowly, "On the surface, the vige might look like it doesn''t have any normal people but that''s not true. The ratio of normal people to handicapped people should be 3 to 7. For example, Sun Kangning''s father, he''s not handicapped. But his boy is born with just one arm, you saw that yourself. Outside this vige, Sun Kangning would be treated differently. His father didn''t want him to be ostracized and bullied, so they moved here and settled."


    I nodded. "Meaning not all the vigers here are locals from First Drain Vige?"


    The vige head pointed at a house not far away from us. "Like what I''ve told you, this vige doesn''t have much but we do have plenty of houses. Even if there is a sudden migration, we have enough space to amodate them. Since the start of the 80th century, the healthy vigers started to move out but the handicapped people began to move in."


    "Interesting." Gu Chen couldn''t help himself butmented, "But in this case, wouldn''t it be hard to tell who would be taking care of whom? Does this really bring convenience to anyone?" Since Gu Chen was pushing the vige head''s wheelchair, thetter naturally couldn''t see the former''s expression. In any case, the vige head sighed, "I saw this little story in the newspaper and I will share it with you now. One day, an elderly man came on the public bus. He stopped before a young man but thetter didn''t move, showing no sign of giving up the seat."


    Gu Chen nodded. "The youth nowadays are getting ruder, taking care of our elderlies is basic moral." The vige head smiled as if waiting for Gu Chen to say that. He continued, "Yes, the other passengers on the bus told the young man the same thing. People sided with the old man and berated the young man. The young man''s face was red from the verbal onught and quickly surrendered his seat." I could hear that there was more to this story. The vige head continued, "But that was not the end of the story. The passengers felt like that was not enough punishment for the young man so they chased the young man down from the bus. The young man had to walk the rest of the way home. He sat down and rolled up his trousers to reveal the artificial limbs. He was a member of the handicapped society, but he didn''t have a word ofint even when he was bullied."


    At this point, Gu Chen cut in, "But if that was the case, the young man should have shown his artificial leg to the others. If he exined himself, things wouldn''t get so awkward."


    The vige head shook his head. "But after the young man got home, he started tough. He was very happy, Gu Chen, do you know why?"


    "Happy?" Gu Chen clearly didn''t understand what the vige head was trying to say. "Why would he be happy? He should be angry and sad about being misunderstood."


    The vige head shook his head and exined, "He wasn''t angry or sad, he was overjoyed. This is the difference between you and me, we see the world in a different way. Do you know what is the most terrifying thing us handicapped people can ever see in a person''s eyes?" The vige head''s tone slowed, "It''s not condescension but pity. Pity is man''s sincerest emotion, it''s a reflection of that mindset that you are different from me, specifically you are weaker and inferior than me. That is an emotion that cannot be faked. The young man was happy even though he was misunderstood because no one noticed he was different from them."


    We were silent. At that point, the vige head continued, "Humans are social creatures, being different from others can sometimes be the biggest self-denial. Therefore, all the healthy people moved away and the handicapped outsiders moved in. As there are more and more handicapped people, the healthy people would see themselves as the abnormal ones, do you understand it now?" We nodded. "Therefore, in this vige, like Sun Kangning said, you guys are the strange ones." The vige head smiled, "If Sun Kangning stays at this vige for life, he''ll only think of himself as normal. But if he is to survive in the outside world, then he''ll be in the minority, and be told by the public that he is not normal."


    I was suddenly reminded of what Zhao Mingkun told me, sometimes unhappinesses with knowing too much. Take for example, the North Korean citizens, they are shielded from the rest of the world. They are told that they are living in the best country in the world. But could we really say that they are not happy? Perhaps in their heart, they are happy. When everyone is asleep, and being awake is painful, perhaps dying in a constructed dream is the wish of most normal people.


    Chief Zhoumented, "Yes, different kinds of environments cultivate different worldviews and morality. What is normal and what is abnormal?" I saw helplessness and mncholy in the chief''s eyes.


    "And that is how this vige came to be." The vige head exined, "As more people knew of this ce, they came here to settle. Of course, we have both healthy and handicapped vigers who left and lived a life beyond the confines of First Drain Vige over the years as well."


    After hearing the vige head''s story, I felt sour in my heart. I believed others had the same feeling. Different people would see the world differently. For example, people who were color blind wouldn''t be able to appreciate the nuances of colors as most of us could. Suddenly the vige head turned to me and said, "So most of the time, do not just rely on guesswork. What you see might not be true. That is especially crucial to police officers." Then he turned his head back and didn''t say anything else.


    When he said that, there was a wealth of emotions in his eyes, like he was trying to tell me something. The statement itself was already leaden with meaning. But I had no idea whether that was just the vige head''smentation or he had a hidden meaning behind it. The rest of the way we didn''t speak as we hurried to the convenience store. We finally reached the end of the road at around 3 pm and saw the store for ourselves. It wasn''t big, only about 100 cubic metres in size.


    The exterior of the store was old. The walls were peeling to reveal the grey cement inside. Ads stered the wall. A cloth banner hung on the wall, "Er Xiao Market." All these details proved that this convenience store was quite old already. It was probably in business for decades already. The convenience store sat on the roadside, the north-south highway sat not far in front of it. Currently there was no traffic but that was expected considering the weather condition.


    The vige head pointed at Er Xiao Market and said, "The market owner is called Zhang Ke, but we all call him Er Xiao. He is the only one around here who keeps a dog."

 Chapter 128: The Missing Dog

    Chapter 128: The Missing Dog


    Based on what the vige head told us, this Er Xiao was 30 and he was not handicapped. Er Xiao arrived at First Drain Vige when he was 20. At the time, the vige head was confused. Since he was perfectly healthy, why would hee to this vige? Then the vige head found out that Er Xiao came here for business and not to settle. One day while Er Xiao was driving down the highway, one of his friendsmented, this ce had nothing, they couldn''t even stop for a toilet or smoke break. Er Xiao was inspired by this randomment. When they got home, Er Xiao suggested that they open a convenience store here. After about a decade of hard work, they should be able to save enough to own a home in Dong Xing City. The ce might be in the middle of nowhere but it was right next to the highway. The traffic wasmon and it was not a bad choice to open a shop. But no one got on board with Er Xiao''s crazy suggestion. After all, they all already had white cor jobs at Dong Xing City and had 6000 RMB sry per month. Why would they move to a backwards ce to risk a business venture?


    In any case, Er Xiao still quitted his job and came here to set up a small convenience store using the savings he had collected over the years. To open a shop here, Er Xiao only needed the approval of the nearest vige head, who was Wei Shengfeng. And thus Er Xiao''s convenience store came into being. Er Xiao would drive his truck into the city every month to restock his store. It was unknown how much Er Xiao had earned from his investment but the vige head confirmed that Er Xiao had already owned a house at Dong Xing City. Actually, 1 or 2 years ago, Er Xiao already considered selling this store but he didn''t have the heart to leave this ce even though he didn''t have much interaction with people from First Drain Vige.


    The vige head sighed, "I''ll be frank, the majority of Er Xiao''s ie is from his sales of counterfeit alcohol and cigarettes. He won''t earn much from just selling the everyday necessities to the vigers. The nearest rest stop is about more than 10 km away and Er Xiao''s main customers are the truckers. As you know, these people often take alcohol and cigarettes on the road aspany. So Er Xiao bought the counterfeit products cheaply and sold them for the real price, after all, these truckers might not evene back to this ce ever again. However, the alcohol and cigarettes he sells to us vigers are always authentic, or else we would have chased him away already." The vige head rolled his wheelchair to the door and pushed the door open.


    Before we even entered, we heard a man''s voice say, "Yo, yo, yo, isn''t this Master Wei? It has been so long. You shouldn''t havee in such weather. Just give me a call and I would have sent people to drop off the things you need at your house. But this proves that Master Wei is still incredibly young and so hale." I had to admit that Er Xiao was quite a salesman. The few of us walked in after the vige head.


    The store had no heater but it had arge stove. I noticed there were several red balls of coal inside. Even though it was not as warm as the heater at themunity centre, it was better than standing in the cold. Seeing us, Er Xiao shook his head. "Master Wei, do you need to bring a whole army with you? You''ve basically surrounded my entire store. Hey, how did I miss such a beautifuldy? Do you care to try on some of our selection of bras?"


    I studied this Er Xiao, he was a man around 30. He had long hair which looked oily and unwashed. His beard was stubbly and needed a good shave. The ck woollen shirt that he wore was fraying. This was someone who needed to pay more attention to his personal hygiene.


    The vige head scoffed, "If back then I knew you''re such a pervert, I wouldn''t have agreed to let you stay here."


    Er Xiao countered while pouring us some warm water, "If you stay here alone for 10 years all alone, you''d hump anything that moves. And it has only been getting worse. This snow is freezing up my heart. There is not one vehicle on the road and I''m bored out of my mind."


    The vige head picked some woollen gloves for us. "Keep these on my tab."


    Er Xiao shook his head, "It''s just a few gloves. Master Wei, they''re on the house. But you''re not here with so many people just to buy some gloves, are you? You didn''t bring the police here to arrest me for sales of counterfeit alcohol and cigarettes, right?"


    The vige head spat on the ground, "Do you think I''m that free to meddle in your business? Where is your Bei Bei, howe I don''t see him around? Have you sent him for breeding?"


    Er Xiao scoffed, "I wish. For breeding, there has to be a female dog around. The entire First Drain Vige doesn''t even have a single dog. I guess he finally had enough of the loneliness and ran away from home. I am also looking for him." My heart shook when I heard this. There couldn''t be such a coincidence, could there? We came looking for the only dog around the vige and it had gone missing? Was the dog the murder weapon who bit off the victim''s arm?


    The vige head frowned, "Wait, Bei Bei is missing?"


    Er Xiao mmed on the table and grumbled angrily, "That''s right, he''s been missing for 2 days already. I was wondering if it''s because someone has taken back a female dog in the vige. The kid will sometimes wander off on his own but he has never been MIA for so long before. After so many years of being together, I can''t believe he''d just abandon me like that. It''s truly saddening."


    We were all silent. Er Xiao''s dog went missing 2 days ago and that was the day our victim died. Was this a coincidence or was the theft premeditated?


    I asked, "Did your dog wander off on its own or was it stolen, can you be sure of that?''


    Er Xiao became serious when he heard that. "So you''re here to help me find my dog. Thank you so much. My Bei Bei is a german shepherd with ck and yellow fur, when it stands up, it''s about 1.8 meters tall. Normally, I let him just sit outside. There is no one else on the road and he will normally just stay there. But 2 days ago, when I woke up, he was gone." Er Xiao sighed, "And he has been missing since. I''ve already warned the vigers to be careful around him. My dog can get quite aggressive, I don''t want people to get into trouble."


    Guan Zhenglin red at him. "If you know the dog can get aggressive, why didn''t you cor him?"


    Xiao Er countered, "Animals deserve freedom too. Furthermore, no one reallyes here after the shop is closed. When it''s open, I''ll be here to watch over him, and nothing like this has ever happened in the 10 years I''ve been here."


    "Do you have a picture?" I asked.


    "Of me or the dog?" Xiao Er asked.


    I rolled my eyes at him and said in a deadpan voice, "Of course of the dog, why would I want your picture?"


    "Got it!" Er Xiao rummaged in his drawer before he handed me a picture. I took a nce at it. The dog was arge german shepherd, german shepherd was the quintessential police dog. They were loyal, confident and could perform tasks dutifully. They were helpful in drug busts, takedowns, patrols and so on. Their loyalty was famed, a trained shepherd dog would always return to its owner, they would not wander off for no reason, unless they were stolen.


    Bei Bei was indeedrge enough to bite off a person''s arm. But german shepherd wouldn''t heed a stranger''s order. So if Bei Bei was really the murder weapon, how did the killer manage to get Bei Bei to bite off the victim''s right arm?


    Guan Zhenglin looked at the picture and told us, "German Shepherd, 42 teeth in total, 20 on the top and 22 on the bottom. Amazing bite force, small gap between teeth. From this picture, I believe the bite marks left on the bone came from this dog." After a pause, she continued, "Find the dog''s fur or something that belonged to it. Has the officer from Elm Town arrived? Tell him to take these back as evidence to analyse as well. Then we''ll know for sure if the bite mark matches or not."


    Er Xiao was totally confused. "What bite marks, what analysis?"


    Guan Zhenglin said coldly, "We need the dog''s fur, you should have that, right? If not, at least you should have its dog''s bowl or the nket it uses."


    Er Xiao was cowed and instantly went out to the doghouse and plucked off a few dog''s fur. He came back and handed them to Guan Zhenglin, "Here." She ced them inside the evidence bag.


    I cut in to ask, "Did any strangere here in the afternoon 2 days ago?''


    "Strangers?" Er Xiao shook his head. "This is the back exit of First Drain Vige, there is not even a single tree around. If someone was here, I would have seen them. Plus the snow has blocked the road since that day. You''ve been here for so long already, have you heard or seen any vehicle pass by?" Xiao Er continued, "Even the vigers have stoppeding thanks to the damn weather, much less strangers. 2 years ago, I should have sold this ce. I have already bought a house in Dong Xing City, I really have no idea why I''m still staying here"


    Indeed, from where we stood, we could see far into the distance. 2 days ago, if the killer left through the highway after dumping the body, Er Xiao would definitely have seen them. In other words, the killer was most likely still in the vige. The snow had not only trapped us here but the killer as well.


    Then again, we couldn''t go house to house, searching for dead bodies without reasonable cause.


    So who could be the killer?

 Chapter 129: Thrill Killing

    Chapter 129: Thrill Killing


    I immediately turned to the vige head, "Sir, if Er Xiao is right, then the killer should still be in or around the vige. Then the chance of the killer being a viger here is very high, has anyone gone missing recently?"


    The vige head had his hands roasting on the stove and he said slowly, "Our vige is only so big. If someone has gone missing, their family or neighbour would havee to report it to me. But until now no one hase to me with that issue." Then he added, "How about this, the day is already gettingte. Tomorrow morning, I''ll have Ol'' Xia gather all the vigers and we''ll see if anyone''s missing. That will work right? If that doesn''t work, we''ll search through the house one by one. If the killer is really a viger here, we''ll find a dead body in their home."


    I shook my finger. "That''s not a good idea and it won''t work. It''s snowing too heavily. The killer could have easily left the dead body in the yard and the snow will do the rest for them. We can''t possibly go and shovel up the snow at every house, right? We might as well wait for spring toe and melt the snow, that might be faster." I continued, "Furthermore, it''s not wise going around to throw suspicion, that is not what thew enforcement should do. It will reflect badly on the police. After all, if we''re being suspected of being a killer for no reason, we wouldn''t feel too at ease either."


    "Then what should we do?" The vige head nodded before he asked.


    I asked, "The killer has just buried the arm in the snow this afternoon, they must still be around the vige. What we need to do now is to guard the vige''s two exits, if anyone wishes to leave, we have to be informed. After all, the snow has blocked off all the roads, there''s no reason for anyone to leave the vige at the moment." The vige head took a sip of the warm water and yawned with satisfaction. "That should work. Then Er Xiao, I will leave you with the guard duty of the eastern entrance of the vige. If someone tries to escape from the highway, contact me. Try to stop them if you can, but if you can''t, remember their faces. We''ll eventually capture them if they''re a viger here."


    Er Xiao didn''t understand what we were talking about until now. He said hurriedly, "Does this mean I''m the informant like the ones on those crime dramas? This is exciting! Leave this to me, I''m the perfect candidate, I have nothing else better to do anyway." I was not sure that was a good quality in a watchman but seeing how confident Er Xiao was, I didn''t say anything. If an outsider was hiding inside the vige, we would have known about it now considering everyone at First Drain Vige knew each other, so the killer most likely would be a viger here. A vige who had a butchery background, could it really be Ol'' Xia? Something told me that was not the case, something was still missing.


    However, we had essentially narrowed the suspect down to 300 plus people. It was only a matter of time until the killer was apprehended. With that in mind, I calmed down a lot. Perhaps when everyone was gathered together, we could identify the killer immediately with my criminal profile. Gu Chen ced 50 RMB on the counter despite Er Xiao''s multiple rejection. We put on the new gloves and at least our fingers could work normally again. Then we hurried back to the vige.


    As we walked back, Chief Zhou said, "Based on our clues so far, it does seem like the killer is one of the vigers but no one here matches the killer''s profile. No one I know looks like the kind of person who would kill and dismember an actual human."


    I shook my head. "Humans are always deceiving with their appearance, you can never understand the heart of a person from their looks. There was this case where a teacher stabbed a child on his way home. No one expected him to be capable of such mindless violence, his colleagues refused to believe it. The reason he killed was funny too." I shrugged. "He said he was under too much pressure from school, and the child''sughter rubbed him the wrong way."


    Chief Zhou thought about it and said, "Wu Meng, you have studied psychology. What''s the reason behind someone dismembering a body and even feeding the carcass to a dog? Why would someone go to such lengths of cruelty?"


    I pulled on my hair and told Chief Zhou. "Based on the known situation, I''vee up with the criminal profile of a murderous butcher. They murder because of internal torture, so they have to torment other living humans to satisfy their own twisted needs, they enjoy the thrill of the kill." Seeing the confusion on Chief Zhou''s face, I added, "In criminology, there is a term called thrill killing. A thrill kill is premeditated or random murder that is motivated by the sheer excitement of the act."


    Chief Zhou scratched his head, and looked at me with eyes begging for knowledge. "This is the first time I''ve heard of that term. Why don''t you exin it further for us, since we have nothing else to do anyway?" The others turned to me, they too agreed with Chief Zhou''s suggestion. I cleared my throat and obliged. "Then we will have to start with Maslow''s Hierarchy of needs. Maslow''s hierarchy of needs is often portrayed in the shape of a pyramid with thergest, most fundamental needs at the bottom and the need for self-actualization and transcendence at the top. In other words, the idea is that individuals'' most basic needs must be met before they be motivated to achieve higher-level needs."


    The group nodded.


    I continued, "At the most basic level, we humans have psychological needs and the 3 most important ones are health, rest, and sex. When these are not satisfied, one would do anything, including killing, to correct that. Crime of passion ismitted when the perpetratormitted murderpelled by sudden impulses due tock of rest and thus inability to think clearly, they often regret their actions after the fact; Health here refers to physical, societal and mental well-being, an example of murdermitted to fulfil this need is the perpetrator killing and robbing someone to buy a new iPhone; Lust killing a homicide in which the offender searches for erotic satisfaction by killing someone."


    "Okay, I think I understand." Chief Zhou nodded.


    I extended 3 fingers as I listed them out, "Rest, sex, health," Then I pulled back my fingers, "When they are all satisfied, it doesn''t mean that the world won''t have anymore murderers. Take for example, thrill killing, that doesn''t fulfil any of these baser needs.


    "In the case of thrill killing, the killer kills for the sake of killing, they kill to satisfy the emptiness in their soul. In such cases, the choice of victims is often mostly random." After a pause, I continued, "That is why the main clue to solve such cases is often not the killer''s motive or the connection between the victim and the killer. Therefore, there is a conflict, we do not wish for the killer to strike again but the greater the number of victims, the greater the chance we have of catching them."


    Chief Zhou nodded. "That is sick. Indeed, in the past, I havee across cases where the killer doesn''t even know the victim at all. We didn''t even know why the culprit hadmitted the crime."


    I nodded. "This kind of killer is extremely dangerous, dismemberment is merely for them to extend the high of murder. For example, the serial killer case that has been recently solved at Silver City. The killer, Mr. Gao, is a typical thrill killer. He has a high IQ,es from a good background, there is no reason for him to kill. All of his victims were raped and dismembered." I concluded, "He enjoyed the thrill of killing, the rape and dismemberment are just an extension of that."


    Gu Chen scoffed, "No matter what, a killer is a killer and the police will eventually catch them. This Mr. Gao might be highly intelligent but he was caught in the end, right?"


    I nodded, "The killer is now 60 plus. His killing spree started in 1988. Hopefully, the souls of his victims will be able to rest in peace with his arrest."


    "I can''t believe such people exist." Chief Zhoumented. I sighed, "This world is too big and it is home to all sorts of people. Criminal profiling came into being in America to handle these kinds of cases. A criminal profiler has to take on the mindset of the perpetrator toe up with the image of the killer based on avable information."


    "Then, will the profiles always be correct?" Chief Zhou looked at me seriously. I looked at him and noticed the furrow between his brows.


    I nodded. "Of course there is nothing that is 100 percent correct. If criminal profiles are always correct, we won''t need detectives anymore. To be honest, criminal profiling is more like data analysis, drawing conclusions from known data like which kind of person would be more prone to murders and crimes." I continued, "But criminal profiling has a big w in stereotyping. Humans are more varied than a formed profile and we always have to be mindful of that prejudice. A criminal profile can only bring us into the perspective of the killer as close as possible, it is not 100 percent correct. Matter of fact, I already have a feeling that I might be wrong."


    "What do you mean?" They asked. I pulled on my hair and admitted, "I worry that my earlier profile might not be correct, because when all the conditions of a criminal profile appear on the same person, it is too unusual. A criminal profile is just the concept of an ideal killer for a specific case but actual humans are more varied than that." I told the group, "Just like there is no ideal man or woman for a specific mate, there is no ideal criminal either. No human should be able to fit into the categories of a criminal profile so well."


    "So you''re saying the killer is not a butcher?" Chief Zhou questioned.


    I nodded and then shook my head. "It''s hard to say. I believe I need to wait until we have more clues first."

 Chapter 130: Copycat Killer

    Chapter 130: Copycat Killer


    When we arrived back at the vige, it was already dark. Unable to sustain the weight anymore, the clouds unloaded heavy snow onto the earth. This snow was going tost. The vige head arranged for us to stay at a Siheyuan. There were 2 rooms separated by a middle courtyard. Guan Zhenglin, as the only female among our group, slept alone; while the 3 of us dudes shared the other room. Thankfully the room wasrge enough to fit 3 of us. However, neither Gu Chen nor myself had used a coal stove before. Thankfully Chief Zhou came from a farming background, he was experienced with this kind of coal stove. Soon the coals in the two rooms were heated. Chief Zhou looked at me. "City dwellers like yourself probably haven''t seen this kind of coal stoves before. I wonder how much longer they''ll be around. With time, they too will disappear from this world."


    The few of us then crawled into bed. However, it was only 7 pm, for youngsters like ourselves, sleeping at this hour was no different from torture. We rolled in bed but were unable to sleep, so we decided to discuss the case instead. Chief Zhou took an interest in the case and kept asking for my opinion. Chief Zhou asked, "I believe this case is not as simple as you may think. If the killer is really a butcher, it will be too obvious in a small vige like this. Is it possible that the killer was purposely disguising themselves behind this perception?"


    Iid in bed and looked at the ceiling as I listened to Chief Zhou''s analysis. He had a point. Was it possible that the murderer was purposely mimicking someone else so that we were given the wrong direction from the start? "That''s possible." I said seriously, "The killer might not be a butcher but has seen simr cases before so they have adopted the killing method. Then, it would make our culprit a copycat killer."


    "A copycat killer?" Gu Chen asked.


    I pulled on my hair and exined, "A copycat crime is a criminal act that is modelled or inspired by a previous crime. The perpetrator is paying homage to their inspiration. For example, the culture of idol worship, no matter what the crime their idolsmitted, these fans would support their idols; and the moment you said something bad about their idols, they would antagonize you." The two nodded. I continued, "Just like these idols and their rabid fans, some serial killers have crazy fans too. The fans would model their crimes after their idols. Even today, there are people copying the crimes of Jack the Ripper, even though that was more than 120 years ago."


    Chief Zhou shook his head, "I doubt there is such a person at this vige. Elm Town has no murder for so many years already, mostly, the deaths are from idents or suicides. If there is a copycat killer at First Drain Vige, they would have killed a long time ago, why wait until today?"


    I closed my eyes and voiced my concern, "If the killer is just a normal person, then why dismember the victim with such cruelty? And so far, we have only seen the victim''s single arm and leg, we have no idea where the rest of the body is."


    Gu Chen enquired, "Do you think there will be another form of dismemberment? The leg was chopped off by a dull de while the arm was bitten off by a dog. What about the remaining arm and leg, would they have been dismembered using different methods?"


    With Gu Chen''s inquiry, an image appeared in my mind. The victim was tied to a bed, she was unable to struggle and resist. A butcher stood to her left, the butcher carried a bloody and dull machete. The butcher sawed her leg off slowly. At the same time, a hunter with a dog approached her from the right. The hunter ordered the hound to bite into the victim''s shoulder before tearing her whole right arm off. I was frightened by the image. If that was true, then this case was much more serious than I thought, because then we would be dealing with 2 murderers, a duo, 1 butcher and 1 hunter. It would exin the expediency by which the body parts were dumped, the jobs were assigned efficiently.


    However, statistically speaking, the greater the cruelty of the crime, therger the chance of a singr perpetrator. This was because working together came with too much risk. The fear of betrayal was real.


    As I mentioned earlier, when a person fitted the criminal profile too perfectly, it was unusual, but what if there were 2 people? However, the chance of 2 murderers cooperating was very low. My head was muddled. Was there 1 ideal criminal, or 2 separate killers splitting up the job scope?


    I shook my head to clear my thoughts. It didn''t help that much. I sighed, "When all the vigers are gathered tomorrow, we''ll be able to tell if there''s any suspect among them. But we''re still missing vital information even though this is already the third day of the case. We still don''t even know who the victim is."


    Chief Zhou cushioned his arm behind his head. "That''s right. Most of the vigers at First Drain Vige are handicapped people and normally outsiders wouldn''te here. Unfortunately Elm Town is a small city and we don''t even have the vigers'' basic information stored on a cloud database." The wind howled outside the window. I pulled back the curtain and looked out. The snowkes fell on the window ledge. Looks like the snow was going to fall through the night. I was worried because the snow would most likely eclipse any kind of evidence out there. Iid back down and wrapped myself with theforter. "Elm Town doesn''t have a citizenry database?"


    Chief Zhou nodded. "Yes. When I came here 20 plus years ago, we still had an actual paper file room. Only when we entered the 21st century did the city provide us with inte service and we started to input that information onto the web." 20 plus years ago, I wasn''t even born yet. Chief Zhou continued, "But most of the information on the paper files were outdated, we didn''t have the manpower to check them one by one and just keyed everything just like that. There was not a strict gatekeeping system. However, the inte did bring with it plenty of positives. With the information on our fingertips, we managed to capture a few fugitives who were on the run. Thankfully, this old man still knows how to use theputer."


    Gu Chen suddenly chuckled, "Chief Zhou, now that you mention it, you look around 40 plus already. We have been at Elm Town for about 3 months and we never heard about your n to settle down. If I am not mistaken, haven''t you been going out with a local girl. Xiao Mei was her name, wasn''t it? Why haven''t we seen hertely? If you ask me, 40 plus is about time for a man to get married."


    I perked my ears up to listen, I guessed I am quite a gossip too. Then we heard Chief Zhou sigh. "Honestly, I don''t even know what has happened. Perhaps I''ve angered her somehow. My phone hasn''t rung for a week already." Then he showed us his phone record. I slept beside Chief Zhou and I only needed to turn my head around to see his phone. On the list, there were only work calls, one of them was even from me but none from his girlfriend.


    Gu Chen also turned over. "Chief Zhou, it''s not that I''m trying to jinx this but I don''t think this is going to work out. After all, we''ve seen your girlfriend before. She''s pretty and how old is she?"


    Chief Zhou answered, "She''s 30 years ago."


    Gu Chen pped his hand together, "See, there''s a 10 year difference. And you keep ignoring her. She probably blocked you."


    "No way." Chief Zhou shook his head, "I didn''t ignore her, I am working this case."


    I smiled. "That''s not a good excuse. Plus you have time now, don''t you? Why don''t you call her?"


    With urging from Gu Chen and me, this 40 plus man finally surrendered to our demands and called his girlfriend. We had him put it on speaker. Chief Zhou''s face was red. However, there was no answer until the robotic voice said, "I''m sorry but the number you''re calling is currently busy, please try againter."


    Chief Zhou''s eyes darkened, I saw helplessness and sadness in them. Gu Chen and I were giggling earlier but now we didn''t know what to say. Perhaps Gu Chen was right, Chief Zhou had been blocked and cklisted.


    Gu Chen tried to backpedal. "But I remember Xiao Mei likes to hang around you. I''m sure she is just busy. I was only kidding earlier."


    Chief Zhou looked at me and then at Gu Chen. His lips moved like he wanted to say something. Eventually he uttered, "Wu Meng, Gu Chen, I have something to tell you"


    I waved my hands. "We understand. But why abandon the whole forest for a single tree. Am I right?"


    "No, it''s not that." Chief Zhou shook his head.


    Gu Chen said, "I''m sure it''s fine. We better sleep now."


    And no one spoke anymore.

 Chapter 131: Bloody Message

    Chapter 131: Bloody Message


    I felt quite regretful coaxing Chief Zhou to make this call, after all, this was between the two of them and outsiders like us had no right to meddle. Chief Zhou must have his reason to stay unmarried after 40 so who were we to judge? After the light was switched off, darkness descended immediately. Thankfully, the embers of the coal were still burning and they brought warmth to the room. In the dark, Chief Zhou''s words slowly drifted into our ears. "Actually you are right, it''ste for a man to get married over 40. Back in my days, the government promoted the one child policy but now they encourage families to have more children." His tone wasced with sadness, "As a police officer, I''ve somehowgged behind the country''s footsteps. Honestly, I''ve considered marriage but how can I put this? Every family has their own problem. Funnily enough, the vige that I came from is even poorer than this vige." His tone slowed. "When I exited the vige, I didn''t know anything. You have no idea what I''ve been through from the days patrolling the streets until now I''m the leading chief of a city unit. But after so many years, I can honestly say that I love this job of mine." After a pause, he asked, "I wonder if you guys feel the same way."


    In the dark, I couldn''t see Chief Zhou''s expression but his words resonated with me, a person couldy down their lives for the job they loved, it was especially true in this line of work. Unfortunately, I would never be a police officer. I was always a back-up, the kind which could be kicked out at any moment. But before I could answer, Chief Zhou continued, "Sorry, I digress but I do hope I can be at this job forever. My uncle passed away when he was young and left behind 2 children, a boy and a girl. Now they are attending high school, I''m paying for their tuition."


    The two of us still didn''t speak. Chief Zhou sighed as he turned in bed. "When he was still alive, my uncle used all of his savings to send me to school. He was supposed to use them to buy a house. 20 years ago, do you know how much 30000 RMB was worth? Therefore, my cousins are my brothers and sisters." As he talked about his family, his mood lightened, "Thankfully, they are good kids. They''re good at studies and have hope of getting into good universities. Nowadays, you have to have a house and a car to get married, but look at me. I''m a bachelor in my 40s with no assets under my name, who would marry me?" Chief Zhou''s words came out haltingly. They were leaden with helplessness. As a young man in his 20s, I couldn''t say I identify with him, but after spending months working with him, I could say that Chief Zhou was a responsible man and would be a good husband. But in this realistic society, even if the girl was willing to marry Chief Zhou, her family probably would intervene and Chief Zhou wouldn''t have the heart to force the girl to suffer with him. After all, sending his siblings to university would be another big expense.


    "I guess this will be my life." That was the conclusion of his life. After saying that, Chief Zhou became silent. Even today, Chief Zhou''s statement would often appear in my mind.


    Gu Chen and I didn''t utter a word, as if we could pretend to not hear anything if we didn''t answer; as if we could forget that Chief Zhou was this helpless middle-aged man instead of the funny and optimistic officer that everyone liked to work with. No one but the wind made a sound. This was a night which could freeze a person''s soul.


    Early the next morning, I pulled back the curtain and looked out. It was white everywhere, snow had once again covered everything. I was slightly worried. If the killer chose to dump the body yesterday night, all trace would be gone by now. I also pitied the officer who would have toe from Elm Town to gather our collected evidence. He would have to trek through quite a bit of snow to get here. Suddenly I was reminded of Chief Zhou''s car. It was probably buried under deep snow now.


    Putting on clothes in deep winter should be considered a form of torture. Chief Zhou was already awake and had even reignited the coals in the stove for us. Sadly, the warmth of the stove couldn''t rival an electrical heater. I walked out from the room and heard Chief Zhou shovelling snow in the outer yard. The snow from the night before had swallowed our Siheyuan. Our Siheyuan wasid out in such a way that beyond the inner courtyard, there was another small stretch of outer yard before we would reach the front door.


    I shouted at Guan Zhenglin''s room. "Hey! Guan Zhenglin, the sun is already up, how can you still be in bed? Who is going to marry you in the future if you''re sozy? If you don''te out soon, I''ll throw snowballs into your room!"


    Momentster, I could hear her growl back, "Have you lost your mind, it''s only 7 in the morning! And what does it have to do with you if I''m married or not, I''m not going to marry you anyway! If you dare to throw any snowballs into my room, I''ll chop you into minced meat! Try me!" Hearing her voice, I felt better. By then Chief Zhou had finished shovelling away the snow, clearing the way from the front door to the inner courtyard.


    As I walked out the courtyard door, I was shocked by what I saw. On the grey brick wall facing our courtyard door, someone had written with some kind of red substanceI will give you a surprise.


    Chief Zhou chuckled, "Wu Meng, I didn''t expect you to be such an early riser. But if you keep making those jokes about Guan Zhenglin, I fear she''ll really one day kill you." Chief Zhou clearly didn''t see the message. I remembered that this message wasn''t on the wall when we moved into this Siheyuan yesterday. I told Chief Zhou, "Chief Zhou, look at that." He turned to follow the direction I was pointing. Then he stood there,pletely flummoxed. Right then, Gu Chen walked out, having just dressed. He noticed the two of us staring and he followed our gaze. He recited the message word by word, "I will give you a surprise."


    Chief Zhou uttered, "Who could be behind this?"


    I had a bad feeling in my heart, I rushed back into the yard and shouted, "Guan Zhenglin,e out now, you need to see this!" She shouted back, "Stop rushing! What''s so important?" She pulled back the thick curtains and walked out, grumbling impatiently, "What is it?"


    Seeing her, I knew why it had taken her so long. Unlike Gu Chen and myself, girls needed time to prepare themselves before they would leave the door. "I need you to look out the courtyard door." I told her.


    "I will give you a surprise?" She said.


    There was no footprint on the ground so the message was written the night before. The winds were so loud that it had silenced all the other sounds. If someone had pushed open the front door and walked into the Siheyuanpound, we would be none the wiser. Furthermore, it was snowing so heavily that there was probably no one on the vige streets. In that case, the chance of the killer being one of the vigers had increased drastically. We hurried forward to inspect the stains on the wall. Based on the width of the characters, they were written using a brush. The handwriting was uneven so the person probably wrote with the hand they didn''t normally use. Some of the snowkes had stuck onto the characters and became a red slush.


    Guan Zhenglin said, "Wait a minute, I''ll be back!" She hurried back into her room and came back wearing her gloves. She rubbed her fingers against the liquid on the wall, studied it before giving it a quick sniff. Then she announced with a severe look, "There is a light bloody smell. Based on observation, this is most likely human blood. They probably came from the same person."


    When I heard that, I thought, Has the killer lost their mind? They came to taunt us knowing we''re staying to investigate the case? But if that''s true, this action doesn''t fit my criminal profile. What is this killer or killers really up to?''


    Gu Chen cursed, "This killer has clearly underestimated us. They knew that we''re staying here and wrote this to taunt us." Chief Zhou frowned as he studied the message, "But why would they do that? And what could this surprise be?"


    I shook my head, "This case has gotten a lot moreplicated, I can''t even tell what the killer is after anymore. What if the killer didn''t dismember the body for the thrill, could there be other possibilities?"


    "Other possibilities?" The rest of the group asked. I pulled on my head and exined, "Yes, I believe there is another story here. But I can''t confirm it yet." The message written in human blood was oppressive and suffocating. The clouds were dark and low. The sun barely shone through. The whole world felt dark, and it reflected in our hearts. I couldn''t help butment, "In this season, things are either ck or white. If I have to spend my whole life in this kind of colorless world, I''ll probably lose my mind."


    "Is that so?" Chief Zhou said under his breath.


    "So what now?" Gu Chen asked.


    I shrugged. "We should go and find the vige head. Perhaps we might find something after all the vigers have been gathered." Just as I said that, we heard Lee Danan scream from the front door. "Officers, the vige head has sent me to wake you. The vigers are already gathering. Officers, the vige head has sent me"

 Chapter 132: Surprise

    Chapter 132: Surprise


    "Come on, let''s go." I told the group. Guan Zhenglin shook her head, "How do you expect me to go meet people looking like this? I''ll have tob my hair and wash my face first. You guys can go first. The vige is only so big, I''ll soon catch up." I shrugged and asked, "Aren''t we people too? Why don''t you mind looking like that when you''re with us?" Guan Zhenglin rolled her eyes as answer and walked back into her room.


    Gu Chen chuckled as Guan Zhenglin walked away, "That means that she has seen us as family. Your brain is perfect when ites to case analysis but howe it malfunctions when it has to do with anything else? Come on, let''s go find the vige head." I shook my head and pushed open the front door. Lee Danan''s mouth hung open when he saw us. He probably was going to shout one more time. After a pause, he said, "Officers, the vige head told me toe get you. The vigers have already started to gather at the front of themunity centre. He told me to bring you there."


    We walked all the way to themunity centre. Someone had trekked out a path which was only wide enough to fit a person on the vige roads. This reminded me of the idiom, when there''s a will, there''s a way. Along the way, we encountered other vigers heading to the same destination. Lee Danan exined, "Most of the vigers are already there."


    We walked into themunity centre and realized that the vige head had really gathered everyone. Therge yard was filled with people. We walked past them from the side. I saw clearly that most of the vigers were handicapped, the asional healthy vigers stood inpany of their handicapped friends or family. Then again, they only looked fine on the surface, they could be deaf, mute or blind for all we know. Before the crowd, a small stage had been built and the vige head was currently on it. When he saw us, the vige head called, "You''re here. Come on up. These are almost all the vigers."


    We walked up the ramp next to the stage. Standing up there, we could see every viger clearly. Some of them looked quite tired, this was too early a gathering for them; others were mumbling among themselves, questioning the purpose of this gathering. The vige head produced a speaker. He tested the volume and then said with satisfaction, "Vigers of First Drain Vige, please look around you. See if there''s anyone missing. Please quiet down. See if there is anyone you know who is not here."


    They obliged. Soon, someone said, "Ol'' Xia is not here, I don''t think."


    "Everyone else is here?" The vige head shouted, "Other than Ol'' Xia, everyone else is here?"


    "Yes." A few of them shouted. The vige head put down the speaker and turned to tell us. "I''ve sent Ol'' Xia to guard the viger''s west entrance. Let me do a head count. Hmm yes, they''re all here. These are all the poption we have. I''ll say a few words to keep them upied while you take a good look at them." I nodded and started to scan the 300 plus people to see if anyone matched my criminal profile. Upon a cursory nce, there was none. Perhaps my profiling was wrong. I based my profile on the fact that the murder was a thrill killing, but if the murderer didn''t act on that, then the whole profile would be wrong. But if it was not to satisfy a twisted need to kill, then the motive would be among the fewmon ones. From human being''s basic needs, we could categorize the killing motives into several types: for passion, for love, for revenge, for money, for sex.


    These were the mostmon killing motives. From the perspective of criminology, dismemberment after murder during crime of passion was rare; it would be even rarer for dismemberment to happen for the sake of money.


    Then we were left with love, revenge and sex. These 3 motives were more serious than the other 2 because they were often premeditated. The killer would consider how to dispose of the body. So what was the motive here?


    By then, the vige head had almost reached the end of his a few words''. He raised the speaker into the air and waved. "Think about it, this devil is possibly hiding among us. I know our vigers will not do something like this but caution is a virtue. You have already seen and heard of the crimesmitted." The vige head continued, "The killer has done these offenses in broad daylight, we cannot be too careful! If the killer is really among the people here, please surrender yourself! Regardless of your motive and goal, please stop now!" The vige head''s voice wasced with pleas. "No matter the reason, no matter how justified, a murder cannot be sanctioned. We must uphold thew. You have to stop now!" I looked at the vige head, and there appeared to be a hidden meaning behind his words. He sighed and then turned to look at me.


    I leaned close to his ear to whisper, "I might have gotten it wrong earlier but I am sure that the culprit is one of the vigers. Perhaps there might even be more than one killer. In any case, we shouldn''t push them too far. The snow has blocked all exits from this vige, if the killers go berserk, I don''t think a vige filled with handicapped people will be able to stop them."


    The vige head stared at me for a while before turning back to the vigers, as if trying to find the killers among them. But everyone looked innocent, their expressions told us nothing. The hardest thing in this world to understand was the human heart. There is a Chinese idiom that suggests that one''s looks is decided by one''s emotions, I whole-heartedly disagree with that because certain people could look perfectly harmless, but they were the ones capable of the most despicable things.


    The vige head concluded, "I''ve told you everything you need to know. Justice always prevails. For example, that killer at Silver City, he has been a fugitive for 20 plus years but isn''t he caught in the end? You might be able to escape from the police''s detection for now." The vige head said, "But could you escape from the judgement of your own conscience?" He waved his hands, "Meeting''s adjourned."


    After the vigers dispersed, the vige head turned to us, "Since we can now confirm that the killer is among us, how about we check their ces one by one? We''ve only seen a single arm and leg, the rest of the body must still be hidden at the killers'' home."


    I shook my head. "I still don''t think it''ll work. The killers won''t be dumb enough to leave the body at somewhere conspicuous. Plus doing such a search would be us basically telling the killers that we have no evidence. That won''t help us. Furthermore," I continued, "The biggest danger is that we might scare the killers from dumping the rest of the body. It would make our trail run cold. You''ve said it yourself. The rest of the body is still missing. If we continue to wait, I believe they will eventually show up."


    Gu Chen cursed, "Fuck, is that the surprise that the killers are nning for us?"


    When Guan Zhenglin found us, the vigers had already left. At around 11 am, the officer who came for the evidence finally arrived. Based on the fatigue on his face, he must have had a long and arduous journey. The officer said, "The road nearby has been sealed off by the snow. My vehicle could only reach the main road. It was another 4 hours of walking before I could reach here. I departed at 7 in the morning but I only got here now. I''ll have to return earlier in the afternoon, I don''t want to be stuck in the wilds at night. By the way, where is the evidence you wish to give me?"


    The vige head said, "Officer, that must have been quite a journey. You shoulde to my ce to rest, and depart after having lunch." The vige head also invited us to join him. Guan Zhenglin handed the evidence over to the officer one by one and told him what to do with each. The officer took out his note and jotted down everything. When the official business was done, it was 12 noon, perfect time for lunch. The vige head''s wife served us arge pot of dumplings and several small dishes. It smelled delectable.


    The vige head smiled. "My wife is a great cook. Please, don''t be shy."


    The young officer looked so hungry. He picked up a dumpling, dipped it in sauce and put it in his mouth. He praised, "This is delicious. What kind of filling is it?"


    The vige head''s wife said, "Is it? I''m d to hear it. I only cooked the dishes, the dumplings were a gift from one of the vigers. When I woke up this morning, someone left a bowl of dumplings on our doorsteps. I believe it''s one of the neighbours who left it for us, knowing that we''re going to have guests. The vigers here are all friendly like that."


    The rest of us also picked a dumpling each. It was as delicious as the young officer imed. But we too had no idea what kind of filling it was. We had never tasted this kind of meat before. The young officer picked up another but after a few chews, he spat it out.


    "What''s wrong?" Thedy of the house asked anxiously. "Has that one gone bad?"


    The young officer shook his head as he used the chopsticks to peel back the dumpling skin. "It''s not that. The texture of this one is just not right." The rest of us looked into the exposed filling and it took the breath away from us.

 Chapter 133: Human Dumpling

    Chapter 133: Human Dumpling


    The next moment, everyone turned to the side, unable to resist the nausea anymore. I had a hard time describing my feelings at that moment. The whole table of us vomited as if we were hit by food poisoning. The young officer''s face turned green the moment he saw the filling inside his half-eaten dumpling. He practically vomited his whole stomach out. The stench immediately filled up the room. I took a long breath before I could stare at the piece of dumpling again.


    The filling was not what we expected. A piece of meat about the size of a person''s thumb appeared before our eyes. To be specific, it was a nipple. From the nipple''s size and shape, we came to the easy conclusion that this was a human nipple. However, I still couldn''t help but ask in a shaking voice, "That is not a human nipple, is it?"


    ording to Morpheus'' Law, the more you didn''t want something to happen, the more it would happen. After Guan Zhenglin wiped away her vomit, she said, "I''m afraid you''re right." The young officer who had just stopped vomiting, started all over again when he heard Guan Zhenglin''s answer, it


    The vige head turned to his wife and yelled, "What is wrong with you, woman? How could you think to serve us something like this? Do you n to scare all of us to death?"


    Even though his wife was already over 50, being scolded like that, there were tears in her eyes. "How is this my fault? When I woke up this morning, I saw the pack of dumplings already sitting on our doorstep. I assumed it was a gift from Chui Hwa and the girls. How am I supposed to know they''re human dumplings" Then she burst into greater tears. "You''ve changed ever since you got elected to be the vige head. You never raised your voice at me before. When you married me, you said you would love me forever but nowadays all you do isin, you''re going to divorce me, aren''t you? I can''t live this kind of life anymore" All the vige head could do was to quickly apologize.


    I stepped up to stop this family drama and cut in with a swift question, "Madam, when was the time that you found this bowl of dumpling?"


    Thedy rolled her eyes at her husband and stopped to answer me, "Kid, I really didn''t know about the dumplings. I woke up to prepare and clean the house around 5 am plus. I wanted to check outside the door to see if there''s any snow. That was when I found the dumplings."


    As I patted the young officer on his back, I resisted the nausea to ask, "Can you tell me in detail how you found the bowl of dumplings?"


    She pulled on the edge of her dress in embarrassment. "I opened the door and found the bowl sitting on our window ledge. It came with a stic lid. It was not from our home. Before I went to bed yesterday night, it wasn''t there yet." Then she told me, "I went closer to look inside the bowl, as I lifted up the lid, I saw the dumplings. Due to the weather we have, the dumplings were already frozen when I found them. I thought it was a gift from one of the vigers so I took it in." As if afraid that I wouldn''t believe her, she added, "Chui Hwa and the girls will often do that, ask the vige head if you don''t believe me." The man nodded.


    I asked again, "Madam, when you went out, did you see any footprints?"


    The madam pped her thigh and gasped, "Now that you mention it, there was no footprint when I went out this morning! Was it not a viger who gave us the dumplings but a ghost? My God, but we have not done anything to deserve this!"


    The vige head mmed on the table and groused, "How could you be so superstitious? We''re already in the 21st century."


    I mediated, "It was not a ghost. The snow was heavy yesterday night so it probably covered up the person''s footprints. That meant that the dumplings were left on the window yesterday night and when you went out this morning, their footprints were already gone."


    "But" The madam said worriedly, "But what does the person want? Why would they give us human dumplings? This is not the work of that crazed killer, is it? Who would do something like this? Oh, this is not good for us First Drain Vige! There goes our usual peace!" Well, she was not wrong about that. I closed my eyes and pulled on my hair. I tried to piece everything together chronologically. First, the killer dumped a leg casually by the roadside; then they shoved an arm into the snow; it was followed by the bloody message left inside our Siheyuan and now this bowl of human dumplings. Now that I thought about it, the killer was quite an attention seeker. The killer could have dumped the leg deep in the mountains and no one would have found it but they did not. If the killer wasn''t doing this for the thrill of the kill, why dismember the body? Why go through all these troubles to attract the police''s attention? There was a voice in my head telling me that I was still missing an importantponent of the clues.


    "Pick through the dumpling fillings!" I looked at the pot of dumplings and ordered, "We need to figure out how much meat is here and which part of the human body were they from and if possible, the victim''s identity!" The others nodded.


    The young officer refused to stay any longer, he picked up the evidence bags and left for the city. Even when the vige head asked for him to stay, he rejected it. After what happened earlier, there was no way he was going to stay. Unable to persuade him to stay, the vige head gave him a few buns so that he could have something to eat on his way back.


    At the same time, the rest of us squatted in the yard and picked out the dumpling filling one by one. There were enough dumplings to serve 8 people, there were around 200 plus of them. The vige head''s wife cooked all of them because she believed us youngsters would have a great appetite. From the fillings, we noticed that the meat wasn''t finely minced. They were more meat cubes. After all, if someone had to mince human meat, it would make a lot of noise and that risked discovery by neighbours. However, chopping them into cubes wouldn''t expend as much time and effort. Based on the number of dumplings, the killer probably had been prepping the meat since yesterday afternoon. Making 200 plus dumplings wasn''t easy work, if the killer wrapped them all alone, it would take at least several hours.


    I suspected Ol'' Xia because he was a butcher and fitted my criminal profile but after the dog was discovered to be the murder weapon, my suspicion switched to Er Xiao. This was because the German Shepherd was a very loyal dog. They would only listen to the orders of their owner. Then I considered the possibility that there was a duo working together. They might be Er Xiao and Ol'' Xiao, the reason I didn''t say anything was because I didn''t want to arouse their suspicion. But now I realized they wouldn''t have the time to do these things.


    From the dumplings itself, I knew that they were fresh. Because frozen dumplings were prone to having cracked skin after they were cooked, an effect from being frozen for too long. But in our pot, only a few of the dumplings cracked. So who was the killer? Why was it that whenever I started to lock onto a new suspect, there would be new evidence to challenge my hypothesis?


    As we picked through the dumplings, Gu Chenmented, "There are quite a lot of dumplings here. They must weigh at least a ton." The filling that we picked out had already filled half a big bowl. After they were cooked, it was hard to tell what kind of meat they were. With that in mind, I said, "Actually, we should consider ourselves lucky. If the young officer didn''t have the dumpling with the nipple so early in the meal, we would have eaten most of these dumplings and wouldn''t have known the truth about their ingredients. After all, I remember everyone saying they were quite delicious"


    Everyone''s faces darkened and Guan Zhenglin directly red at me. Soon we fished out all the filling. From appearance, only the piece with the nipple had discerning human features. The rest of the meat was smaller and could easily pass as normal meat. I believed the killer did this on purpose, but they probably didn''t expect for us to find the winning'' dumpling so early in our meal. The killer wanted us to finish most of the dumplings before someone discovered the piece with the human nipple.


    "Let''s weigh it." I stood up and told the vige head.

 Chapter 134: Newspaper

    Chapter 134: Newspaper


    The vige head yelled for his wife to get the scale. It was the old-fashioned kind. The vige head ced the meat on the scale and then adjusted the weights on the counterbnce until the scale was even. The vige head narrowed his eyes and gasped, "My God, there is around 10 jin (6 kg) here."


    That confirmation rippled through our hearts. We looked at the cooked meat and didn''t know what to say. Was this the surprise the killer wanted to give us? Chop up the victim and feed it to us as dumplings? I spat twice and could still feel the taste lingering on my lips.


    Gu Chen hissed, "The killers are getting more and more violent and insane these days. First they left a bloody message on the wall for us and now this human dumpling. If this continues, perhaps one day, the killer will stand before us and admit directly that they''re the killer." Even though Gu Chen was only venting, I shivered thinking about what the killers might do next considering they had already gone so far. What more would be waiting for us?


    Chief Zhou said worriedly, "I think we shouldy in ambush on the rooftops at night. Think about it, the killer has alwayse out to dispose of the body parts during snowy weather. The snow has helped cover their traces." Chief Zhou looked at us, "Then we should wait for a snowy night and theny out a trap for them!"


    I frowned, but Chief Zhou was not wrong. Gu Chen praised Chief Zhou''s suggestion. "That''s right! We should just stay up all night. There are only 10 jin of meat here, there is still quite a lot of body left. The vige isn''t big. With a few more people, we should be able to cover the entire vige. I''m sure we''ll apprehend the killer that way."


    I nodded. "That could work but we''ll have to find trustworthy people to be our lookouts. If the killer found out about this n, then we would just be wasting our time."


    The vige head concurred. "Currently, we''re in the open and the killers are in the dark. But if we can set up this ambush, the whole situation will change." At this point, he added, "By the way, Wu Meng, you suspect that there might be more than one killer, didn''t you? Then we should find more helpers."


    Chief Zhou looked at the vige head. "But it''s not easy for us to find trusted help since we don''t know anyone here."


    The vige head frowned as if going through the candidates in his mind. After some time, he said, "Ol'' Xia has always been my assistant and Er Xiao doesn''t have much interaction with the vigers. What about them?"


    Ol'' Xia and Er Xiao were both on my suspect list but now we had to rely on them to help us catch the killer? But then again, based on what we knew, the two of them definitely didn''t have the time to prepare the dumplings. Even though Ol'' Xiao had severe burns, he had healed for the most part. He was also strong and fit. Er Xiao was a healthy man, so he could help too. We looked at each other and saw the affirmation in each other''s eyes.


    Noting our agreement, the vige head announced, "Okay, I''ll give Ol'' Xia and Er Xiao a call now."


    I advised, "We should find a few houses where the vigers normally wouldn''t pay attention to. We need to be as cautious as we can." The vige head nodded and then called the two.


    I looked up into the sky and it still hadn''t lightened up. But it looked like there wasn''t going to be snow in the afternoon. ording to the weather report on the phone though, the snow would be around for another 2, 3 days. Whenever it snowed, there was a chance for a body dump.


    We arrived at Lee Danan''s home around 3 pm. Lee Danan was situated at the most eastern side of the vige. Normally the vigers wouldn''te here. Most of us had arrived, the only one who was missing was Er Xiao because he needed to walk for more than 1 hour to cover the journey.


    I looked around Lee Danan''s home. It was clear that Lee Danan lived alone, the room was quite messy. The socks andforter were dropped on the bed. A few clothes were casually dumped to the side alongside the pile of underwear and socks. They looked like they hadn''t been washed in a long time. Lee Danan had lost both arms, so no matter how agile his legs were, he couldn''t be the killer. So it made sense for us to gather here to discuss the n. Lee Danan probably didn''t have so many people at his house before. He was quite shy and turned away from us, focused on shoveling the coals into the stove. He opened the television to keep us entertained.


    I hadn''t had a meal since the horrid lunch and my stomach was rumbling. It was not that I didn''t want to eat but I didn''t have the appetite. The human dumpling left quite an impact on us. Only Gu Chen was able to eat the food that we were served. Throughout the whole afternoon, I depended on water to stave off the hunger. It was why I needed to excuse myself to use the bathroom.


    The houses had about the sameyout in this vige. After one walked in the yard, one would face the main room situated at the north, on the west was the toilet and the kitchen would be on the east. I pulled open the bathroom door. I was greeted by a wall of newspapers. I was quite surprised but then as I walked in, I realized they were there to block the wind. The newspapers wereyered on top of one another. As I took a piss, I studied the articles on the paper.


    The papers were all dated and some were already yellowed from exposure to the elements. Out of boredom, I started to read. Most of them were taken from Elm Town''s Night Daily. There were only a few pages from other publications. Some of the articles were quite interesting. For example, one headline was, A woman in her 50s was raped when she was strolling by the river'', and the next day''s headline was, More than 100 single women over 50 were found walking by the river this morning''.


    I took a cursory nce and one of the articles caught my attention, it was thew beat of the paper. The article had an eye-catching headlineListing 20 famous psychopath killers around the world. Without knowing it, I was drawn in by the writing. I had to stop and pull up my pants because the lower half of the paper was glued under another. I used my hand to peel off the upperyer and realized the rest of the article had already been pulled off.


    The lower half of the article had already been torn away. I ran my finger along the tear, it pricked my finger, that meant that the tearing was recent. It was understandable for people to look around at the paper when using the toilet but why would one tear away one of the articles?


    The possibility popped into my head, copycat killers. However, in this case, the culprit didn''t take inspiration from a killer they idolized but from an article they randomly encountered inside Lee Danan''s toilet. Then the different dismemberment method could be exined. Since the killer only tore off thetter half of the article, they must have copied the methods from the remaining 12 killers reported on the article. With that in mind, I tore down the rest of the article, took a picture and sent it to Sister Mary. She should be able to find theplete article online.


    If that was the case, the killer must have yed guest at Lee Danan''s house before. Lee Danan was too shy to have that many friends. So even though he might not be the killer, he must know the killer. Furthermore, Lee Danan was our first witness of this case, was this a coincidence?


    Suddenly, someone jiggled on the lock from outside. I hurriedly shoved the article into my pocket and turned around, pretending to fiddle with my zipper. The door was pulled open and Lee Danan walked in. I pretended like I had just finished using the toilet and said, "I''m sorry, I didn''t know you had to use the toilet too."


    Lee Danan smiled shyly. He looked at me and then behind me. "It''s not that, you''ve been here for so long so I came to check on you. Our vige uses pittrines and it can get quite slippery during winter."


    I smiled, "You''re worried that I might fall into the shithole?"


    Lee Danan was clearly embarrassed. When we walked out, Er Xiao also just arrived. I walked into the room and said, "Well, since we''re all here, we can go now."


    I turned and headed straight out, leaving behind a room of confused people. Even though they had no idea what I was doing, no one said anything. They moved to follow me. Gu Chen hurried over and whispered, "What happened? Don''t tell me you think Lee Danan is the killer? He doesn''t even have arms, how can he be the killer?"


    I took out the torn newspaper from my pocket and slipped it to Gu Chen. "I found this inside Lee Danan''s toilet. I believe the methods of dismemberment were learned from this article. But theter half of the article has been torn away. I can''t tell what the rest of the article says."


    I hid my actions from the rest so they couldn''t tell what we were doing from behind. I continued to whisper, "Too many people are involved in this case. This case is far moreplex than we assume. We should keep this between us 2 for now."


    "Not even Guan Zhenglin and Chief Zhou?" Gu Chen asked.


    I nodded.


    "What''s wrong?" Noticing Gu Chen and I hurry towards the vige entrance, the vige head asked from behind.

 Chapter 135: A Message

    Chapter 135: A Message


    I nudged Gu Chen on his shoulder and he quickly slipped the half newspaper into his coat pocket. We then stopped to wait for the others to catch up. I rxed somewhat seeing Lee Danan had stayed in his own home. When he osted me in the toilet earlier, that was quite suspicious. The group huddled together and Guan Zhenglin asked, "Why are you guys walking so fast?"


    I cleared my throat and said, "We should head over to the fields over there first. We''re standing too conspicuously in the open."


    When we arrived at the edge of the vige, I said, "I just think there shouldn''t be any reason for us to involve someone who doesn''t know too much about the case lest we put them in danger. When the vige head summoned you guys, he must have told you something about the reason why we''re here already. But I''m going to officially exin it again. We''re here to capture the killer."


    "Capture the killer?" Er Xiao was still the chatterbox. "That''s good! But please don''t assign me a job like the one before. You told me to be on the lookout for suspects but there was no one who passed by the ce at all. My eyes are already dry from all the staring. I didn''t have a good night''s sleep either because I was afraid that someone might pass by when I was sleeping, so I kept waking up to look"


    I quickly stopped him before he continued to drown us with his story, "Based on 3 days of observations, we noticed that the killer would pick the time when it''s snowing heavily to dump the body. Coincidentally, it has been snowing heavily for the past few nights and the darkness has provided the perfect natural cover for them."


    The vige head added, "Therefore, after some discussion between the officers and myself, we feel like we shouldy an ambush. Once the killeres out to dump the body, we''ll capture them red-handed. But based on the clouds in the sky, I don''t think it''ll snow today. We''ll start this operation tomorrow." The two nodded.


    Gu Chen nced towards the vige. "This vige only has 1 main road. Me, Wu Meng, Chief Zhou, Ol'' Xia and Er Xiao, each of us will hide on the rooftops of the houses along the main road. Pay attention to the environment around us. If there''s anyone roaming around the vigete at night, then that''s our killer." Everyone nodded.


    At that moment, Guan Zhenglin cut in, "Hey, why aren''t I part of the lookout? I can help too."


    I tapped her head lightly. "It''s too dangerous for a female, what if we have to ost the killer. By the way, if you get too tired, you can rest when it is almost dawn. It will take time for the snow to cover a person''s footprint so I believe the killer will not make any move after 3 am. And due to the lifestyle of the vigers here, most people would be up by 5 am already."


    The vige head added, "We''ll be on the lookout if it snows; if it doesn''t, we''ll stay at home. Bring extraforters with you, so you wouldn''t be too cold when you''re on the lookout." After everything was arranged, it was decided that Er Xiao would stay with Ol'' Xia for these few days.


    After the sky darkened, I almost fainted from hunger. The vige head''s wife cooked another table of food for us. She promised that she cooked everything herself this time and everything was home grown. We wolfed down the food, the hunger winning over the fear of the human dumpling. Gu Chen shook his head and said between bites. "If you ask me, we''ll eat anything if you''re hungry enough. When there''s no other option, you''ll even eat human dumplings. Look at me, did it affect my appetite this afternoon? After vomiting, I still managed to finish my lunch."


    I had no idea why Gu Chen would be proud of that but I was too busy eating to care. After we finished the meal, we bade the vige head and his wife goodbye before we returned to our temporary home to rest. Walking on the country path, we kept burping.


    At that moment, suddenly there was a ringtone. It was from Chief Zhou''s phone, we immediately stopped moving and turned back to look at him. Chief Zhou''s phone was more like decoration, other than the few scam messages, his phone rarely rang. But someone had sent Chief Zhou a message. He took out his phone and nced at the name. Under the yellow streetlight, we saw his expression took on immense fear before turning to confusion and sadness. The 3 busybodies went over and noticed the sender was Luo Sumei.


    Luo Sumei was Xiao Mei, or Chief Zhou''s girlfriend. Why would the girlfriend who had ignored Chief Zhou for a week suddenly send him a message? We wondered if the message was one to ask for a breakup or for them to get back together.


    The 3 of us understandably turned our heads away and slowly walked away to give Chief Zhou some privacy. After about 10 metres, Chief Zhou suddenly called us, "Wu Meng, Gu Chen, wait, there''s something wrong with this message!" We turned around and saw that Chief Zhou''s brows were deeply furrowed. Something bad must have happened.


    The 3 of us quickly hurried back. Chief Zhou handed me his phone. I nced through the content and passed it to the others. Our faces were carved with anxiety and fear. I nced at Chief Zhou from the corner of my eyes and saw that he was sweating despite the cold weather. He must be extremely worried to sweat in the snowy weather. This was the message:


    Captain Zhou, tell me, you haven''t seen Xiao Mei for quite some time already, haven''t you? I don''t get it, you two have been together for 2 years already, haven''t you had sex yet? Shouldn''t you know that there is a ck mole on Luo Sumei''s left big toe?''


    Guan Zhenglin mumbled, "I am the one who is the most familiar with the leg since I did the autopsy. There is indeed a mole on the big toe."


    Gu Chen countered, "But that doesn''t prove the victim is Luo Sumei. The message could be fake. Chief Zhou, does her big toe have a mole?"


    Chief Zhou stood there and appeared quite flustered. This man over 40 was quite at a loss, like a child who needed guidance. He stammered, "I, I never inspected that leg closely before, but, but Xiao Mei does have a mole on her foot. But that means" Chief Zhou suddenly copsed to the snowy ground. "The victim is Luo Sumei, my girlfriend, but that couldn''t be. It''s impossible." Gu Chen and Zheng Guanlin hurried to help Chief Zhou. Seeing Chief Zhou on the floor, there was a strange feeling that bothered me. I asked, "Chief Zhou, is this Luo Sumei''s phone number?"


    "Yes." He nodded.


    Holding Chief Zhou''s phone in one hand, I sent a message to Mary on my own phone. I sent her Luo Sumei''s phone number and requested her to look into Luo Sumei. I was about to put my phone away when I thought about something else and sent another message.


    So the victim was Luo Sumei, Chief Zhou''s girlfriend. She hadn''t contacted Chief Zhou for a week already, did that mean she was detained throughout that whole time? ording to Guan Zhenglin''s report, Luo Sumei died around noon 3 days ago but we only confirmed her identity now. This was hard to believe. We were trying so hard to find out the victim''s identity but it was Chief Zhou''s girlfriend all along. It was normal that Chief Zhou wouldn''t be able to make the identification with just a single leg and arm. However, it did mean that Chief Zhou''s objectivity to this case would bepromised. I probably would lose my mind if I was in his shoes now.


    So what was the motive behind this murder? Did this killer have a grudge with Chief Zhou? That was possible. At Elm Town, Chief Zhou handled all the heavy cases. So he would naturally be assigned this case. What would be more heartbreaking from finding out the mysterious victim was your girlfriend all along in the middle of the case? Furthermore, the killer had no idea whether we had finished the dumplings or not. If we did, then Chief Zhou''s girlfriend would be in our stomach now.


    As that thought entered my mind, the vomit came up my throat. Then Guan Zhenglin and Chief Zhou doubled over as well. They must have understood the killer''s intention too. Only Gu Chen stood there dumbly, not understanding why we had suddenly vomited. Sometimes, ignorance truly is bliss.


    I looked from the corner of my eye. While Chief Zhou vomited, he also wiped away the tears from his face. Tonight would be a sleepless night for the man.


    I turned my thoughts to the killer. Who would have such a deep resentment towards Chief Zhou to take such a horrid revenge?!


    ording to Chinese history, there are 3 major reasons for taking revenge; copse of a country, death of a father, stealing the wife. The killer didn''t kill Chief Zhou but used a more brutal method toe after Chief Zhou. So just how deep was the hatred? Did Chief Zhou kill someone''s father or steal someone''s wife? I believed only Chief Zhou would be able to answer that.


    Gu Chen said, "It''s too cold here. We can talk about it inside. Fuck, after we capture the killer, I will break their bones myself." Then the two helped walk Chief Zhou towards the Siheyuan. As they walked past, I saw the tears freeze on Chief Zhou''s face. He must be heartbroken. I followed behind them as I pulled on my hair. The more we looked into this case, the moreplicated it became. Just what kind of unknown story and conspiracy could be behind it?

 Chapter 136: Dummy

    Chapter 136: Dummy


    The short hundred metres was like a marathon for Chief Zhou. When we returned home, Chief Zhou leaned against the bed and the frozen tears melted off. I knew it was impolite to ask Chief Zhou about Luo Sumei at a time like this but time didn''t allow for pleasantries anymore. The killer was getting more out of control, if we didn''t stop them soon, more tragedies would happen.


    I summoned my courage to ask, "Chief Zhou, when did youst hear from Luo Sumei?"


    Chief Zhou turned to me and said between sobs, "It was one week, or to be more precise, 9 days ago. We just had a fight and she blocked me from reaching her. I''m quite dense when ites to rtionships." Chief Zhou wiped away his tears. "Since she didn''t want me to reach her, I decided to give her some time to calm down. But I never expected this to happen"


    I nodded and asked, "Does Luo Sumei have the habit of wearing nail polish?" Chief Zhou looked at me while Guan Zhenglin and Gu Chen also nced at me inquisitively. From their looks, I knew what they were trying to tell me. My question sounded quite interrogative. Guan Zhenglin red at me, as if berating myck of empathy but I couldn''t eliminate anyone without proper investigation especially at a time like this. I had to figure out the possible suspects.


    Chief Zhou naturally caught onto my intention too. He answered, "No, Xiao Mei was 30 this year, she never used those things when she was with me. So it never clicked in my head that those body parts could be hers"


    Guan Zhenglin shook her head, "Even though I don''t use much make-up, it''s hard to escape the inundation of cosmeticmercials. When I was in school, my best friend used to bring me to do pedicures with her. From the nail polish I saw, the handiwork was quite professional. I believe Xiao Mei had been to a pedicurist to have them done."


    Hearing that, I added, "Chief Zhou, when she left after the argument 9 days ago, was Xiao Mei wearing any nail polish?"


    Chief Zhou answered firmly, "No, that I can be sure of. I would have noticed." In other words, Luo Sumei disappeared after she had a pedicure. If we could find out where she did her pedicure, we could narrow down further her time of disappearance. From there, we might also find witnesses who had seen her.


    Then there was another question, why did Luo Sumei end up at First Drain Vige? What was her connection to this vige, if any?


    I said, "Don''t worry, Chief Zhou, we will find Xiao Mei''s killer." At that moment, my phone rang. It was a message from Mary. "I''ve found the newspaper article for you. I''m still working on Luo Sumei."


    The message was appended with a newspaper article, it was published many years ago. I finally had the chance to read the full extent of the article and got myself familiarized with thetter 12 killers reported. As I read through the article, my brows furrowed.


    The methods of dismemberment used on Luo Sumei were featured in the article. Cutting off a victim''s leg using a blunt de, that was the mo of a butcher from US, the psychopath was dead; Training a dog to bite off the victim''s arm, that happened in Russia, the killer was a hunter and was still on the run; the meat dumpling case happened in China, the killer was a restaurant worker, he had died in prison.


    No wonder I would havee up with the criminal profile of a butcher. The killer modeled his method after another killer when they dismembered the body. But why would the killer employ so many different killing methods on the same body?


    Currently I had 3 hypotheses.


    One, the killer hated Luo Sumei a lot. The killer dismembered Luo Sumei when she was still alive. Only the craziest psychopath would enjoy such inhumane torment. If that was the case, the motive of the killer was pride. They wanted to use the police to announce to the world that they exist. It was like how you would gloat about scoring good marks in ss. People had to know about their handiwork because they were proud of it. That would exin why the killer had messaged us about Luo Sumei.


    Two, the killer hated Chief Zhou a lot. Oftentimes, the greatest pain we could deliver on someone was not to kill them, because death was a release. You wouldn''t feel anything after you were dead. Only by being alive could you continue to be tortured. But only Chief Zhou would know if he had done anything to deserve a fate like this, if someone hated him so much that they would go to such lengths to harm him.


    Three, the killer hated the police. They didn''t have any history with Chief Zhou or Luo Sumei, she was targeted simply because she was the girlfriend of a cop. This kind of sociopathy appeared when one believed one was treated unfairly by thew enforcement. If that was the case, we should check the criminal background of all the vigers at First Drain Vige. With that in mind, I sent a message to Mary to help me to do exactly that.


    So far, these were the 3 most possible motives I coulde up with. Regardless, the killer was already breaking at the seams.


    If you were a killer, and you wanted us to know the identity of the victim, what would be the best choice? The answer was to show us the head of the victim. However, the killer did not do that but instead sent us a message through Luo Sumei''s phone. There was nothing much we could do with this information. Mary could only triangte the signal to a general location and we already knew the killer was from First Drain Vige. So why did the killer choose this method instead of just showing us the head?


    I shook my head and abandoned this thought for the moment. Now I needed to work on my second hypothesis, whether Chief Zhou had someone whom he had a huge beef with. When I shared my thoughts with him, Chief Zhou was silent for a long time. Then he said in a hoarse voice, "No, I don''t think I have any enemies. You''ve been working with me, you know the kind of person I am. I normally don''t get into arguments and conflicts, so I don''t think I have any enemy that hates me that much."


    Gu Chen chipped in, "How about the criminals you''ve arrested?"


    Chief Zhou frowned and then said, "No, that''s impossible too. Elm Town doesn''t have any big cases, you know that. Most of the people I arrested are for street fighting and mugging, the worst is rape. I couldn''t see anyone going this far just to take revenge for these petty crimes.


    "After all, if they are caught, they will be given the death sentence." Chief Zhou sighed, "Would someone really risk their lives to take revenge for these past small offenses? This is too risky, I doubt anyone I''ve arrested would do something like this."


    Then this hypothesis could be vetoed. The first and third hypotheses were harder to verify, I had to wait for Mary toe up with more information. And as fate would have it, Mary returned with news then and told me about Luo Sumei''s movement before she disappeared.


    Luo Sumei didn''t disappear 9 days ago, thest witness who saw her was in the morning from 3 days ago, the day Luo Sumei was killed. The witness was a male pedicurist called Tony. Since it was just 3 days ago, when Mary called to enquire, Tony still had an impression of Luo Sumei. When Luo Sumei patronized them, it was snowing heavily and she was his only client. At the time, Tony even asked Luo Sumei why she hade for a pedicure in such weather.


    Luo Sumei answered that it was because she was going to meet someone at noon. Seeing how giddy Luo Sumei was, Tony asked whether she had a date with her husband, and were they celebrating their anniversary.


    Luo Sumei told Tony that she wasn''t married yet, she was going to meet a dummy at noon. The dummy would give her 500000 RMB, so she nned to buy a house at Elm Town with that money. That was her lifelong dream. Tony was a good salesman so he pushed her to go for the full pedicure service. Luo Sumei epted happily.


    Mary sent Tony the picture of Luo Sumei''s fingers and Tony confirmed that it was the nails he did for Luo Sumei that day. When Luo Sumei left his shop, it was about 11 am. And Luo Sumei died between 1 pm to around 3 pm.


    Who did she meet? Why would that person give her 500000 RMB? Could that person be the killer? And what happened in that few short hours?

 Chapter 137: Ambush

    Chapter 137: Ambush


    I shared my thoughts with the group and then said, "Now we''re just waiting for the test result, if everything matches," I paused, "Then our victim has to be Luo Sumei."


    Actually from circumstantial evidence, I was already convinced that the victim was Luo Sumei, but before Chief Zhou, I didn''t want to be so direct. It might be a blind hope but it was still better than nothing. After all, not everyone had the heart to face the truth.


    Perhaps to help change the subject, Guan Zhenglinined, "That will take too long. When we were at Dong Xing City, we would have the result in an hour. Now it has already been 3 days and we still haven''t heard back from them yet."


    That did lift Chief Zhou''s mood somewhat. He stood, smiled at us and started the fire. "No matter what, life goes on. It''s so cold here, you guys should have reminded me to stoke the mes." Seeing this, I didn''t know what to say. After such a tragedy, he still ced ourfort first. If I was him, I wouldn''t be in the mood to do these things. Chief Zhou was an innately caring person. I felt sad for Luo Sumei for losing such a good boyfriend.


    Noting our silence, Chief Zhou continued Guan Zhenglin''s conversation, "To be frank, it''s because Elm Town is too small. We need to rely on the bigger city for anyb testing. The cityb doesn''t serve only our jurisdiction, there is so much evidence that they need to go through before it''s our turn." Guan Zhenglin shrugged, "But this speed is too slow."


    Chief Zhou answered, "It can''t be helped, that is our current national state. There will be people and ces that take precedence. We are all government workers but there is still a chain ofmand. I don''t know why you''ve been transferred to this ce but your sry must have suffered because of it." I never cared about such things, I didn''t even know how much money was in my ount now. I ate at the station and rarely went shopping.


    Gu Chen shook his head. "You spend how much you earn. Even though the sry at Dong Xing City was higher, the living cost there was higher as well. A small bowl of noodles costs 5 RMB here but in Dong Xing City, it would cost 20 RMB."


    Chief Zhou sighed. "Gu Chen, you''re still young, you don''t get it. When you''re at my age, you''ll see that you not only have to be concerned about yourself. Why do you think so many people head towards the big cities, do you think they don''t know the living costs would be higher there too?" Chief Zhou shook his head. "There are things that have price fluctuations and some things don''t. For example, instant noodles, the price is standardized across the nation. So if your sry is, let''s say, 1000 RMB higher than you would get in a small town, then that is a lot of additional ie already."


    Chief Zhou sounded mncholic when he talked about money. "Take, for example, 500000 RMB, do you think I can earn that much from working my whole life? My monthly sry plus bonus is only 3000 RMB. I''ll have to save for 14 years without eating and spending to save 500000 RMB, but what kind of living doesn''t use money?" Chief Zhou said despondently, "Assume I save 1000 RMB each month, it''ll take 40 years before I reach my saving goal."


    There''s an idiom that says, a man without money is no man at all. It was crude but true. I was suddenly reminded of Liu Yinyan. He told me that ten million was only enough to purchase his bungalow''s toilet.


    After lighting up the coal stove, we stopped talking.


    The next morning, we woke up and cleaned simply. It didn''t snow yesterday night so there was no body dump. We used this opportunity to take a good sleep. Based on the weather, it looked like it would snow again today. Simr to yesterday, we came to the vige head''s home for breakfast. Along the way, we ran into Sun Kangning and his father.


    "Kiddo, where are you going?" Seeing this carefree child, my mood brightened. It casted a ray of light through the haze of this case.


    Sun Kangning grinned at me and said, "We''re going to Uncle Lee''s ce for chess. The bad people have stolen his eyes so I''m now his eyes."


    "This Uncle Lee can y chess without his eyes, that''s impressive." I smiled.


    Sun Kangning nodded. "Yes, even though Uncle Lee cannot see anything, he can also see everything. At noon, he can even cook for us." Then Sun Kangning turned to ask us, "Are you going to stay here likest time?''


    "Last time?" This was our first time here.


    Sun Kangning pointed at Chief Zhou. "Yes, this uncle used toe here often, and sometimes he stays here but he has never stayed this long before."


    Chief Zhou ruffled the boy''s head and answered, "Yes, I''m good friends with your vige head elder, as good a friend as you and Uncle Lee."


    Sun Kangning said with childlike innocence, "So are you grandpa vige head''s eyes as well?"


    After saying goodbye to Sun Kangning, we arrived at the vige head''s home. At the dining table, I asked, "Sir, how did you be good friends with Chief Zhou when you''re at least several decades older than him? Before we first arrived here, he already told us about you."


    The vige head took a sip of his porridge and looked at Chief Zhou. "It actually has to do with this vige''s unique situation. Normally, people will note here but ever since Chief Zhou came to visit us for the first time, he often came back to visit us. Chief Zhou is a good man, he knew most of the vigers have physical problems so he often came with his unit to help out."


    Chief Zhou shrugged. "Elm Town is a very safe town, we haven''t had a murder in decades already. As the leader of the serious crime unit, I am quite free so Ie here to help as much as I can." Seeing the smile on Chief Zhou''s face, we smiled as well. However I did notice something strange. Chief Zhou came here to help out often, but the vigers didn''t seem to be that close to him. Technically speaking, they shouldn''t be so icy towards someone who aided them often.


    The day passed by in peace. Mary sent me some messages aroundte afternoon and I read through them one by one. Mary told me that through the investigation of Luo Sumei''s phone number, she found out that Luo Sumei''sst phone call was made at 12 noon 4 days ago. This was probably thest person who saw Luo Sumei and thus most likely her murderer.


    But when Mary went to trace the origin of this number, she realized it was from a burner phone. If this was an innocent meeting, the person wouldn''t have covered up their tracks so well. They probably had sinister intentions to meet up with Luo Sumei.


    That was the end of the first message.


    The second message was about Mary''s adventure this morning to the pedicurist''s shop. Tony told Mary that Luo Sumei walked to his shop. When she left, she didn''t call for a taxi either, she said the dummy woulde fetch her. However, who was this dummy, what kind of vehicle he drove, Tony didn''t pay particr attention.


    Mary pulled the camera of the nearby traffic lights and noticed Luo Sumei was not seen after she entered a small alley. The camera didn''t pick up the vehicle that fetched Luo Sumei either. Looks like the culprit knew about the traffic cam''s blind spot. Based on Mary''s prediction, it would take 1 to 2 hours to travel from the pedicurist''s shop to First Drain Vige. So this dummy had to be thest person to see Luo Sumei alive and thus our biggest suspect.


    But I had not seen a single vehicle at First Drain Vige, the only one was the truck Er Xiao used to stock up on his inventory. But would Luo Sumei date Er Xiao? Furthermore, the killer knew to park at a location where there was no camera, this proved that the killer was good at anti-surveince and knew Elm Town very well. The killer wouldn''t have predicted that Luo Sumei would go for a pedicure but they knew where the closest parking, which was shielded from the traffic cams, would be.


    A hypothesis was forming in my head and the development of the case was aligning with it. I returned the phone back to my pocket and then turned to Chief Zhou, "Chief Zhou, I mean no offense but I have a question to ask you."


    Chief Zhou nodded. "Go ahead, anything to help the case."


    I asked, "When Luo Sumei was in a rtionship with you, was she greedy for money?"


    "Greedy for money?" Chief Zhou frowned, "I don''t think so, or else she wouldn''t be with me. I''ve told you before, I have to mail money home to my family every month and I don''t have much left for myself. I don''t think she agreed to be my girlfriend for my money."


    I frowned. Luo Sumei wasn''t particrly pretty so why would someone give her 500000 RMB? Was he really a dummy?


    Gu Chen looked outside and said, "Wu Meng, it''s time for our n. The snow is quite thick today, I believe the killer might make their move tonight."


    I looked out at the sky and agreed with Gu Chen''s assessment.


    "Come on." We stood up and then filed out from the room. Guan Zhenglin shouted from behind, "Wait, you''re leaving me behind all alone? Bring me with you!"


    I walked back to argue with her, "You won''t be of any use there. You better just stay at home." By then Gu Chen and Chief Zhou had left the yard.


    I whispered to Guan Zhenglin, "Actually, I have a mission for you, follow the directions on my phone. If there''s no ident, we''ll capture the killer soon." Guan Zhenglin took my phone with confusion. She had questions but I already raced out the door.

 Chapter 138: Caught

    Chapter 138: Caught


    I closed the yard door and followed the rest. Soon 2 more figures joined us, they were Er Xiao and Ol'' Xia. The team had all gathered. Er Xiao and Ol'' Xia came with bundles offorters, they were prepared to hunker down for the night.


    The five of us crouched low. Gu Chen briefed us, "I''ve checked the vigeyout, this ce is higher on the west and lower on the east. I''ll be on the lookout for the western side. On the roof, I should be able to take in the entire vige. I''m the most physically capable here and I can move fast. Ol'' Xia, you''ll guard the eastern end because you''re tough and buff. With the 2 of us guarding the vige exits, there is no way the killer will be able to slip away." Ol'' Xia nodded.


    Gu Chen continued, "Okay, Wu Meng, you will be on the rooftop 3 houses down from Ol'' Xia. When we came up with this n, I had taken a quick lookout. The fence of that particr house has two holes on it, it''s perfect for someone small like you to climb up."


    Gu Chen was a true professional. He had already scoped out the entire vige, he was sharp and clever with his assignment. He even took into ount my size. Then Gu Chen told Chief Zhou and Er Xiao, "Chief Zhou, you''ll be stationed in the middle of the vige and Er Xiao, you''ll be several houses down from me. The five of us will be able to cover the entirety of the vige." Gu Chen''s arrangement was wless. "Let''s move out." Gu Chen ordered, "It''s now 9 pm. The vigers are going to rest while the killer should be preparing to head out." Then the five of us split up to move towards our designated location.


    I headed north as per Gu Chen''s direction. I found the holes that he spoke of. Holding the edge and using the holes as a purchase, I climbed up the fence easily. Then with a kick, I slipped up to the rooftop of the house. The snow on the rooftop had been swept. When I arrived, there was only a thin dust of snow.


    I lowered my body. Thankfully I had put onyers of clothing or else my body would be freezing. Iid low on the roof and watched the movement around me. Based on my prediction, the murderer wouldn''te out so early in the night. We had to wait at least until midnight. Lying up there, if not for the weather, I could fall asleep. I wondered if Ol'' Xia and Er Xiao would just doze away wrapped in theirforters. After all, there was nothing else better to do. Eventually even my lids started to get heavy.


    After who knew how long, a cold draft shivered me awake. I nced at my watch and realized it was already 1 am. However, the killer probably hadn''t arrived since I didn''t hear any update from the rest of the team.


    The dim lights gave a creepy atmosphere to the vige. The snownded on the dried branches and the trees creaked noisily, like they were whispering. The temperature dropped further. I knew there were others scattered through the vige but up there, in the dim darkness, it felt like I was alone in the world.


    At that moment, I saw someone stagger in from the eastern side of the vige. They were too far for me to tell their identity, but who else but the murderer woulde out sote at night? The person came closer and closer until I finally saw the face of the individual. This was an honest man. Under the dim streetlights, the man slowly approached the eastern vige entrance. There was something wrapped up in his embrace. A hand was poking out from the bundle, this was the victim''s left arm!


    The arms that held the bundle had no hands, instead they ended with Gu Duo''s. This person was none other than the witness who reported the crime, Lee Danan, the person whom we were so sure wasn''t the killer!


    Lee Danan moved very slowly as he turned his head left and right. Clearly, he was looking to see if he was watched or not. When Lee Danan reached Chief Zhou''s hideout, we would all jump out to surround Lee Danan. I held my breath, fearing that Lee Danan might hear my voice. Lee Danan was about to pass by Ol'' Xia. At that moment, a man''s voice boomed like thunder in the sky. "Stop!" Ol'' Xia''s sudden order startled not only me but also Lee Danan. The bundle dropped to the ground and revealed a broken arm. The snow fluffed into the air. Lee Danan turned and started to run like a rabbit away from the vige. I cursed Ol'' Xia internally and hurriedly jumped down from the roof.


    Then I heard Chief Zhou shout from behind me, "Lee Danan, stop running. We''ve all seen you, what''s the point of running?" Clearly Lee Danan didn''t care, he continued to run. When I got down from the roof, Gu Chen was already by my side. He dragged me down and I fell to the snow. Thankfully the snow cushioned the impact and I felt no pain. As Gu Chen raced ahead, he said, "Hurry up, with your speed, the killer will be gone when you catch up." I crawled up and hurried after Gu Chen. Lee Danan was a surprisingly fast runner.


    Soon even Er Xiao passed me by. I was thest one of the group. Try as I might, I was unable to keep up with the rest. Soon all I was able to see was their backs as they flew down east. The half an hour of running took a deep toll on me. I had no idea how these people managed to run for so long without feeling tired. I was already drenched in sweat. I stopped and lugged my weakened body forward.


    There was no streetlight outside the vige. The ground was purely white and the sky was purely ck. The wind made the trees creak and howl. When I reached the vige entrance, I was already left behind. I couldn''t see the rest anymore. Walking down the road, I felt quite frightened. I couldn''t run anymore, so I followed their footprints slowly. I walked for about 20 minutes before I arrived at Er Xiao''s convenience store.


    I looked around with alertness. There was nothing, no screams, no footprints, only the wind. I checked again. The footprints trailed into Er Xiao''s convenience store and none moved towards the highway. In other words, the group had chased Lee Danan to the convenience store. However, if they were all inside the convenience store, why was it so quiet?


    The convenience store had its lights on but looking in from outside, I saw no one. I looked around and again spotted nothing. These people appeared like they had disappeared from the face of the earth. I resisted the fear and slowly moved to the door. The door was left half open. Someone went through it in a hurry. I ced my hand on the door and slowly pushed it open. I took another look and there was indeed no one around, only rows of shelves. However, this convenience store only had this one door, so where was everyone else?


    I closed the door and walked around the small store. The stove in the middle had gone out. The inside of the store was as cold as outside. I looped down the shelves. There was really no one. Could they have disappeared?


    I squatted down to examine the snow prints on the ground. I followed the trail of snow and realized they disappeared behind one of the shelves. I frowned and examined the space under the shelf. Suddenly, I heard a tingling sound, like someone hitting against hollow steel pipes. I leaned my ears against the shelf and realized the sound came from underground. As I was about to sigh in relief, something scary came to me.


    The vige head told us that Er Xiao would go to the city to renew his stock every month but so far I had not spotted his storeroom. In other words, the storeroom could only be underground. However, Er Xiao had limited interaction with the vigers so how would Lee Danan know about the existence of this underground storeroom?


    Instantly a chill ran from the top of my head to the bottom of my feet.


    A scary thought appeared in my head, my only hope now was Guan Zhenglin who was still back in the vige. If something happened to her too, then it was over for us. Looks like I had underestimated the people here.


    "Ha ha." A chilling voice said. The voice appeared mysteriously behind me. I turned around and saw Lee Danan standing there. Seeing my surprised expression, Lee Danan guffawed. He used the bone of his arm to knock against the shelf lightly, it was he who was behind the tingling sound.


    Lee Danan asked me with nonchnce, "Officer Wu, I hear you''re looking for me?"

 Chapter 139: Saved

    Chapter 139: Saved


    Lee Danan''s sudden appearance did spook me. When his bone knocked against the shelf, it was not the sound of flesh against metal but metal against metal. All of a sudden, Lee Danan raised his arm to hit me so I naturally raised mine in defense. But when the Gu Duo hit my arm, I realized it was not bones under his flesh but firm metal.


    The pain caused my face to wince, and my arm to numb. Lee Danan grabbed the nearby rope and tied me to the shelf. Then Lee Danan walked towards the stove. As he started the fire, he said nonchntly, "Today''s weather sure is cold."


    Seeing how expertly Lee Danan maneuvered all these, I couldn''t believe a person without hands could have such dexterity. I also didn''t imagine that Lee Danan''s arms didn''t have bone but something else inside them. Sometimes, a person''s appearance couldn''t be relied on to tell their hearts and I had paid dearly for that mistake.


    I turned to ask Lee Danan. "You''re the killer?"


    Without looking at me, he answered, "Yes. I am." But at that moment, I still couldn''t believe Lee Danan was the killer. There were too many suspicions and Lee Danan as the killer couldn''t solve them. However, my conviction was shaken when I saw how serene Lee Danan was. After all, to be able to act so cruelly against the victim, the killer had to be insanely calm or perfectly insane. And Lee Danan was clearly the former.


    He started the fire slowly, he didn''t look like he was going to kill me, or at least he didn''t n to for now. In such horrible weather, no one would be using the highway. In other words, Lee Danan had at least 3 hours to torture me. I said, "Even though you''ve admitted it, I still can''t believe that you''re the killer."


    Lee Danan smiled, not the usual bashful smile that we were used to but a calctive smile. Hemented, "Officer, there is a lesson that you need to learn. In this world, not everything you see is the truth." The statement felt familiar to my ears and then I realized the vige head had told me something simr.


    Lee Danan continued, "You assume that I can''t kill because I am handicapped, which is why I hate people like you the most. Why can''t the handicapped kill? Look at yourself, you''ve been strung up like a chicken, and I''m going to be your butcher." Lee Danan had a point and I pressed, "Since I''m going to die, then let me die with the full knowledge. Why did you kill Luo Sumei and why dismember her body?"


    By then the fire was already burning. The coal stove warmed up the room. Lee Danan reached his arms towards the me for warmth and then he turned to answer, "Because like you, Luo Sumei always looked at me like I''m some kind of pitiable creature." Lee Danan mmed his Gu Duo on the table until the wooden counter splintered. He hissed through his teeth, "Luo Sumei always regarded me with cheap pity, but in reality, her heart is darker than all of us. She nned to use pity to make me fall in love with her." Lee Danan spat on the ground. "Me, fall in love with her? I was only toying with her. For fun, I told her that I would give her 500000 RMB and the dumb bitch believed me."


    Lee Danan looked at me and ndered Luo Sumei. But in my ears, they only soundedughable. Lee Danan wasn''t done, "And that Chief Zhou is even more disgusting! He knew that we''re handicapped so he came to First Drain Vige to help us! Motherfucker, who needed his help? Do we need his pity? That''s also one of the reasons I killed Luo Sumei! This Chief Zhou looks kind on the surface, but his heart must be dirty too!"


    I said lightly, "Okay, Lee Danan, since you''re the killer, I hope you can answer me a few questions."


    Lee Danan frowned, and then shrugged. "You sure have a lot of questions for someone who is about to die."


    I used the corner of the shelf to scratch the itch on my back. "Well, I can''t ask any more questions after I die, can I? Since you said you killed Luo Sumei, then let me ask you, how did she die?"


    Lee Danan answered swiftly, "From blood loss of course, haven''t you read the newspaper article yourself? Sometimes, I think such is life. You have to see that article when you went to the toilet. When you left, I knew it was about time for me to make my move."


    "Where are the others?" I asked with a smile.


    "You should care more about yourself." Lee Danan didn''t exactly answer my question. I nodded and then continued, "Okay, when was thest time you saw Luo Sumei?"


    Lee Danan answered, "I was the first one to discover the body, what can''t you understand about that? I killed the woman, I dumped her body and I called the police. No one is more familiar than I am regarding Luo Sumei''s time of death. Fine, she had herst breath at 2.24 pm 4 days ago, is that specific enough for you?"


    I sunk into contemtive silence. From how he answered these few questions, Lee Danan was confident, and his argument covered all bases. He had the motive, the time to kill and all the evidence could match but I still didn''t think Lee Danan was the killer. "Okay, I only have onest question," I stared at Lee Danan.


    Lee Danan stopped feeding the fire, stood up and walked towards me. "Shoot."


    "Do you have a car?" I smiled and asked.


    "A car?" Lee Danan frowned, "Why would you ask me that?" With that, the answer cleared in my mind. I exined, "Lee Danan, you are not the killer, so why are you pretending to be one? Don''t think just because I''m at the vige, I can''t find out what Luo Sumei was doing before she died. Most of the vigers here are handicapped so there is not a single vehicle at the vige. So tell me" I continued with a lilting tone, "How can a person without arms manage to get a driver''s license? Where did you park the car? What was Luo Sumei up to before she got into your car?"


    With each of my questions, Lee Danan frowned deeper. From his expressions, I knew he couldn''t answer these questions. The fact that Lee Danan didn''t have hands was the main point against the possibility of him being the killer. There were just some troubles that his handicap couldn''t ovee. However, while this answered one question, it led to many others. Lee Danan was clearly not the person who asked Luo Sumei out and he was not her killer, so why would he take on the me for the real killer? From Lee Danan''s personality, I figured this man wouldn''t have that many close friends, so if that was the case, who could be the real killer?


    Lee Danan didn''t answer, but instead warned, "Why do you insist on treating me through your prejudice? Why can''t a handicapped person drive? Why do you have to think that way? I hope when you''re down there, you would have ovee that prejudice." Lee Danan''s Gu Duos picked up the burning poker from the coal stove. "Look how pretty this is." Lee Danan pointed the heated end at me. "A poke through your throat with this and you''ll leave this world forever. You won''t have any questions then."


    "You will kill me?" I knew Lee Danan wouldn''t really kill me, he was just trying to scare me. Lee Danan looked at me with viciousness. "Of course, why would you think I won''t kill you? If not to finish you off, I would have escaped a long time. Those idiots have all been lured by me down the highway. And if you didn''t see that newspaper article, I wouldn''t be exposed."


    I shrugged as the poker approached. "If you say so. Just do it quickly, I''m afraid of pain." But at that moment, the convenience store door was pushed open. A thunderous voice boomed, "Down!" That was Ol'' Xia.


    Lee Danan was startled by the voice and the poker fell to the ground. It almost hit my feet and that was the thing that gave me true fright. Er Xiao rushed in and when he saw us, he said, "Lee Danan, I was wondering how you disappeared from our sight, so you were hiding here all along? If not for Ol'' Xia and my astuteness toe back here to check, you would have gotten away."


    Lee Danan got over his initial shock and bent down to pick up the fire poker. But then Ol'' Xia already ran over. Before Lee Danan could pick up the poker, Ol'' Xia stepped on it. Then Ol'' Xia swung his body around and gave Lee Danan a p on his face. The force was so powerful that it sent Lee Danan flying and he knocked over the row of shelves.


    Er Xiao ran over to help loosen my binding while Ol'' Xia detained Lee Danan with his arm.


    As Er Xiao removed the knot, he told Lee Danan, "Lee Danan, I always thought you were an honest man but it looks like we have all underestimated you. You''ve hidden your true nature so well!"

 Chapter 140: Interesting Show

    Chapter 140: Interesting Show


    Ol'' Xia used the rope which was used to tie me earlier, to apprehend Lee Danan. I hurried to the stove to get some heat. After I got some warmth back into my body, I asked, "Where are Chief Zhou and Gu Chen?"


    Ol'' Xia and Er Xiao shook their heads at the same time. "I say, Officer Wu, it''s not that I want to critique you but your physique is reallycking. I sell some supplements here, you should consider taking them. But in any case, Chief Zhou and Gu Chen ran faster than we did." After a pause, he continued, "Lee Danan ran so fast that we failed to catch up to him. He lost both of us easily. Chief Zhou and Gu Chen chased him onto the highway and then we lost them. The road was too dark for us to see anything so we decided to turn back to the vige. It was then that we realized the lights inside the convenience store were on." Er Xiao nced at Lee Danan and hissed viciously, "I was sure I locked the door and closed the lights before I departed so I immediately knew something was wrong."


    Then Er Xiao walked towards Lee Danan and gave him several ps to the face until the man''s face bled. Lee Danan red at Er Xiao but didn''t make a sound from pain. Er Xiao threatened, "Kid, you better tell us Chief Zhou and Gu Chen''s locations now. Why are you here and where are they? We have the police with us, I''m telling you, you better be honest and you might be given a lighter punishment."


    Lee Danan though turned to spit blood at Er Xia''s face. "Well, you can go and look for them yourselves. I can''t believe I managed to escape the police but have fallen into your hands."


    "Stop ying with us!" Er Xiao raised his fist.


    I chuckled and mediated, "Rest your arms. Stop and listen to a story I have to tell. Come, sit, Lee Danan is not going to go anywhere anyway." Er Xiao nced at Lee Danan and said nothing. He returned to the side of the stove. Ol'' Xia walked over to join us. As I stoked the fire, I said, "Once upon a time, there was a woman who fell into the grasp of a group of five. The woman ced her trust too easily on others and was kidnapped to this First Drain Vige." While I told the story, I watched their expression, neither of them changed their expression. Er Xiao even looked at me with interest, wanting me to continue the story.


    I grabbed a random bag of chips from the shelf. I munched on the chips and continued, "The group targeted this woman due to one simple goal, and it was because she has to die. But these people are justmon vigers, they don''t know how to murder a person. At that moment," I turned to Lee Danan and smiled, "A man suddenly remembered the article that he saw when he was using the toilet. The article featured 20 psychopathic killers. With that in mind, he hurried home to grab that newspaper."


    Er Xiao nced at Lee Danan, "Oh, you''re talking about this motherfucker? So that was where he got the idea to dismember the body? I have no idea he''s such a psycho. Normally he looks so obedient and cowardly, this shows that you really can''t tell what a person is like just from his appearance." Lee Danan scoffed.


    I continued to eat the chips. "Yes, this viger ran home and found the newspaper article in his toilet. But he didn''t pull off the entire article. He''s clever enough to know that if he did, there would be a ring hole in his toilet."


    "You''ve seen that article?" Er Xiao asked.


    I nodded and put down the chips, "Yes, when we gathered at Lee Danan''s ce earlier, I identally stumbled into this article when I used the toilet. I pulled the other half down and searched for the article online. It''s quite interesting. Actually, if you''ve read the article yourself, you''ll notice a huge coincidence."


    "What is the article about?" Er Xiao was curious.


    Seeing his in curiosity, I chuckled, "The article recorded the mo of 20 famous murderers. And among them, there were 3 that fitted the dismemberment methods of the killers at First Drain Vige perfectly, a butcher, a hunter and a chef."


    Er Xiao frowned. "Today''s mass media sure is something else, I can''t believe this is an actual published article."


    "You''re right." I sighed. "The paper wrote these to warn the public but they would never expect someone would mimic these killers to achieve their own goals. It was why my criminal profile first gave me a butcher and then a hunter."


    "Criminal profile?" Er Xiao clearly didn''t know what that meant. I shook my head with a smile, "It''s an investigative skill, the main point is, could this killer be both a butcher and a hunter? After all, there is a close connection between these two upations, a hunter would have to learn how to prepare his prey."


    "Indeed." Er Xiao nodded, "I''ve seen something simr on National Geographic."


    I shrugged. "But when we were served human dumplings, I knew something was wrong. Because based on my criminal profile, the person who made the dumplings must be a cautious person. The dumplings had thin skin and wless folding technique. This proves that the person has to be a good cook and has good knife skills."


    "So?" Er Xiao questioned.


    "So that''s weird." I picked up a bag of plums. I opened it, took one and continued, "A hunter and a butcher can still be tied together somewhat but a hunter, a butcher and a chef? That''s just very improbable." My face scrunched up from the sour plum, "A person''s habit is hard to change, if they have to pick a dismemberment method, they would subconsciously pick one which matched their personality the closest. For example, a man who never cooks would never be able to prepare such detailed dumplings."


    Er Xiao nodded wordlessly.


    "This plum candy is quite delicious." I chuckled and grabbed a bottle of soft drink, but I didn''t open it. "So basically this group of people decided that they would pick a method each to cruelly murder the woman. And now we''ve seen 3 of the methods."


    I hugged the bottle of soft drink and continued softly, "No, technically, we should have seen 4, we merely didn''t have the time to examine the fourth method before we were led to this ce. Sometimes, I really need to have more confidence in myself. I don''t know why but I started to doubt myself."


    "What do you mean?" Er Xiao scratched his head and looked at me.


    I smiled, "Well, I have already guessed this possibility, but I was never confident about it because the possibility is too crazy, so crazy that I can''t convince myself of its validity. In this world, it is extremely rare for multiple killers to participate in a murder as brutal as the one in this case."


    "Really?" Er Xiao asked.


    I nodded, "Yes, because suspicion and doubt among the killers would get in the way, but what if there is a way to eliminate those elements?"


    "Then how do you think they managed it?" Er Xiao used the fire poker to nudge the coals inside the stove. I scratched my head and slowly revealed, "Well, I will tell youter, because now I wish to continue the story."


    "Go ahead." Er Xiao nodded.


    I obliged, "So this group of people initiated this strange case by dumping the body parts one by one. The more the parts are revealed, the safer the group will be. Because that wouldplicate the case further and further. In reality," I tapped the bottle lightly against the stove, "The members of this group have no idea what kind of method the others have chosen. Luo Sumei''s body is like a doll, after a part of her is removed, she would be passed onto the next person. Because of that," I looked at the two. "Even the killers themselves have no idea when the next body dump would be and how the body part would look like, it made police investigation so much harder." I sighed, "This was such a perfect n but unfortunately I saw that article. So these people got desperate." I said with a smile, "Because the group''s motive was never to torture Luo Sumei. Sometimes, to kill someone is not necessarily to kill someone but to save someone."


    Er Xiao shook his head, disagreeing with me, "That doesn''t make sense."


    I ignored him and continued, "The more I know, the closer I''d be to the truth, so the group decided to volunteer a scapegoat. The members of the group knew about this scapegoat and knew he would appear tonight but they have to act like they do not know him."


    Er Xiao stared at the heated fire poker. "Officer Wu, what do you mean?"


    I smiled, "Because once the case is closed, the incident will end here. To confuse me, this group has gone through great lengths. To sacrifice one to save many others. Lee Danan truly is a great man but you people are undeniably cruel to make use of his virtue like this." I took in the faces of the 3 men and uttered, "The whole show was quite amusing but it''s not enough to fool my eyes."

 Chapter 141: Dismemberment

    Chapter 141: Dismemberment


    Er Xiao studied the burning fire poker and said softly, "So you mean it was us who killed Luo Sumei?"


    I hugged the bottle of the soft drink and nodded, "I should have believed in myself. When you have eliminated the impossibles, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth." I pointed at Ol'' Xia. "Ol'' Xia is the butcher, my earlier suspicion of you was correct. You used a dull de to chop off Luo Sumei''s left leg and then you dumped it outside the vige. You informed Lee Danan and had him call the police, just like that the first body dump began."


    Then I pointed at Er Xiao, "You are the hunter and you worked together with Ol'' Xia. When the victim was dying, Ol'' Xia chopped off her left leg while you had your dog bite off her right arm. Even though we haven''t seen your german shepherd in person, we''ve seen its picture." I said as I thought back to it, "Your dog has ck fur but patches of brown around its neck. We found brown fur on the victim''s body part. Even though we''re still waiting for the results, I believe it should havee from your dog."


    Er Xiao thought about it and answered, "That''s not a bad guess."


    I shook my head, "I heard from the vige head that the dog has been with you for a long time already. Such a loyalpany, I believe it must have broken your heart to have to kill it." Er Xiao was such a chatterbox but at that moment, he was silent. I continued, "But I was still too nave, I thought there were only 2 killers but I have lost count of so much more. After all, if there are already more than 1 killer, the actual number doesn''t really matter anymore."


    "Hmm?" Er Xiao became more reticent as I carried on. I cleared my throat. "One of you guarded the west vige entrance and the other at this convenience store, neither of you have the time to mince the meat and make them into dumplings. It was why my suspicion of you lowered. I can''t believe I allowed 2 murderers to join the mission of capturing the murderer. Oh, the irony of it all" I shook my head before turning to level my eyes at them. "So you used our n against us and lured us to this ce." With a shrug, I continued, "But there is one more thing that I wish to know, who is the third person who dealt with the body? If my guess is not wrong, it should be Uncle Lee from the eastern vige entrance. He''s blind and I haven''t met him in person but I know that he has great cooking skills and a lot of time."


    Er Xiao''s brows burrowed. Seeing that, I knew my guess was mostly correct, "Since he''s blind, when the meat was ced on the chopping block, it didn''t matter what kind of meat it was since he couldn''t see it anyway. I heard from Sun Kangning that Uncle Lee is a very good cook." I sighed and uttered, "Actually none of you are psychopaths and never intended to torture the victim. In your lives, perhaps you haven''t even butchered a dog, cow or even a chicken. To ask you to murder a living human, that must have been hard."


    I looked at the trio and their expressions finally shifted, but still none of them spoke. Blood still hung on Lee Danan''s lips and blood trickled to the ground. I looked out the window and saw heavy snow outside. The coal stove warmed the room but our conversation made the ce feel chillier than it should be.


    Killing a person was never easy. In tv dramas, they often were depicted as the killer waving the murder weapon about or pulling the trigger. However, it was much moreplicated in real life. After all, you would be iming a living person''s life, a person with ghastly wounds and horrid smell of blood. Death was never pretty.


    "To mince human meat and make it into dumplings." I shook my head, "I doubt anyone of us here can manage something like that or rather we can''t after knowing what we have seen." I questioned, "I wonder if you have heard of this proverb before or not, So is the superior man affected towards animals, that, having seen them alive, he cannot bear to see them die; having heard their dying cries, he cannot bear to eat their flesh,'' therefore, this job is perfect for Uncle Lee since he''s blind. And since we''re talking about Uncle Lee, we have to bring in Uncle Lee''s good friend, Sun Kangning''s father." I concluded, "It was the 5 of you who came up with this whole n without telling the rest of the vige, wasn''t it?" After that, I waited in silence.


    After a temporary pause, the trio looked at each other and in the end, it was Er Xiao who spoke, "Wu Meng, now that is just a rude usation. The idea is not bad but do you have any evidence to back it up?"


    I smiled, "I don''t have any evidence but you''ve already abandoned Lee Danan, do I still need evidence? You said Chief Zhou and Gu Chen have run down the highway? But when I arrived, I didn''t notice any footprints other than the ones in front of this convenience store. Or you''re going to tell me that they have flown away?" I chuckled mirthlessly, "I''ve already fallen into your hands, why the need to lie some more?"


    Silence.


    Suddenly, Er Xiao kicked the shelf down. The tumbling shelf thundered and I had to hold my hands over my ears. Er Xiao growled with a red face, "Wu Meng, we''ve already handed everything to you on a silver tter, why must you do this to us? You can get what you want and we get what we want, what''s wrong with that? You will return to be hailed as a hero and we will continue our normal lives at this vige, is that too much to ask?" Then I could hear his voice breaking, "I was nning to sell this ce 2 years ago but I stayed until now, why? I am so dumb, I''ve already bought a house at Dong Xing City, why have I decided to stay?" Er Xiao then burst into tears. He crumbled to the ground and cried inconsbly.


    Ol'' Xia cursed, "Fuck." His volume was still pretty high and it echoed inside the small store. Then Ol'' Xia undid the rope around Lee Danan. Lee Danan sighed, wiped away the blood on his face and then sat back in the chair. He returned to his shy and anxious self, it made me confused, was this introverted Lee Danan or the ruthless Lee Danan earlier the real Lee Danan. Perhaps they both were or they both weren''t. Sometimes, one wouldn''t be able to recognize oneself, much less others. We continued like that in the convenience store.


    Er Xiao eventually stopped crying; Ol'' Xia leaned against the shelf wordlessly; Lee Danan sat across from me,pletely silent. None of them nned to hurt me, perhaps I was overly worried. I picked up the bag of chips, the packaging was highly mmable, it could be a good weapon. Pickled plums were round and could trip someone over. And a shaken bottle of soft drink could produce a jet of stream to short-circuit the fuse nearby.


    I sighed. "I''ve already noticed that the ground underneath us is hollow, there should be a basement. I believe that Uncle Lee and Sun Kangning''s father are down there guarding over Chief Zhou and Gu Chen."


    To prove me right, Er Xiao knocked on the shelf next to him with a special code. Soon 4 people came into the convenience store, or more precisely 2 people were dragging along 2 others. The 2 walking were Sun Kangning''s father and Uncle Lee. Gu Chen and Chief Zhou were unconscious, perhaps they were dosed with sedative or a hit to the head did the trick.


    Uncle Lee might be blind but he was familiar with theyout of this shop. Blindness didn''t hinder his movement at all. This proved the closeness of their rtionship. When Sun Kangning''s father saw me, he smiled at me, it was a bitter smile.


    Er Xiao wiped away his tears and said, "That''s right, you''re right. That day, I came back from the city after another inventory restock. I discovered Luo Sumei on her way to the vige. She appeared to be abandoned by the roadside, she was helpless standing there in the snow. Perhaps I had been alone for too long, I couldn''t control my urge and raped her. After that," Er Xiao exined, "Luo Sumei was crying so hard. Even though there was no one else on the road due to the weather, I was so afraid. The only way I could think of to silence her was to kill her but I didn''t know how to do that. I locked her in the trunk of my van until I could figure out the exact method." Er Xiao''s tears started to flow again. "That happened around 1 pm, and I arrived at the vige''s eastern entrance around 1.30 pm. I thought about it and realized if I let Luo Sumei go, my whole life would be ruined. So I had to give my best friends in the vige a call."


    Er Xiao looked around and announced, "And here they are. I rarely interact with the vigers but I am best friends with these four. We''ve been friends for more than 10 years already. They also believe that if I let Luo Sumei go, it would not be good for any of us." Er Xiao chuckled sadly, "But we didn''t know how to kill. You are right, some of us haven''t even killed a chicken in our lives, how were we supposed to kill a person?"


    Lee Danan offered shyly, "It was then that I remembered the article I read back in my toilet, it offered some murder methods. Therefore, I ran home to pull down half of the article. Each of us chose a method. 4 limbs and a head, 5 people in total." Uncle Lee added, "So all five of us are murderers and no one will be able to escape from the crime."


    Er Xiao admitted, "I ordered my Bei Bei to bite off her arm while Ol'' Xiao found a dull de to chop off her leg."


    Uncle Lee raised his hand. "I shaved off the meat from her other leg and made them into dumplings. I purposely left a nipple in one of them for you to discover it."


    Lee Danan proimed, "I used the saw to cut off her other arms."


    Sun Kangning''s father looked at me. "I haven''t gotten my chance yet"


    Er Xiao pointed underground, "Come on, the evidence you want is all in the basement. We did the dismemberment here."

 Chapter 142: The Body

    Chapter 142: The Body


    Er Xiao walked towards one of the shelves and pushed it aside. Then he knelt down and pried off arge piece of brick. Then a hole appeared. It had a longdder going down. Er Xiao went down thedder first, followed by me. Then, it was Ol'' Xia and Lee Danan. Uncle Lee and Sun Kangning''s father stayed on the surface to look after the unconscious Gu Chen and Chief Zhou.


    Er Xiao switched on the light and I could see the entire underground storeroom clearly. I examined the surroundings closely and realized the space wasn''t that big, it was about half of the size of the store aboveground. Big boxes stacked together against one side of the wall. A pool of blood sat in the middle of the room. It had already dried. Following the trail of blood, a dead body then appeared before me.


    Due to the refrigeration of the wintry season, the body didn''t show much dposition. Even though Luo Sumei had been dead for 4 days already, in this heatless basement, she looked so perfectly alive. The woman was naked, leaning against a box. This was a very broken body, both of her arms were missing. I slowly bent down to examine the stumps around the shoulders. Even though I wasn''t a professional coroner, I had picked up some basic skills from being around Guan Zhenglin for so long.


    One of the wounds was rtively smooth, the skin p hadyers of patterns. That should be made by Lee Danan as he sawed away the arm. The other shoulder''s wound was more uneven with shredded meat and shattered bones, it should be the arm bitten off by the dog.


    The body''s left leg was also missing. There was a long circr wound where the thigh connected to the hip. The skin was peeled back to expose the white bone within. Looking at the cross section, the bone was snapped to the left. After Ol'' Xia chopped through the bone, he practically yanked the leg off.


    The body''s right leg had all of its flesh shaved off. The thigh bone was exposed for all to see. Some bits of flesh still stuck to the bone. Simrly there was a cut around the woman''s right breast. I looked up and noticed the head was still connected to the woman''s body. Other than that I noticed a ligature mark around the woman''s neck. From the impression, the force was applied from behind. The image that appeared in my head was of a person using a rope to tie around Luo Sumei''s neck from behind and then pulled. I used my hands to press on the ligature mark and then I realized there was a thinner line underneath the bruising. The smaller line appeared like it was made from something like a wire. It was well hidden by the other wound. So there were 2 ligature marks, the narrower one had cutaneous petechiae on it. This proved that the marks were caused by two different types of binding.


    Luo Sumei''s eyes were open and her expression was unsavory like it was frozen in the moment of her death. Guan Zhenglin once told me that this was called cadaveric spasm. I shivered involuntarily as I took in the woman''s open eyes, and mask of fear. A surge of rage burned through me, if I had a gun now I would shoot all of these bastards.


    It was in to see how desperate Luo Sumei felt when she died. It was clear how cruel these people were. But what kind of motive would drive this group of normal vigers to murder a living human in such a sadistic manner?


    I personally believed there was a demon living in all of us and under certain circumstances, the demon would be unleashed. It would exin why the honest and shy Lee Danan managed to do something like this, and how the caring father would kill without hesitation. Luo Sumei might be a gold digger but she didn''t deserve this punishment.


    I suppressed my rage and continued my examination of the body. The vagina showed tearing so she was indeed raped before she died. Er Xiao leaned against the wall and mumbled, "Many times, when you make the first mistake, it''s a slippery slope from then on. The more you try to cover it up, the harder the truth is to hide. Actually, I never thought to kill her at the start." I was enraged but my mind was surprisingly clear, this was a new height of anger that I hadn''t reached before.


    "This is not a simple murder, a murder needn''t be so cruel." I turned to Er Xiao. "This is dismemberment. You tortured a living human just to hide the truth? Also how do you exin the rope marks around Luo Sumei''s neck?"


    Er Xiao shrugged, "That was me. It happened during the scariest moment of my life." Staring at the body, Er Xiao continued, "I undressed her when I raped her. When I returned to this ce, she was almost frozen solid. She still had a breath but it was very weak. After the group decided on the solution, weunched into action immediately." Then the 3 of them grimaced in pain like they were hit by a memory that they never wanted to face again in their lives.


    When Er Xiao spoke, his body was shaking, "I will never forget that moment, it was 2.40 pm 4 days ago." As if to calm himself, Er Xiao lit a cigarette, "At the time, Ol'' Xia and I were cutting up the body, but suddenly Luo Sumei sat up. Could you imagine that? A person whom you thought was dead suddenly sprang up. When she did, the 5 of us got the fright of our lives." Er Xiao described the situation, "At the time, Ol'' Xia and I were halfway through her body. We almost got her leg and arm off. She screamed, oh the screams" Er Xiao took a deep drought of the smoke. "I was so scared! I knew no one would have heard her. The convenience store was deserted because of the snow. But I was still scared, scared that her scream might attract someone''s attention." Er Xiao ced the cigarette on his trembling lips and signaled for Lee Danan to continue on his behalf. Lee Danan nodded. He turned to me. "Ol'' Xia hacked through Luo Sumei''s right leg from the surprise. But that only made Luo Sumei scream even louder. Ol'' Xia recovered and jumped on her body. The rest of us moved forward to press on her limbs."


    Lee Danan looked at Er Xiao and continued, "Then Er Xiao got so frightened that he grabbed a rope from the nearby box, no, wait, it was not a rope, it was the kind of stic binding strap on the outside of the boxes." I nodded, from the width of the wound around Luo Sumei''s neck, it did look like it could be made from this kind of strap. But the smaller, thinner mark was definitely not made by the same material, so what caused it?


    "Er Xiao yanked one off and tied it around Luo Sumei''s neck. While we kept Luo Sumei down, he strangled her. Itsted for about 3 minutes, her face was red until she eventually stopped struggling." Er Xiao had already finished his cigarette by then. He patted Lee Danan on his shoulder. "I really didn''t expect her to be still alive, I didn''t want to do this. I knew she must have been in great pain when she died. She must hate us deeply. But I never wanted to injure her, I was just too overwhelmed by fear."


    There was definitely something else still amiss here, why didn''t they bring up that smaller ligature mark? The voice in my head told me that this case was not over yet.


    Seeing the frown on my face, Er Xiao added, "This time, Luo Sumei was definitely dead. She would note back again, but the fear within me never disappeared. I knew that after Luo Sumei''s disappearance, the police would eventually turn to First Drain Vige."


    "Okay." I allowed him to continue.


    Er Xiao exined, "Lee Luo told us that we couldn''t dump all the body parts all at the same time, instead we should dump them one by one. That way, the police would be confused, and the more confused the police are, the safer we''d be."


    I shook my head. "So, do you feel safe now?"


    Er Xiao shook his head. "We did consider burying her body deep inside the mountain."


    "Yes." I stared into the man''s eyes and questioned, "Why didn''t you do that? The police wouldn''t be able to open a case without a body, but instead of doing that, you even reported the case yourself. Can you tell me why?"


    Er Xiao sighed, "The most dangerous ce is the safest ce, that was what I thought. The police would never expect normal citizens like us tomit such crazy crimes, they would think it''s the work of some psychopath, but I guess I was wrong." Er Xiao sounded defeated, "The original n was for me to tell you I''ve seen someone run down the highway after we dumped the head. We were so close. When we saw how close you were to the truth, Lee Danan already offered to sacrifice himself."


    Lee Danan looked at Er Xiao and said, "I don''t have many friends and don''t have much time left. If I can do something for my friends before I die, I am more than d to do it. But, I don''t think Officer Wu is going to give us this opportunity."

 Chapter 143: Truth

    Chapter 143: Truth


    Er Xiao hugged Lee Danan and tears whirled in their eyes. Ol'' Xia showed no emotions and watched the two hug each other. However, after a moment, Ol'' Xiao couldn''t hold it in anymore. Ol'' Xia turned around to face the wall. His cries still made no sound. His shoulders shook. I had no idea why the 3 men were crying, I was within their grasp, but they didn''t seem like they wanted to harm me. I had never encountered anything like this so I watched them quietly.


    Er Xiao whispered through his tears. "This is not so bad. This way all 5 of us can be with you, Danan."


    Lee Danan suddenly pushed Er Xiao away. Before everyone realized what was happening, Lee Danan knelt before me. With tears on his face, he pleaded, "Officer Wu, can you just do us a favor? I was diagnosed with cancer two months ago, I have less than 6 months to live." As if worried that I won''t believe him, Lee Danan took out the hospital form from his inner pocket. It stated clearly that Lee Danan was not lying. He hadte stage liver cancer. Lee Danan showed me the paper like a proud student.


    Seeing myck of reaction, Lee Danan kowtowed at me. The hollow sound echoed in the basement. Soon the smell of blood permeated the air. Lee Danan''s forehead was a bloody mess. Lee Danan begged me. "Please, Officer Wu, this is the only bad thing Er Xiao has done! He is a good man! Just let me die for him. Can''t you let him go? I did everything on my own, it had nothing to do with anyone else." But certain mistakes couldn''t be overlooked just like that.


    Lee Danan made his case. The words could soften anyone''s heart but at the moment, I felt nothing. Luo Sumei''s body was still there. When she died, she must have been in intense pain. The despair must be overbearing. Luo Sumei deserved justice, truth deserved justice.


    Lee Danan then moved to hug my thigh and kiss my shoes. I was disgusted and pulled backwards. But Lee Danan mbered after me. If I didn''t say yes, he would never stop.


    Er Xiao hissed through his teeth. "Wu Meng, I''ve saved for a decade and finally bought a house in Dong Xing City 2 years ago. I''ll give you the house if you let us go. The house is not big but the location is good. It''s worth at least 2000000 RMB."


    I didn''t want money or anyone''s pride. I just wanted the truth. Until now, I still couldn''t confirm I was being told the truth. Lee Danan continued to beg, Er Xiao looked at me while Ol'' Xia appeared to have given up. He continued to cry facing the wall.


    Er Xiao suddenly said viciously, "Wu Meng, we''ve offered you everything we have, don''t push it. Consider your own situation, if you corner us, do you think you can leave this ce alive?"


    Finally he reached the point I was concerned about. In this circumstance, I should be the one begging them to let me go, so why were they begging me instead? Was it because they believed they couldn''t run even after killing me? Or they never meant to kill me in the first ce? I looked at Er Xiao, Ol'' Xia and Lee Danan.


    After a long time, I said. "Since I already rejected you, I never n to live here alive. But before I die, I wish for you to answer a few questions. I want to die with my curiosity satisfied."


    "Questions?" Er Xiao repeated


    I nodded and began, "If your goal is to confuse the police, why leave behind the taunting message on the wall? It''ll only make us look for you harder. Why leave the blood message, why feed us human meat dumplings and send Captain Zhou the phone message?" I voiced the final questions I had, waiting for these people to answer. In my mind though, I already had the answers. Everything was strung together. Icked only physical evidence. If Guan Zhenglin followed my instructions on the phone, if my hypothesis was correct, then we were safe. If I was wrong, then we might all die here. Gu Chen said that I had lost my confidence but at that moment, I seemed to have found that confidence again. If I had to take a risk, then the bigger the better.


    Er Xiao didn''t expect that I''d rather die than to let them go. Of course, I could have pretended topromise and thenter call the police to arrest them. But if I did, I would stray further from the truth. Therefore, I had to take this bet, even though the risk was 3 human lives.


    Er Xiao said with some impatience, "Is the answer really that important? We did those things to distract you. Or perhaps we had strayed so far from the path that we became too much like the psychopaths we were trying to mimic.


    "For this, I sneaked into your yard at midnight and left the message with blood." Er Xiao scoffed. "For this, we stuck the broken arm into the snow when no one was around; for this, we had Lee Luo make the human dumplings." Er Xiao charged at me and grabbed me by the cors. He pinched his face. "Look at me, look closer. Does this face not look like a psychopath? Is this face not extremely fake and ugly?" Er Xiao pinched his face like he was crazy. His expression was twisted. "For certain things, when one has started, there is no turning back." Er Xiao''s body was shaking. The blood vessels on his neck bulged and his face was red. "We''ve already reached this step. I don''t understand it, why would God be so cruel to us?!" Er Xiao said through heavy breaths, "You''re not from Elm Town, I don''t even know where you peoplee from and when you''ll leave. But this has to happen when you''re here."


    I was silent before I said, "If we didn''te here, what do you think Captain Zhou would do in my ce? Do you think he won''t reach this stage of investigation?"


    Er Xiao suddenlyughed. "I know Luo Sumei and I know she is Captain Zhao''s girlfriend. But do you know why I dared to rape her? It is because she''s his girlfriend. Honestly I have no idea how that man became the chief of the heavy crime unit. He''s so dumb. All he knows is to bring his people to help out around the vige." Er Xiao''s tone turned up with derision, "After he came here multiple times, I got to know him better. He is a real dummy. If he had arrived here alone, we wouldn''t have gone so far down this road! He would never have found the killer, he''s too slow for that!" Er Xiao continued, "If not for theck of serious cases at Elm Town, he would be fired already. But he had toe with you people."


    Er Xiao pointed at me, "And you! You''re too sharp. I knew from the moment I saw you that you are the real danger. Captain Zhou is nothing. When Lee Danan told me you saw the newspaper article in the toilet, I knew you would have guessed everything."


    "So," I followed his thread of conversation, "You had Lee Danane to dump the body and then had Ol'' Xia purposely ruin the n to lure us here. Inside Er Xiao Convenience Store, Lee Luo and Sun Kangning''s father wereying in ambush to knock out Gu Chen and Captain Zhou." I continued, "After the two were dragged away, you returned the convenience store to its normalyout and waited for me to arrive. Then you purposely sent Lee Danan in and had him detain me and reveal the truth'' that you wanted me to believe. And then at thest moment, you and Ol'' Xia would barge in to save me from Lee Danan?"


    Er Xiao nodded lightly.


    After a pause, I added, "Then you performed the whole charade for me to pin the me on Lee Danan. Once you seeded, you would go and wake up Chief Zhou and Gu Chen. You would tell them we had all fallen for Lee Danan''s tricks and you were also knocked out when you entered the convenience store. They might not believe you," I chuckled, "But I would support your statement once I bought the lie that Lee Danan was the killer. The n is wless, one segment joining the other."


    Er Xiao waved his hands and sighed, "But you still saw through it. Chief Zhou would have fallen for it perfectly. I ask you onest time, will you let us go? If you need a killer, Lee Danan has already volunteered to sacrifice himself."


    I said confidently, "I refuse."

 Chapter 144: Great Acting

    Chapter 144: Great Acting


    Sometimes, the eyes were the most deceiving organs. The vige head had told me something simr, Lee Danan too and now I had a full appreciation of this statement. Was the thing I saw before me the truth? If more people said it was the truth, it had to be the truth? If that was the case, we wouldn''t need judges anymore.


    My voice was small but they all heard me clearly. Before Er Xiao could speak, I heard a voicee from above. It was Uncle Lee, "I guess there''s no point talking anymore." Then I saw Father Sun help Lee Luo slowly down thedder. Lee Danan asked, "Why are you down here, what about the two of them?"


    Father Sun replied, "We fed them sedatives after knocking them out, they won''t be waking up anytime soon. Don''t worry. But does it really make a difference? Do you n to murder 3 police officers?" After that, all 5 of them were silent.


    I looked at Lee Danan and Lee Danan looked at me. Even though his bleeding had stopped, blood was already all over his face. He looked like an ident victim. He leveled me a vicious gaze and then gritted his teeth. Then the conspiracy hissed through his lips, "Brothers, how about this? The two cops up there are still unconscious and they don''t know anything. The only one who knows we''re the murderers is Wu Meng. I''ll kill him and no one will know the truth anymore, right?" The psychopathy colored his eyes, "We''ll continue with our script. After I knocked out Chief Zhou and Gu Chen, Wu Meng hurried over. We tussled together and in the panic, I murdered Wu Meng. Right then, you realized you had gone down the wrong direction, came back to the store and found me." Lee Danan was so excited, "And you captured me before waking up Gu Chen and Chief Zhou. With all 5 of our testimonies, our Wu Meng would be a hero who died on duty and I would be punished byw. It could still work."


    They were submerged in another temporary silence. "So?" Lee Danan basically pleaded.


    It was Er Xiao who said, "This is all my fault, I''m the reason we''re in this state. I don''t want to run or kill anymore. At this point, I can''t even tell if I''m a psychopath or not. I''m so tired, killing is not as easy as I thought. Do you know, ever since that day, I haven''t had a good night sleep. I don''t want to do this anymore. Every time I close my eyes, I see Luo Sumei" Tears trickled down his face but there was no sob. The tears Er Xiao had shed today was probably more than the amount he had shed throughout his life. "I''ll stop running, killing and hiding." Er Xiao looked at me through his tears. "Yes, I won''t kill you, if I wanted to, you''d be dead now."


    Lee Luo sighed and added, "I''m blind and there''s no way I can run far. Leaving home and moving somewhere else will be no difference from death for me. Well, it is right for the wrong to be punished."


    Lee Danan frowned, "Wait, so we''re giving up just like that?"


    At that moment, Ol'' Xia shouted, "Kill!" Ol'' Xia still savored his breath like gold. Even at a moment like this, he conserved his word count. But this formed an awkward situation, 2 versus 2. Only Father Sun hadn''t made a decision and everyone turned to him. The meaning couldn''t be clearer, Father Sun literally held my life in his hands. But to be honest, I didn''t care anymore, because things were developing the way I had expected it to.


    The atmosphere was cold, not from the weather but the chill in our hearts.


    Father Sun looked at me and then at the rest of the group. His lips moved, he had made a decision, "This officer is a good man. When Kangning saw that arm, he thought it was his arm. This officer not only didn''t me Kangning for ruining the evidence, but also helped protect little Kangning''s dream." Then his eyes rimmed with red. "Kangning is still small, he won''t remember this gesture of kindness, but as a father, I owe this officer for shielding Kangning. He is unlike most people who chased my family to this ce. I will never forget their faces and what they said to Kangning. This ce is our new home and Kangning can only grow up safely here, I can''t deprive Kangning of that." Father Sun said through his tears, "I can''t bring him to go on the run with me. Even if I have to die, the fact that Kangning can stay here is good enough for me. It''s not easy to find a ce to call home, it''s hard to find good people as well." Father Sun sighed, "Everything is too hard."


    Lee Danan looked at him like he couldn''t understand the man, "You mean we''re going to let him go like that? Once he leaves this ce, we''re all going to be arrested. I only have half a year left in my life, it doesn''t matter where I spend the rest of my life, but it''s different for the rest of you, you still have a whole life ahead of you."


    "I guess this is it." Er Xiao sighed, "My lifelong goal was to buy a house in Dong Xing City and I did. But what about it? I said I would leave 2 years ago but I stayed until now. I didn''t get it before but I get it now. This ce is the real Shangri."


    "Yes." Lee Luo concurred, "We''ve stayed here for too long to be able to survive anywhere else."


    Everyone nodded. Er Xiao turned to Lee Danan and Ol'' Xia. "The 3 of us have made our decision, we''re not going to run. The two cops up there are still unconscious and Wu Meng poses no threat to us. The sky is still dark. Climb into my truck and drive down the highway, you''ll reach a new city by daybreak. And don''te back here anymore," Er Xiao said with mncholy. "Find a ce like First Drain Vige to hide in. I know you are all good people, and you deserve a long life, so go and enjoy it."


    A tragic haze billowed among us. They sounded like they were giving their will. Standing there, I felt like I was intruding. A soft-hearted person would have been affected by their brotherhood. To be honest, I was feeling a bit touched as well.


    Lee Danan mmed his fist into the wall and growled, "If none of you are leaving, why should I? I only have half a year left in my life, I do not want to live the rest of my life as a fugitive. I''ve lived my whole life here, it might not be a long life but I want to die peacefully at my ce of roots."


    Ol'' Xia cursed, "Fuck." It was only one word but we still got his meaning, he wasn''t going on the run either. The five of them decided to stay and stood there, looking at me. I shook my head and didn''t know what to say.


    I had already guessed the whole truth but I''d rather that I didn''t know this truth. The truth was always gory, stark and dark, but I had an unhealthy addiction towards truth. For me, I wanted to know everything that was to know about this world. For example, why was I abandoned? Would I see Zhao Mingkun again? Who was that Wu Zui?


    And why were these 5 doing this?


    I frowned and said, "I know you won''t kill me, despite the efforts to look threatening. Another person might have been persuaded by you but not me, because I was never afraid of death, but I still don''t understand why you''re doing this." I continued, "But it hit me earlier. There are emotions other than love which could beget hatred and sin. Sometimes, to kill is not to kill but to save."


    "What exactly is that you''re trying to say?" Er Xiao looked at me.


    I answered slowly, "From the moment I entered this convenience store, you''ve arranged a skit that I could have seen through easily for me to know that you''re in the same gang as Lee Danan. The 5 of you cooperated to murder a person but when I saw the dead body and the rest of your performance, I get it now. Even at this moment, you all are still acting."


    Er Xiao shook his head, "What acting?"


    I smiled sadly. "You can drop the act. Since I''ve said that, I knew the actual truth behind this case. What I don''t understand is, is it really worth it? I believe from the moment you murdered that poor woman 4 days ago, you have already imagined things would end up in this state."


    I took in the group, Er Xiao, Ol'' Xia, Lee Danan, Lee Luo and Father Sun, the 5 who tried their best to portray themselves as psychopaths. The interesting thing about this world was that actual psychopaths wouldn''t admit that they were psychopaths but non-psychopaths wanted to let others believe that they were psychopaths. I continued, "The five of you decide to sacrifice yourself to save one person."


    We were all silent for a long time. Then I broke the silence and the words slowly tumbled out of my mouth, "Is the person really that great? Is the person worth your sacrifice? Is he worth everything you''re doing for him?"

 Chapter 145: The Killer

    Chapter 145: The Killer


    All the fragments aligned in my mind, things hadn''t been as clear as it was now. However, after I knew the truth, I didn''t know how to face the five before me. The killers were the five of them but also not the five of them. The incident would have to be traced back to 9 days ago.


    9 days ago, Luo Sumei did have an argument with Chief Zhou but unlike what Chief Zhou imed, that wasn''t thest time he talked to her. Elm Town was a very small town, so small that as the town''s detective, he could find the surveince blind spot with his eyes closed. Our suspect was someone with strong anti-surveince skill and thus theoretically also had strong surveince skill, there was no one more fitting of that role in this town than Chief Zhou. Since he was part of thew enforcement, it was easy for Chief Zhou to avoid the police.


    That afternoon, it was snowing heavily. Everyone was staying at the hostel and no one paid any attention to who might have left. Chief Zhou made use of this opportunity to escape. I heard from many people that Chief Zhou was a dummy, Er Xiao had called him that, Luo Sumei had called him that. Luo Sumei said that a dummy wasing to fetch her and the dummy was going to give her 500000 RMB. That dummy was Chief Zhou but as we already knew, Chief Zhou had no means of producing 500000 RMB.


    So Chief Zhou drove Luo Sumei to First Drain Vige where he nned to kill her. Chief Zhou used a wire to tie around Luo Sumei''s neck. The wire ate into flesh and a bloody line soon appeared on Luo Sumei''s neck, it wouldn''t take long for the woman to die. Chief Zhou was conflicted but he had to do this. Because he couldn''t produce the 500000 RMB but even more than that, he couldn''t afford to lose his job.


    However, halfway through, Chief Zhou heard the sound of a vehicleing from the vige. If someone saw him, Chief Zhou''s whole life would be ruined. He put down Luo Sumei. By then, the woman had already stopped struggling. He put away the wire, dropped Luo Sumei''s body'' by the roadside, hopped into his car and escaped from the scene. Chief Zhou''s heart must have been pounding when he left because he couldn''t be sure whether Luo Sumei had died or not. However, he couldn''t stay for further examination because if someone saw him, his deed would be exposed. Chief Zhou''s n was perfect, he just didn''t expect Er Xiao would go into town to restock his store on that day despite the weather.


    Chief Zhou''s worry was not unfounded because Luo Sumei was indeed still alive. Sometimes, human beings could be so fragile but at other times, they could be so tough. There was a bloody gash on Luo Sumei''s neck. She fainted from fear but she didn''t die. Luo Sumei probably didn''t expect that the dummy in her eyes would dare to kill her.


    Human nature was greed but when that greed surpassed another person''s bottomline, even the most honest person would be pushed to action. Chief Zhou did consider marrying Luo Sumei, but Luo Sumei rejected him every time, because the only reason she agreed to be his girlfriend was for his money. Chief Zhou didn''t have much sry, only 3000 RMB per month. However, one time, Luo Sumei identally discovered Chief Zhou''s secret and from then on, Luo Sumei would be able to earn 3000 RMB monthly without having to do anything. It was because of this secret that Chief Zhou was forced to kill.


    It was also because of this secret that I knew Chief Zhou was involved in this case.


    Luo Sumei thought she could live on this secret forever but she had no idea death was already approaching. Chief Zhou offered her 500000 RMB to keep the secret, because he knew her biggest dream was to own a house at Elm Town and 500000 RMB was enough to do that.


    Luo Sumei instantly agreed and she happily went for a pedicure. Even though I was not familiar with Luo Sumei, I believed she didn''te from a rich background, or else she wouldn''t have to ckmail Chief Zhou for 3000 RMB per month and she wouldn''t need to die for it.


    After having her breakfast, Luo Sumei sauntered into the pedicure shop. She looked around and was reminded of her mother''s reprimand, how do you expect to work with nails like that? Stop dreaming and finish your work!'' But Luo Sumei wouldn''t need to work after she got the 500000 RMB, and in a way, she was correct. She was happy and chatted a lot with Tony, she had no idea those would be herst words. And that was going to be her first andst pedicure of her life.


    When she was done, someone called her and she hopped into his car.


    That 1 minute felt like a century for Luo Sumei. Holding her neck, she stood up. The chill of the snow was not as strong as the chill in her heart. She had never been to this ce before. Thankfully, at that moment, a truck wasing towards her. It was an old truck and it was driving very slowly.


    Luo Sumei ran out into the street and scared Er Xiao who was driving. Er Xiao didn''t know this woman but he stopped when he saw the blood leaking out from behind the fingers around her neck. Er Xiao never encountered something like this before but he knew to offer the woman help. When she was in the truck, he said, "The hospital is rather far, we''ll go to the vige clinic." The woman nodded, still in catatonic shock.


    Er Xiao asked her what happened. Perhaps she was too afraid so she told Er Xiao everything. Luo Sumei said she was the girlfriend of Elm Town''s Chief Zhou Jianse''s girlfriend. He attempted to kill her because she knew his secret. Then she sighed in relief, "Thankfully you happen to pass by."


    Er Xiao didn''t answer. Luo Sumei hadn''t been to First Drain Vige so she had no idea the truck had already passed the vige clinic. They left the vige and Luo Sumei asked with concern. Er Xiao told her not to worry. When she saw the convenience store, Luo Sumei felt better. Er Xiao exined, "There is a bandage inside my store, we''ll help bandage your wound first."


    Luo Sumei decided to trust this good Samaritan. However, the world was cruel and it taught her a lesson. After she walked into the store, she felt a heavy blow to the back of her neck and she fainted. When she woke up, she woke up in darkness. She shivered and then only realized she was naked. She had escaped from one hell into another. She screamed until her voice was dry but it was pointless. The sky was snowing and no one woulde to this ce. She leaned against the boxes, trying to surround herself among their warmth.


    Er Xiao drove the truck to Lee Danan''s ce and called his good friends. They sat at Lee Danan''s home and decided on what to do. Lee Danan was reminded of the article he read in the toilet. He found the article and showed it to them. The 5 of them chose one method of dismemberment each.


    Er Xiao said, "Since we''ve decided to do this, then we have to go all the way. Since this is someone Chief Zhou wanted to kill, then he''s in the same boat as us. Even if he discovers the body, he wouldn''t dare to expose us." The rest of them nodded. They took the truck back to Er Xiao Convenience Store and walked down into the basement.


    The rest happened as Er Xiao described. Luo Sumei was awakened from the extreme pain. Er Xiao grabbed a nearby strap and that left behind the second ligature mark. The rest went ording to n.


    But they didn''t expect that Chief Zhou did note alone for the investigation. They originally nned to confide in Chief Zhou because they knew Chief Zhou wouldn''t arrest them. The five of them woulde up with testimonies to say that this was the work of a psychopath and he had already escaped from the highway. That way, all five of them would be safe and Chief Zhou would be safe.


    However, they had no idea where I stood. As my investigation deepened, they knew this incident would soon be exposed. Right then they decided, if that was the case, they would sacrifice Lee Danan. The man already had cancer anyway.


    To exclude Chief Zhou from suspicion, they taunted the police repeatedly, they fed us human dumplings, wrote the bloody message and sent the SMS to Chief Zhou. Chief Zhou ate the human dumplings with us and he was part of the investigation, there was no reason for us to suspect him.


    To end the case, they tossed out Lee Danan but I didn''t fall for the bait. After that, the group of five decided to sacrifice themselves. They put upyers of deception and tried their best to hide the truth but the truth would always prevail. But what was the truth?


    After working for months with Chief Zhou, I was very familiar with the man. If he was not truly cornered, he would not do something like this. So what would I do?


    Allow the five of them to continue acting, so everyone would have their happy endings or expose these 2 lies, and bare the bloody truth starkly for all to see?

 Chapter 146: Motive

    Chapter 146: Motive


    I was very unwilling to make this choice but when Luo Sumei''s body wasid there right before me, I felt like she deserved justice. At least I didn''t think Luo Sumei was so evil that she deserved to die like this. I shared my suspicion with the group of five.


    When I was done, the group had no expression. Human being''s biggest shields were their emotions. Sometimes, I envied those who could read people''s thoughts from their expressions.


    When you are happy, youugh; when you''re sad, you cry. Everything was so simple when we were kids but we lost that ability as we grew older. When we cry, it might not mean that we are happy and vice versa. Everything had to be read in context and life became so much moreplicated. If we could trust what we see, wouldn''t life be so much easier?


    The group didn''t speak, argue or shout at me. It was how I knew I was right. I continued toy out the truth. Actually when Chief Zhou saw that leg, he already knew it was Luo Sumei''s leg, because when Chief Zhou went to fetch Luo Sumei, she just finished a pedicure. But it confused him because why was the body found at the eastern vige entrance when hemitted the murder at the western end of the vige?


    Fear and curiosity battled within Chief Zhou. He knew that this case would fall into his hands and he would have to solve this murder. But to Chief Zhou''s surprise, the body was notplete, there was only a leg. Chief Zhou was afraid, because it wouldn''t be a normal person who could be behind something like this. Right then Chief Zhou''s sense of responsibility took over and he knew he had to solve this case, even if it would expose himself. It was the reason behind Chief Zhou''s passion for this case, he had to know the truth.


    However, the case was soplex and confounding that he knew he wouldn''t solve it on his own, so he ced all his hope on me. That night, Chief Zhou told us about Luo Sumei. There was a moment where I believed Chief Zhou almost wanted to confess everything. But at the time, Gu Chen and I assumed Chief Zhou was only being affected by the recent'' discovery of the victim''s identity. Once the moment passed, Chief Zhou shut down.


    I looked at the five and asked, "The biggest problem here is, what is the secret that Luo Sumei knew about Chief Zhou that he had to kill her?"


    Er Xiao finally couldn''t hold it in anymore, "All these are your spection. Tell us, why did Chief Zhou have to kill his girlfriend?"


    I nodded. "As I expected, none of you know the truth either. Luo Sumei didn''t tell you so until now you have no idea why Chief Zhoumitted the crime, right?"


    I took their silence as admission. I looked up the stairs and then said, "Chief Zhou told me that he has two younger siblings who will attend university soon. Chief Zhou had nothing when he was small, so he wanted to give his family everything. It sounds shallow but money brings Chief Zhou some semnce of security but Luo Sumei intended to take that away from him." I sighed, "At the same time, Chief Zhou told me that he loved his job too much, he couldn''t imagine being anything else. Furthermore, this career provides him with a stable ie. Luo Sumei threatened to take that away from him as well." I shook my head, "Chief Zhou couldn''t give Luo Sumei the money and he couldn''t lose his job either, so what could he do? Chief Zhou chose the extreme route, he wanted to have the cake and eat it too. So he chose to kill this person who forced him into this spot."


    Er Xiao said with agitation, "Stop talking in riddles, juste out with it!"


    I nodded. "Chief Zhou is color blind and based on our country''sw, a color blind person cannot be inw enforcement. Chief Zhou told me that Elm Town''s citizenry database was only getting digitized when he was a police officer. Many people edited their personal information and so did Chief Zhou. It was how he managed to slip through the system. After he became the leader of a unit, the city had no reason to believe that an experienced detective would be color blind." I said confidently, "It is the reason why Chief Zhoues here often to help out because to him, he is no different from all of you."


    When I said these things, a bitter feeling flowed through my heart. Chief Zhou had been a cop for 20 years and he had notmitted a single mistake due to his colorblind. But such were the rules, just like I could never be an official police officer. But interestingly enough, I was conscripted into this special task force because of my unique state but Chief Zhou would be kicked out because of his.


    "Chief Zhou is color blind?" The group said in unison, refusing to believe me.


    I nodded seriously and borated, "Yes, he is indeed color blind. In fact, it was you who helped me discover that fact." I looked at them. "You didn''t know that Chief Zhou was color blind so you wrote down the taunting message on the brick wall. When we discovered the message, the blood was already dry. Dry blood is almost ck in color. The brick wall the message was written on is grey in color." I shrugged, "Normal people like us will be able to tell the difference in hue and notice the blood message immediately but not Chief Zhou. Grey and deep red were the same in his eyes. He was shoveling snow the whole morning, so it was impossible for him to not notice the message if he was not color blind. It was then that the answer came to me.


    "Luo Sumei, who was Chief Zhou''s girlfriend, probably found out this truth some way or another." I continued, "Before she discovered this secret, she perhaps did consider spending her life with Chief Zhou but after she found out the secret, Luo Sumei changed." I sighed and chuckled mirthlessly, "People are like that. When a rtionship is even in power, they can be together blissfully but when the scale tips, people will change. Luo Sumei knew that as long as she held the secret, she would haveplete control over Chief Zhou''s life. And thus tragedy happened." I opened my hands as if showing the truth.


    Chief Zhou didn''t marry despite his age, probably because he had this innate fear. Chief Zhou probably did love Luo Sumei or else why would he let his guard down around her? He had hidden the secret for decades already but not for a few months? It was just his rotten luck that the secret transmuted their love. Humans are afraid of loss but once that fear is gone, so is the decency and bottomline.


    Just like how teenagers would yell at their parents, give them cold shoulders because they knew that their parents would always forgive them. A girl would make horrid demands after she knew that her boyfriend would never leave her. In a rtionship, the party who sacrificed more would always be the party who got hurt, that was always the truth.


    But one could only take so much abuse. When your parents decided to disown you; when your boyfriend decided to move on, only then you would see your mistakes. When Luo Sumei saw her mistake, it was already toote. Chief Zhou was always impressed by the tactical brilliance of our team and wanted to see us in action, it was just ironic that we were solving the case where he was the killer.


    "But you have no evidence." Er Xiao imed calmly.


    I shook my head. "You''re right but the evidence wille soon. Chief Zhou has given all of his money to Luo Sumei and he wouldn''t have any money left for his siblings. Money transfers can be easily traced. Furthermore, raping before and after killing a person is different." I looked at Luo Sumei''s body and said, "Don''t think that you can fake a rape by shoving a penis up a woman''s vagina. But most importantly," I said in a sad whisper, "Chief Zhou will surrender himself, I know that, like how I knew that you wouldn''t kill me. Chief Zhou is a good man, he is a kind person; you all are good people and know how to repay his kindness. But many things in this world cannot be solved with a good intention.


    "You need to stop now." I said, "All Chief Zhou wanted is to solve this case on his own before he surrenders."


    The group looked at me in silence, I could feel the sadness in their eyes. Were they good people or bad people? Was Luo Sumei a good person or a bad person? Was Chief Zhou a good person or a bad person? Was the delineation between the two so clear?


    "Why, why does it have to end like this?" Er Xiao wept. "We have done so much,e up with so many ns, so why does it still end like this?"


    I had no answer. Perhaps the world was such, certain things were not meant to be understood.


    First Drain Vige was a good ce, the vigers here were down to earth and always eager to help, but First Drain Vige was also a bad ce because it had shown its kindness so brilliantly that the sin and evil were often overshadowed. Was this ce really Shangri?


    I climbed up thedder slowly and no one stopped me. I had just woken up Chief Zhou and Gu Chen when the siren came from outside. A person burst through the door and it was Guan Zhenglin.

 Chapter 147: It is Folly to be Wise

    Chapter 147: It is Folly to be Wise


    When I saw Guan Zhenglin, I knew she had followed the instructions on my phone. Several hours ago, when we were trying to ambush the killer, I had predicted this moment. Therefore, I had Guan Zhenglin do a few things.


    First, check whether Chief Zhou''s younger siblings had received any money recently.


    Secondly, go to the market and check whether Er Xiao had been there 4 days ago to restock his store.


    Thirdly, if the answer for both of the above was no, then had Captain Zhao bring the police from the city toe to the vige. The answer was clear. At that moment, the group of five walked up from the basement.


    "You''ve found the killer?" Captain Zhao looked at me.


    Instead of answering him, I turned to Chief Zhou and said, "Luo Sumei''s body is inside the basement. I believe you should go and see her." Chief Zhou looked at me with aplicated feeling and then he nodded and walked down into the basement. First there was a temporary silence and then came Chief Zhou''s blood-curdling cries.


    "What happened?" Guan Zhenglin wanted to go down to witness the situation for herself. An indescribable mncholy overwhelmed me. I hugged Guan Zhenglin to stop her and sighed, "Let him be alone for a while. He needs to cry this out." Guan Zhenglin noted how reserved I was. She didn''t say anything but patted my back. I had never been in love, and I didn''t know what that felt like but from Chief Zhou''s wails, I could hear that Chief Zhou did love Luo Sumei. But he had no choice but to kill her. This kind of love-hate rtionship was just sad.


    "I killed her." Chief Zhou climbed up thedder. "I am color blind."


    One dayter, Guan Zhenglin finally came back with theb test result. The body parts did belong to Luo Sumei and the brown hair was dog fur. Guan Zhenglin also told me that when the police informed Luo Sumei''s family of her death, her family refused toe im her body because they didn''t want to travel so far.


    Mary did some digging and found out that Luo Sumei would mail money home every month because she had a 25 years old younger brother. The brother needed money for dowry. Luo Sumei''s mother told her that if she didn''t mail back 5000 RMB every month, she would disown her.


    3 dayster, Chief Zhou and the group of five confessed to everything. The police chief of Elm Town, the senior officer who practically saw Chief Zhou rise through the ranks, participated in the interrogation. After hearing Chief Zhou''s story, the police chief didn''t say anything but stood up and left the interrogation room. As he exited the door, I heard him mumble to himself, "How can God be so cruel?"


    Sometimes, hard work is not enough to achieve the things one wants. Some people are born with original sin. I was reminded of what Chief Zhou said that night, "I guess this will be my life." It was filled with such despair and helplessness. Thest time I saw Chief Zhou was when he was about to be sent to court. There was a question that I had to ask Chief Zhou because I might not have the chance again.


    I asked, "You''ve managed to fool everyone for 20 years but why would Luo Sumei discover that you''re color blind?"


    Chief Zhou shed me his friendly smile, "I told her myself."


    "Why?" I was confused.


    Chief Zhou was ushered into the car. He rolled down the window and told me, "Because we are kindred spirits. I''ve been so alone for 40 years. Go to my ce, there is a wet market behind it. At the end of the market, there''s a grandmother selling vegetables, ask her about it." Chief Zhou smiled, "I assumed I loved her, and I thought she loved me too." The car drove away and thest thing Chief Zhou told me was, "But in the end, who we love is ourselves. Honestly, if the situation switched and I was the one who had the upper hand in the rtionship, would I rise above the asion? I doubt it" That was thest time I saw Chief Zhou.


    Five dayster, at First Drain Vige. The day when Captain Zhao arrived with the team, they used the snow cleaners to shovel away all the gathered snow. So now we could drive all the way to First Drain Vige. Currently I was sitting inside the vige head''s office. "Now everyone at First Drain Vige knows the truth." The vige head poured the tea for me. "Chief Zhou, Ol'' Xia, Er Xiao, Lee Luo, Lee Danan, Sun Zheng are all killers. This is the first time First Drain Vige has lost so many people at one time." I shook my head. I refused the tea but stood up to walk towards the bookshelf.


    Last time I was here, the bookmark was in the middle of the book but now it was near the end. I pulled out the book with the bookmark and casually flipped through it. I said, "In that wheelchair, no matter how high you reach, you will be unable to take the book down from its location on the shelf." I turned to face the vige head. "And you have no secretary. Why the insistence on using the wheelchair? Wouldn''t it be better for you to walk around and exercise?"


    The vige head chuckled. "I never said that I am handicapped. People assume that because I''m seated in a wheelchair. Therefore, do not trust everything that you see, the eyes can lie."


    My lips curled into a smile. "If we can''t trust our eyes, then what can we trust?"


    "Your heart." The vige head stood up to take the book away from me and sat back down on the wheelchair. "How you think of the world is how you see the world."


    I said, "Actually there is one thing that has been troubling me. Chief Zhou has been to First Drain Vige many times so he must have known Ol'' Xia but during my first visit here, he pretended to not know Ol'' Xia, why do you think that is?"


    The vige head pointed at my chest. "What does your heart tell you?"


    I was silent and then said, "At the start, Chief Zhou never wanted to surrender. When I was down in the basement, I told the five that Chief Zhou would definitely surrender but I was just bluffing. Is it not possible that Chief Zhou never wanted to surrender? But when he saw that I had figured out most of the case, he had no choice but to do so to hope for a lighter punishment?"


    The vige head didn''t answer me but offered, "How you think of the world is how you see the world. Maybe you''re right. In any case, I personally have no idea why he would pretend to not know Ol'' Xia."


    "But if that''s true." I frowned before I asked, "Does Er Xiao make his trip to the city for the restock on a fixed schedule?"


    The vige head nodded, "Yes, the man is like clockwork. He will go to the city on the 25th of every month after lunch hour no matter the weather." The vige head''s words shattered my world and I was stunned. I shivered all over. The five were willing to sacrifice themselves for Chief Zhou so they must have a good rtionship with Chief Zhou and Chief Zhou would know about Er Xiao''s monthly habits. What if Chief Zhou purposely led Luo Sumei to First Drain Vige because he knew Er Xiao would pass through and help him finish his job?


    Chief Zhou was also acting. He needed Luo Sumei to die but he didn''t want to hang for killing her. So he only mortally injured her. That way, his crime was only attempted murder and he would have so many people, including Elm Town''s police chief to plead for his case. But if that was true, just how corrupt Chief Zhou''s heart must be?


    "But" My voice shook. As if seeing through my thoughts, the vige head pointed at the calligraphy behind me. "When I was young like you, I too wanted to know everything butter I understood, what''s the point? Sometimes not knowing is better than knowing. Perhaps the knowledge is that not everything can be answered. You are still too young."


    I turned to look behind me.


    It is folly to be wise.


    Suddenly, a weight lifted off my shoulders.


    Before we left the vige, we decided to pay Granny Wang another visit, the olddy who couldn''t speak and hear. This time it was Guan Zhenglin who cooked, I was surprised by her skills. Granny Wang smiled brightly like a child. When we departed, I gave her several hundred RMB but she refused them. After we walked out, I quickly ran back, dropped the money on her bed and ran. At that moment, I heard a voice say, "Another good man has left."


    It was a very kind-sounding voice. When I turned back, Granny Wang was still standing there. So Granny Wang did know how to speak, she merely didn''t wish to speak with others. I didn''t get it. Were the people at Handicapped Vige truly handicapped? Or perhaps they were just people with their own stories. And who could say that we were not handicapped'' in our own ways?


    I had no idea the good man'' Granny Wang referred to was me or Chief Zhou. Who knew and who dared to proim that they were a truly good man?


    One weekter, we got the news. Zhang Ke, Xia Tian, Lee Danan, Sun Zheng and Lee Luo were given the death sentence due to murder and muttion of body while Chief Zhou was given life imprisonment. Hearing that news, I couldn''t help but be reminded of Sun Kangning. Would he hate me after he knew the truth? For him, was I a good buy or bad guy? Perhaps he would see me as a bad guy, after all I had taken away his father like the bad guy who took away his arms.


    10 dayster, I followed the address given to me by Chief Zhou and found the olddy who sold vegetables at the market. I asked her about Luo Sumei and she surprised me by remembering everything. This was because the olddy was familiar with Chief Zhou who often came to help her.


    This happened 4 months ago. Luo Sumei went to the market to purchase some vegetables and she got into an argument with this olddy due to a change of 3 cents. At the start, Luo Sumei was pushy and unforgiving but suddenly, she crumbled to the ground and cried. The olddy was shocked and quickly came to console her. She blurred, "I''m already 30 now but I still have to argue like a crazy woman for 3 cents. This is not the life I want, how did things get to this state?"


    Chief Zhou was at the market as well and witnessed everything.


    He asked, "What''s your name?"


    "Luo Sumei." When she saw Chief Zhou, she blushed. She felt like she was 10 years younger.

 Chapter 148: Spirit of Righteousness

    Chapter 148: Spirit of Righteousness


    After Chief Zhou was arrested, the position for the crime unit leader was left empty. The higher up couldn''t find anyone to fill the space, so I was told to take the spot for now. I would work the post until the official recement arrived. Even though this was just a temporary posting, it already made my life. However, when I took the seat, I only realized the job was not as simple as I thought. The unit chief had to do more than solve cases, there were many other minorints to handle.


    For example, I was now writing a report about a couple''s quarrel. The reason for the quarrel was due to an imaginative five million RMB. They were discussing how to split the winning if they won the lottery, somehow that escted to a physical altercation. Thankfully, the police were called before anyone was hurt. Just as I was wondering how to write the report, chaos came from outside the police station.


    I pushed open the office door and walked out. I realized Gu Chen and Guan Zhenglin were there as well. A group of about 10 pushed and shoved, it made me feel like I was at the market. Looks like this was another neighbourhood altercation, I had dealt with quite a few of those in the past few days alone. An officer shouted at the crowd, "Calm down, I''m sure we can talk this out. What is all these pushing and shoving? This is the police station, not the market. A lot of officials are working here. You don''t want to disturb them, do you?"


    With that, the crowd finally piped down. Through the gap, I could see 3 people being surrounded in the middle of the crowd. Their hands were pinned behind their backs, but they looked quite nonchnt despite it. I frowned and walked towards the crowd. When the officer saw me, he greeted, "Chief Wu!"


    I looked at the people in the crowd, from their appearance, they seemed toe from all walks of life. Some were in fur coats, others were in cheap trench coats. Some of them looked like bosses, others like manual workers. Some looked like students and others were probably housewives.


    In contrast, the 3 who were being detained, were quite sharply dressed. They had buttoned-up shirts under their slick coats, scarves around their necks. They looked like workers from some kind of high endpanies. This group was tooplicated to be a simple family argument, could be it some kind of sry dy issue?


    "What happened?" I asked around. Guan Zhenglin and Gu Chen shook their heads. They too just walked out and had no idea what happened. I cleared my throat and spoke into the crowd, "Please send out a representative and exin clearly what happened."


    Then, a young man who looked like a high schooler said, "These 3 are cell phone thieves."


    "Thieves?" I asked with interest, "Tell me all about it." The student obliged. Most of this group came from the Online Serendipity Inte Caf. At around 5 pm, the 3 thieves walked into the caf. 5 pm was the time when business at the caf was at its peak. The 3 wandered around the premise using the excuse that they were looking for good seats. In reality though, they were scouting out potential victims. Their targets were those who were too distracted by the online game. These people''s phones were either ced on the table or hanging out from their pockets. This book was written about a decade ago when most cellphones wererge and bulky.


    When they had decided on the target, they would walk around the target pretending like they were interested in the target''s gaming prowess. Two would distract and block the sight of others, while thest one was responsible for swiping away the phone.


    Once they had the phone, they would leave immediately, using theck of a good seat as an excuse. When the customers realized their phones had been stolen, the perpetrators would be long gone. But this time, one of them was discovered. The person who discovered them was the security guard, the caf''s only security guard.


    After finding out their deeds, the guard immediately rushed forward to reason with them. During the argument, the stolen person''s phone fell out and thus the 3 were caught red-handed. The 3 turned to anger and tried to escape through brute force. It was also the guard who held them back. The 3 knew that the situation would only get worse if they stayed behind so one of them took out a dagger.


    The crowd dispersed like sand, except for the guard. Emboldened by inexplicable courage, the thief stabbed at the guard''s stomach. The crowd screamed, imagining the knife cutting into flesh. They could see the courageous yet foolish guard crumbling to the ground in his blood. But something unexpected happened, with a clink, the dagger fell to the ground. The guard grabbed the man''s arm in a lock and then twisted it back. The shoulder dislocated with a crunch. The other 2 thieves hadn''t encountered something like this before and intended to run away in the chaos. But the guard had anticipated their actions. He leaped forward and snatched up the offenders, one with each hand. Then, before the crowd knew what happened, the 2 thieves were already on the ground.


    The crowd gathered back again. And that was how things ended up the way it was now.


    The guard was pushed out from the crowd. I studied the man closely, he was in his 40s, and had tanned skin. He wore a grey coat and it wasn''t zipped up. He didn''t appear to flourish under the attention. He was ufortable due to the attention.


    "Officers, you have to lock these 3 up." The crowd demanded.


    One of the thieves eximed, "You said we''re thieves but where is your proof? Which one of you saw us steal anything? You said we''re phone thieves, where is the stolen phone? Where is the victim?" The man was pushy and harsh as if he knew we couldn''t do anything to him. Then again he was not wrong, if the victim didn''t lodge an officialint, the whole event would transpire into nothingness. This thief knew a bit or two aboutw.


    I scanned the crowd and then asked, "So where is the victim of the theft?"


    No one said anything. Eventually, an auntie spoke, "The kid has run away. We did all these for him but the moment he heard that we were going to the station, he grabbed his phone and ran. It is because of people like him that our country is in the state that it is in now. It''s like that one statement, the world is a dangerous ce, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing." The auntie didn''t look like someone who would frequent an inte caf. She was probably someone who just joined the crowd for the sake of it. Hearing herment, the crowd cheered.


    I scratched my head and said, "Well, if the victim''s not here, I only need some of you to provide written testimonies to say that these 3 are thieves. Then we can detain them."


    The moment I said that, the leading thief warned, "Fine, do that if you want. After all, stealing is just a petty crime, but the moment you provide a written testimony, your personal information will be on the record. Just you wait for me toe out from detention. I have no family unlike most of you. Think about the consequences." Then, the thief red viciously at the people next to him, growling, "Let go of me."


    The person was frightened and did what he was told.


    At that moment, the auntie suddenly said, "Right, I''m boiling water at home. I better go back to check up on it." The student added, "Shit, I''mte for my tuition, I need to go." In less than a minute, the crowd disappeared. Suddenly they all had something important to attend to. In the end, only the security guard from the caf was left.


    The thief turned to the guard and challenged, "I''d advise you to mind your own business. At most, I''ll be charged with failed theft, and I''ll be in detention for at most 10 days. But you, you might lose your job because of this."


    Gu Chenunched forward to smack the thief''s head, "You dare to threaten another person in front of the police?" As arrogant as the thief was, he didn''t dare to challenge Gu Chen head on. So he shrugged and led his friends into the station like they owned the ce. The security guard was invited to join us because we needed to take his statement too.


    The security guard''s name was Hao Ren. He was 44 years old. Before he got the job as the security guard, he studied martial arts in the countryside. His dream was to open a dojo, which was unrealistic in this era. It was why he felt no fear when he faced the dagger.


    We contacted Online Serendipity Caf and confirmed the 3 as thieves from the surveince camera. They were sentenced to 15 days in detention.


    Before he left, we thanked Hao Ren. Hao Ren said, "This is what I should do. When I was young, my sensei told me that to study martial arts is to follow the virtue of , or the spirit of righteousness, to help those who need it."


    As I watched Hao Ren walk away, I was reminded of the wuxia novels that I read but the heroes in those books were far more handsome than Hao Ren.

 Chapter 149: Happy New Year

    Chapter 149: Happy New Year


    The month passed by quickly but the chill remained. The higher up didn''t send anyone over. Looks like before Captain Zhao was absolved from his exile, I would remain as the chief of the crime unit at this small town. Life was peaceful and uninteresting. Soon Lunar New Year''s Eve arrived.


    This was my first time spending the new year away from home. It was quite refreshing but it also made me homesick. I wondered how my prison master father was doing. Theoretically speaking, he should be lecturing the inmates at this moment, either regaling them about his glorious past or talking to them about their future.


    This was a joyous holiday. There were rednterns everywhere and people sat around tables enjoying their reunion dinner except for our team. Because we received a phone call that someone had found a dead body on the frozen surface of the Elm River. We drove to the location given by the caller, it was the part of the river close to Rainbow Bridge. As we drove towards Rainbow Bridge, we saw that the bridge was dressed in colorful lights, it was a rainbow suspended above water. Along the way, all the houses were festively decorated.


    Above the bridge, the lights shimmered like a winter wondend; below the bridge, the darkness was as gripping as the chill.


    After parking the vehicle by the bank, we climbed over the rails to reach the riverside. The caller was a street cleaner. On this night of celebration, they still needed to work. The auntie over 50 stood by the bank and pointed at a dead body far on the frozen water surface.


    Under the reflection of the lights from Rainbow Bridge, we saw a person lying on the water. From the long hair, I believed this was a woman. She wore a bright red winter coat, so it was hard to miss her. For now, it was hard to tell if she was alive or not. I stomped my feet on the ice. It didn''t yield. Looks like the river was frozen solid. I told Gu Chen, "We''ll go to investigate, Guan Zhenglin, you should stay here." Guan Zhenglin shook her head, "I''m going to."


    "It''s too dangerous." I persuaded her. Guan Zhenglin insisted, "Dangerous for me but not for you? Plus the iceyer is so thick. Furthermore, I''m the coroner, I need to be there to examine the body." We were unable to win the argument so the 3 of us moved towards the person. The cleaner auntie told us, "I''ve shouted at her for a long time already, but the girl gave me no response, I''m afraid she''s already dead"


    As we slowly approached, the woman''s face was revealed before us. She was facing down on the ice, and she was definitely dead. That was because a fan-shaped spatter sprayed out from her skull. Around the woman''s head, there were also splinters on the surface of the ice. I had seen many dead bodies but this was definitely a unique one. Her head was basically ttened. One of her eyeballs had rolled out from the socket.


    From the overall body, there were multiple fracture wounds on her limbs. She was twisted like a postmodern painting. White bones pierced through her skin. Blood oozed around her but it was hard to tell the difference due to the bright redness of her winter coat. After Guan Zhenglin took the pictures, she put on the gloves and knelt down.


    The woman didn''t look that old and she was only 1.5 metres tall. Since she was facing down, I couldn''t see her whole face. But from the half which was visible, I could not imagine how macabre the other half which was stuck to the ice would be.


    Momentster, Guan Zhenglin announced, "The wounds are consistent with falling. All the pressure points on the bone fractures came from the same direction. Based on her head injury, a great pressure had pushed her eyeball out from her skull. Then look at her neck. The spine is snapped, a few segments of the vertebrae are protruding out so much that you can see them with your bare eyes. The blood spatter around the head has a spray pattern, the furthest stter is more than 10 metres away." Then she lifted her head up, "I believe this woman has jumped down from Rainbow Bridge."


    I also lifted my head up. The distance from the Rainbow Bridge to the surface of the ice was about 20 metres tall. Guan Zhenglin continued, "Based on the condition of the body, she fell headfirst. From the amount of blood, it should be an autonomous death from falling."


    "What is that?" Gu Chen asked.


    Guan Zhenglin answered, "Autonomous death from falling is a Chinese legalese, it means that the jumper was alive when she fell. Take a look at the victim''s wrists. There are clear contusions. It means that in the moment of impact, she used her wrist to cushion her fall. That was her body instinct kicking in, and one of the reasons why this is an autonomous death from falling. But" Guan Zhenglin thought to herself, "Why she fell from Rainbow Bridge, that is hard to say. Whether this is a suicide, a homicide or an ident, there''s no way to tell for now."


    I looked at the Rainbow Bridge. Both sides of the bridge had rails about 1.5 metres tall. The woman was just over 1.5 metres. She looked more like a junior high student so the chance of her identally tripping and falling was very low. So either she jumped voluntarily or she was pushed.


    Guan Zhenglin said, "Bring the body back. I can''t dissect her when she has so many clothes on."


    "We''re going to use that morgue again?" Gu Chen nced at Guan Zhenglin and said. Guan Zhenglin shrugged and sighed, "Thankfully after Wu Meng became the chief, the first thing he did was to install the heater or else we''d freeze there."


    Guan Zhenglin went back to take the body bag. Gu Chen and I picked up the body. Holding the woman by her arms, it felt like I was holding a puppet. The joints were all broken, her limbs hung in a way that no normal human could. As the woman was peeled off the ice, I was given a full view of her face. Honestly, I felt quite dazed looking at it.


    The girl''s face was smashed in. She was probably a young girl but her skin was folded together from chafing, giving her an appearance of having heavy wrinkles. The heavy contusions pushed out her other eye as well. The bloodshot eyeball was staring straight at me. After cing the girl inside the body bag, Gu Chen and I carried one side each and headed back. When we reached the bank, the cleaner auntie was still there waiting for us. After cing the body back into the vehicle, I turned back to ask, "Auntie, when did you discover the body? Did you spot anyone else when you saw the body?"


    The auntie answered, "I immediately called the police when I saw her. There was no one around. I was responsible for cleaning this area. Think about it, it''s New Year''s Eve, other than public servants like us, who would be outside? I saw you ce the girl inside the bag, is she dead?"


    I shook my head. "She fell." And then feeling the need to add something, I added, "Andnded on the icy surface."


    Hearing that, the auntie didn''t show fear but sigh in sadness, "The girl must have been in great sorrow to havemitted suicide on New Year''s Eve. This is one of the biggest celebrations in the year for us Chinese. I don''t get it. Why would she do this? No matter how hard life is, it won''t be harder than death."


    Then the auntie wandered away on her own.


    "Let''s go." I shook my head.


    When we returned, we had to pass by Rainbow Bridge. Gu Chen drove and I sat at the back, the body bag was right around my feet. As we passed the bridge, I studied the bridge rails. The gap between each railing rod was extremely small. Even a child couldn''t have identally squeezed through and fell down.


    There were not many vehicles on the road. Understandably, most people were at home, enjoying their reunion dinner.


    So how did this woman, no, this girl get here? Did she walk or someone drove her? Why would shee here and for what? Was it a suicide or homicide?


    Just like that cleaner auntie said, just how big the despair the girl was in that she would choose to die on such an auspicious day, then again how cruel the killer must be to kill on this day as well. Suddenly, firecrackers exploded around us. It jolted me from my reverie. I nced at my watch, it was already 12 midnight. The New Year had arrived


    Then fireworks exploded on both sides of Rainbow Bridge, it was a marvelous sight.


    "Happy New Year." I told Gu Chen and Guan Zhenglin. They answered in unison, "Happy New Year."


    But we probably won''t be having a happy new year. While everyone was enjoying the fireworks and goodpany, we were on the way back to the station with a dead body. The victim was a young girl, she looked younger than 18. Such was the way of the world, happiness and sadness were mostly in bnce. When you were happy, someone would be sad. When a newborn arrived in this world, someone would have left the world. But to die on a day of festival, that was a unique mixture of happiness and sadness.


    We were one year old but this girl would forever be frozen at this age.


    The car drove down the Rainbow Bridge, the firecrackers and fireworks boomed around us; while the young girl inside the body bag was soundlessly sleeping.


    And we were tasked to find the reason behind her permanent slumber.

 Chapter 150: The Will

    Chapter 150: The Will


    Rednterns hung outside the morgue but it was glinting coldly inside the morgue. The intersection of lights was mesmerizing. The sounds of firecrackers still echoed in our ears. We had to use scissors to cut off the victim''s clothes due to the damage from the falling trauma. That took quite a bit of time because the girl was wearing a lot ofyers on ount of the weather.


    While Guan Zhenglin started her autopsy, Gu Chen and I rummaged through the girl''s clothes, hoping to find her identification among them. I pulled out a well-folded piece of paper inside the girl''s red winter coat pocket. The paper was soft pink in color, I could imagine it being a popr stationery among young girls. I unfolded the paper and right in the top middle of the paper was the wordMy Will.


    "Even in my dreams, I wouldn''t think this could happen to me. The moment I close my eyes, the event would appear before my eyes. But I couldn''t tell anyone about it, because I don''t really know for sure what has happened. I also can''t exin why he has turned out like this. Perhaps this is life.


    "But I bear no rancor towards this world. After all, I should have died 10 years ago. I am lucky to have lived for an extra decade. I am d to have met these people. I know he didn''t mean it, I know him as a person of great kindness and gentleness. I know he still loves me.


    "I admit this is an escape but that is the only avenue left for me. My departure perhaps is the best choice. At least I don''t need to live in pain anymore. At least I won''t need to face the consequences. At least I''ll be able to sleep peacefully for once.


    "But after I leave, I won''t be able to sit on my father''s bicycle and tell him stories about school anymore. But after I leave, I won''t be able to beg my big brother to buy romance novels for me anymore. But after I leave, I won''t be able to talk to Xiao Yu anymore.


    "I have chosen a special date to make my departure. Perhaps with all the celebration around, you will feel less sad about my departure.


    "Love, Xiao Qi."


    My brows furrowed after I read the will. From the tone, it did sound like the writing of a teenage girl. There were a few key points in the will that might be helpful to identify her. ording to the will, Xiao Qi experienced something that she couldn''t ovee and thus had chosen tomit suicide. So the question was what was this thing''? On top of that, she did mention a he'' so the person who did this thing'' to her was a male, perhaps even someone she knew.


    Then the will mentioned that she should have died 10 years ago. From the girl''s appearance, she would have been a child 10 years ago. What possibly fatal encounter she had back then? Lastly, Xiao Qi was still in school, probably in high school. Most importantly, she seemed to have purposely chosen this date tomit suicide.


    Therefore, in conclusion, a male acquaintance of Xiao Qi did something to Xiao Qi, something that she couldn''t tell others. In the end, unable to suffer the internal torment anymore, Xiao Qi chose to end her life on this celebratory date. If that was the case, if she did not kill herself, she might need to encounter this man again on the reunion dinner table, and she couldn''t face him.


    However, all these were drawn from the will. It was still uncertain whether the will was authentic or not. It was entirely possible for someone else to write this will, ce it into Xiao Qi''s coat before shoving her off Rainbow Bridge. To confirm the authenticity of the will, we needed to do a handwritingparison but we had nothing else topare it with.


    At that moment, Gu Chen nudged me with his elbow, telling me to see what he was holding. I nced over and noticed he was holding a green short-sleeve shirt. It looked quite old-fashioned, not something a young girl would wear. But when Gu Chen turned the shirt around and showed me the front, I understood the implication then. There was a school logo and a school name printed on the left chest of the shirtElm Town Second Middle School. Looks like Xiao Qi was a student there.


    I exchanged positions with Gu Chen. He examined the will while I looked through the clothes. Based on Xiao Qi''s clothing, I believed that she didn''te from a rich background. This was because all the articles of clothing she wore were not branded. And they had been well-worn.


    Soon Gu Chen told me, "Based on the will, it sounds like she was harmed by someone close to her. What is this thing that she couldn''t tell others but also couldn''t ept?"


    I sighed. "If you ask me, it should be rape."


    "Rape?" Gu Chen asked.


    I nodded and turned to the dead body on the autopsy table. "Yes, rape. Our country''s sex education has always been backwards. Many young people are afraid toe to the authorities after they have been harmed."


    At this point, Guan Zhenglin said withmentation, "Our inte culture doesn''t help with its victim-ming either. When they hear that a girl has been raped, instead of berating the rapist, theye after the victims, saying that it was their fault for wearing too skimpily and so on." Guan Zhenglin scoffed, "In our line of work, we know that victims of rape are often not those kinds of girls. The true victims are often those traditionally-dressed and soft-looking ones. In any case, how a woman dresses shouldn''t even be part of the discussion anyway! Then they me the girls for wandering aroundte at night, like they deserve to be raped because only bad girls will stay outte at night." Guan Zhenglin huffed, "We police patrolte at night too. So do we deserve to be raped too?"


    I shook my head and cated, "Thankfully, those are only in the minority. These people do not understand the situation at all, they are the worst kind of people. They purposely put the onus of me on the girls. If this bes the zeitgeist of the moment, most rape victims wouldn''t dare to say anything for fear of being lynched by these people."


    Gu Chen frowned. "But why would these people do that? What would they gain?"


    I scoffed and then sighed, "Because deep within, they also have the rape fantasy. So once they control the direction of the public discussion, their victims wouldn''t dare to say anything. If not for persistent voices defending female rights, we would see a lot more rapists in the world." I turned to the dead girl and added, "Gender inequality has existed since the start of time. It was there 50 years ago, and it will be there 50 yearster. In any case, we''ve digressed. How is the autopsy?"


    Guan Zhenglin sighed before continuing, "I''m almost done. The cause of death is indeed a fall. Her stomach might look unharmed on the outside but her internal organs have all been crushed. The fatal wound is the snap of her spine. She died the moment she hit the ice." Guan Zhenglin showed us the inside of the girl to prove her point. I nced over and concurred with Guan Zhenglin. The internal organs had all shattered. Her stomach was filled with blood, it was a hard sight to behold. Combine that with her broken limbs, this was a sorry way to go.


    Guan Zhenglin continued, "The time of death is about 3 hours ago, or around 8.40 pm. There should still be cars passing by the bridge at that time, perhaps we might have a witness. Rainbow Bridge itself doesn''t have a camera but there are cameras on both ends, because the bridge is not that long."


    Gu Chen offered, "I''ll go ask for the footage and see if I can find Xiao Qi." We nodded. As Guan Zhenglin sewed back the body, she asked me, "What is your opinion on this?"


    I pulled on my hair and said slowly, "Based on current evidence, the possibility of suicide is still higher. If I am the killer, I wouldn''t choose this location, because as you said, a pedestrian or a vehicle might pass by. It''s too risky."


    "But not all killers are as cautious as you." Guan Zhenglin looked at me. "Also could this not be a crime of passion?"


    I was silent before answering, "That''s possible but we still know too little toe to any conclusion. We should visit Xiao Qi''s school to ask around. She has been missing for 3 hours already, her family is probably out there looking for her. She doesn''t carry a phone on her, probably a poor family''s child." Guan Zhenglin merely shook her head.


    I said, "Go and look into Second Middle School, we should be able to find out more about Xiao Qi there." Then I turned to look at the still exploding fireworks and added, "This is going to be a sad new year for quite a bit of people."

 Chapter 151: Missing Girl

    Chapter 151: Missing Girl


    Then Guan Zhenglin added, "Xiao Qi is indeed not a virgin, I checked her reproductive organ and she had signs of a sex life. But there was no vaginal tearing so if it was a forced rape, it must have happened a long time ago. If that''s true, she must have held that pain in for a long time." I nodded. Guan Zhenglin added, "Or perhaps, she had a consistent boyfriend and this thing that she couldn''t tell others isn''t a rape at all. That''s possible. So who really knows?"


    After we left the morgue, we soon gained contact with the headmaster of Second Middle School through the citizenry database. Initially, the headmaster was quite jovial, thinking we were students or parents calling to wish him a happy new year, but when I told him we found a dead body on the river that was confirmed to be a student of Elm Town Second Middle School, the headmaster had me repeat it thrice before the news really sank in.


    However, based on the name, "Xiao Qi" alone, the headmaster couldn''t tell who the student was. Therefore, we sent a picture of Xiao Qi to him and then the headmaster sent it to all the staff of the school. Guan Zhenglin already tried her best to find the most presentable picture but she didn''t have a good material to work with. Xiao Qi''s whole face was shattered, there was no good angle. I wondered what would be going through the teachers'' mind when they got the picture. Half an hourter, we got a reply from the headmaster.


    Looks like this headmaster was quite efficient, he already confirmed which ss Xiao Qi came from. However, he wished to talk to us in person and asked us to meet him at Second Middle School. With Gu Chen driving, we headed to our appointment. When we arrived, the headmaster was waiting for us at the gate.


    The headmaster came to greet us as we got out of the car and he ushered us into the school. One of the rooms in the admin office had its lights on and that was our destination. As we opened the door, I saw a woman around 25 standing inside. She was pacing nonstop, from the beads of sweat on her forehead, her nervousness was palpable. Seeing us walk in, she said hurriedly, "Headmaster."


    The headmaster was a man over 50, clearly he was calmer than this young teacher. He signaled for her to calm down and then said, "This student is from your ss? What is her name, have her parents been notified?"


    The young teacher failed to calm down, she said in a panicky voice, "I, I don''t know what to do. That, that picture was How could Fang Xiao Qi end up like this? What happened to her?" So our girl''s name was Fang Xiao Qi. I intervened, "Miss, please calm down. We''ll do it like this. You just focus on answering our questions, okay?" The teacher nodded.


    "What is your name?" I started with a simple question.


    "Wang Lulu."


    I nodded with encouragement, "Miss Wang, can you be sure that the girl is Fang Xiao Qi?"


    Wang Lulu nodded firmly, "Yes, it is Fang Xiao Qi She, she looks wrong in that picture But yes, she was my student, I wouldn''t get it wrong."


    I continued to ask, "How was Fang Xiao Qi as a student? Did she do well at school?"


    "She scored very well." Wang Lulu answered, "She was always in the top 5 of the ss, she has a great chance to get into a good university. Which is why I don''t understand this, why would she do this?"


    I didn''t answer but instead posed another question, "Did Fang Xiao Qi have a boyfriend?"


    "Boyfriend?" Wang Lulu paused to think. "I am not sure. She was a quiet girl, she didn''t have that many good friends." If Fang Xiao Qi didn''t have a boyfriend, then she wouldn''t be having sex; then again, Wang Lulu did say that she wasn''t sure. After all, as she said, Fang Xiao Qi was a quiet girl, she could have a private life without her teacher''s knowledge.


    "We should contact Fang Xiao Qi''s parents." I told Wang Lulu, "She has been missing for about 4 hours already, they must be worried sick." Wang Lulu obliged. She picked up her phone to call Fang Xiao Qi''s parents but then there was no answer. I frowned and asked, "What''s wrong?"


    Wang Lulu looked at me and then at her phone. She said with confusion, "I don''t know, but her parents didn''t seem to be picking up."


    "Is the number not avable?" I enquired, "Or the line is upied?"


    Wang Lulu answered, "It''s neither. The call is connected but no one is answering."


    I frowned and pulled on my hair. This was the night of the reunion dinner, but the call to Fang Xiao Qi''s family was not answered? If the line was upied because her family was busy calling around to ask for Fang Xiao Qi''s location, it would be understandable. But not to answer the phone? That was suspicious. Was her family purposely not picking the call up, or they didn''t have the phone with them? Or they were afraid that it might be a scam phone call? In any case, a 16 year old girl justmitted suicide and her family refused to pick up the call which might have her information That was just weird.


    I was silent and then said, "Then do you have her family address?"


    Wang Lulu shook her head. "I don''t. Since the students are already in middle school, the teachers don''t coddle them that much. We don''t even have a parent-teacher conference that often. Furthermore, Fang Xiao Qi was never a problem student and this is actually the first time I''m calling her family"


    The headmaster was quite angry when he heard this. "I know you younger teachers have some new philosophy about being friends with your students but there are certain basics that as an educator you should know. Things like your students'' home address and family rtionship. Those will be incredibly helpful for us to guide our students." Wang Lulu had tears in her eyes, the pressure was getting to her.


    I said, "Is there a student who has the word, Yu in her name in your ss? She is good friends with Fang Xiao Qi. Perhaps through her, we can get to Fang Xiao Qi''s family."


    Wang Lulu quickly looked through her contact list. "Give me a moment." Then she eximed, "Yes, found it! Mo Yu has her own phone number."


    I nodded, "Call her."


    Wang Lulu obeyed and this time, the call was immediately answered. "Mo Yu, do you know what Fang Xiao Qi''s home address is?" Wang Lulu asked directly.


    Since it was on speaker, we could all hear Mo Yu say, "Miss Wang, is that you? Happy new year. What''s up?"


    Wang Lulu was fidgety to have run into something like this. "Mo Yu, I have something to discuss with Fang Xiao Qi but she doesn''t have her own phone and her parents are not picking up. Do you have her home address? I know you are close friends with her."


    Hearing the panicked tone in her teacher''s voice, Mo Yu said, "Okay, I''ll send you the address." Soon, the address arrived. I took down the address, and then turned to the headmaster and Wang Lulu, "We will head to Fang Xiao Qi''s home, what do you n to do about this?"


    The headmaster said, "I drove here and Fang Xiao Qi is my school''s student so of course I''ming with you." We didn''t object and moved towards Fang Xiao Qi''s home.


    Inside the car, Gu Chen said, "Something doesn''t feel right about this case."


    I nodded, "I agree."


    Gu Chen borated, "It''s new year''s eve and a girl disappeared from her home, how could her parents not care about that?"


    Guan Zhenglin added, "Rainbow Bridge is also quite far from her home. Why did she choose this location tomit suicide? Is there significance to this ce?"


    I thought for a while before saying, "From known information, the possibility of Fang Xiao Qimitting suicide is very high. There has to be a reason she came so far tomit suicide. Possibility 1, she hesitated for a long time as she wandered around town and only made up her mind when she reached Rainbow Bridge; Possibility 2, she came so far because she didn''t want her family to identally find her body."


    The group nodded. I continued, "But the key is still why."


    Gu Chen shook his head. "Normally, after we know that it is a suicide, the case can be closed."


    I nodded. "That''s true but since we feel like there''s something off with the case, we have the responsibility and power to keep on investigating. A girl has lost her life, that is enough reason for us to keep investigating."


    One hourter, Gu Chen nced at the GPS and said, "It''s just ahead, we''re here."


    This was a small alley, a car couldn''t get through so we had to finish the rest of the journey on foot. The air of celebration disappeared immediately as we stepped into the alley. There was not a single redntern or decorative element in sight.


    As we moved deeper into the alley, a big gate charred fully ck appeared before us.

 Chapter 152: Fire

    Chapter 152: Fire


    As I pushed open the gate, we looked at each other, not knowing how to make of what we saw. Beyond the gate, there was a yard. If not for the fence closing the space in, I would have thought we had walked out of the house and not into it.


    Before us were a lot of copsed beams and bricks. The house that once stood in the yard had fully crumbled. From the ruins, I concluded this was the work of a fire. The beams were burnt and the bricks were charred. These kinds of wooden houses were quitemon at Elm Town,pared to the concrete houses at big cities, they were a natural fire hazard. The house before us clearly had been consumed in a big fire. Other than the gate, everything else had been ruined.


    "This is the ce?" The headmaster breathed out in disbelief. Wang Lulu nodded. "This is the address given to me, but what happened here?"


    I frowned and realized things were definitely far moreplex than they appeared. This family''s house had been burnt down, the daughter hadmitted suicide and the parents were missing. Had all tragedies descended on this family on the night of New Year''s Eve?


    Guan Zhenglin walked forward and stood among the ruins. She pinched the ash on the ground. Soon she observed, "This has been like this for a while already, at least it didn''t happen in the past few days. Then where had the girl been staying all these time? Why did she choose this day tomit suicide?"


    "By the way," I turned to Gu Chen, "Haven''t you gone to check the surveince, how did she get to Rainbow Bridge?"


    Gu Chen answered, "She walked there." I nodded and said, "It would take at least 3 hours to walk from this ce to Rainbow Bridge. If Fang Xiao Qi really departed from here, then traffic cams would have picked up on her trace. We need to look deeper, this is not as simple as it seems."


    The headmaster scratched his head and then asked Wang Lulu uncertainly, "Are you sure this is the ce? What are her parents'' names?"


    Wang Lulu had no idea so I cut in, "Leave the rest to us. We should find that information on Fang Xiao Qi''s citizenry database file."


    When we returned to the station, we hopped on the inte to check on Fang Xiao Qi. Fang was not amon surname, and there were only 2 people with the name Fang Xiao Qi at Elm Town. After knowing her address, we immediately picked out the correct one. From the file, Fang Xiao Qi was currently 16 and was a student at Elm Town Second Middle School. But under the column for family rtionship, there was a surprise waiting for us.


    When Fang Xiao Qi was 4, she was kidnapped by a group of human traffickers to a small mountain vige near Elm Town. The family who bought Fang Xiao Qi faced the problem of their foreman refusing to pay them for their work. Her adopted father threatened the foreman with his life. He climbed up to the electrical pole to prove that he was not kidding and he definitely wasn''t. The wiring at the small town wasn''t good and the father was electrocuted and died. The mother was overwhelmed by grief andmitted suicide. Fang Xiao Qi was passed around like an unwanted ball before she was officially adopted and settled down. And in the column for adoptee, we came across a familiar nameHao Ren.


    "Hao Ren?" Gu Chen remembered him too. "Isn''t he the security guard from Online Serendipity Caf? The man who wanted to open a dojo?" Guan Zhenglin gasped, "Things can''t be that coincidental, right? Click on the person''s picture and see."


    Things were indeed that coincidental. Hao Ren, the guard from the inte caf, was Fang Xiao Qi''s adopted father. From Hao Ren''s file, Fang Xiao Qi was not his only adopted child. Hao Ren was 44 years old and his oldest adopted child was Du Zigui, 20 years old while his youngest adopted child was only 8, the name was Wang An. Hao Ren had 4 adopted children and Fang Xiao Qi was one of them.


    Seeing that, Gu Chenmented, "This Hao Ren is really a good man. When he arrested the thieves, I already knew that. So many people crowded around to watch the arrest but when we asked for people to give testimony, everyone dispersed"


    I sighed, "Sometimes, it is not that people don''t want to help but the risk behind a good act can be quite high."


    Gu Chen clearly did not agree with me. "If everyone decides to help, there''s no reason for them to be afraid. There is strength in numbers. Do you think the thieves would be bold enough to take revenge on all of them?"


    Guan Zhenglin interrupted our debate, "It''s already 2 am. If we are to look for this Hao Ren, we''ll have to start tomorrow morning.


    "By the way, I''ve asked Sister Mary to help us find more information on Hao Ren and his adopted children." Guan Zhenglin told us, "With this info, perhaps we can find out why Hao Ren''s home had been destroyed and why Fang Xiao Qi had tomit suicide." Then Guan Zhenglin turned around to print us a set of documents, "But for now, we can work with these, they are basic information on Hao Ren and his 4 adopted children."


    I epted the file and skimmed through it. Hao Ren, 44, lived at Tai San Temple Alley No. 5. Hao Ren was single but he had 4 adopted children. He adopted them a long time ago. Hao Ren adopted his first child when he was 22. After that, Hao Ren adopted 3 more children. ording to the files, Hao Ren treated his adopted children as his disciples and taught them martial arts.


    Hao Ren''s first adopted son was Du Zigui. He had been with Hao Ren for 20 plus years already and had inherited all of Hao Ren''s martial arts knowledge. Hao Ren was poor when he adopted Du Zigui so thetter didn''t have any formal education. Based on the files, Du Zigui came out to work since he was very little and was currently working as a mechanic at a vehicle repair shop.


    Hao Ren''s second adopted child was Zhao Xiaoli, she just reached 18, she was also adopted by Hao Ren when she was very young. Currently, Zhao Xiaoli was studying in another city, she was a very good student. Zhao Xiaoli was a benefactor of the country''s schrship so she lived independently.


    Hao Ren''s third adopted child was Fang Xiao Qi. She was 16, a secondary school student. Fang Xiao Qi''s result was not so bad, she stayed at the school hostel. Fang Xiao Qi was quiet and her only good friend was Mo Yu. For some reason, Fang Xiao Qi killed herself.


    Hao Ren''s fourth adopted child was Wang An. He was 8, a primary school student. Currently, Hao Ren only needed to care for Wang An. The rest of his adopted children were already able to take care of themselves.


    The first 3 adopted children basically grew up together due to how close they were in ago. Wang An was the only exception because when he was adopted, his brothers and sisters were already away at work or at school, so Wang An grew up with Hao Ren''s solepany and Hao Ren cherished this boy the most out of all his children.


    I frowned as I read through the list. "We should go and find these people tomorrow morning. By the way, this is New Year, there should be no work and no school. But their house has been burnt down so where would they be staying?" I said, "Looks like we have to go on a trip to Online Serendipity, perhaps the boss might know something."


    The next morning, we found the address of the inte caf. When we arrived, the caf was still open despite the holiday season. We walked in but didn''t see Hao Ren. We found the boss and were told that the ce just got a new security guard.


    From the boss, we also knew the continuation of the thieves'' story. 2 months earlier, Hao Ren sent the 3 thieves into detention. They were released about 10 dayster. Ever since then, Online Serendipity never had a day of peace. After they got out, the 3mitted revenge against Hao Ren. They knew Hao Ren worked at Online Serendipity, so they woulde to ther the ce with shit every night.


    The boss knew that the 3 was the one behind the sabotage but he couldn''t do anything. There was no proof and the 3 thieves were ready if he wanted to escte this into a fight. If he ignored them, the shit would chase all his customers away. The 3 had a very simple demand, which was for the boss to fire Hao Ren.


    The boss had no other choice but to fire Hao Ren 1 month ago. The 3 thieves even came to watch the firing in person, they wanted to unt their victory. They wanted to provoke Hao Ren so that if Hao Ren did anything, they would report him to the police. Unfortunately, even faced with the heavy taunts, Hao Ren didn''t do anything. He took his sry and left.


    The 3 thieves were not satisfied with that so they shouted that this was not over. Hao Ren would have hell to pay.


    Then the boss told us something in regret. The 3 thieves forced him to provide them with Hao Ren''s home address. The boss didn''t want to deal with these 3 anymore, so heplied with their demands. After that, the boss washed his hands clean of Hao Ren and never heard from him again.


    The phone number given to us by the boss was simr to the one Wang Lulu knew and currently there was still no answer.


    The boss whispered, "When the 3 thieves left, I overheard something."


    "What is it?" I asked.


    The boss looked around carefully, as if afraid that the 3 thieves were still around, "One of them said that, after they found out about Hao Ren''s home address, they would destroy his house."

 Chapter 153: White Dust

    Chapter 153: White Dust


    After hearing what the boss had to say, the 3 of us shared a look. We saw with our own eyes how Hao Ren''s home had already been turned into an ashy ruin. The boss of the caf had practically given us the suspects. The 3 thieves promised to destroy Hao Ren''s home, so were they the one behind the fire?


    With that in mind, I turned to the boss, "Give me the Wifi code, I need to do some police business." I fired off a message to Sister Mary to have her find some info on the thieves for me. While I waited, I looked around the inte caf.


    Today was the first day of the Lunar New Year, so I was surprised that the boss was still open for business. Understandably there were not that many customers, only a smattering of tables was upied. Why were these people here surfing the, instead of back home with their families, that I had no idea.


    Soon Mary replied with files on the 3 thieves. The rap sheets on the 3 of them were as long as an essay. They looked like they were in their early 20s but they had been professional thieves before they were even of legal age. The leader, the one who was the most boisterous was Zhang Bin, 22 years old, unemployed. The other two were called Zheng Shuai and Cheng Yimin. They were respectively 20 and 18, also unemployed.


    The 3 of them were not locals but they had decided to settle around here. Since they could uproot at any minute, they were not afraid ofmitting crimes. They stole whenever they wanted and if they were discovered, they would rob. Zhang Bin carried with him a spring knife to deal with those who were too stubborn to surrender, those who chose money over life. But so far, Zhang Bin had never met anyone who made that choice before. Whenever he pulled out the knife, his victims would surrender their money.


    When he encountered Hao Ren, that was the first time he really had to use the knife to stab someone. Zhang Bin was apprehended and we had confiscated the spring knife. From the files, Zhang Bin''s group had no set address either, they moved around freely. After their thievery had attracted attention at the east side, they would move to the west side, and vice versa. Most of the time, their victims would not report to the police because they understood that their stolen items wouldn''t be reacquired anyway. So why waste time?


    Our country''s punishment for theft was based on the price of the item stolen. If the item lost was a phone or a bike, then at most the thief would be detained for several days. Zhang Bin''s group was detained for 15 days because they publicly threatened someone.


    But were the 3 of them so ruthless to burn down someone''s house due to 15 days of detention? In that case, how was Hao Ren and was Fang Xiao Qi''s suicide rted to the 3 thieves?


    ording to the files, before Cheng Yimin was unemployed, he had a job at a construction site. The site was near the cheap housing near the western side of the city. Zhang Bin, Zheng Shuai and Cheng Yimin used to hang around there a lot before Cheng Yimin lost his job. Perhaps we might find more clues there.


    "Do you think they would really burn down a family''s house due to something like this?" Guan Zhenglin looked at the changing view outside the car window. "Basically it''s like they have chopped off a person''s leg because the person had identally stepped on their feet. Why the need to escte things to such a level?"


    Even though 2 months had passed since then, I could still remember the fury in Zhang Bin''s eyes and the threat in his words. It was not that hard to believe Zhang Bin would be this vengeful. Zhang Bin was the kind of person who had no moral bottom line, perhaps he felt no qualm burning down someone''s house. Maybe their aim was just to see Hao Ren''s family all flustered due to the fire, they probably didn''t expect the wooden house to be so mmable either.


    As Gu Chen drove, he answered Guan Zhenglin, "It''s not impossible, that kid is not a good person. He dared to threaten others in front of the police. If he has some power, he''d be the kind who would trample on others. If you ask me, they have to be behind this."


    Guan Zhenglin frowned and turned to me, "Then do you think they are behind both the arson and Fang Xiao Qi''s suicide?"


    I shook my head. "I don''t think so. When we were back at the station, Ipared her will to her essays for ss. A person''s writing habit, linguistic habit and vocab usage form a person''s writing profile. Using these two points ofparison, I believe it was indeed Fang Xiao Qi who wrote the will." Looking at Guan Zhenglin, I continued, "Plus we have hypothesized from her will that the person who did this thing that she couldn''t speak of was someone familiar to her, these 3 thieves wouldn''t fall in that category. But then again, they are the best suspects we have so far."


    We eventually arrived at the neighbourhood of cheap housing. I then realized the meaning of cheap housing at Elm Town meant a different thing from cheap housing at Dong Xing City. These were mere cardboard and packing container houses. The roads were covered with trash and dog shit. We asked around before finally we encountered someone who knew Zhang Bin and his group. We didn''t identify ourselves but only said that we were friends with Zhang Bin. The person didn''t ask any more questions and led us to Zhang Bin.


    Zhang Bin''s group did have a semi-permenant residence here, apparently, they paid 300 RMB a month to stay here, which was incredibly cheap. Along the way, I saw many young people with gaunt bodies and malnourished faces. An unsettling feeling rose in my heart.


    Soon Zhang Bin''s house appeared before us. I pushed on the door and realized it was not locked. As the door swung open, we were hit by a heady smell of mold. We walked in. The ce had no heater so it was incredibly cold. This house'' was made bybining two containers. There were 3 beds with thickforters. At the most inner corner, there was an old television.


    Beer bottles and boxed lunches scattered the floor. There was practically no spot for us to stand. The unused food was rotting. There was a pot next to the beds. Cigarette butts floated on a pool of disgusting liquid. The 3 thieves looked quite presentable on the outside but their home could not have been more unkempt and disgusting. The quintessential example of all that glitters is not gold.


    I reached my hand under theforters and felt not even a trace of warmth. It meant that no one had been here for a while already. It was only 8 am, where had these 3 already disappeared to? Based on the trash on the ground, they didn''t strike me as people who would wake up early for their chores. I personally didn''t believe these 3 would wake up punctually at 7 am every day, so what was so special about today?


    I took my hand out and noticed some white dust stuck to my fingers. I frowned. Gu Chen wanted to say something but I stopped him. I turned to the person who led us here. "Zhang Bin told me toe find him, why isn''t he here?"


    The person shrugged, "How would I know?"


    "Do they leave so early every morning?" I asked.


    The personughed. "Look at this ce. These 3 never get up until noon. They are sozy, they can barely get their asses out the door to throw their rubbish. You expect them to be early risers? That must be some kind of joke. I have no idea where they are now. That''s all I know. Take a seat, I don''t know when they''ll be back."


    "The ce doesn''t even have a lock, aren''t they afraid of thieves?" Gu Chenmented.


    "Ha ha." The manughed again, "Other than the television, what is worth stealing here? Even the television is barely worth several tens RMB" Then the man chuckled to himself as he wandered off.


    Gu Chen finally asked, "Do you think they have escaped due to the arson?"


    "That''s not impossible." I turned to them. "When we just arrived here, I wonder if you have noticed something very interesting."


    "Something very interesting?" Gu Chen looked around.


    Guan Zhenglin looked outside the container door. "If not for Sister Mary, I would never think Elm Town would have a ce like this. We have met quite a lot of people on the way here, they are all incredibly thin and they have such flighty gait. This ce is most likely a drug den." I snapped my finger. "That''s exactly what I thought."


    Gu Chen thought for a while and said, "Hmm, but that means that they can get a constant supply of drugs here. Why else would they have gathered here?"


    I said, "But look at Zhang Bin and his friends, they do not look like drug addicts at all. Looks like we''ll need to have a stake-out."


    Gu Chen nodded, "I''ll call Captain Zhao and arrange for it."


    "Then what should we do now?" Guan Zhenglin asked.


    I thought about it and said, "Hao Ren is missing, Fang Xiao Qi is dead but Du Zigui and Wang An are still in Elm Town, right? We should locate Du Zigui first. After all, Wang An is just an 8 year old boy"


    At that moment, I couldn''t help but worry about this little boy. After Hao Ren had gone missing, who would be taking care of him?


    Guan Zhenglin nced at the file and told us, "Du Zigui currently works at Si Tong Vehicle Repair Factory. It''s about one hour''s drive from here."


    Gu Chen also finished his call then. I took a final nce at this small house and turned to leave.


    As a petty thief, Zhang Bin wouldn''t just suddenly segue into the drug business so what was the exnation behind the white dust found at his ce?


    And where were the 3 of them now?

 Chapter 154: Wang An

    Chapter 154: Wang An


    Du Zigui too had gone missing. The boss of the repair shop could not have been less happy to see us. Then again no one wanted a visit from the police, especially on the first day of New Year, that was highly inauspicious. Then again, we were there for a job, we couldn''t just leave on ount of superstition. When we asked about Du Zigui, the boss at Si Tong Repair Factory told us that the young man had already quitted a month and a half ago.


    Based on the boss'' testimony, Du Zigui was a very down-to-earth young man and a good worker. He neverined about anything. But for some unknown reason, Du Zigui decided to quit more than a month ago. The boss said Du Zigui made the decision to leave after 3 young men came to find him at the shop.


    The boss did try to persuade Du Zigui to stay on the ount of him being a good employee but Du Zigui had made up his mind.


    "3 young men?" Guan Zhenglin took out the picture of the 3 thieves when she heard that. "Are these them?"


    The boss nodded after he saw the picture. "Yes."


    "Do you know where they have gone after that?" I asked.


    "No idea." The boss answered.


    As Gu Chen started the engine, he said, "A month and a half ago, that was around the time the 3 bastards were released from detention. Looks like they came straight for Du Zigui after their release. If you ask me, they were going after Hao Ren''s entire family. These young men are truly scum of the earth."


    I tapped my watch lightly andmented, "If that''s the case, I believe both Zhao Xiaoli and Wang An would have been harassed by the trio as well, but where are these people now? Hao Ren is missing, Du Zigui is missing, what about Zhao Xiaoli and Wang An? Would they be missing too?"


    The group was silent. I said, "We should go and find Wang An. Which school does he attend? We should contact his ss teacher." I had to admit that Sister Mary had done a great job. The files that shepiled had everything. After we contacted the headmaster of Wang An''s primary school, the headmaster gave us a phone number. The number belonged to Wang An''s ss teacher, an experienced teacher in her 50s.


    When we called the number and asked about Wang An, Teacher Zhao answered honestly that Wang An was currently at her home. On the phone, Teacher Zhao told us that about a month ago, Hao Ren left her with 3000 RMB and asked her to help take care of Wang An for a few days.


    Teacher Zhao was confused. She asked Hao Ren why he was leaving since it was only a few more days until the lunar new year, so the whole family should celebrate the holiday together. Hao Ren didn''t answer and only shook his head. Hao Ren was about 10 years younger than Teacher Zhao and thetter saw herself as a big sister to Hao Ren. She knew that Hao Ren had adopted many children and that was an impressive feat. In the end, she agreed to help him.


    Looks like our lead now was a young boy. When we arrived at Teacher Zhao''s neighbourhood, we noticed the neighbourhood''s street was dominated'' by a group of kids. The group of children had joss-sticks and their pockets were bulging with firecrackers. They held the firecracker, lit it up and then threw it before it exploded. They were having such fun. Among the group of kids, there was a young man who stood out. Like the rest of the kids, he was happily ying with firecrackers.


    The young man wore suspenders over a sweater, the sweater was furry and dark. Through the sleeves, we noticed that he didn''t wear anything underneath. It was quite unusual for a man to just be wearing a sweater in winter but then again, he was quiterge in size, so he probably didn''t feel the cold. From the young man''s expression and demeanor, he appeared to be mentally challenged.


    At that moment, one of the kids got the naughty idea to throw a firecracker at the young man. With a pop, a hole appeared on the young man''s sweater. The rest of the kids soon followed suit. They lit up the firecrackers and tossed them at the young man and it crackled everywhere. This was a harrowing thing to see. The 3 of us immediately jumped out of the car.


    The young man jumped around to evade the firecrackers but there were too many of them. He bounced around in desperation and then he tripped and fell to the ground. He started to cry like a kid. One of the kids started to sing, "The fat dummy is crying again, the fat dummy is crying again." The ditty got the young man to cry harder and the other kids tough harder.


    At that moment, a boy ran out from one of the buildings. He carried a stick with him. As he ran towards the young man, he shouted, "Don''t you people dare run! I''m going to teach you a lesson for bullying! Stand right there!"


    Seeing the boy, the kids dispersed, carrying the mocking song with them, "Kid orphan, big dummy and an old maid in the family~ Kid orphan, big dummy and an old maid in the family~" The group of kids ran past our car and down the distance. Gu Chen initially wanted to teach these kids a lesson but he was startled by the cruelty in these kids'' words. He stood there wordlessly. The words felt chillier due to the fact that they came from the lips of young children. They were supposed to be innocent and pure kids, but the words they said were cruel and venomous.


    The group of us made way to the young man. The boy dropped the stick to the ground and went to help the young man up from the ground. The boy ruffled the man''s hair and said in a consoling tone, "Those are bad kids. I told you not to y with them anymore, why didn''t you listen. Are you hurt?"


    The young man rubbed the tears from his eyes and said, "But it''s because you don''t want to y with me. I didn''t want to y alone. So I came to y with them. But they all call me a dummy, they always bully me. Tell me, am I a dummy?"


    The boy frowned and said seriously, "Guo Feng, you are not a dummy. You just haven''t found someone who can appreciate your brilliance, you are definitely not a dummy, understood?"


    "But why would they call me dummy then?" Guo Feng retorted.


    The boy was stumped but he still said with patience. "Pinky swear that you''re not a dummy." Then he quickly changed the subject, "I''ll buy some candy for you, do you want that?"


    Guo Feng immediately smiled when he heard that. "Yes, yes, I want candy!" Guo Feng stood up, held the boy''s hand and walked towards the nearby shop. I noticed that the boy had bruises on his face like he had been beaten up.


    Guan Zhenglin moved to ost them. She asked Guo Feng and the boy, "Little boy, you were so brave earlier, what''s your name?"


    The boy didn''t answer but it was Guo Feng who said, "Big sister, you''re so pretty."


    "Thank you," Guan Zhenglin smiled kindly. The boy regarded Guan Zhenglin and the 2 of us with alertness. Guan Zhenglin knew the boy had caution around us so she exined, "Big sister is not with the bad guy. Do you know a boy by the name of Wang An"


    The boy frowned and asked, "What do you need from Wang An?"


    Guan Zhenglin naturally wouldn''t discuss the case with a random boy so she said, "Big sister has something to discuss with him. And in the future, if anyone dares to bully you, tell this big brother over there, he will help you." Guan Zhenglin pointed at Gu Chen.


    I looked at the boy and said, "You''re Wang An, aren''t you? We''re here to ask about your father."


    "Wait, you''re Wang An?" Guan Zhenglin gasped in surprise.


    I looked at Wang An and said, "Those who hold a pen often will have calluses around their middle finger. With the heavy homework kids have to deal with these days, it''s not surprising to find those calluses among children, but if the child also has calluses between the thumb and the index finger, it can only mean that the boy has been studying martial arts since he was young. If you look at the same part on Gu Chen''s hands, you''ll see that he too has thick callus at that part."


    Wang An regarded me with surprise, clearly not expecting me to know his identity just from his hands.


    "This is not something that can be faked." I told Wang An, "Your father Hao Ren studied martial arts since he was young, so he must have required the same of you. Don''t worry, we are not bad people, we''re the police."


    "Uncle Police! Sister Police!" Guo Feng pped his hands. Wang An nodded, he was no longer that careful around us. I continued, "I have already called Teacher Zhao earlier. Usually we wouldn''t havee to someone your age to discuss a case but you are our only option now. Your big sister, Zhao Xiaoli, do you know where she is now?"


    Wang An''s eyes drooped with sadness. "I don''t know, a month ago Actually, Guo Feng is Teacher Zhao''s son, why don''t youe with me? We''ll discuss this further at her house." We nodded and followed behind Wang An.


    Along the way, Wang An told us, "Father has left me here for more than a month already even though he said he''de fetch me after new year. But now there''s not even a phone call and our calls to him went unanswered. I just called yesterday and his phone was off. And now the police are here, something bad must have happened." Then Wang An stopped, he turned to look at us and asked, "Sir, what exactly happened to my father?"


    I sighed and told the precocious Wang An, "We wish you could tell us that. To tell you the truth, after we failed to find your father, we realized your big brother, Du Zigui, had gone missing too."


    Wang An nodded. "Before I was sent here, my big brother was already missing. Father mentioned that a few times. I have no idea where my sisters, Zhao Xiaoli and Fang Xiao Qi are. It feels like I have been abandoned all over again."


    Looking at the boy, I revealed slowly, "Your sister, Fang Xiao Qi hasmitted suicide"


    "My sister hasmitted suicide?"

 Chapter 155: Escalation

    Chapter 155: Esction


    We followed Wang An to Teacher Zhao''s home. Teacher Zhao was a middle-aged woman over 50. Her face was wrinkled but she had an educator''s grace about her. Teacher Zhao was surprised to see us, she probably didn''t expect the police on the phone to be so young. Teacher Zhao said in a friendly tone, "I didn''t expect you guys to be so young. Pleasee in. I was just cooking, you should stay for a meal."


    Then she saw Guo Feng behind us and the tattered yarn on his sweater. Teacher Zhao frowned as her eyes welled with tears. She tried to stop her voice from shaking, "Xiao Feng, did those kids bully you again? Stop ying with them, okay?"


    Guo Feng, though was too happy to sense the sadness from his mother. He said happily, "Mommy, these are police officers. I want to be police too, to catch the bad guys."


    Teacher Zhao nodded. "Of course, you can be anything you want. But now you need to go and change, we''re going to have a meal soon." At the mention of food, Guo Feng cheered happily as he ran to his room. Teacher Zhao watched her son run away and then turned to us, "Guo Feng had a very high fever when he was young. ording to the doctor, he would only have the intelligence of a 4 year old child"


    Then Teacher Zhao went silent. I looked around the house. From the dcor, I believed this house didn''t have an adult male presence. As a man, I couldn''t fully identify with the pain inside Teacher Zhao but the weight must have been heavy on her. Teacher Zhao didn''t borate further but invited us to sit down. "I''ll go cook. If you have any questions for me, just shout." Teacher Zhao left for the kitchen.


    We sat down and Wang An took the seat across from us. This boy around 8 showed maturity beyond his age. "Mr. Police, what happened? Why, why would my sister Xiao Qimit suicide?"


    I looked at Wang An. Instead of answering him, I asked, "Do you mind telling me who was still at home before you were sent here?"


    Wang An thought about it and said, "When my dad sent me here, Sister Zhao Xiaoli was still working in another state, she wasn''t home. My big brother, Du Zigui, was already missing, I haven''t seen him since. My sister, Xiao Qi was there. She was at home with father."


    Seeing how anxious Wang An was, I said, "You sistermitted suicide by jumping down from Rainbow Bridge yesterday night at around 10 pm."


    "But" Wang An stood up to demand, "But my sister Xiao Qi never had suicidal tendencies. She has struggled through the hardest years so why would she give up now?"


    I was silent for a while before handing him Fang Xiao Qi''s will. Even though Wang An was only in primary school, he already knew his words. And the will didn''t have any words that were too hard. When Wang An finished reading, beads of tear fell down his face. Guan Zhenglin moved forward to hug Wang An. Even though he was still a boy, Wang An had already been through so many things. But at the end of the day, he was still a child.


    But Wang An struggled loose from Guan Zhenglin''s embrace and stated, "I''m fine." We could see him resist the tears and said, "My sister, Xiao Qi will notmit suicide. If she did, someone must have pushed her to do it."


    Wang An looked like someone who was strong and opinionated. I asked, "Why did your father send you here, did something happen?"


    "It must be the 3 of them." Wang An''s eyes red with hatred and fury. "About one and a month ago, there were 3 men who came to our home to find father. At the time, my father was out finding work, so only Sister Xiao Qi and I were home. The 3 strode through our yard gate but Sister Xiao Qi and I refused to open the house door.


    "The 3 of them stood outside and scolded us for a long time. And then they picked up stones to shatter our house''s windows. I was mad so I grabbed the knife and ran out. When they saw me, the 3 didn''t run away, instead they insulted me and my sister even further." Wang An hissed angrily as he thought back to that day, "They said I shouldn''t be holding a knife since I haven''t even grown any hair yet. They then grinned sciously at my sister Xiao Qi. They said she looked pretty and they wanted to y with her. They were disgusting people. I was very mad."


    Looks like the anger was still lingering within Wang An as he eximed, "I studied martial arts from my father since I was young. I was not afraid of these people. When I was young, my father told me that as a boy, we need to protect the girl. He also told me that if we couldn''t protect our family, who could we protect? So," Wang An''s chest rose. "I shed one of them with the knife. The man screamed and tried to grab at my knife. But of course, I was not going to surrender my weapon to him. Therefore, I evaded and cut his other arm. Then the 3 of them ran."


    I couldn''t imagine this young boy brandishing a knife and chasing people around but then when we arrived, we saw the aggressive side of Wang An. If the kids didn''t run away, they would be beaten up by Wang An. Looks like Wang An was brutal to his enemy but kind and gentle to his friend and family. The 3 of us were silent.


    Then, it was me who broke the silence, "Did they say anything before they left?"


    Wang An said seriously, "They said this was not over and they would be back to burn down our house."


    At this point, I was basically certain the arsonist was Zhang Bin''s group. But for procedure''s sake, I still took out the trio''s picture and asked, "Are these them?" Wang An nodded firmly. Then I had Wang An point out the person he had injured with the knife, the person was Zhang Bin, the leader of the group. I continued, "Did you see them again after that day? Or have you seen your sister?"


    Wang An shook his head sadly. "After that day, I didn''t see them again or my sisters and brother. That night, I told my father about it. Instead of praising me, he scolded me. He said a martial arts practitioner shouldn''t act the way I did. He told me I only mastered his fighting skill but not the art in it."


    Wang An looked confused when he said, "But I told him, they were the ones who destroyed our home first, they were the ones who scolded us, I did nothing wrong. But he said I had let asperity take control of me and I needed a change of scenery to calm down, so I was sent here." Wang An lowered his head. "But I don''t get it. What did he mean? What is asperity and how can I make sure that it doesn''t control me anymore?"


    The bruises on Wang An''s face were probably from his fights with the neighbourhood kids so I understood his father''s concern. But then again, to talk about asperity with a child this age was a bit too overboard.


    I pressed, "You haven''t seen your family after that?"


    Wang An nodded. "At first, father would call daily but about half a monthter, his calls became less frequent. After a month, the calls stopped. It has been one and a half months already, I haven''t heard from him, not even on new year."


    I frowned. From our investigation, it was one and a half month ago that Zhang Bin''s group asked the inte caf boss for Hao Ren''s home address; it was the same time when Zhang Bin''s group went to find Du Zigui at where he worked. But after that, no one had seen the 3 thieves and Hao Ren again. What happened to them that they disappeared sopletely?


    Now from Wang An''s testimony, we know the conflict between the 3 thieves and Hao Ren escted. Zhang Bin''s group might have let this go after a few pranks if Wang An didn''te at them with the knife. From Wang An''s tone, it didn''t sound like he went easy on them.


    Zhang Bin was asperity incarnate. He was a vengeful person or else he wouldn''t have found trouble with Hao Ren the moment he left the detention centre. After Wang An injured his arms, Zhang Bin would not rest until he had taken his revenge. Perhaps Hao Ren was worried about that and it was why he had sent Wang An to stay with Teacher Zhao.


    So what if the trio returned to Tai San Temple Alley when Fang Xiao Qi was alone at home? Would the three of them have done something to Fang Xiao Qi? But then again, the him'' in her will couldn''t have referred to the thieves, she was not familiar with them to hide their identity in her will


    Or was everything a coincidence? Fang Xiao Qi''s death had nothing to do with the 3 thieves?


    In any case, the next lead we had was to check for Zhang Bin''s medical records. Knife injury was not something that could be mended at home, he would need stitches. So we should check hospital records. I told Wang An, "Don''t worry, we will discover what really happened to your sister."


    Wang An shook his head. "It has to be them, there''s no need to check any further. Just arrest them. Or tell me their address, I''ll go and chop them into pieces."


    Guo Feng walked out at that moment and heard thest sentence that Wang An said. He pped his hands and repeated, "Chop them into pieces! Chop them into pieces!" Guo Feng''s cheers attracted Teacher Zhao''s attention. She came out carrying a te and ordered the two, "The two of you, go and clean your room or we''re not to eat. Do you hear me?"


    Guo Feng pouted unwillingly but Wang An was already dragging him away.

 Chapter 156: Zhao Xiaoli

    Chapter 156: Zhao Xiaoli


    The two boys entered the bedroom and Teacher Zhao sat down. We knew that she had sent them away because she had something to tell which she didn''t think was appropriate for the kids. She nced at the bedroom and began, "There is something that I wish to tell you."


    I nodded. "Teacher Zhou, please."


    Teacher Zhao nodded and whispered, "There is just something not right with Wang An. When he was in school, he kept getting into fights and his temper is only getting worse. Earlier, a few bad youths came to school to find Wang An, but they were stopped by the security." I took out the same picture to show Teacher Zhao. Teacher Zhao looked at them and nodded. "Yes, that''s them. I''ve seen the surveince footage myself. It was these 3 who came looking for Wang An. One of them was even bandaged. But soon after that, we began the new year holiday so we never saw them again."


    Zhang Bin''s group tried to take revenge on Wang An at his school but they failed. Wang An was sent here after the school holiday so even if the trio wanted to find Wang An, they didn''t know where he was. I looked at Teacher Zhao and asked, "You never told Wang An about this?"


    Teacher Zhao shook her head, "He''s just a child, there''s no point telling him so much. His father, Hao Ren also has gone missing but if you ask me, I believe his disappearance has to do with these 3."


    I frowned. "Why would you say that?"


    Teacher Zhao looked at the prawns in the te and said, "When the 3 were chased away, they swore that this was not over. They would take revenge on the father and his children. I heard this from the security guard but I believe their threats were real, or else why would Hao Ren leave Wang An with me?"


    I said, "Teacher Zhao, to tell you the truth, Fang Xiao Qi hasmitted suicide. We also suspect it has to do with these 3 people but we have no clues."


    At this point, Teacher Zhao sprung up before she sat down again. She said with panic, "Fang Xiao Qi has reallymitted suicide?" It sounded like Teacher Zhao already knew that this would happen.


    Guan Zhenglin asked, "Teacher Zhao, have you seen the suicidal tendency on Fang Xiao Qi?"


    Teacher Zhao exined, "It''s not that. The same guard told me that since they couldn''t see Wang An, the 3 threatened to go after Fang Xiao Qi instead. They said they would not stop until Hao Ren''s entire family is ruined."


    Gu Chen mmed his fist on the table. "This bunch of bastards!"


    Teacher Zhao sighed and shook her head. "Looks like the trio knows about Hao Ren and his adopted children, but I wonder how they got that information. People like them probably spent their whole day pondering how to take revenge." We nodded.


    Teacher Zhao looked towards the bedroom and sighed, "I honestly don''t know what to do. I have a feeling that Wang An is not acting like himselftely. I can feel this suppressed anger in him. He might look like a boy, but for his age, he knows a bit too much."


    I nodded and then shook my head. "Wang An has gone through the system since he was young, he probably has experienced things that we might not have imagined. He is extremely precocious but his way of thinking is still immature, we noticed that when we conversed with him earlier."


    Teacher Zhaobed her hair with her fingers. "I only hope that he can have a wonderful childhood." At that moment, the two kids walked out of the bedroom. The worry and concern on Teacher Zhao''s face immediately changed into smiles. No matter how strong the storm was outside, the kids would never see it from their mother. Teacher Zhao served us food and we tucked in for the meal.


    During the meal, I observed Wang An. Wang An kept his head lowered and looked at no one as he shoveled the food into his mouth. When Teacher Zhao picked food for him, he smiled shortly before continuing with his eating. Wang An''s steadiness surprised me. Other than emotions shown when he heard his sister hadmitted suicide, he seemed to have sealed the rest of his emotions in.


    Suddenly my phone rang. I took it out and saw that it was a call from Mary. This could only mean that there was development to the case. As I answered the call, Mary said, "There''s someone called Zhao Xiaoli at the station, she ims she was almost raped."


    We were looking for Zhao Xiaoli but she hade to us at the station instead. Perhaps we could find out more from her. With that in mind, I told Wang An, "Wang An, your sister Zhao Xiaoli has been found. Would you like toe to the police station with us?"


    When Wang An heard that, he said hurriedly, "Of course I''m going." Then he quickly finished the rest of his meal, he almost swallowed the te. Seeing how anxious he was, we knew how desperate he wanted to see his sister. After a few mouthfuls, we hurriedly bade farewell to Teacher Zhao. Teacher Zhao tried to persuade Wang An to stay but she knew she couldn''t stop him.


    Guo Feng was unwilling to part with Wang An. He pleaded, "Wang An, Wang An, you said you would always y with me, where are you going now?" His voice broke from tears.


    Wang An walked to the door and then walked back. He stood on the chair to wipe away Guo Feng''s tears. He said seriously, "Guo Feng, I need you to stay home to look after your mother, okay? Do not go out to y with those bad kids, they will only bully you. y with your toys at home and I''ll be back before you know it."


    "Okay." Guo Feng looked at Wang An and said unwillingly, "Then when will youe home?" Wang An thought about it before he said, "If you promise to listen to your mother and do not create trouble, I will be back soon."


    "Pinkie swear." Guo Feng requested. Wang An reached out his pinkie and hooked it through Guo Feng''s. "Rain or shine, I''ll always be there. Pinky promise." Then Wang An jumped down from the chair and turned to address Teacher Zhao, "Teacher Zhao, thank you for taking care of me all these days." Teacher Zhao nodded with a smile.


    When we arrived at the police station, we saw a crying girl giving a statement. Wang An called, "Sister Xiaoli!"


    Zhao Xiaoli turned at the sound of her name. She said with shock. "Wang An, why are you here?"


    Wang An answered, "I''ve been staying with Teacher Zhao, it was these police officers who told me you''re here." Zhao Xiaoli calmed down a lot after reuniting with her little brother. We asked Zhao Xiaoli why she hade to the station and she told us her side of the story.


    Since their family was not that rich, Zhao Xiaoli was still working in another state the month before Lunar New Year. She knew that in this day and age, her siblings needed a phone to maintain contact with each other. However, Hao Ren had limited ie, so Zhao Xiaoli hoped that she could work to buy a cell phone for each of her younger sister and brother. Du Zigui already had a phone. She worked until it was time for her to return home to celebrate the new year.


    Zhao Xiaoli called home but there was no answer. She called her older brother, Du Zigui and there was no answer either. Zhao Xiaoli became increasingly worried and she hurried home. But when she arrived, her home was a burnt wreckage. Hao Ren''s family home sat on a plot of relocation. However, halfway through it, the constructionpany ran out of funds, so the relocation stopped. Most of Hao Ren''s neighbours had left, and only Hao Ren''s family remained so even if Zhao Xiaoli wanted to ask around, she couldn''t find a neighbor. She couldn''t reach her father or her big brother.


    Zhao Xiaoli worried about her younger sister and brother but she too had no idea where they went.


    However 10 days ago, Zhao Xiaoli got a phone call from someone, the stranger said he knew where her younger sister and brother were. By then Zhao Xiaoli had returned to Elm Town for more than a week already. She was desperate because her family was missing, so when she got the call, she immediately went to the address given by the caller without thinking much of it. Zhao Xiaoli only realized how rash she was acting when she arrived. The location was extremely secluded and there was no one around.


    Zhao Xiaoli was afraid and thought about leaving but at that moment, someone came up from behind and sedated her. When Zhao Xiaoli woke up, she was inside a dark room. Zhao Xiaoli spent 10 days there. One day, when her captive was not paying attention, she escaped and raced to the police station. Then Zhao Xiaoli stopped as she turned to Wang An.


    I told Guan Zhenglin, "Do you mind leaving us? I wish to do some recorded statements."


    Guan Zhenglin grasped my meaning. She led Wang An out of the room. Finally Zhao Xiaoli said, "That person raped me"


    I looked at her and asked, "Do you know who that person is?"

 Chapter 157: Thumb Print

    Chapter 157: Thumb Print


    Currently only Zhao Xiaoli and myself were inside the office. Zhao Xiaoli was rather shy around me, probably due to our closeness in age but she chose to tell the truth in the end. "Those 10 days are the longest hours of my life. When I woke up, I was tied up. Right then, I knew I was cheated, but I had no idea by whom. The person wore ck clothes, mask and cap, blocking his entire face." Zhao Xiaoli pulled out the sleeves of her shirt, and we saw the sign of ligature around her wrists. The bruises were deep. She must have struggled hard against her restraints. Zhao Xiaoli added, "There are other wounds on my body but I''d prefer if I show it to the female officer."


    We understood that. Having a girl of 18 shed her clothes before Gu Chen and myself were pushing it. I waved my hands and said, "Of course, we''ll have a professional to examine those wounds for you. But for now, can you tell us what exactly happened?"


    Zhao Xiaoli rolled down her sleeves. "At first, I was afraid and I screamed for help. The person was probably afraid that my shouts might attract people''s attraction so he came back to gag me. When I struggled against him, he wrapped the rope around me and purposely pinched my waist." We frowned as Zhao Xiaoli continued, "That was a clear enough threat for me. The more I struggled, the more he would torture me." Zhao Xiaoli closed her eyes as if refusing to see that image, "So I immediately stopped screaming. He stopped. Then, he asked me for Hao Ren and Wan An''s location."


    "He asked you that?"


    Zhao Xiaoli nodded. "My first thought was this was someone my father has offended when he was wrong, but my father has always been a kind person, he is friendly with everyone. He is a good fighter but he has never used it to bully others.


    "Then I thought perhaps this was my little brother, Wang An''s enemy." Zhao Xiaoli thought, "My brother, Wang An likes to use his fist to resolve problems rather than words. However, my brother will never attack unprovoked. He never bullies the other children unless they bullied him or his friends first." Wang An did have violence issues but all he did was self-defence. That was clear from the way Wang An treated Guo Feng. Guo Feng was mentally challenged, everyone bullied him but Wang An not only didn''t bully him, he befriended Guo Feng and helped him to chase away his bullies. So in a way, Wang An had inherited his father''s spirit.


    I looked at Zhao Xiaoli and asked, "You didn''t see the man but did you notice anything special about him? Any strange tick or behavior."


    Zhao Xiaoli thought for a while before she said, "Actually yes. In the first few days, when I was still struggling, he would press his body on me to stop me. I would bump against his left arm and he''d wince and lean back."


    My eyes lit up. Zhao Xiaoli continued, "I believe it was because his left arm was injured. After that, he made sure I wouldn''t be able to touch his left arm anymore."


    "After that?" Gu Chen prompted.


    Zhao Xiaoli''s tears finally fell. "I''ve been meaning to escape but the man kept watching over me. After 5 days, I realized the ce was too deste for me to hope for a random rescue. I couldn''t hear any sound from my room. I knew then perhaps I should stop resisting and pretend to abide by his rules."


    I nodded. Zhao Xiaoli continued, "Every day, he woulde to interrogate me about my father and brother''s location but I really had no idea. After a week, he became more agitated. He told me that if he ever found them, he would kill him. He said that I would never leave until I helped him find my father and brother. I had no idea why he had such hatred against my family." Zhao Xiaoli''s brows scrunched with worry. "But I know he really did mean to kill them. On the 10th day, I still couldn''t provide him with the location of my father and brother so so, he peeled off my clothes." Zhao Xiaoli''s tears started again. "He said since I couldn''t help him find my father and brother, then I would pay him with my body. He raped me and he left. He didn''t give me any spare clothes, my torn shirt and pants were dropped to the side. I picked up my pants and used the button on the pants to wear down the rope. After I escaped, I ran along the overgrown path until I reached the main road. Luckily enough, a car was passing by. I got the help that I needed." Zhao Xiaoli shivered. "I was afraid that he mighte after me so I had the Good Samaritan drop me off at the police station."


    I frowned. "Do you know the location where you were held?"


    Zhao Xiaoli nodded, "Yes! I made sure to remember the route when I was in the good man''s car."


    I asked again, "Was he working alone? Or was there someone else with him? Perhaps they wore the same clothes so you couldn''t tell the difference."


    Zhao Xiaoli thought about it. "No, it was only one person who assaulted me, but the ce where I was kept had more than one room. One time, I heard him argue with someone else outside."


    "Did you hear what they were arguing about?" I asked.


    Zhao Xiaoli answered, "It sounded like someone was persuading him to stop before someone''s life was lost but he refused to listen and chased the person out. He came back to tell me that no one has the right to go against him and eventually he will have my father and little brother''s lives."


    "Okay." I told Zhao Xiaoli, "I think we have all we need for now. I''ll have the female officer back to examine your wound. If there''s no problem, we will go to the house where you are kept soon, are you okay with that?"


    Zhao Xiaoli nodded. We walked out of the room. I told Guan Zhenglin about the situation with Zhao Xiaoli, and she nodded. After she entered the room, she drew the curtain close. We couldn''t see anything from outside and could only hear the two girls mumble. One hourter, Guan Zhenglin walked out of the room. She looked at us and then said, "I''ve inspected her body. There are many bruises on her body of varying sizes. I asked her about them and she told me, the smaller ones were from pinches and therger ones were from belt whips. They were old and new wounds so she is telling the truth." Guan Zhenglin shook her head and turned back to nce at the room, "But"


    "What is it?" I asked.


    Guan Zhenglin said, "She said she was raped. So I examined her genitals closely, I didn''t find any sign of tearing. So if there was rape, the sex wasn''t violent. But this didn''t really mean much, she might have been too catatonic to react when the whole thing happened." Gu Chen and I didn''t know much about this so we only looked at Guan Zhenglin nkly. Guan Zhenglin added, "Plus there isn''t any semen or prostate fluid in her vagina, she said it was because the man wore a condom. In that case, the man knew that we could trace him back through his semen. This man is quite good at anti-surveince."


    Gu Chen drove, Zhao Xiaoli gave directions while Wang An stayed at the station. While we headed to the house, Zhao Xiaoli radiated with fear. With us consoling her, she finally calmed down. When we arrived, Zhao Xiaoli said nothing had changed. Just the man who trapped her had disappeared. The front door was left open, the house was a simple 3 rooms and 1 living room. This ce was in Elm Town''s countryside. I wondered how much it would cost to rent a ce like this.


    I walked in with a frown. Inside one of the bedrooms, we found a cut piece of rope. I put on the gloves and picked it up for a closer examination. From the cut surface, the rope was indeed not shed by a sharp metal but was grinded down slowly. The other end of the rope was tied to the feet of the bed, the bed was heavy. A girl wouldn''t be able to shake loose that easily.


    Guan Zhenglin checked the room for prints while I looked around the house. The house was spotless, it was cleaned often. I sent the house address to Mary and had her check for the owner of the house. Soon she found the owner''s details and gave me the owner''s phone number. On the phone, the owner told me that the house was rented a month ago. The owner himself bought the ce for investment, he didn''t live at Elm Town so the house had been left empty for a long time before he found a renter for it.


    "Who was the renter?" That was the crucial question.


    "I have not met that person before, everything was handled by the housing agent. However, I was told that the renter''s name is Zhang Bin." The man answered.


    Zhang Bin! The man whose arm was cut twice by Wang An.


    Guan Zhenglin cut in, "I found a few fingerprints, they match the ones registered by Zhang Bin when he was at the detention centre. But I only found his thumbprint, not his other fingers."


    "Zhang Bin?" Zhao Xiaoli heard this name for the first time. She had no idea about the history between her father, brother and Zhang Bin.


    "That''s right, Zhang Bin."

 Chapter 158: Drug Addiction

    Chapter 158: Drug Addiction


    I stood inside the house with my hand on my chin, something about this ce didn''t feel right but I couldn''t tell what yet. However, since Zhang Bin''s fingerprints were found here, it proved that he had been here. I turned to Zhao Xiaoli, "When would the man in cke every day? How long would he stay each time?"


    Zhao Xiaoli pondered for a while. "In the beginning, he was here every day and he''d sleep outside my room at night. But after a while, he started to go out. Before he left, he would gag me and ensure that my bonds were tight."


    "Then how did you eat and drink?" I asked.


    "He would feed me food and water." Zhao Xiaoli answered, "And give me a few minutes every day to use the bathroom." I watched Zhao Xiaoli as she thought about the details. When she spoke, her pupils would look to the upper right corner, this was a typical sign of the person thinking. Her brows were slightly creased and her arms were weakly ced beside her. All these proved that she was not lying. However, the person Zhao Xiaoli described didn''t sound like Zhang Bin. Would Zhang Bin have such a gentlemanly side?


    Guan Zhenglin said, "There is no other trace but the thumb prints. From the cleanliness of the crime scene, it appears like this ce has been cleaned." Someone had cleaned the ce but left behind Zhang Bin''s thumbprint? That didn''t sound right, but I didn''t say anything. Guan Zhenglin seemed to share my thoughts too as she turned to me, as if waiting for me to say something. I obliged. "We''ll go find the housing agent and then we''ll check Zhang Bin''s medical records."


    When we arrived at the housing agency, the agent couldn''t ascertain if the renter was Zhang Bin in the picture. The renter had on a mask, and cap. He was dressed in all ck. Since this was winter, the agent didn''t find the manyyers to be suspicious. Zhang Bin was very cautious when he rented the house. He even cleaned up before he left, but why would he leave his thumbprints behind? He was careless? After Zhang Bin raped Zhao Xiaoli, he left, why?


    We had the agent look over the picture again. If he couldn''t recognize the face, perhaps he could match the body. The agent looked again and again but couldn''te to a conclusion. When we were about to give up, the agent told us something else. The agent reminded the renter that the location of the house was very secluded, which was why it had been left empty for so long. The renter told him that it was fine. Then the agent heard the renter mumble to himself, "After this is done, everything will be over."


    The rental lease was signed less than a month ago. It was right after Du Zigui and Hao Ren''s disappearance and Wang An''s cuts on Zhang Bin''s arm. What happened to these people, how could living humans just disappear like that?


    Sister Mary sent us Zhang Bin''s medical record and the record showed that Zhang Bin did visit Elm Tom First People''s Hospital for knife wounds about 1 month ago. The doctor did ask Zhang Bin about the wounds, Zhang Bin said they were the work of a madman.


    Wang An was quite strong for his size, the wounds on Zhang Bin''s arm cut deep. If not for the winter coat he was wearing, the two cuts would have dug into his bones. The doctor stitched the wounds together and bandaged them for Zhang Bin. The doctor told Zhang Bin to return to the hospital to clean and exchange the bandage, ording to his records, Zhang Bin did do that. The bandage would be changed every 4 days and Zhang Bin didn''t miss any of his appointments. Today was another 4th day, so Zhang Bin might return to the hospital.


    Therefore we called a taxi and sent Zhao Xiaoli back to the station. I had already ordered the officer to find amodation for Zhao Xiaoli and Wang An. The rest of us took another cab to Elm Town First People''s Hospital, it took around half an hour. We immediately located Zhang Bin''s main physician. Currently we were sitting before him. After we identified ourselves, the doctor told us a small detail.


    When Zhang Bin came to the hospital for the first time, 3 people came with him. We showed the doctor the picture of Zhang Bin''s group and the doctor confirmed that 2 of them were Zheng Shuai and Chen Yiming. We had no idea who the 3rd person was but the doctor believed that thest person was a drug addict. The doctor was experienced enough to tell with one nce. Then the doctor told us that Zhang Bin called that person Du Zigui.


    My brain buzzed. Then I was reminded of the white powder I found at Zhang Bin''s home. That was indeed drugs. Zhang Bin was not a drug user so he must have sourced them for someone else. Suddenly a thought appeared in my mind, one that caused me to shiver involuntarily. If Du Zigui was made a drug addict a month ago, he would have done anything to get his hands on more drugs.


    I turned to Guan Zhenglin because she was more knowledgeable about this than I did. I asked her how long a person would take to develop drug addiction. Guan Zhenglin cleared her throat and said, "Narcotic addiction normally manifests in 3 forms, physical dependency, psychological dependency and medical dependency." I didn''t know anything about this so I listened to her like a quiet student. "Physical dependency refers to the body''s need for drugs to function. The addict''s central nervous system bes adapted to the drugs and the addict has to keep on taking a certain amount of drugs just to function properly. Once the drug is stopped, the addict will have negative physical reaction to the withdrawal."


    Guan Zhenglin raised her second finger, "Psychological dependency is the high that the addicts feel after a drug hit. The high bes something the addict cannot live without. Someone has done research on this before. If happiness in life can be quantified, sex is about 3 while taking drugs is about 7."


    "Medical dependency is different from the previous 2 and deserves to be exined on its own." Guan Zhenglin extended her 3rd finger. "Actually, in the drugs that we talk about daily, there are manyponents that can cause addiction, for example, painkillers, sedatives and so on. In reality, all medicines are 30 percent toxic. Sometimes, to cut off dependency on one drug, the addict will get addicted instead on another drug"


    We were quite confused by the lecture but the main lesson was drug addiction was a bad thing.


    I asked, "What is the quickest number of days for a person to take to drug addiction?"


    Guan Zhenglin frowned, "The reason I exined all those things is because your question is hard to answer. Everyone has a different level of dependency and we haven''t even considered external factors. If a drug addict knows for a fact that there are no more drugs in this world, then nothing would happen." Then Guan Zhenglin shook her head, "But if the drug addict is told that there is a drug that awaits him at the end of the tunnel. He would do anything and I mean anything, to get that drug."


    "In other words," I looked at Guan Zhenglin, "Basically, no one will be able to quit drugs in real life?"


    Guan Zhenglin shook her head. "Only those with the strongest will can do this. This reminds me of a joke. A young man quits smoking because he wants to pursue a girl. But once he manages to do that, the girl''s mother forbids them from getting together."


    "But why?" The physician asked, piqued by the joke. Guan Zhenglin smiled. "Because the mother said, if the man can quit smoking, it means that his will is strong enough to also one day quit the girl." After a chuckle, Guan Zhenglin continued, "In real life many people talk about giving up smoking but how many seeded? Giving up drugs is even harder. One touch and you''ll never be rid of it. Therefore, the best way to quit it is not to start it."


    Put it that way, I believed this incident deserved to be looked in further. When we were talking, suddenly the doctor''s door opened. When we saw the new arrival, everyone was shocked because this was none other than Zhang Bin whom we had been looking for. Zhang Bin was wearing the same brown trench coat and the same scarf around his neck.


    When Zhang Bin lifted his eyes and saw us, he was startled for a moment before he turned to escape. Gu Chen though moved faster than he was.


    Before we even reacted, Gu Chen came back, holding Zhang Bin by the back of his arm. Gu Jun was grabbing Zhang Bin''s left arm, the one which was injured. The pain was clear on the man''s face. Soon his sweat poured like rain.


    Clearly Zhang Bin recognized us too. He groused, "Why is it you guys again? Let me go. It''s painful! Uwful use of police force, I''ll report you to your superior!"


    Gu Chen kicked the back of the man''s neck and Zhang Bin fell to the ground. I looked at the man and asked, "You sure are hard to find. You''ve gone missing for quite a while. Humor me, do you know why we''re looking for you?"


    Zhang Bin''s ck pupils rolled about. "How would I know? Pass!"


    Gu Chen looked at the man and said, "Perhaps you''ll be moremunicative at the interrogation room."


    Zhang Bin arked back at him, "Why are you arresting me? I know my rights, I have not done anything wrong!"


    "Really?" I asked, "Then can you exin where you got the injury on your arm?"

 Chapter 159: Fear

    Chapter 159: Fear


    Zhang Bin copsed dramatically to the ground, making it look like we had injured him. However, he miscalcted one thing. The doctor''s office was soundproof. After he shouted his throat raw, Zhang Bin rather awkwardly stood up from the ground and went to sit on the couch.


    Based on Zhang Bin''s state, he didn''t look like a rapist. He was too cavalier. The fact that he came up with all this buffoonery proved that he believed he wouldn''t be arrested or at most he would only be detained for days likest time. Or was this front that Zhang Bin showed us just an act?


    "Come to the station with us." I told him.


    Zhang Bin finally took us seriously, like the whole charade earlier was just a joke. He grabbed the armrest until the veins on his arm popped, "Why would I do that? What crime have Imitted? Why should I follow you? Have I killed someone? Raped someone? I didn''t do anything that was not consensual."


    Before we even asked anything, Zhang Bin already provided us with a lot of information. Zhang Bin''s bbing helped us aplenty. I had already decided that we had to interrogate him further at the station but of course I didn''t show that on my face. Because most of the time, while we were observing the criminals, the criminals were watching us as well. During interrogation, it was vital that the criminal didn''t see through you. Maintaining a poker face was very important. We had to act like an omnipotent god, that was the way to apply pressure on the subject. Gu Chen grabbed Zhang Bin by his shoulders. "Come on."


    In the interrogation room, Zhang Bin frowned with displeasure but he was not a bit anxious. In fact, Zhang Bin had been in this room many times, but most of the time he was here for petty thefts. This time though, he was here due to a suicide and rape. Either of those cases would be enough to send him away permanently.


    "Well, indulge me." I looked at Zhang Bin. "Why do you think you''re here?"


    Zhang Bin grumbled, "It''s because of a girl being fucked, isn''t it? But I wasn''t the one who did it. Why did you arrest me? You should arrest the person who did it." I frowned and sank into deeper thought seeing how insouciant Zhang Bin was. Zhang Bin clearly didn''t know that we knew incredibly little about these cases and he assumed we knew more than we actually did. Zhang Bin was so vague that I couldn''t even tell which case he was referring to.


    Was it Fang Xiao Qi''s suicide which was caused by a potential rape or Zhao Xiaoli''s? Why would Zhang Bin say that he wasn''t the culprit? We did believe that the he'' mentioned in Fang Xiao Qi''s will wasn''t Zhang Bin but then Zhao Xiaoli''s rapist was definitely Zhang Bin! We had both material evidence and witnesses to support that. Or Zhang Bin believed we hadn''t found Zhao Xiaoli and his secret hideout yet?


    Gu Chen and Guan Zhenglin didn''t respond, they waited for me to lead the interrogation. Personally, I wasn''t quite sure what Zhang Bin was talking about so I only said, "Just how much you must have hated Hao Ren to have done something like this? You did all these simply because he sent you to the detention centre?"


    Zhang Bin nced at me and huffed venomously, "Who told him to mind other people''s business?! I know people like him, he said he did what he did for the sake of justice but his real purpose is really to gain fame. Take a look at those videos on the inte and the news articles, see how they have painted him and me!" Zhang Bin sounded so indignant that one would forget that he was a thief, he was the one in the wrong.


    While Zhang Bin made hisint, Guan Zhenglin already went online to search for the news at Elm Town from 1 and a half month ago. She showed me her phone and the title of the article was, Inte Caf''s security bravely took down the thieves, his greatest wish is merely to restore the glory of martial arts.


    I looked through the article slowly, it had many pictures and all of them were of Hao Ren in his uniform detaining the thieves. Looks like many people had taken pictures and videos back at Serendipity Online Caf. All thements praised Hao Ren and cursed Zhang Bin''s group.


    Seeing that we were looking through his news, Zhang Binmented, "Now everyone at Elm Town knows who I am. When we came out from the detention centre, people kept pointing at us, even the drug addicts looked down on us. We didn''t dare to show our faces around town for so long."


    "Are you serious?" Gu Chen scoffed hearing that, "You''re a repeat offender. Someone like you needs face? Plus, the moment your group got out from detention, you went to Serendipity Online and sshed shit on the shop window. That is not the sign of someone afraid of showing their faces around town. If not for you, Hao Ren wouldn''t be fired."


    Zhang Bin gritted his teeth. "Fine, I did do that, but he did it first. Why would he get into my business when the victims themselves had decided to not ce the charges?''


    Gu Chen shrugged, "I should have known logic wouldn''t work on someone like you. Did you ask for Hao Ren''s home address from the inte caf''s boss? You were not satisfied with making the man lose his job, you have to make him lose his home and family too?"


    "Of course not!" Zhang Bin said, "He had all the praises but our name ispletely ruined."


    "So you went to his home and threatened his two kids?" I leveled at the angered Zhang Bin. Gu Chen added, "But you failed and were injured by a boy instead."


    Zhang Bin''s face immediately burned. When he visited the hospital, Zhang Bin told the doctor that he was chopped by a madman. Zhang Bin was too embarrassed to tell the truth. Well, I would be embarrassed too, if a boy from primary school had managed to cut me. Zhang Bin turned his shame into anger, "The boy is clearly not a good thing either. He''s lucky I didn''t find him again."


    Hearing that, Gu Chen mmed on the table, "What else do you n to do? After burning down Hao Ren''s home, you''re still not satisfied?"


    "Wait, burn down Hao Ren''s home?" Zhang Bin frowned and looked at us with disbelief, "When did I do that?"


    Gu Chen huffed and red at Zhang Bin, "You''re still ying dumb? The boss at the inte caf told us that you swore to burn down his house."


    Zhang Bin cried, "He lied, I never said those things!"


    Gu Chen almost cracked the table with his ms, "You dare to do it but don''t dare to admit it? If you didn''t do it, then Hao Ren burned down his house himself? You harbored that hatred after you were injured by Wang An. So you found the moment when they were not home and burnt down their house. Have you been back to the ce? The ce is now a ruin. Where do you expect Hao Ren''s whole family to stay over the New Year?" Gu Chen was emotional and he demanded, "And Zhao Xiaoli, is just a girl of 18, how could you do those things to her?"


    "Zhao Xiaoli?" Zhang Bin was stunned. "What about Zhao Xiaoli? I''m still looking for her, I haven''t even seen her."


    That angered Gu Chen further. He walked to Zhang Bin and picked up the man by his cor. "You better stop ying tricks. Tell us how you kidnapped Zhao Xiaoli and raped her, or else you''ll suffer." Zhang Bin was handcuffed. He tried his best to struggle but was firmly caught in Gu Chen''s vise.


    His calmness andposure at the start had disappeared. He panicked and screamed, "I know, I know. You are trying to find a scapegoat because you can''t solve this case! You people always do this! You know I am an easy target so this is a set up!" He shouted, "Help, help! I am not the killer, they are forcing me to admit something I''ve not done!" He shouted until his voice was hoarse.


    Studying Zhang Bin, I did feel something was off. The attitude change was too drastic. Thankfully Zhao Xiaoli was still at the police station. If we could get Zhao Xiaoli and Wang An in here, things should clear up. With that in mind, I told Gu Chen, "Gu Chen, let him go, I still have many questions for him."


    Zhang Bin''s body was convulsing. He stuttered, "You are trying to set me up! I know before the victims are shot, their vocal cords would be ruined so they couldn''t defend themselves anymore! You have received money from someone to set me up, haven''t you? I, I can give you money too, I don''t want to die" Zhang Bin was flustered. I had no idea where he got this kind of fantasy novel stuff, but it was clear that his fear was real, it couldn''t be faked. Could there really be something more behind this, was Zhang Bin framed? But all the witness statements and evidence pointed towards him.


    Also where were the others? Where were Du Zigui, Hao Ren, Zheng Shuai and Cheng Yiming?


    I told Gu Chen, "Bring Wang An and Zhao Xiaoli in here separately. We will have them square this out with Zhang Bin in person."


    Gu Chen nodded and walked out from the interrogation room.


    After Gu Chen was gone, I told the frantic Zhang Bin. "Thievery will only at most get you into jail but arson and rape, I''m sure you know the consequence if the conviction sticks. Plus, you still have so many secrets on you. Where did you get the drug? What happened to Du Zigui?"


    With every question that I posed, Zhang Bin''s hand went involuntarily to touch his nose.


    "I hope," I looked into the man''s eyes and said slowly, "You''ll be able to answer everything."

 Chapter 160: The Rape

    Chapter 160: The Rape


    Wang An was the first to walk in. When Wang An saw Zhang Bin, it was like an animal seeing food. Even Gu Chen didn''t expect Wang An to move so fast. In a blink, Wang An''s fistnded on Zhang Bin''s face. And the man groaned. Zhang Bin was handcuffed so he couldn''t avoid the punch.


    As he was about tond the second fist, Gu Chen picked the kid up, and said, "We need to rify everything before we use our fists."


    Wang An red at Zhang Bin. In his childish voice, he grunted, "There is nothing to rify. He''s the one who did it. I hate myself for not killing him when I had the chance. Or else my sister Fang Xiao Qi wouldn''t have killed herself. He''s the one behind it!"


    Zhang Bin was startled and then said with disbelief, "Fang Xiao Qi killed herself?"


    Wang An hissed, "You still want to y the fool now? That day at our home, you were the one who said this was not over. You would not stop until you ruin my whole family. Have you not said that?! You''re a man, if you have the guts, then admit the truth!" Wang An was mature for his age but he was still a boy and tears soon fell down his face, "When I was small, my older brother and sisters have no work, we don''t know how to earn money and father has to work very hard to keep our lives afloat. My big sister, Fang Xiao Qi went around collecting bottles to earn some extra money. But she would never spend the money on herself, instead she''d buy snacks so that I could bring them to school." Wang An''s whole body was shaking. "If not for my sister, I would not be here today. Because of her, I''m not afraid when the other kidsugh at me, I don''t mind having no new clothes, I''m not worried about going to sleep with an empty stomach." Wang An shouted out his anger, "But you, you have ruined her!"


    We managed to imagine a soft yet determined girl from Wang An''s description. She might not be good with words, but she was not a soft flower. But such a person had chosen tomit suicide on New Year''s Eve, just how much despair she must have felt to pick a choice like that.


    And Wang An understood that despair.


    Faced with a boy around 8, Zhang Bin was totally silent. In this world of ours, maturity was never relevant to age.


    "Well, say something!" Wang An demanded.


    Zhang Bin''s body shivered and then he admitted, "I did, but I wasn''t the one who did those things, it was your older brother, not me!" When Zhang Bin said that, I knew things were probably not far from my expectation. Under the interrogation of a primary school boy, Zhang Bin told the truth. I soon realized there was just a small difference between my hypothesis and Zhang Bin''s details of the truth.


    When the trio was released from the detention centre, there was only one and a half months left until the new year. However, the trio had not even a single cent on them because they were locked up and were unable to do any business''. Naturally, they med Hao Ren for it. If not for Hao Ren, they would be able to earn at least 1000 RMB every month. It was not a lot but it was enough to celebrate the new year. Hao Ren''s appearance had ruined that. So Zhang Bin decided to take revenge.


    Zhang Bin''s revenge was to ruin Hao Ren''s new year as well. They harassed the boss of the inte caf and got Hao Ren fired from his job. However, Hao Ren didn''t get angered at all, this instead angered Zhang Bin. When Zhang Bin looked into Hao Ren''s background, he found out the man had adopted 4 children.


    The eldest son was Du Zigui, he worked at a vehicle repair shop and thus Zhang Bin approached Du Zigui. After Du Zigui got off work, Zhang Bin''s group stopped him on his way home and ambushed him. Zhang Bin was not satisfied after a full beating so they dragged Du Zigui to his container home and trapped him there. They went out to call Hao Ren and had him meet them at the ce. However, when they returned home, they realized Du Zigui had drunk the ss of liquid they left on the table. Unfortunately, the ss contained not water but amidone.


    Amidone was a drug meant to help drug addicts, invented in the second world war. Compared to heroin, morphine, amidone''s half-life was longer, it was between 24 hours to 36 hours. Inparison, the half-life of heroin is 2 to 4 hours. In other words, 2 to 4 hours after someone took heroin, they would have the need to take the second hit. If they couldn''t find heroin, their life would be hell.


    After the first drink of amidone, one would have the need to ingest it again after 24 hours. It was designed as an alternative to stronger drugs but amidone was found out to be addictive too. In fact, this treatment was no different from swapping out the bigger devil for the smaller devil. In China, amidone was banned like all the other drugs.


    However, there were 8 test rehab centres in China that still used this treatment. This was because amidone was cheap. One day of treatment only cost 10 RMB but the efficacy of this treatment was highly contentious. In any case, patients at these centres had to take drug tests often, if they were found to have positive traces of drugs other than amidone in their system, they would immediately be sent to permanent rehab.


    Since amidone was about as expensive as heroin on the ck market, some drug addicts would take advantage of this opportunity. They would ingest the amidone but not swallow it. After they left the centre, they would spit out the drug and trade it on the ck market for drugs of their choice. So at the centres, to prevent this from happening, the doctors would have the patient drink a ss of water after ingesting the amidone and then had the patients speak or else they weren''t allowed to leave the centre.


    Elm Town was not a location where such a rehab centre could be found. This particr ss of amidone was a payment from a drug addict who owed the trio money. Zhang Bin nned to sell the drug on the ck market but Du Zigui had ruined that by drinking it. Du Zigui was not a drug user and he didn''t know any, so he assumed the ss contained normal water. That was how Du Zigui was turned into a drug addict.


    When Zhang Bin saw the amidone was drunk by the kid, he was so angry. He wanted to have Hao Ren pay him thepensation when he was hit by a brilliant idea. He found the drug addict who owed him money to get a small bag of heroin. Zhang Bin''s group packed and left their container home that night. When he was packing, Zhang Bin identally spilled some of the white dust on his bed, and that was the trace which I foundter.


    The trio found a random motel to stay for the night. The second day, Du Zigui was still left alone at Zhang Bin''s home. Zhang Bin went back to feed the kid some breakfast and then purposely left the bag of heroin at the most conspicuous spot before he left. When Du Zigui saw the bag of drugs, something came over him. Du Zigui''s heart muddled as he stared at the bag of white dust. He had no idea what came over him but there was a voice inside him which told him that the dust was good for him and he should take a good sniff of it. In the end, the desire for drugs won over rationality.


    He took down the pack and ced the dust under his nose. With a snort, the whole world seemed to float. Du Zigui was an honest man and took all the punishment the world directed at him silently. He had a lot ofints for his boss but he never said anything. He kept everything bottled up. But with a snort, every trouble that he had melted away.


    Just like that Du Zigui became Zhang Bin''s thirdckey and he apanied Zhang Bin to the hospital several times. However Du Zigui became too stuck to Zhang Bin. Zhang Bin just wanted to corrupt Du Zigui as revenge against Hao Ren. He was not a charity organization to feed Du Zigui''s drug addiction. However, Du Zigui had no channel to source the heroin but Zhang Bin so he stuck close to Zhang Bin. Zhang Bin eventually got tired of it.


    One night, over beers, Zhang Bin couldn''t stand Du Zigui''sint anymore. He cursed, "Damn it, I''m not your father. If you want to take a hit, then go and buy it yourself. If you have no money, how about this? I remember you have a sister called Fang Xiao Qi who is quite cute. If you fuck her, then I will buy the drug for you."


    Then everyone at the tableughed... other than Du Zigui. Zhang Bin managed to get rid of Du Zigui for 2 days. When he returned, the first thing that Du Zigui said silenced the 3 men immediately, "I fucked my little sister like you asked."


    Zhang Bin looked at the young man and felt goosebumps crawl all over him. Zhang Bin was reminded of the drug addicts who lived with him in the container neighbourhood. Those people would do anything when they were in the throes of drug withdrawal.


    Zhang Bin did live up to his promise. He found a bag of heroin for Du Zigui. He tossed the bag to the side and Du Zigui ran after it like a dog. While Du Zigui was high, Zhang Bin''s group left in a hurry. The trio didn''t dare to return to their container home because they were afraid of running into Du Zigui.


    We were fuming as Zhang Bin exined, "This has nothing to do with me. He was the one who drank the amidone, and he was the one who took the heroin. I didn''t tell him to take it. Plus how could he take what was clearly a joke so seriously? If I told him to kill 100 people, would he have done it too?"


    So it was indeed someone familiar who raped Fang Xiao Qi, someone whom she couldn''t have been more familiar with. Everything made sense now. Fang Xiao Qi was raped by her own brother one month ago. The torment followed her for a whole month until she couldn''t stand it anymore and chose to end her life on the eve of Lunar New Year.


    While the fireworks burst in the sky, she bloomed like a bloody firework under the bridge.

 Chapter 161: Witnesses

    Chapter 161: Witnesses


    Zhang Bin was probably telling the truth because the moment we found Du Zigui, we would find out everything. Gu Chen picked up Wang An and left. Then Zhao Xiaoli was brought in. Zhao Xiaoli said that she didn''t get a look of her rapist''s face so she had no idea whether it was Zhang Bin or not. She also believed the voice she heard had been altered.


    For his part, Zhang Bin imed he had not done anything to Zhao Xiaoli and Zhao Xiaoli did act like this was her first time seeing Zhang Bin. However it was also undeniable that we found Zhang Bin''s fingerprints inside that room, despite them all being thumbprints. Zhao Xiaoli could only confirm that Zhang Bin had the same body shape as her assant. However, despite all these, Zhang Bin refused to admit to anything.


    Unfortunately we had no concrete evidence so we couldn''t really do anything to Zhang Bin. The fingerprint and Zhao Xiaoli''s statement were just circumstantial evidence. Zhang Bin looked at Zhao Xiaoli and said in a pleading voice, "Zhao Xiaoli, or Sister Zhao, I have not done those things, if you say I''m a thief, I''ll admit to that, but I''m not a rapist, I''ve not even seen you."


    Zhang Xiaoli answered hesitantly, "I never said it was you, I merely said that you have the same body frame as that person. However, the person who assaulted me has a wounded left arm, is your left arm wounded? If no, then it can''t be you." Zhao Xiaoli was rtively calm. The interrogation room was incredibly soundproof so Zhao Xiaoli didn''t hear the conversation between Wang An and Zhang Bin. In other words, Zhao Xiaoli had no idea this man before her had indirectly caused her sister''s death or else she wouldn''t be so calm.


    Zhang Bin was stumped by Zhao Xiaoli''s question and then he suddenly burst in anger, "I knew it, I knew it! This is a set up! It doesn''t matter what I say, does it? You''re brought here to frame me. Are you even Zhao Xiaoli? Where is your id? Show me your id!"


    Zhang Bin looked like he was struck with paranoia. His face was red and his eyes bulged. His action and mannerism frightened Zhao Xiaoli. In the end, Zhao Xiaoli couldn''t confirm whether Zhang Bin was her rapist or not. After Zhao Xiaoli left, there were only 3 of us inside the interrogation room.


    Guan Zhenglin closed the door and turned to the screaming Zhang Bin. She said slowly, "Stop screaming, are you trying to use anger to cover your anxiety or to use madness to hide the truth?"


    Zhang Bin looked at Guan Zhenglin and then at me. "I''ve already told you. This is because the things you pin on me I have never done. I''ve admitted to the other things that I did do. I did ssh the inte caf with shit to get Hao Ren fired. I did ambush Du Zigui to beat him up. I did go to Hao Ren''s home and shattered one of his windows." Then after a pause, Zhang Bin''s voice lowered, "Du Zigui drank the amidone, I didn''t force him to. Du Zigui took the drug but I didn''t force him to. Admittedly, I did leave the drug behind for him but could you really me me for hisck of constitution? He did everything on his own volition." Then his voice rose as if finding the confidence, "Yes, I did say that thing over beer, but it was clearly a joke. Was it really my fault that he took it seriously? Is there aw against people cracking jokes? That is the full extent of the things I have done." Zhang Bin shouted, "I did not do the rest. I didn''t go and burn down Hao Ren''s home and I didn''t rape Zhao Xiaoli. Some other dudes must have done it. It has to be a rich second generation who slipped you people the money to frame it on me, right?"


    Guan Zhenglin looked at Zhang Bin and smiled. "You do know thew quite well. Sshing shit on windows, at most you''ll get 15 days in detention; shattering other people''s windows, 15 days in detention; there is no evidence of any drug deal between you and Du Zigui so naturally we can''t pin that on you. You''ll stay at most in detention for a month, you''re quite the maniptor." Guan Zhenglin said and continued, "Even though you''re a petty thief, you are very well-versed in thew. Arson will cost you 3 to 5 years in person; rape and imprisonment will get you at least 10 years. But forcing others to take drug? Coercing another person tomit rape? That will be life imprisonment. But now you''re hoping to get out in a month?" Guan Zhenglin said with derision, "Such a good nner."


    Zhang Bin hissed, "Nothing I say matters anyway, you have already decided to pin this on me. But remember this, the truth will always prevail." It was quite ironic that a thief was the one saying that. At that moment Zhang Bin looked like a hero, standing up against fate. But thatsted less than 5 seconds before he broke down in tears. "But I really didn''t do those things. Right, right, go and find Zheng Shuai and Cheng Yimin, you will prove that I am innocent."


    "Really?" I told Zhang Bin, "So how can we find them?"


    Zhang Bintched on to my words like a lifeline, "They should be at a ce called Shun Chang Daily Rental at Dong Min Street. Normally they''ll be here with me at the hospital but today is the 1 month anniversary of us moving to a new ce so I came alone while they went to the market to buy some ingredients to prepare for the celebration." Zhang Bin pleaded, "If you go there now, you''ll definitely meet them."


    I nodded but didn''t say anything more. Guan Zhenglin added, "Honesty is the best policy. You better not cry when we have more concrete evidence. Everything will be toote by then." Zhang Bin bit on his lips and said nothing.


    When we exited the interrogation room, we saw Wang An hugging the crying Zhao Xiaoli. Gu Chen beside them looked quite helpless. Then we found out Zhao Xiaoli had just told the truth of her sister''s death. Wang An appeared calm, perhaps he had already cried or he was the only man of the family left. A few young female officers went to console Zhao Xiaoli. I patted Gu Chen to signal him to follow us. Gu Chen drove us to the address.


    In the car, Gu Chen said, "Zhang Bin is quite a slimy character. He dares to do it, but doesn''t dare to admit it. Look at how adamant he was. I can''t wait to see his face when we find the actual evidence of his crimes."


    Guan Zhenglin frowned. "The man is indeed cunning, he has been doing this for too long. Without absolute evidence, the man will not admit to anything. Take for example, the whole thing with the amidone."


    I was piqued so I asked, "What do you mean?"


    Guan Zhenglin mimicked me and pulled lightly on her hair, "He did burn down the house but he refused to admit it because there is no witness. He forced Du Zigui to drink the amidone and fashion the man into a drug addict because that way he would have full control over Du Zigui." Guan Zhenglin continued, "He brought Du Zigui to the hospital so that people could see he didn''t force Du Zigui, the man was following him willingly. Of course, by then Du Zigui was already a druggedckey. He said the whole rape thing was just a joke." Guan Zhenglin ced her finger on her chin, "But also we still have no other testimonies other than what Zhang Bin said. For drugs, Du Zigui would do anything. Zhang Bin could have explicitly told Du Zigui to rape his own sister and then he would buy him the drugs. We wouldn''t know the truth."


    Gu Chen added, "So many lives lost thanks to the drug."


    Guan Zhenglin nodded in concurrence. "Yes, many families are ruined because of drugs, Du Zigui''s family is no different. Zhang Bin turned Du Zigui into a drug-addled addict and gave him a mission for him to rape his own little sister. It was part of Zhang Bin''s n to ruin Hao Ren''s family."


    I frowned, Guan Zhenglin''s version was unable to convince me. Therefore I asked, "And all these because Hao Ren got him into detention centre?"


    Guan Zhenglin nodded, "Some people are extremely vengeful and evil. Zhang Bin himself said it, he only targeted Du Zigui after he was injured by Wang An. Old history and new conflict fueled the man''s hatred."


    "Then there''s a big problem." I looked at Guan Zhenglin.


    "What problem?" She asked.


    I answered, "If everything you said is true, then everything hinges on one person, Du Zigui. Even if Du Zigui has been turned into an addict, when he is not under the influence of drugs, he could be reasoned with. Whether he was coerced or he was willing, everything would be revealed when we found him. However you saw how adamant and confident Zhang Bin was in the interrogation room. He denied everything. He was sure that Du Zigui wouldn''t contradict him. In that case, I can only figure out one possibility."


    "What is it?" Guan Zhenglin asked.


    I sighed, "The dead cannot speak. If everything you said is true, with the main witness dead, we would never know the truth. And Zheng Shuai and Cheng Yimin both work for Zhang Bin, they would have alreadye up with a story to verify Zhang Bin''s version of the truth and their stories would only support and cover each other."


    "You mean," Guan Zhenglin said worriedly, "Du Zigui might already be dead?"


    I nodded. "The doctor at the hospital told us that all four of them woulde to the hospital together for Zhang Bin''s appointments but today Zhang Bin came alone. Do you really believe it was because his friends have gone to the market for food shopping?"


    Gu Chen looked at us through the rearview mirror. "And how does Hao Ren fit into all these?"

 Chapter 162: The Video

    Chapter 162: The Video


    If everything was as Guan Zhenglin said, then I could already predict what would happen next. Du Zigui couldn''t be left alive to challenge Zhang Bin''s testimony. With his death, the chain of evidence would be shattered and we would have nothing but Zhang Bin and his friends'' testimonies to go off on. With China''sw of innocence until proven guilty, Zhang Bin might be released after all.


    It was clear that both of my partners thought Zhang Bin was the killer, but we still hadn''t found the evidence to prove that. However, I personally thought something was still not so right. In Guan Zhenglin and Gu Chen''s eyes, Zhang Bin was a cunning person. His breakdown and arrogance were all an act for us. Inside, he was probablyughing at us. But no matter what kind of person Zhang Bin was, we would know more when we located Zheng Shuai or Cheng Yimin. Soon we arrived at Shun Chang Daily Rental.


    From the outside, it was clear that this was a building built without a permit. The small yard housed a building that was 3 story tall and the stairwell could be seen from the outside. Each floor had 4 small rooms. Since the gate was open, we walked in directly.


    Beyond the gate was an auntie about 50, she looked around to be 250 plus in weight. In the winter, she wore thergest shirt but even so, it could barely cover her protruding stomach. It was hard to tell if she was feeling the cold or not. Seeing us, the auntie asked kindly, "A young couple seeking a ce to rent? My ce here is cheap, only 50 RMB a day." Then the auntie nced at the 3 of us and continued, "I get it. The youngsters nowadays have unconventional rtionships. By the way, do you need condoms? I sell them for cheap." Since we didn''t say anything, the auntie continued, "Or how about some drinks? It will be sure to put you in the mood! I have a room on the top floor ready for you. Don''t worry. The floor is firm."


    Gu Chen''s face was red as a tomato. Guan Zhenglin walked forward and said, "We''re the police." Then she showed the id that Captain Zhao gave us.


    Then it hit the auntie that we were not potential renters. She spat on the ground and turned upwards, "Motherfuckers, which of you have created this problem for me? Did you bring a prostitute home? The fuck, this is a legal motel, what do you think this ce is? Who did it,e the fucking out now!" The auntie''s voice was like thunder booming. Soon every family'' staying here poked their heads out from the corridor.


    "I say, Sister Ma." One voice was heard saying, "Could you be more soft anddylike? The entire Elm Town could hear you."


    Sister Ma countered, "Well, fuck you too. The police are here. Those who did this bettere down now. Don''t let the police go up there and get you. If they start shooting, don''t think I''lle and clean up your blood!" Then Sister Ma mumbled to herself, "There is just so much trouble recently. It''s either the peeper or a visit from the police, can''t I have a peaceful new year? The fuck, the fortune-teller told me I was supposed to have a good year."


    I shrugged and said, "We already found the person we''re looking for. Zheng Shuai, do you minding down? And where''s Cheng Yimin?" The person who answered Sister Ma earlier was none other than Zhang Bin''sckey, Zheng Shuai. Hearing that, Zheng Shuai immediately shrunk his head back.


    Gu Chen shouted from below, "Sister Ma is right. Come on down. Don''t make us go up there to get you." When they were sent to the station by Hao Ren, they had already tasted the fist of Gu Chen. So immediately, the duo slithered down the stairs like rats.


    Sister Mamented, "Well this is unexpected. These two never brought any girls home. If you ask me, men need their release or else things like this will happen. Police officer, did these two rape someone?"


    Sister Ma was truly something else. I told her, "I''m sorry but that''s confidential." Sister Ma spat. "Pfft. Bring them with you but they''re not getting their down payment back Consider it my way of helping the police punish these criminals." The two were hauled into the car and Gu Chen watched over them. In the meantime, Guan Zhenglin and I went to examine this trio''s new living space. Sister Ma led the way for us. As I watched her giant ass move up the stairs, I was afraid for my life, fearful that she might tumble backwards. Sister Ma said, "Those 3 things are disgusting. It''s already pushing it when 3 men share one room but they never take out their rubbish. If not for ack of tenants, I would have kicked them out already. I knew they were not good people. I kept hearing them saying, they need toy low. I guess I understand why now."


    "They need toy low?" I repeated, "Do you know who they are hiding from?"


    "Clearly from you." Sister Maughed, "Who else?"


    By then we already reached the door. As the door opened, we were greeted by mountains of boxed meals and beer bottles. The floor was dirty with cigarette ash. Two beds were pushed together. The mattresses were ck with stains and theforters were not made. This room did look like their previous ce. However, this room didn''t even have a television. Other than the bed, the other piece of furniture was a chair. There was no bathroom. It was hard to imagine what the trio could do here, trying to pass time.


    Sister Ma spat on the ground. "This ce is so damn dirty, if not for their monthly payment of 30 RMB, do you think I will let them live here? In their dreams! There''s nothing here. Those dirty mags that you see, they were my donation. They do nothing but jerk off here all day. There''s no saving these people."


    On the bed, there was a small table, and on it sat some food. There were vegetables and meat. I hovered my hand over them, they were still warm. So Zhang Bin at least was not lying about this. We looked around and found nothing.


    When we returned to the car, we heard the two plead at Gu Chen, "But we have not done anything. We''ve already exined everything to you. In our line of business, running away from the police is our sign of respect to you. But recently we really haven''t done anything, even we want to take breaks on the New Year."


    I patted the car door and said, "Zhang Bin has already sold you out, why are you still arguing?"


    "Zhang Bin?" Zheng Shuai cursed. "I knew that motherfucker can''t be trusted. He did everything on his own but he had to drag us down with him. For real, we have nothing to do with that. Du Zigui raped his own sister, that was Zhang Bin who coerced him into doing so. The both of us hadn''t said a word to him about that."


    "Hmm?" I red at them.


    Cheng Yimin added, "That''s right, after Du Zigui drank the amidone, the both of us wanted to chase him out but Zhang Bin insisted on keeping him around. The next day, Zhang Bin purposely left the drug in the room for Du Zigui, for him to turn into an addict. Du Zigui is quite scary when he is high. We did advise Zhang Bin to not cross the line. He needed to stop before something bad happened but he refused to listen to us."


    Zheng Shuai said, "Zhang Bin treated Du Zigui as his dog and Du Zigui was like his dog when he was high. He depended on Zhang Bin for everything. That day, after Du Zigui had too much to drink, Zhang Bin told Du Zigui to rape his own sister. Du Zigui was already drunk and then Zhang Bin promised to give him a big bag of drugs after he was done."


    "Both of us told Zhang Bin to not do that." Zheng Shuai nced at Cheng Yimin. Thetter nodded, "But he blew us off. He knew how much Du Zigui followed his every word. About 2 dayster, Du Zigui returned saying he hadpleted the job. Afraid that Zhang Bin wouldn''t believe him, he even took a video of it."


    "A video?" The 3 of our eyes lit up.


    Cheng Yimin said, "He took it on his phone. I have a copy with me, I can show it to you." Then Cheng Yimin opened the video. After watching it, our emotions were highly tumultuous. The video was indeed taken on a phone. The person who held the phone kept moving so the video was shaking a lot. But even so, we could see that it was Fang Xiao Qi who was pinned to the ground. The person who took the video peeled off Fang Xiao Qi''s clothes as he mumbled, "I don''t want to do this, but I can''t take it anymore. I need it." Fang Xiao Qi kept crying as she struggled. But the hand in the video never stopped moving. Soon Fang Xiao Qi waspletely naked. Then the cameraman undid his pants.


    His whole body was shaking, it was clear that the man was high on drugs. With one hand holding the phone, his other hand closed over the girl''s neck. Then it happened. Soon, the cameraman finally stopped pushing andid exhausted on Fang Xiao Qi.


    It was then that we saw the cameraman''s face. It was none other than Fang Xiao Qi''s older brother, Du Zigui.


    Du Zigui pped his own face and then cried, "I''m sorry, Xiao Qi. I don''t know what came over me. I''m sorry, I" Then the video went into a ck screen before it finally ended.


    "This motherfucking Zhang Bin!" Gu Chen punched the car door and it caved in. He was very furious. "This bastard deserves to be chopped into pieces!"


    Cheng Yimin said, "We have already persuaded Zhang Bin from crossing the line but he refused to listen to us. Right, you can go and find the owner of the restaurant where we drank that night. He heard everything that was said at the table. He would tell you that we have tried our best to persuade Zhang Bin. After Du Zigui returned with the video, Zhang Bin finally got scared. He brought us and went here to hide. But since we moved here, Zhang Bin kept acting strangely, he always went out alone without telling us."


    "He would go out alone?" I asked.


    "Yes." Zheng Shuai answered, "And it has been getting more and more frequent recently. But he would have nothing else to do other than to meet his doctor''s appointment."


    Guan Zhenglin leaned in to whisper, "He probably went to kidnap Zhao Xiaoli."


    I nodded. It looks like Zhang Bin was the killer. But if that was the case, was Du Zigui really dead?

 Chapter 163: Murder Video

    Chapter 163: Murder Video


    As if worried that we wouldn''t believe him, Cheng Yimin added, "These few days Zhang Bin has been acting really strange. We used to sleep until noon but these days, he disappeared around noon. One time, I asked him where he was going, and he told me proudly that since Fang Xiao Qi and Du Zigui have been dealt with, it was time for him to go after Wang An and Zhao Xiaoli."


    "Both of us thought this has be an unhealthy obsession." Zheng Shuai concurred, "All these just because we were sent into the detention centre? It was not like we had been sent there for the first time anyway. Honestly, I don''t get what is so different this time." Both of them were silent and then Cheng Yimin concluded, "That''s all we know."


    I frowned. Zhang Bin told us that Zheng Shuai and Cheng Yimin would be able to prove his innocence, but their testimonies were clearly not good for him. So was Zhang Bin lying or were these two lying?


    To verify that, I had Gu Chen contact the boss of the restaurant where they had that dinner. The boss had asting impression of this group of youths because they were extremely rowdy. The boss also confirmed that there was one of them who were coaxing the other young man to go and rape his own sister. At the time, there were other customers at the shop and they were clearly made ufortable by this. Therefore, the boss had to go and tell him to pipe down. ording to the boss, the man was indeed drunk. Whether the man was joking or not, the boss couldn''t tell.


    So what was the truth?


    I shrugged and told the duo, "Regardless, you''reing back to the station with us. Hopefully, this will be a lesson for you. I hear that your group can at least steal a phone a day, that will nab you at least 200 RMB. But look at yourself, you have to live at a ce like this, where exactly did you waste the money?"


    Zheng Shuai spat and groused, "What money? Zhang Bin has taken most of the sales and we only got around 10 RMB for each job done. Honestly, I have no idea where that Zhang Bin spent the rest of the money. He told us that the money went into rent, but I don''t believe him. He probably hid it from us." I shook my head. Zhang Bin didn''t look like a rich person either.


    We were about to leave when Mary suddenly called me. "You have toe back now. There is a video that is going viral online. We have already taken down the original but the video has already been downloaded by god knows how many people."


    "What video is it?" Mary sounded worried, which was notmon.


    "A murder video." Mary said.


    We hurried back to the station as quickly as possible. Captain Zhao and Mary were there. This was the first time they appeared at the station since we had been demoted to Elm Town. This could only mean that things had gotten very serious. But for now we had no idea what the video was about and whether it had to do with our current case or not.


    When Captain Zhao saw us, he said, "You''ll have to solve the case as soon as possible. Mary, y the video."


    The video was dark and a man sat before the camera. The dimness blurred the man''s face but we could tell that this was none other than Du Zigui. Du Zigui''s face was much thinner than the one in his picture. His eyes sunk into his face, it looked like he was heavily sleep-deprived. His voice was low and Mary had to raise the volume for us to hear him.


    "I''ve fixed it so that this video will be uploaded automatically. When you see this video, I''ll be dead already. And my killer''s name is Zhang Bin. The reason I can be so confident is because I''ve discovered his secret. I realized he has been keeping a woman captive but I don''t know who she is." Then there were some noises from outside and Du Zigui looked to the side. Du Zigui continued, "I decide I will risk my life to help her. I''ll die or he''ll die. The reason I have to kill him is because he has done something unforgivable to me. Under his plotting, I was made a drug addict. When I was high, he forced me to rape my own little sister.


    "I know this is my fault and I will pay for it. However," Du Zigui was angry but his tears also kept falling, "I will make Zhang Bin pay too. I raped my sister and she killed herself because of it. I hate myself for my failure to resist the drug, but I hate Zhang Bin even more.


    "I don''t dare to go home to face my family. My other sister, Zhao Xiaoli, and my younger brother, Wang An, are also in danger. As long as Zhang Bin is still alive, the world will never be safe. I will have to kill him or he''ll have to kill me." Then Du Zigui picked up the camera, "I''ve given this much thought, I can''t let him harm more people. If I don''te back after 5 days, it means that I''m dead. Tell my younger siblings that I''m sorry and that I love them."


    The video was dated, it was recorded in the morning 4 days ago. The same day Zhang Bin went to the hospital to change his bandage. That was weird because if things went as Du Zigui said on the video, then he would have found Zhang Bin easily at the hospital because he had been there with Zhang Bin before. However, Zhang Bin didn''t mention this altercation at all during interrogation. Was he purposely hiding this information from us?


    "Looks like Du Zigui is really dead." Guan Zhenglin said.


    I frowned, "That might not be true. What we saw from the video was merely Du Zigui proiming he would go for a life or death duel with Zhang Bin. It was unclear whether the duel was epted or not."


    Gu Chen countered, "But the fact that this video has been released meant that Du Zigui is dead. That slimeball probably hid Du Zigui''s body at a ce that we wouldn''t find so easily."


    I shrugged and said nothing.


    Captain Zhao ordered, "Elm Town is a small town, this video will soon travel through everyone''s phone. If we don''t solve this case soon, it''ll soon reach the ears of our superior. We have already been moved out from Dong Xing City, if we fail to solve the case in a small town, we probably won''t be returning to Dong Xing City in our lifetime."


    At that moment, Mary said, "Guys, there''s an update." Then she showed us her facebook page. Auntie Lee had sent her a post. This Auntie Lee was the chairwoman of our neighbourhood watch. Auntie Lee was kind and passionate, her favorite hobby was to sit by the roadside to gossip about others. The post Auntie Lee shared was entitled, The Truth behind the Murder Video."


    The post was heavily exaggerated and after reading it, all of our brows were locked.


    The post described Zhang Bin''s short 20 years of life from a first person perspective. The poster imed that they were Zhang Bin''s ssmates. They said Zhang Bin was a bad student since he was young. He liked to pull down girls'' pants, demand protection money from the neighbourhood kids and spit into the teacher''s mugs. When he was 7, he stole money from his parents; and when he was 12, he made a girl pregnant. Now that he was an adult, he was involved in drug, murder, rape, arson and so on. He even had his own underground gang and ruled Elm Town''s underground world.


    I saw not Zhang Bin but an exaggerated version of the man from the post. Zhang Bin described in the post was Evil Incarnate. The post was also heavily descriptive like the poster had experienced these things alongside Zhang Bin. The post also came attached with pictures of Elm Town and pictures of a boy. Honestly, the boy could have been anyone, but the message was that it was Zhang Bin. After reading the post, I sighed, "If this post is real, then Zhang Bin would have been beaten to death when he was in primary school."


    Mary sighed, "Such is the nature of our current inte culture. The truth doesn''t matter as long as it can go viral. The post is clearly highly manufactured. I''ll check the poster''s ID. The post has been shared over 500 times, we can charge the poster with libel already." I nodded.


    Captain Zhao said, "That is not the important thing now, we can put that aside first. Mainly, we need to figure out who was the one who uploaded that video and where is that man now. If he''s still alive, bring him here; if he''s dead, bring his body here."


    We nodded.


    Right that moment, a call came in from the neighbouring district''s station. They said a body had been found inside an ice hole and the body looked just like the man on the video.


    "The body has been found?" I frowned, "The moment the video is released, the body is found?"


    The office said, "You better get over here now. Someone has spread the news about the body and now the riverbank is filled with people. They are all waiting for the dead body to be salvaged. Other than that, we also have plenty of reporters here. That video is now great news. It''s all over social media."


    After hanging up, I told the rest, "Let''s go, the body has been found."


    "This is such a coincidence." Gu Chenmented.


    I shook my head. "Too much of a coincidence. I refuse to believe there is no one behind this. Sister Mary, please help me check why the video gained such huge poprity so soon. This murder video is not really a murder video, but a man''s soliloquy about how he''s going to risk his life to take revenge but somehow, someone has made it into a murder video."


    Mary nodded. "There''s probably a hired 50 cent army at work but who hired them, I''ll have to dig deeper."

 Chapter 164: Near Death

    Chapter 164: Near Death


    Elm River was not arge river but it wasrge enough to drown someone in it. However, it was winter, and the river surface was frozen. So for someone to drown here, that person was extremely unlucky or this was not the first crime scene.


    When we arrived, there was already arge crowd. It didn''t feel like we were at a crime scene but some tourist spot. The crowd bustled and the cacophony made sure that we couldn''t hear each other. I noticed most people had their phones out, like they were waiting for the extraction of some valuable relic. When the cruiser arrived, we were immediately surrounded by reporters.


    "ording to rumors, this body belongs to the young man from the murder video, is that true?" "What is the police''s opinion on this, where is Zhang Bin now?" "The im that Zhang Bin has used drugs to coerce the man to rape his own younger sister, is that true?"


    Gu Chen opened his arms and pushed these people back but the reporters pushed back at him. They were practically sticking to us and they were noisy like flies. The few of us had to push through a lot before we finally reached the cordon line.


    On the surface of the ice, about 5 officers were discussing how to haul the body out from the ice. Theyer of ice was very thick. When we walked on it, it didn''t shake at all. The ice became thinner as it approached the middle but it was still very firm.


    As I walked closer, I noticed there was a round hole in the middle of the river. The hole was too round to be made by nature. In this part of China, winter swimming was amon activity. The swimmers would cut open a round hole on the ice and dive underwater. There would be one such hole every 10 meters so that the swimmers could surface for air. Every winter swimmers knew that the temperature underwater was higher than the surface.


    The possibility was that when Du Zigui found Zhang Bin, he was too weakened by drugs to win Zhang Bin. In the duel, neither of them held back. The only way Zhang Bin could survive was to kill Du Zigui. Afraid of discovery, Zhang Bin dropped the body into the frozen river. He thought no one would find the body but he thought wrong.


    "Where is the body?" I still didn''t see it. An officer pointed beneath my feet. "It''s right under you" I immediately jumped back. I looked down and wished that I hadn''t because the shiver immediately crawled all over me.


    A white face appeared on the spot where I was standing earlier. The face wasrge and white. The facial feature was bloated in water. The eyelids were forced open so we could see the dark pupils inside. The man''s hair was long and they were swaying along with the underwater current. There was a strangtion mark on his neck but it was not deep. He was naked. From his bulging stomach and limbs, it was clear that he had been in the water for some time already. If his stomach didn''t get stuck to the ice, his body probably would have been washed further downriver. If that was the case, we might never find the body. It was not impossible for it to flow out of Elm Town.


    The body was in an awkward position because it was stuck between 2 ice holes and it was not close to either of them. The police pondered this question of removing the body from the water. It would not be easy. Someone suggested breaking the icy surface but that led to another problem, how big should the crack be? And would the cracking cause all of us to fall into the water?


    In his urgency, Gu Chen volunteered, "There''s no need for all that, I can just dive down now." We turned to the man who was already undressing. "I''ll be back before you know it. It''s not that cold now anyway." The man shrugged.


    The officer prepared a towel for Gu Chen and he dressed down to his briefs. Instantly cheers came from the girls of the crowd. Gu Chen was extremely muscr and clearly an eye candy. As people whooped and cheered, Gu Chen dived into the hole.


    Soon we saw a hand appear on the other side of the ice. Gu Chen dragged Du Zigui''s body by his neck and slowly swam back. He pushed Du Zigui''s neck upwards and thetter''s head popped up through the hole. We hurried over to grab Du Zigui by his shoulders and pulled. However, the body was stuck in the hole at the stomach. The stomach was too big. While the body was underwater, the rotting air in the body collected inside the stomach. If we pushed, the rotten air and water inside would be enough to fill up several pints. I was about to warn everyone from pulling too hard just in case the pressure squeezed the body but at that moment, a senior officer from the local station yelled, "Come on, we can do this. Pull!"


    And with that, we heard the sound of air being released. A horrible stench was released from the dead body and it clouded the water of the river immediately. After the toxins in the stomach were released, the body slipped out easily. Itnded on the ice. The officer said, "How strange is that? I don''t even know a dead body could fart."


    I didn''t know whether tough or scold the senior officer. We waited around but we saw no sign of Gu Chen. By then I was seriously worried. I called Gu Chen''s name but there was no reply. The water was still murky and I couldn''t tell where Gu Chen was.


    I leaned down on the surface and saw the rot move underneath. It meant that someone was down there, propelling them about. If a person was sted by the noxious gas, it was understandable for them to get dizzy. Add to the fact that Gu Chen was underwater, it was quite possible that he was drowning


    As that thought crossed my mind, I immediately undressed and jumped through the hole. Instantly the chill enveloped me. It felt like I was swimming in the fridge, I couldn''t move my limbs freely. I kept his eyes narrowed but the water pressure was strong. I saw Gu Chen sinking towards the riverbed so I swam towards him. I grabbed him by his arm and then kicked to the surface as fast as I could.


    I could feel my lungs burning and my limbs freezing. My head was spinning and my instinct was to head towards the light. Finally, I touched the icy surface. A hand grabbed me and then more reached to pull me up. My other hand was tight around Gu Chen. When I was hauled through the water, it felt like my skeleton had been shattered. A towel was draped over me. Gu Chen was hauled out of the water right after. Gu Cheny on the ice with his eyes closed. Seeing him like that, I was worried but the only doctor around was Guan Zhenglin.


    Guan Zhenglinid Gu Chen t on the ice and then started heartpression. Gu Chen showed no sign of resuscitation. Guan Zhenglin then gave him mouth to mouth. But there was still nothing. I prayed to every God that I knew to save Gu Chen. The few minutes felt like a century. Finally, I heard a cough.


    Guan Zhenglin immediately tilted Gu Chen''s head to the side. Gu Chen coughed out some water and vomited. I quickly rushed over to give Gu Chen the towel and then put my clothes back on. I joked, "You sure you didn''t do that just to get some kisses?"


    Wrapped in the towel, Gu Chen said, "I was helping to push the body up when he shat on me. I wasn''t prepared for that so I sucked some of the refuse in. Then I lost consciousness."


    The people around were trying to hold in their breath. Thankfully this was just a fake scare. I couldn''t imagine how I would feel if Gu Chen really passed away like that. Gu Chen wiped away the water from his body and said, "By the way, when I was underwater, I noticed something strange." "What is it?"


    He answered, "There are grooves that look like they were dug out by nails. The body was hooked by these grooves and thus didn''t float away."


    Grooves? I frowned, previously, I thought it was because the body''s stomach was too big that it got stuck, I didn''t expect something like this. If Gu Chen didn''t dive underwater to salvage the body, we wouldn''t have noticed these details. Then, the purpose of this body dump was not to hide the body but instead to make sure we would find it. But who would do that?


    I frowned. "Who was the first to find the body?"


    The officer pointed at an old man not far away, "it was that gentleman, he is part of the winter swimmers. He was spooked when he saw the human face underwater and immediately called us."


    I nodded. "Bring him over here, I have something to ask him."


    Guan Zhenglin added, "There are too many people to conduct the autopsy here. I''ll check on the body back in the morgue."


    The old man walked over. He looked around 60 but he was incredibly spirited and healthy. He was possibly more physically fit than many young people. I asked, "Sir, was it you who found the body?"


    He nodded.


    I asked, "How did you find it?''


    The man answered, "I''m part of the winter swimming team. We came here to drill the swimming holes 4 days ago. Before the real event, we would have a final check on the river for safety reasons. That was why I came here and that was how I found the body"

 Chapter 165: Grooves

    Chapter 165: Grooves


    While I was conversing with the old man from the winter swim team, the sh beside us hadn''t stopped. Guan Zhenglin was organizing people to wrap up the body in the body bag. After the explosion'' earlier, the stomach had shrunk a lot. The rotten air had been released.


    Over the past few minutes, the crowd gasped and wailed with us. With my estimation, this whole salvage mission would be shared on all social media within minutes. But there was nothing we could do to stop it. In fact, I couldn''t even tell why things would suddenly get so viral.


    Was it because Elm Town hadn''t had an actual murder for too long? But everything was too coincidental. The moment the murder'' video was released online, the body was found. Everything came like waves to fluster us.


    The public was a temperamental creature. Today they might be discussing the murder video but tomorrow they would move onto another thing; today they might insist on justice for the victim'', Du Zigui, but tomorrow, they would forget about everything. The public opinion changed like the flip of a coin. So such an intense release of consecutive news was probably nned by someone.


    I asked the witness, "Did you see anyone suspicious when you were here?"


    The old man thought about it. "Actually now that you mentioned it, when we were drilling the holes, someone came to ask me what we were doing. I told him it was for the winter swim. He asked me for the date of the event, and I told him it was going to be held one weekter. I even invited him toe, but he told me he couldn''t join because his arm is injured Then he left." The old man worked his shoulders. "As he walked away, he mumbled to himself, this is a good ce''. Honestly I had no idea what he was yapping about."


    "There was an injury on his arm?" I asked seriously, "He told you that?"


    The old man nodded, "He even tapped his left arm to stress it, he seemed proud of it."


    Well that was suspicious. Who would go around telling people their arm was injured? Now that I think about it, this has happened more than once. But why would Zhang Bin do that? Going around ces and purposely letting people know that his arm was injured. It was like he was afraid that people wouldn''t know he was Zhang Bin.


    From the avable witness and evidence, everything pointed towards Zhang Bin. Even Cheng Yimin, Zheng Shuai and the restaurant boss could prove that it was Zhang Bin who coerced Du Zigui to go and rape Fang Xiao Qi, and Zhang Bin defense was that, it was a drunken joke.


    Zhao Xiaoli couldn''t tell if the person who raped her was Zhang Bin but Zhang Bin''s fingerprint was found at the ce that imprisoned her. There was no third set of fingerprints. Zhang Bin was the culprit.


    From Du Zigui''s video and his body, they both also verified these statements.


    The boss of Serendipity Inte Caf also confirmed that Zhang Bin had said he would ruin Hao Ren''s family and burn down his house. Zhang Bin argued that he only said those in the heat of the moment. He had done none of those things. The circumstantial evidence against him was as high as a mountain.


    However, at the same time, we couldn''t find any concrete evidence to prove Zhang Bin was the culprit either. This was truly confusing, was Zhang Bin was the evil mastermind or someone was trying to pin this on him?


    The inte provided a clear answer, everyone wanted Zhang Bin to die even though there was no concrete evidence. This was already a public lynching. When we left, someone led the crowd to chant, "Truth, we want the truth, we will not rest until we have the truth!"


    Seeing the crowd that refused to disperse from the rearview mirror, I was both happy and sad, happy because they were so adamant to know the truth; sad because they probably didn''t really care about the truth.


    We soon returned to the station. Mary was narrowing down the inte tracks of the video poster and was shocked to realize the IP came from Dong Xing City. It was a 4 hour car ride from Elm Town to Dong Xing City. This video was released less than 3 hours ago. In other words, the poster was still in Dong Xing City. However both Du Zigui and Zhang Bin were locals at Elm Town, why would someone at Dong Xing City release this video?


    Captain Zhao sighed, "Are we Conan? Everywhere we go, people will die?"


    I chuckled, "Where there are people, there will be death. In our world, there are 8 deaths every second and 106 deaths every minute. It is just that most people don''t realize it and most stay away from death. But perhaps the person you cross on the street, they would die that very day."


    Captain Zhao said, "I''ll bring people back to Dong Xing City with me to investigate this video uploader. Then I''ll go and look around the city council, our exile shouldn''tst this long."


    Everyone nodded.


    Guan Zhenglin, "In that case, I''ll conduct the autopsy." The body was ced on the autopsy table. Gu Chen was still fidgety around this body, after all, he almost died because of it.


    As Guan Zhenglin put on her gloves and mask, she observed the body. Before she cut open the body, shemented, "You saw how bloated the body was yourself. Considering the fact that it''s winter, he would have been submerged in the water for around 4 or 5 days already."


    4 or 5 days, that matched the time stamp on Zhang Bin''s video. In other words, Du Zigui did go and find Zhang Bin after he finished recording the video. But how did Du Zigui lose to Zhang Bin when Zhang Bin was already wounded. Was Du Zigui so weak that he couldn''t overpower the single-handed Zhang Bin?


    Suddenly something shed in my brain.


    Guan Zhenglin started the autopsy. "I doubt the drug still remains in the body but I''d advise you two to put on the protective suit. He was a new drug addict. One day you should go and see the internal organs of a long term addict, their organs are basically in pieces"


    Gu Chen turned his head away, looks like he still had trauma. I put on the protective gear and walked forward to take a closer look. Guan Zhenglin worked on the skinny yet bloated'' body. She worked for half an hour before she said, "See the strangtion mark on his neck?"


    There was indeed one around Du Zigui''s neck. It didn''t look deep. I nodded. "Is it fatal?"


    Guan Zhenglin shook her head. "That''s the strange part. The wound is not nearly deep enough to be fatal. Plus the direction of the force is also questionable, it goes down."


    "Questionable?" I asked.


    Guan Zhenglin asked me to simte the situation with her. She faked tying a rope around my neck and then pulled downwards. In that case, my body would naturally lean downwards unless of course we were standing back to back and she used her own body as leverage. But this reminded me of another problem. Zhang Bin''s left arm was weak. If he did strangle Du Zigui, the strangtion mark shouldn''t look like this. The mark should be lighter on the left side but that was not the case. In other words, it was not Zhang Bin who left this mark behind. "The direction is not right!" I concluded.


    Guan Zhenglin smiled before she added, "So you better pay attention during the autopsy." She used the scalpel to slice through the body''s lung. With a small cut, water gushed out from the lungs. Guan Zhenglin used the tip of the scalpel to point at bits of green. "See those things? Those are water algae, plus there is too much water in the lungs, this can only mean that he was dropped into the water when he was still alive." Guan Zhenglin used the scalpel to press on the kidney and pancreas. "From the deterioration of these two organs, it is clear that this man was a drug addict but his drug usage history was not long or else the signs of organ failure would be much clearer. In conclusion, he died around noon 4 days ago."


    Gu Chen said from the side, "Isn''t that right around the time Zhang Bin went to change his bandage? Probably Du Zigui did go to the hospital but he was noticed by Zhang Bin. Zhang Bin led him to the river and then overpowered him with the rope before kicking him into the water."


    I said, "But Du Zigui was still conscious when he was underwater. Do you remember the grooves you saw on the other side of the ice? How do you think they got there?"


    "Du Zigui dug them out himself?" Gu Chen guessed.


    I said, "If he has the time to do that, why not swim to the ice hole to escape?"


    "Then what happened?" Gu Chen frowned.


    I looked at the body on the table. "Is there a possibility that Du Zigui wasn''t killed by Zhang Bin but he killed himself?"


    "A suicide?" They both asked.


    I nodded seriously. "Yes, Zhang Bin is the cause of everything and his death will also end everything. They really want Zhang Bin to die. Without Zhang Bin, nothing would have happened. I believe the climax of this performance ising soon."

 Chapter 166: Friends

    Chapter 166: Friends


    Without actual evidence, we could only keep a person for 24 hours. Even though every circumstantial evidence pointed towards Zhang Bin, they were not direct evidence. Therefore, 24 hourster, we had to let Zhang Bin go.


    Today, all the citizens of Elm Town were gathered at the police station. Zhang Bin had not encountered something as serious as this before. He used his shirt to cover his head, afraid that people might recognize him. However, the fact that he did that only tipped the citizens to his presence. They all rushed forward, wanting to see what the legendary Zhang Bin looked like.


    They were rowdy and someone shouted, "The post did say that the police are in cahoots with Zhang Bin. I refuse to believe it but the fact that they would let someone as awful as Zhang Bin go proves that I was wrong! What is the point of the police if they can''t protect us from criminals like Zhang Bin!"


    Instantly the public rounded behind that slogan. They screamed and surrounded Zhang Bin. If not for the police maintaining the order, Zhang Bin would be beaten to death. The power of the people was scary especially when it was misguided.


    The police station chief stood at the top of the stairs and shouted from his speaker, "Quiet down please! There is no concrete evidence that Zhang Bin is the killer. Please calm down. If Zhang Bin is not the killer, then we would be hurting an innocent person." But no one cared.


    The crowd blocked the cruiser so that Zhang Bin couldn''t get in it. Zhang Bin used his shirt to block left and right but eventually someone grabbed his shirt and pulled it away.


    Someone shouted, "You looked so cute when you were young but now you look just like a criminal. Citizens of Elm Town, remember this face. Justice might bete but it is never absent!" This axiom resonated with the crowd, and they all chanted, "Justice might bete but it is never absent!"


    Zhang Bin cried and pleaded, "But I didn''t do anything, it is really not me!"


    An auntie scolded, "Pfft, everyone already knows the truth. There is no point in arguing anymore. We''re all civilized people so let''s not use our fists but our mouths instead!" Then she gargled and spat on Zhang Bin''s face. And that was how a group of civilized people ended up spitting on Zhang Bin. Soon Zhang Bin was covered in slime. Since we stood next to Zhang Bin, some of the spit sttered onto us as well.


    "It''s not me." Zhang Bin shouted until his face was red but it was pointless.


    At that moment, a boy charged through the crowd. He held 2 cleavers in his arms. I was standing right beside Zhang Bin so I saw Wang An from afar. A primary student with 2 cleavers charged out from the crowd, it was quite strange and terrifying. The crowd immediately parted to let Wang An through. Wang An shouted, "Zhang Bin, you''ve killed my big sister and big brother! Even if I die, I''ll bring you down with me!"


    "That''s the boy! The poor thing!" Some of the crowd recognized Wang An from the post. He was the poor child mentioned in the murder'' post.


    Gu Chen blocked before Zhang Bin. As he saw Wang An, he frowned. I knew Wang An had a violent streak but I had no idea he would be so daring to attack Zhang Bin in front of so many people.


    Gu Chen went forward to stop Wang An. However, the crowd had had enough. A few of them rushed forward to hold Gu Chen back. That gave Wang An the opportunity to get towards Zhang Bin. Zhang Bin''s left arm was cut by Wang An twice before, this time, Wang An was going for the man''s life.


    Zhang Bin panicked. At that moment, he grabbed someone nearby to be his meat shield. Everyone had already scattered away from Zhang Bin, only this man still stood there dumbly. Zhang Bin grabbed the man and shielded the man before him. I got a close look at the man, he was Guo Feng, Teacher Zhao''s son. No wonder he didn''t move away with the crowd. He was probably there to apany Wang An, but in the chaos, he was made into a meat shield by Zhang Bin. Wang An might be a good fighter but he was still a child. When he saw Guo Feng, it was already toote. He couldn''t retract his fists.


    There was a wet squishing sound. A cleaver fell to the ground and the other cleaver stabbed into his stomach.


    A tear dropped to the ground.


    A fatty copsed to the ground.


    Guo Feng looked at his own stomach, and several secondster he started to cry. Wang An immediately lost his courage. He hugged Guo Feng''s arm and began to cry too. In the chaos, Zhang Bin had disappeared. I hurried to inspect Guo Feng''s wound. Someone shouted, "That fucking Zhang Bin has killed another man! Zhang Bin has killed again!"


    The chaos escted. I saw from the corner of my eye that Zhang Bin had escaped back into the station. This ce which he would have hated deeply in the past was now his only sanctuary.


    Guo Fang''s stomach was pouring with blood. Wang An used full force behind his stab. There was only the hilt which could be seen, the de had fully sunken into Guo Feng''s stomach. His stomach was torn open like a zipper, the intestines could be seen.


    Guo Feng cried, Wang An cried.


    "Call the ambnce, someone call the ambnce!" I shouted loudly, "Guan Zhenglin, where is Guan Zhenglin? Someone is injured!" But the chaos of the crowd had swallowed up my voice.


    "Wang An, Wang An, it''s so painful. I feel so sleepy." Guo Feng looked at Wang An and uttered softly.


    "It''s fine, you''ll be fine. Please don''t fall asleep." Wang An''s tiny hands were pressed heavily against Guo Feng''s stomach to stop the blood from flowing.


    "Wang An, please don''t cry. Didn''t you say that you hate children who cry the most?" Guo Feng reached out his hand to try to wipe away Wang An''s tears.


    Wang An sniffled and said, "Of course, see, I''m not crying."


    Guo Feng forced a smile. "You promised to y with me after you''re done with your task. Have you finallypleted that task?"


    "I have. I will always y with you." Wang An tried to force his trembling lips to smile.


    "Pinkie swear." Guo Feng lifted his shaking hand.


    "Pinkie swear." Wang An hooked his finger with his friend''s. Then Guo Feng closed his eyes like he was sweetly falling asleep.


    "Move out of the way please! The ambnce ising!" The siren of the ambnce came. But the crowd was toorge. People bumped into each other and the situation only got more chaotic. Thissted for a whole five minute before the ambnce could reach Guo Feng. They lifted Guo Feng into the ambnce and Guan Zhenglin followed. Wang An made to follow too but he was stopped by one of the officers. Wang An turned to re at him. There was asura in his eyes.


    I knew about the rtionship between Wang An and Guo Feng so I uttered softly, "Let him go."


    After the ambnce drove away, so did the crowd. They didn''t want to get hauled into the station after all. In the end, all that was left were two bloody cleavers and a pool of blood.


    Gu Chen cursed, "This is all my fault, if I had noticed this earlier, the man wouldn''t have been stabbed!"


    I tapped Gu Chen on his shoulder. Everything happened too fast, Wang An didn''t want to kill Guo Feng, Zhang Bin didn''t want to harm Guo Feng but he didn''t want to be killed by Wang An either. So he grabbed the person closest to him, but unfortunately, that person was Wang An''s good friend, Guo Feng.


    So whose fault was this? Clearly in the eye of the public, the fault was Zhang Bin. They had already decided that he was the killer. Zhang Bin had truly gotten famous'' today at Elm Town. Elm Town was not that big. Zhang Bin had lost his ability to live in this town.


    Even though we still had no evidence to prove that he was the killer.


    Zhang Bin poked his head out from the station door. He was covered in spit and his face was pale. He walked out and said stutteringly, "I really didn''t mean to do it. I, I only reacted on instinct. That, that kid wanted to kill me. I was afraid." Zhang Bin was no longer the same person we arrested. The arrogance and insouciance were all gone. The emptiest can ring the loudest. Zhang Bin was a talker but Wang An was a doer, that was the difference between the two.


    The station chief frowned, "This is madness."


    I looked at Zhang Bin and said, "Currently we have no evidence to prove that you are the killer or the rapist so you can go now. But before the case is closed, you are not to leave Elm Town or we''ll arrest you. Also, I''d advise you to keep a low profile, you know what the consequences are if you''re spotted."


    Zhang Bin nodded and he looked dispirited. He looked at us and said, "I''ve told you everything I know, I didn''t do the rest. I don''t know why everyone thinks I''m the culprit when I am really not. Once you''re a criminal, you''re not trustworthy anymore?" Zhang Bin asked with a choke in his voice, "Do you believe me?"


    None of us responded.


    Zhang Binughed deprecatingly as he turned around. He mumbled to himself, "Am I forever condemned for my past?"

 Chapter 167: Press Conference

    Chapter 167: Press Conference


    When Zhang Bin walked past the pool of blood, he halted for a moment before he moved on. He didn''t dare to stay outside for too long, so he called a taxi and left. Zhang Bin left in the daylight but I could feel the chill in his heart.


    Not long after that, Guan Zhenglin called us and told us that Guo Feng had passed away. The knife went in too deep, it was meant to kill. The cut sliced his intestines into several pieces. When the cleaver was removed, the damage inside had already been done.


    Guan Zhenglin told us that Wang An cried like a baby. But in reality, Wang An was just an 8 years old boy. Based on our nation''sw for the underage, this could be considered an ident, so Wang An would not be given the death penalty. In the eyes of the public, Wang An did nothing wrong either. Wang An was also a victim, and Zhang Bin was the culprit. Guo Feng''s death was his doing as well. After hanging up, a sourness spread in my head.


    Teacher Zhao raised Guo Feng all alone, she must be devastated when she was told of her son''s death. It would be more painful than any pain imaginable. And the task of informing the next of kin fell unto us.


    I didn''t expect for Guo Feng to die and what''s more, die in the hands of his best friend, Wang An. As the saying goes, God favors the unwise, so why did this happen to Guo Feng?


    All these happened because Hao Ren did a kind deed. Why would people pay such a heavy price for something as frivolous as face?


    I hesitated for a long time before I mustered the courage to call Teacher Zhao. But something unexpected happened. Before I made the call, Teacher Zhao called me instead. Seeing her number, I teetered before finally picking it up. Before I could say anything, Teacher Zhao began, "Officer Wu, Hao Ren just came to find me. He has already told me what happened at the station."


    "Then you must have known about" I really couldn''t bring myself to mention Guo Feng''s death.


    Teacher Zhao''s voice was peaceful like she was not talking about herself. "I know, my son is dead. Wang An killed him but that only happened because Zhang Bin dragged Guo Feng as his shield, this is not Wang An''s fault. By the way, I''m calling you because I will hold a press conference at the school around 10 am. Hao Ren will be there, and I am inviting you toe as well."


    The words of constion were lost in my throat. I was about to ask for more details when Teacher Zhao hung up. Holding the phone, I didn''t know what to think. Even though we only shared a meal with her and Guo Feng, I knew that Teacher Zhao loved her son deeply. Guo Feng''s death must have cut deep, the scar was the kind that you wouldn''t see on the surface.


    I nced at Gu Chen and said, "Teacher Zhao ns to hold a joint press conference with Hao Ren at 10 am."


    "A press conference?" Gu Chen asked, "Wait, how did Teacher Zhao manage to find Hao Ren?"


    I shook my head. "She didn''t. Hao Ren found her." Then I frowned. Hao Ren''s reappearance was too coincidental. It had been almost 2 months since Hao Ren sent Zhang Bin''s group into the detention centre. Throughout this period, he had been AWOL. After he dropped Wang An off with Teacher Zhao, he basically disappeared off the face of the world. And now the first thing he did when he returned was to find Teacher Zhao. Did he know about the things that happened to his family over the past 2 months? The fire that took his house, the drug that took his son, his son that took Fang Xiao Qi''s innocence and life, the revenge taken by Wang An and so on.


    I turned to Gu Chen and said seriously, "Come, we''ll go fetch Guan Zhenglin at the hospital and then we''ll head to Teacher Zhao''s primary school. It''s now 9 am, we still have around 1 hour." When we arrived at the hospital, Wang An had already been led away by his sister, Zhao Xiaoli. Guan Zhenglin sat alone in the hospital waiting area. When she saw us, she wiped away the tears from her face. For a forensic doctor, death was incrediblymon, however, it was hard to remain detached when death imed someone familiar. It was why officers were asked to stay off cases rted to their family and friends. This was just human behavior. Humans were creatures with emotions.


    Guan Zhenglin sighed, "It''s hard to believe that someone who called you Pretty Sister yesterday afternoon is gone just like that."


    I wiped away the tears on Guan Zhenglin''s face. "Come on, Teacher Zhao is going to have a press conference. Hao Ren will be there as well."


    "Hao Ren?" Guan Zhenglin was surprised to hear that name too.


    The school had sequestered a room for Teacher Zhao and Hao Ren to hold the press conference. The room was filled with people, the reporters from major stations were all there. The primary school student with the knife, the murder video and Hao Ren''s article at the inte caf were the biggest thing to have happened at Elm Town in a long time. Almost every citizen knew about it.


    There were people even outside the room, waiting to hear the truth.


    Teacher Zhao, Zhao Xiaoli, Hao Ren and Wang An sat at the front of the room. Microphones from various tforms were ced before them.


    Teacher Zhao spoke first. There was an unusual serenity about her. "Law is there to give us justice, but when thew fails, why do we even need thew?" The bustling in the crowd quieted down as Teacher Zhao began. Teacher Zhao raised her head to look at us. "I see some of thew enforcement are with us today and I have something to say. I know this morning, my son was killed. It was done by this student who is seated beside me, coincidentally enough he is also my student.


    "It is why I know Wang An didn''t mean to do it. I knew it was Zhang Bin who used my son as the meat shield." Teacher Zhao''s eyes reddened. "What has happened that a primary student ispelled to bring 2 knives to go after someone? I am Wang An''s ss teacher, I know what kind of child he is. He is kind. He protects animals, the other students, he even protects my son. Every one of his ssmates loves him. He studied martial arts from his father and his father told him that the skills are meant to save others. I told Wang An that physical violence won''t solve anything, we have to resort tow. But when thew fail us, Wang An chose to use violence to protect his family."


    Teacher Zhao became more agitated as she spoke. "And this is all Zhang Bin''s fault. It was because Hao Ren sent him into detention that Zhang Bin decided to burn down people''s house, force a bright man into the path of drug and then coerce that same young man to rape his own little sister. Then he even caused my son''s death!" As she spoke, the monitor on the screen pulled up different pictures, they were well taken and supported her point. The first picture was Hao Ren''s burnt down house, and then the dead Fang Xiao Qi, and the bloated Du Zigui.


    We had never released these pictures before and from the angles, they didn''t appear to be taken by the police either. So who would have provided these pictures other than the killer?


    As each picture appeared on screen, there were shes and gasps.


    Teacher Zhao said, "These pictures are all real, the police can verify that. These pictures are all real and every one of them says that Zhang Bin is the killer but the police still let him go. Why? Because there is not enough evidence, no concrete evidence." Teacher Zhao finally shed her tears. She pleaded, "There are so many ears, so many eyes who saw the truth. Is that not evidence enough? What more does Zhang Bin need to do to be penalized byw?"


    Zhao Xiaoli stood up and said, "It was Zhang Bin who raped me. Even though he was masked, I knew it was him because of the wound on his left arm."


    Wang An said through his tears. "He did it, Zhang Bin did everything. Zhang Bin told me personally that he would destroy my family and he did it. I hate him but I hate myself more. I said I would kill him to avenge my brothers and sisters but I failed. I killed my best friend instead."


    Wang An shouted, "But if thew cannot help me, then I will help myself. As long as Zhang Bin is still alive, I will kill him."


    Wang An''s eyes shone with determination and no one questioned his veracity. The fact that this im came out from a primary student''s mouth was terrifying. It had arge impact on the crowd as well.


    "Zhang Bin must die! Zhang Bin must die!" Someone chanted in the crowd.

 Chapter 168: Corrupt Cop

    Chapter 168: Corrupt Cop


    Right then someone closed their hand over Wang An''s mouth, it was none other than his adopted father, Hao Ren. Hao Ren had been missing for 2 months already. He looked thinner than before and he had heavy dark circles.


    Hao Ren stopped Wang An from talking and then he spoke into the mic, "People might know this or they might not, but I am the adopted father of these 4 poor children. For the past 2 months, I was not home because I have lost my job, and I lost my job because of a thief." Hao Ren looked around before he continued, "It happened about 2 months ago. I captured 3 thieves at an inte caf and sent them to the police station. But after they were released, Zhang Bin attempted a targeted revenge on me. He used underhanded tactics to make me lose my job."


    Hao Ren ruffled Wang An''s hair and smiled, "I studied martial arts from my master since I was young so I had no problem dealing with a few petty thieves but my master often told me that the importance of martial art iis in the art. We are physically stronger than others but that does not mean we are superior to others. We study martial arts to preserve justice, not to beat up others. I often told Wang An that he is much too easily-provoked." Hao Ren looked at Wang An, "He reminds me of myself when I was young. My master guided me. He told me that martial arts are to help others from their misfortune. We should do everything we can to help others. And I did everything I could to help my family.


    "Zhang Bin targeted me so I thought if my departure could get him to stop, then I was willing to part with my family temporarily." Hao Ren continued, "At the time, a friend was looking to hire at Dong Xing City. He needed me for 2 months and would pay me 10000 RMB. It was almost Lunar New Year but the allure of the money was too strong. I need the money to support my children, to send Xiao Qi and Wang An to school.


    "I left Wang An with Teacher Zhao and Xiao Qi lived with her friend. Xiaoli and Zigui were both adults, they should be able to take care of themselves. Then I departed for Dong Xing City, one was to earn money, and two was to evade these young men, who were led by Zhang Bin."


    Hao Ren sounded saddened and helpless. "But I didn''t expect that I woulde back to this tragedy 2 monthster. The 4 children have had a hard time. When I adopted Du Zigui, it was winter and he was only 4 or 5, crawling through the garbage to look for food. Xiao Qi was my second adopted daughter, she was abandoned by her parents when she was young. She didn''t like to speak but she had a kind heart."


    Hao Ren''s tears flowed like a river. "The most difficult part of their lives should be over already, they finally saw hope but they were extinguished just like that. I heard that Zhang Bin has been released because there is not enough evidence. I am a man who has not learned many things. If that is what the police say, then I won''t hold Zhang Bin responsible for anything."


    "No way!" Wang An shouted, "It was he who killed my brother and sister!"


    Hao Ren shook his head, "Wang An, I haven''t even gotten to you yet. How could you kill someone innocent? Have you forgotten everything that I''ve taught you? When did I tell you to grab knives to kill people?"


    Wang An didn''t answer but his face was set in determination.


    Hao Ren sighed, "My dream is to open a dojo, to teach people how to take care of their bodies so they could live until over 100 years old, so the weak can protect themselves, but now I realize how foolish that dream is. Physical prowess is not enough to protect oneself because to destroy a person, one can do more than destroy their health.


    "Zigui, Xiao Qi." Hao Ren wept. "I apologize to you, I hope you''ll finally find peace. And Xiaoli and Wang An, I''m sorry for not being there when you most needed me." Then the family of 3 hugged each other and cried. Some in the crowd started to cry too. This was indeed a touching scene.


    Teacher Zhao continued in a shaking voice, "If we cannot ensure the safety of a Good Samaritan, then why is the country promoting the value of good morality? A family has been ruined, 3 lives have been lost because of this but the culprit is still outside thew."


    Teacher Zhao pointed at me and demanded agitatedly, "Officer Wu, I know this is your case. Tell me, what evidence do you still need? Are these statements not enough? Are these pictures fake? Answer me!" The reporters all turned to me and hoped to get my statement on the case.


    I was not expecting things to turn out like this.


    "I''ve heard that Zhang Bin has colluded with the police, I didn''t believe it before but it looks like it''s true!" Someone shouted, "We demand the truth, we demand the truth!" I knew avoidance was not going to solve anything so I hopped onto the stage and grabbed a mic. "Everyone calm down. We''re still in the middle of the investigation. From avable evidence, we cannot confirm fully that Zhang Bin is the killer. Give us a bit more time to prove it or an innocent person might die. How can we strip a person of his life so easily, that makes us no different from killers."


    My words raised not a ripple among the mob. They were only willing to hear what they wanted to hear. The voices of the minority were always ignored. Individual power was small but the mob mentality was scary. No one wanted to be against the mob.


    Teacher Zhao looked at me and said, "I only know that all the evidence says Zhang Bin is the killer. If thew cannot protect us, if thew won''t bring the criminals to justice, why do we need thew?! If the police don''t uphold justice, then we''ll find our own justice."


    The situation spiralled out of control. Gu Chen pulled on my arm and said, "It''s pointless to say anything now. Let''s go before the conflict esctes."


    I nodded. Suddenly lethargy overwhelmed me. As we walked out, we could hear the crowd curse at us, iming that we were harbouring Zhang Bin, we were dogs of the rich, calling us the scum of the earth. Even though we weren''t, these wordsnded heavily on our hearts. Even when we had left the conference, the crowd''s angry shouts still echoed in my ears.


    In the car, Guan Zhenglin took out her phone. She said, "Now not only Zhang Bin, even you''re famous at Elm Town."


    "Me?" I was shocked.


    Guan Zhenglin nodded. "Everyone is calling you the corrupt police. You not only didn''t help the victims but instead defended the killer. Someone even said that they would beat you up if they ran into you on the street." I shrugged helplessly.


    Guan Zhenglin continued, "But you are still far less popr than Zhang Bin. Someone had released Zhang Bin''s information online. He is 21 years old, 1.75 tall, and 130 jin. He is not a local and came from out of town. He is an orphan and started to steal when he was young. He currently lives at Shun Chang Daily Rental and his phone number is"


    I frowned because this information was different from the post attached to the murder video. This post was entirely real. Zhang Bin had been detained many times and I looked through his case files before. The information on the inte was 100 percent correct, including histest address and phone number. There couldn''t be that many people who knew that Zhang Bin had moved to Shun Chang Daily Rental, other than the police, it would be Cheng Yimin and Zheng Shuai. So this information might be offered by them.


    They were clever because while they were a group of 3 thieves, only Zhang Bin was mentioned. So they needed to extricate themselves quickly from the rtionship with Zhang Bin or else the mob mighte after then. This meant that Zhang Bin really had no one to rely on anymore. Even his old friends and partners had abandoned him.


    Gu Chen said, "Even though I think Zhang Bin is the culprit, he has managed to do it so that he doesn''t leave behind too much evidence. But with so many testimonies, can''t we just close the case? The citizens of Elm Town will not rest until the case is closed."


    I was silent. "No. Without concrete evidence, we can''t close a case. In investigation, witnesses are the most unreliable because different people have different perspectives of the same issue. We cannot do things based on the demand of the loudest voice."


    Gu Chen argued, "But now other than yourself, no one is willing to believe that Zhang Bin is innocent."


    I shook my head. "I never said Zhang Bin was innocent. I merely refuse to conclude a case without aplete investigation. We are the police, we cannot jump to conclusions, if we do, justice won''t be fair anymore."


    Guan Zhenglin sighed, "But the pressure is on. If we do not solve the case soon, the public ire will definitely turn to us."


    I closed my eyes and used my fingers to massage my temples. My mind was in shambles. The echoes of the crowd were still bouncing inside. At that moment, my phone rang.


    "Captain Zhao? Did you find something?" I answered.


    Captain Zhao answered. "We found something at Dong Xing City. I found the IP address, it was aputer at an inte caf, but the cameras here are on maintenance so there is no footage inside the caf. However, the traffic cam outside did show that Hao Ren had once visited his caf. There is no proof that he was the one who released the video by Du Zigui."


    After a pause, Captain Zhao added, "Or rather, this is not enough proof that Hao Ren was the one who released the video."

 Chapter 169: Hao Ren is not a Good Man

    Chapter 169: Hao Ren is not a Good Man


    I heard the hidden meaning in Captain Zhao''s words, it meant that he also suspected Hao Ren. The timing of Hao Ren''s disappearance and appearance was too suspicious. Even if he did go to work at Dong Xing City, Hao Ren should at least call home, but he had disappeared fully for 2 months. It was like he was purposely waiting for things to reach this state. His appearance had perfectly added fuel to the burning fire. A man''s family who was ruined because of a good deed, the story basically wrote itself.


    At that moment, the inte touted Hao Ren as the Incarnation of Justice.


    After hanging up, I sat in the car to think. I looked at Guan Zhenglin and Gu Chen before I said, "Hao Ren is about the same height and size as Zhang Bin."


    Gu Chen nodded. "Yes. Even though Hao Ren is already 40, he is more muscr than Zhang Bin. The callus on his arms is so thick that I don''t think fire can hurt him."


    "Is it possible that." A thought that was already buried in my mind, "It was Hao Ren who burned down his house, rented the house in the countryside, raped Zhao Xiaoli, supplied the pictures for the press conference and rented the 50 cent army online?" I personally thought that was highly probable. "All our witnesses said the suspect''s left arm was injured and most of them, it was the suspect who offered that info to our suspect. Why would he do that unless he was not Zhang Bin?"


    The two frowned. I continued, "Think about it, why would Zhang Bin be so dumb to tell everyone his left arm is injured. The only possibility is that the real culprit knew that the police would ask about the basic appearance of the suspect and the fact that his left arm was injured is something easily remembered. That way, we will have the preconception that the culprit is Zhang Bin." I concluded confidently, "It would exin why Hao Ren has been missing for 2 months. He was busy masquerading as Zhang Bin."


    Gu Chen shook his head. He moved one hand away from the steering wheel to shake it. "They might have simr builds, but there is a 30 year difference between them."


    I was suddenly reminded of a detail that had been bothering me. I pped my thigh. "The culprit has to be Hao Ren. He wore a mask and cap, showing all the witnesses only his eyes. Based on their eyes, it was hard to identify a person." I asked, "Do you remember the house that was used to imprison Zhao Xiaoli?"


    "I do." Guan Zhenglin answered, "What about it?"


    I nodded. "We''ve been to 3 ces where supposedly Zhang Bin''s group has resided in. The first is the cheap container house, the second is the house used to imprison Zhang Xiaoli and the third is Shun Chang Daily Rental. One is different from the rest. What is it?"


    The two thought for a while before Guan Zhenglin said, "The overall cleanliness!"


    I snapped my finger. "Bingo. In the first and third ce, the living situation was like a pigsty. As their leader, if Zhang Bin was a person who valued cleanliness, the others wouldn''t leave the rubbish inside the house. However, both the container house and the daily rental were veritable garbage dumps." I thought about it and added, "But the second house is extremely clean. However, strangely enough, Zhang Bin''s fingerprint was curiously left behind. When we were at Zhang Bin''s living space, we had to find a clean spot to stand; but when we were at that house, we had to work so hard to find the dirt."


    "So that proves that Zhang Bin didn''t rent that house?" Gu Chen asked.


    I nodded. Then I extended my second finger. "But that is only the first point. The second reason the house is so clean is because Zhao Xiaoli was living there. I remember when Guan Zhenglin conducted the rape check on Zhao Xiaoli, she didn''t find anything. Now I believe Zhao Xiaoli wasn''t raped or imprisoned, that was her home."


    Guan Zhenglin was incredulous. "But why would she do that? If Zhao Xiaoli was not raped, why would she lie to the police? This is not something to be proud of. So many girls didn''t dare to say that they were raped because it would ruin their name. But you''re telling me Zhao Xiaoli admitted to being raped even though she wasn''t?"


    I was silent as the chain of evidence linked up in my mind. Eventually I vocalized my thoughts on the case. "I think I''ve already found the truth. Now we only need to verify it to know if Zhang Bin is really the culprit or not."


    "Verify what?" Guan Zhenglin asked.


    I answered, "The voice. Even though the appearance can be changed, Hao Ren and Zhang Bin''s voices cannot be more different. As long as we find the housing agent and the old man from the winter swim, we''ll know whether the speaker was Zhang Bin or Hao Ren."


    "Even if it was Hao Ren." Gu Chen said worriedly, "We couldn''t confirm he is the killer. Even though they are his adopted children, he has raised them for 20 years, would Hao Ren really kill his own son? Plus he has no motive."


    I shook my head and told Gu Chen. "I didn''t say Hao Ren is the killer. Hao Ren said one thing correctly during the press conference. Physical torment is not the only way to destroy a person."


    Gu Chen shook his head. "You''re making less and less sense."


    "Come, let''s go to the housing agency." I said. In the next few hours, we managed to find the housing agent and the senior from the winter swim team. When we yed both Hao Ren and Zhang Bin''s voice before them, and asked them to identify the suspect, they both unanimously picked the voice that belonged to Hao Ren. In other words, the things that we assumed were done by Zhang Bin were actually Hao Ren''s doing. So Zhang Bin really didn''t do those things. If Zhang Bin was not lying, then what had Hao Ren done to make it look like he had?


    Based on the timeline, the event transpired like this, Hao Ren sent Zhang Bin''s group to detention, Zhang Bin was released and caused Hao Ren to lose his job. Zhang Bin was injured by Wang An. Hao Ren dropped Wang An at Teacher Zhao''s, Du Zigui was made into a drug addict and he raped Fang Xiao Qi.


    After that, Hao Ren started his own revenge.


    Hao Ren burned down his own home because Zhang Bin had made that threat. Hao Ren and his daughter set up the whole kidnapping charade so that Zhao Xiaoli could be a material witness. And then Hao Ren and his son, Du Zigui came up with the murder video, to spread the truth'' among the citizens of Elm Town. We had no idea whether the words Zhang Bin said during dinner was a joke or a reflection of his sick heart, I didn''t think we would ever know the truth.


    I only knew that no matter whether Zhang Bin meant it or not, he wouldn''t be sentenced to a long jail sentence ording to ourw. This was because the onus of responsibility fell on Du Zigui, since he was an adult. It was undeniable that Du Zigui had raped his sister, Fang Xiao Qi for drugs and Fang Xiao Qi had killed herself for it.


    From Hao Ren''s perspective, I could understand his feelings. His son and daughter were ruined. He must have wished to tear Zhang Bin into pieces. He didn''t choose the method employed by his son, Wang An but chose a different method to destroy Zhang Bin''s life. As a citizen, this was clearly a crime, but as a father, this was the best revenge he could give to his children.


    At that moment, Mary called me. "I''ve found the person behind the posts and videos on the inte. I found the social ount of the person who uploaded the inte, the ount was bound to a phone number. After I checked it out, the number belonged to Du Zigui."


    "In other words, it was Du Zigui who was behind all these?" I asked.


    Mary confirmed. "Yes, in another social ount registered to this phone, I discovered the whole details of the n. Du Zigui sent it to another person, teaching him what to do step by step. That person wasbeled as Father in Du Zigui''s phone and the IP address of that person was in Dong Xing City.


    "His online Id is called the Martial Artist." Mary continued, "As I dug deeper, I confirmed that this Martial Artist is Hao Ren."


    All the questions had been answered and that solved thest problem that I had. Hao Ren was not technologically savvy. Even though he was a guard at an inte caf, he wouldn''t know much about inte culture. He might know how to make a call or send a message, but toe up with a detailed step using the inte to direct the zeitgeist, that was beyond his capability.


    I was reminded of the grooves found in the ice above Du Zigui''s body. They ensured that the body wouldn''t float away. If Gu Chen didn''t identally squeezed the stink out from the body, we wouldn''t have found the grooves and we might never know the truth.


    "Come on." I turned to Guan Zhenglin, "Have you recorded our conversations with the two witnesses?"


    "I have," She nodded.


    "Let''s return to the station." I said, "Inform the station chief, it''s time to call Hao Ren in for interrogation."

 Chapter 170: Rolling Tire

    Chapter 170: Rolling Tire


    We drove back to the station and told the chief everything. He frowned as deeply as possible. He said with hesitation, "We can''t bring Hao Ren in without absolute proof. As you know, the public opinion of the police is already very bad. If this is not handled carefully, we''ll all be toast."


    Gu Chen hated this kind of preferential treatment the most, "Cooperating with the police is the civil responsibility of every citizen, why should Hao Ren be any different. He doesn''t have an extra hand or leg, so why can''t we bring him in? Are you afraid that the public will level the whole station?"


    The chief knew that we came from Dong Xing City and would eventually be moved back. We might even end up being his superior so he was careful with his words. But I understood his concern too, so I said, "Is it because Hao Ren is still at the press conference?"


    The chief nodded. "Yes, the public has started a donation drive to help himplete his dream of opening a dojo. In just mere hours, the donation has rued 500000 RMB, that is more than enough to open a dojo at Elm Town. However, the donation is stilling in. It might go over 1000000 RMB." Noting the color on the chief''s cheeks, I knew he must have been one of the donors. Perhaps he thought that would turn the public opinion on thew enforcement around. After all, many influential people at Elm Town had participated in the named donations.


    I thought about it and said, "In that case, we''ll bring him in tomorrow. Let Hao Ren have a good night''s sleep."


    The chief nodded. "When the reporters are gone tomorrow, I''ll invite him to the station. When you open your eyes next, Hao Ren will already be in the interrogation room. Special time calls for special measures. I''m sure you can understand that."


    I smiled silently.


    That night, I kept pondering about something. No matter what, this whole incident was started by Zhang Bin, both objectively and subjectively. In Zhang Bin''s 20 years plus life, perhaps no one had really treated him as a human being. As the post stated, he was forced into a life of crime to survive since he was young. Perhaps Zhang Bin had gotten used to living in the dark, perhaps he could get used to living with the additional burden of being a murderer.


    On the other hand, Hao Ren stood on the moral high ground because he lost his children due to Zhang Bin. His action was understandable.


    For the public, if we forcibly pulled Hao Ren down from the moral high ground, perhaps the public might not be able to ept it Even though the truth was merely two people who had not really murdered, but instead had framed each other. If either one of them was imprisoned, they would be out in mere months.


    However, the dpidation Zhang Bin exuded when he left the station that afternoon stuck in my mind. "Am I forever condemned for my past?"


    I tossed and turned before finally falling asleep. When I woke up the next day, it was already 10 am. No one woke up. When I exited the bedroom, I saw Hao Ren walk into the station with the chief. Hao Ren was still the same but the chief treated Hao Renpletely differently. He bowed and led the way while Hao Ren followed behind. It was like Hao Ren was some kind of official on duty.


    When he saw me, the chief said, "Xiao Wu, Hao Ren is here. I''ve decided to move our talk with him to the conference room. The interrogation room doesn''t feel suitable for Hao Ren."


    Gu Chen frowned deeper, like he could explode at any moment. I shrugged and said, "It doesn''t matter, this is just a questioning. We only need Hao Ren to answer our questions honestly. Is that okay with you, Hao Ren?" He nodded.


    Inside the conference room, Hao Ren looked at me and I looked at Hao Ren. When Ist saw him, he was wearing an old sweater but now he was wearing a very expensive winter coat and he had a shiny new phone. After all, he was now in possession of at least 1000000 RMB. And this money was more than enough for him to have afortable life at Elm Town. He didn''t need to worry about Wang An''s tuition anymore, I heard that he already got a schrship.


    "Hao Ren." I recited the name.


    "That''s me." Hao Ren nodded.


    I looked at Hao Ren and an indescribable disgust rose within me. "At this point of investigation, I already know all the truth. Your series of actions, the subsequent points of your n, I know everything. Lucky for you, you have seeded. Your dream is to open a dojo and to give your children better lives, and you have done it. But it is on the backs of 2 dead children."


    Hao Ren looked at me and said evenly, "There''s nothing wrong with pursuing my dream and wanting to give my children a better life, is there?"


    I nodded seriously as I ced my arms on the table. "Indeed, but is your conscience really clean if you build that kind of bliss on two dead children?"


    Hao Ren scoffed, "Bliss is bliss, no matter the sacrifice. My son, Du Zigui and my daughter, Fang Xiao Qi can''t enjoy that bliss anymore but I still have another son and daughter, they deserve this bliss... no matter the price!" Hao Ren frowned. "I might be able to understand you better if you have been homeless on a winter day or you have spent the day without anything to eat."


    I smiled, "Interestingly enough, I have experienced both of those things. But I still won''t pick the path you did."


    Gu Chen tapped on the table and said, "Can you two not speak in circles anymore?"


    I looked at Hao Ren and began, "Then let me start by telling everyone what you have done. Actually when you dropped Wang An off at Teacher Zhao''s ce, you had already nned to make use of Teacher Zhao. This is because you understand Wang An''s personality, you know that he will seek mad revenge when he finds out about the incident with his older brother and sister." I shrugged, "So you left Wang An with Teacher Zhao, hoping that she would note everything. But you didn''t expect Wang An to identally kill Guo Feng. But for you, this cannot be considered a bad thing because due to the loss of her son, Teacher Zhao has helped you voice the thoughts in your mind. Her son''s death made your case even more interesting"


    "The thoughts in my mind?" Hao Ren asked, "I merely agreed with what she said."


    I scoffed. "No, you were the mastermind behind her speech. You know what kind of basis her words were built on. However, you were the one who burned down your own house, you were the one who imprisoned'' Zhao Xiaoli, so that you could have more moral leverage."


    Hao Ren was silent.


    I continued, "Zhang Bin only yed one role in this event which was to run his mouth at the dinner table. Du Zigui drank the amodyne on his own, he took the drugs on his own. You must have met up with Du Zigui after he had raped Fang Xiao Qi."


    Hao Ren''s body trembled.


    I said, "Du Zigui told you the truth, perhaps he med Zhang Bin or perhaps he med himself, but the truth was, the rape had happened. As a father, you must be devastated but you didn''t know how to handle it. Fang Xiao Qi didn''te to you because it was not her personality to do so. You didn''t ask her either because you were afraid of hurting her. With her silence, you assumed things would heal with time." I said, "But you also know things can''t end like that. You have to make Zhang Bin pay. At the same time, you knew you couldn''te to the police because Du Zigui was the main culprit in most things."


    Hao Ren was still silent.


    "Therefore you came up with a series of events to turn the me onto Zhang Bin." I looked into Hao Ren''s eyes. "You disappeared and Fang Xiao Qi assumed you were unable to face her anymore after knowing the truth, so she died on Lunar New Year''s Eve. By then, you couldn''t turn back anymore. Your daughter was dead. If you stopped then, everything would be for nothing. In the end, it was Du Zigui who gave you the wonderful solution." I exined slowly. "Fang Xiao Qi was dead and Du Zigui didn''t want to live anymore. So this was thest honor you wanted to give your son? He left you with a detailed n, including sending you to Dong Xing City to upload the murder video and to hire the 50 cent army. It was very sessful."


    "Yes, it was. He always had a brilliant mind." Hao Ren''s brows smoothed out.


    I pulled on my hair. "Actually Du Zigui didn''t go to find Zhang Bin to duel as he imed in the video but instead he went tomit suicide. He left the strangtion mark on his neck, for us, no, for the public to believe that he was murdered. But in reality, he stripped down and jumped into the winter river. He hooked his nails under the ice so that he wouldn''t float away. It was a painful way to die but he was willing to do it for the sake of penance."


    I turned to Gu Chen. "And the evidence?"


    Gu Chen ced the document on the table and said, "This is the detailed n Du Zigui has sent to you. What do you have to say for yourself?"


    Hao Ren opened his arms and said, "I have nothing to say. What you said is the truth. But you know, like the tires in a moving car, we''re already on the roll, it''s toote to stop now."

 Chapter 171: Bliss is Bliss

    Chapter 171: Bliss is Bliss


    Hao Ren widened his eyes and looked around with mock innocence. He said in an exaggerated voice, "That''s right, you hit the nail on the head, but so what? I admit it, and then what? What are you going to do now?" Taking in the man and how carefree he was, I suddenly realized I had not met this Hao Ren before. The Hao Ren I knew was shy, the kind who would have his face turn red from attention, not this man who would toy with the police openly.


    "Say that again?" Gu Chen gasped as if he couldn''t believe Hao Ren would confess just like that.


    Hao Ren pouted. "I said, your spection is all correct, I did everything. I burnt down my house but it was my house. It''s not uwful to burn down my own house, is it?" I frowned. And Hao Ren continued, "It was me who rented Zhao Xiaoli''s house and we both acted up the kidnapping. Du Zigui died from suicide. When I knew these things, he was already dead. Tell me, should I not honor my dead son''s will? I might be uncultured but this is the n my son traded with his life, so why shouldn''t I do it?" Hao Ren suddenlyughed. "So now that you know the truth, what are you going to do?"


    A bad feeling rose within me. Hao Ren continued, "You''re with the police. Can you remove the bullet from the chest once it has been fired?" I finally understood what Hao Ren was up to. Then heughed harder until tears came out from his eyes.


    Gu Chen said, "In that case, we can detain you for obstruction of justice."


    "Sure." Hao Ren stoppedughing and extended his arms, signaling us to cuff him. Gu Chen was never one to hesitate so he did. The station chief clearly did not expect things to turn out like this. He wasn''t expecting this Hao Ren to not be as saintly as he believed. The chief was silent before he said, "Well, erm This, we" In the end, even he didn''t know what to say.


    Guan Zhenglin asked, "So what do we do now?" I scratched my head. The feeling of rush from solving a case didn''te. We had exposed Hao Ren''s conspiracy but the result was the same. Zhang Bin was still not the killer and neither was Hao Ren. He would only be detained for a month. Nothing big changed regarding the case. If a person had used suicide to frame another person, would theter even had the chance to prove his innocence? From the start, Du Zigui never minded if we figured out the truth. From the moment he decided on his n, we already lost. We were all silent. Gu Chen didn''t seem to grasp the consequence of the truth but the truth itself. He said, "Well, we got the killer and the culprit. The victims killed themselves, what''s soplicated about that?"


    I shook my head. "Things are not that simple. If you don''t believe me, we''ll only need to wait." Hao Renughed happily, not worried at all.


    The moment Hao Ren was sent into detention, the chief''s phone started to ring. All of them were to demand the parole of Hao Ren. Hao Ren''s crimes weren''t heavy. In fact, if he insisted that he was only joking, we had to let him go. After someone paid for his parole, Hao Ren could leave the detention centre. It was why Hao Ren was so ready to admit to everything. He wasn''t the killer, not even the conspirator. In terms ofw, Hao Ren''s crime was extremely light.


    In less than 1 hour, the reporters surrounded the police station. The chief sighed, "Yesterday, Hao Ren was selected as the 10 best citizens of Elm Town and today he was detained. This is such a dramatic twist and the reporters love nothing more than drama. Which one of you is going to face them?" Naturally it fell on me. We stood at the station door and epted the interview.


    "We hear that Hao Ren has been detained, what is the reason?"


    "Zhang Bin is released but Hao Ren is captured, is there a conspiracy we don''t know?"


    "The inte says that the police are in Zhang Bin''s pocket, what do you have to say about that?"


    The microphones poked at me. I saw only ck rounded objects. The questions flooded my mind. I took a deep breath and signaled for everyone to quiet down before I said, "I know all of you have many questions regarding the things that happened." I sighed before I continued, "I know everyone must be surprised as to why Zhang Bin was released and Hao Ren was captured. The reason is simple, Zhang Bin didn''t kill anyone. Fang Xiao Qi and Du Zigui killed themselves, Zhang Bin never did anything. I know you might not be able to believe it but we have the evidence to prove that."


    Someone asked, "Really? Is it the same evidence that the police can''t use to prove Zhang Bin''s guilt?" Then everyoneughed like it was the funniest joke. I frowned. I couldn''t see the humor in it. People only wanted to see the version of the truth that they liked, even though the investigation had objectively proved them wrong. Sometimes life was that unbelievable. For example, Du Zigui could kill himself and ensure his body wouldn''t float underwater. Could a normal human being do that?


    I said sincerely, "We can show you the evidence that the result of our investigation is correct. Fang Xiao Qi and Du Zigui did bothmit suicide. And we have no direct proof to show that it was Zhang Bin who forced Du Zigui to take the drugs. Furthermore, Du Zigui was already a grown man, he had to take responsibility for his actions."


    Then I had Gu Chen show the reporters the printed document, it was the n Du Zigui sent to his father. However, the reporters were clearly uninterested in it.


    Soon Hao Ren came out from the station, someone had paid his parole. He didn''t leave from the side door but openly came out from the front door. The reporters immediately got revived. They buzzed around Hao Ren like flies over a carrion. "Hao Ren, the police said this is all your conspiracy, what do you have to say about that?"


    Hao Ren turned down his smile and said, "I do not wish toment further on this. My statements will never change, that''s all. If there''s anything else, please ask mywyer."


    This waspletely different from what Hao Ren told us inside the police station. His words had double meaning depending on the audience. For us, he meant that everything he said in the station was true; for the reporters, it meant that everything he said during the press conference was true.


    Gu Chen heard the ambiguity in his statement and so he strode towards Hao Ren. "That is not what you said inside the station. Does your conscience not hurt saying such things? We''ll rify this now. I''ll just ask you this, do you confess to the fact that Zhang Bin is innocent and he didn''tmit any murder or arson?"


    The crowd was silent. This question was the focus of all the reporters, because they couldn''t wait to see how Hao Ren would respond.


    Hao Ren answered slowly, "If you have any further questions, ask mywyer. ording to thew, I can leave now, right?" Then he smiled and walked away.


    Gu Chen grabbed Hao Ren by his shoulders and demanded, "If you have the guts, admit that you have nothing to do with everything." Gu Chen''s action caused the cameras to sh. I could already foresee the headlines tomorrow. I suddenly understood why Hao Ren was so ready to admit everything. It was for us to arrest him so that he could y up the pity victim role before the reporters. This was another one of his shows.


    I pulled Gu Chen back. "We''ve all been fooled by this allegedly virtuous Hao Ren." Hao Ren looked at me wordlessly and then left.


    As Hao Ren departed, the station quieted down again.


    Guan Zhenglin said, "So that''s all?"


    It took a long time for me to answer. "That''s all. Hao Ren is the real master maniptor of the human heart. Compared to him, Zhang Bin is nothing. Zhang Bin was right after all. Remember what he told us when he was detained by us the first time? He said he had seen too many people like Hao Ren. Being a Good Samaritan was merely a stepping stone for them to achieve something greater. The kindness is not pure, it''s a front to reach their goal."


    "What goal?" Gu Chen looked down the distance and asked.


    I answered, "Hao Ren always wanted to open a dojo. Is it not possible that when he first captured the 3 thieves, he knew this would be the ending? He now has both money and fame."


    Guan Zhenglin frowned. "Really? He can sink so low to achieve his dream? Does that not taint it?"


    I was silent and then repeated what Hao Ren told us in the station. "Bliss is bliss, no matter the sacrifice."

 Chapter 172: Good Person

    Chapter 172: Good Person


    We would never know when Hao Ren captured those thieves, he was trying to win back justice or to gain fame; just like how we would never know Zhang Bin was only joking over dinner, or he coaxed Du Zigui with sinister intention.


    The crowd that demanded the truth also slowly dispersed perhaps because they had already obtained the truth they wanted.


    It had already been a week since Hao Ren left. Mary also posted the station''s official case statement on it but it was soon submerged under so many different threads. Compared to the murder video, Mary''s official truth basically had no reader.


    This was not Mary''s technical deficiency or because we couldn''t afford 50 cent army, but over the past week, something more explosive happened. A celebrity had died. The celebrity was famed for being kind. The celebrity died despite the young age. This caused quite a ripple online and everyone was in mourning.


    Guan Zhenglin looked at Auntie Lee''s social media. "Auntie Lee hasn''t even heard of this celebrity but she has shared most of the news like she was the celebrity''s loyal fan. But I guess this is good too. Now the focus is off us or else I don''t think Gu Chen will be able to go out anytime soon."


    I was reminded of the headlines that exploded on social media a few days ago, ``The Good Samaritan beaten up by the Police!" The image attached was Gu Chen pulling on Hao Ren''s cor. In just a few days, no one talked about it anymore. Even the incident about Hao Ren and Zhang Bin also stopped circting on social media.


    Gu Chen shrugged, "Actually if you don''t mention it, I''ve already forgotten all about it."


    I sighed, "Society nowadays moves too fast. News articles might notst longer than a minute. We''re in the informational age where we''re inundated by information. I believe this is where the case officially ends."


    The chief walked over and told us. "Just now Hao Ren''swyer just sent an invitation to us to attend his dojo''s opening ceremony tomorrow. Most of Elm Town''s famous characters will be there. He has also apologized to us, iming that the things he said inside and outside the station were taught to him by hiswyer."


    I shook my head. "Hao Ren sure is a master at this, what''s the point of apologizing when no one cares about it anymore? Plus he didn''t kill anyone, why apologize? He didn''t owe us any apology. He just wants to use us again to bring the focus back on himself." Everyone was silent.


    Guan Zhenglin added, "Such is how the world works. A hot topic mightst for a minute or a week, but it won''tst longer than a month. Like now, no one is even talking about Hao Ren anymore. No one cares about Zhang Bin. Who is right, who is wrong, is that really important? Perhaps Zhang Bin has moved to a new city, a ce where no one knows his name. So shall we ept Hao Ren''s invitation?"


    "Of course, if not, he''ll just have more leverage to use against us."


    Early the next morning, we arrived at Hao Ren''s dojo. The firecrackers were popping. It was an auspicious day for the grand opening. The supposed famous people were not there, even the crowd was extremely thin. We met Hao Ren at the door, he was smiling brightly. When he saw us, Hao Ren walked over. "I know I did wrong but I just wanted to teach Zhang Bin a lesson. Look, in the end, I got my dojo and Zhang Bin will never forget this lesson as long as he is alive. I turned him into a good man, isn''t that a win-win situation? Don''t look so sad. Look at the people around us. Human beings are forgetful creatures. In a month, people will forget about me and Zhang Bin."


    Then Hao Ren gave us 50000 RMB. "Please give this to Zhang Bin. If I wanted him dead, he would be dead already. Du Zigui indeed wanted to take Zhang Bin''s life, I was the one who stopped him. Du Zigui wasn''t an addict for long, he worked heavybor and most importantly, he studied martial arts since he was young." Then Hao Ren shook his head, revealing a sad smile, "If I didn''t stop him, Zhang Bin wouldn''t be alive. Even though Zhang Bin is a horrible person, he doesn''t deserve to die. But I still needed to teach him a lesson. Can you not empathize with the feelings of a father? Not killing him is the biggest kindness I can give him." Mncholy phased through Hao Ren''s eyes. "Call me evil, call me good. At the end of the day, my conscience is clean. Xiao Qi and Zigui just had their Tou Qi (The seventh day after death) a few days ago, ording to my family''s custom, that means that they have officially passed on. So we shall let this incident end here." Hao Ren turned to walk into his new dojo. "Give the money to Zhang Bin, and tell him that it''s now over between us. The enmity in Jiang Hu has been solved the Jiang Hu way. No matter what, as long as your conscience is clean, if you can be good, why not do it?" Hao Ren walked away without turning back.


    I looked at the name of the dojo, Hao Ren''s School of Martial Arts and Virtue.


    Gu Chen studied the money I held and then he asked, "He didn''t sound like he was being insincere, so is he a good or bad person?"


    I didn''t answer because I didn''t know how to answer. Most of the time, we saw the world in ck and white but the world was grey. There was no absolute goodness or absolute evil. We forgot about that too easily. Perhaps when he wanted to frame Zhang Bin, he was bad; but at this moment, he was good.


    We left with the money to find Zhang Bin. We hadn''t seen Zhang Bin for 2 weeks already. Ever since the debacle at the station, we lost track of the man, perhaps he had already left the city. We went to Shun Chang Daily Rental but he was not there.


    "How are we supposed to find him, his phone number is not in service. Perhaps he has moved to another city already." Gu Chen frowned. "After all, Zhang Bin is not a local and for an orphan, every city is the same."


    I thought for a while and said, "Do you still remember the drug den? We''ll head there. If Zhang Bin is not there, we''ll return the money to Hao Ren." We came to the container home of Zhang Bin. The door was locked on the inside. The container house had no window so if it was locked from inside, there had to be someone home. Strangely enough, Gu Chen mmed on the door several times but there was no answer. In his frustration, Gu Chen pped a bit too hard and the door fell off the hinges.


    A horrible stench leaked out.


    A pair of legs appeared before us, swinging in the air.


    As the sun shone into the room, we finally saw the owner of the legs. It was Zhang Bin. A noose was tied around his neck, he was dead. The body was there for quite some time already. It was winter so the dposition was not serious. But even so, there were already maggots in his body. It made the room even dirtier.


    We were silent as if unable to believe that Zhang Bin was dead. The man who begged to live at the station died just like that. There was no sign of struggle in the house. Guan Zhenglin walked forward, looked at the body and said, "Bring him back to the morgue."


    The autopsy result soon arrived. Guan Zhenglin said emotionlessly. "The time of death was around 10 am one week ago. The cause of death is suicide by hanging. There is no other fingerprint at the crime scene so"


    I finished for her. "This is a suicide. The container wasn''t damaged. I examined the lock of the door. Gu Chen broke it down with brute force, there was no sign of tempering before that. And there is onest clear piece of evidence."


    "What is it?" The duo asked.


    I answered, "He changed into a new set of clothes."


    "Is that relevant?" Gu Chen asked.


    I nodded, "It is for a person seeking death."


    "Why?"


    I looked at the icy body and said, "It means that he wanted to bid farewell to his old self. Perhaps those usations that we thought a thief would have gotten used to, have left a deeper scar than we thought."


    "What are we supposed to do with the body?" Guan Zhenglin asked, "He''s an orphan, if no one came to im him within the week, the body will probably be donated to the university. In fact, most of the bodies I dealt with in sses were bodies like these."


    Only then I realized Zhang Bin was also an orphan. Before he was a thief, he was an orphan. Unfortunately, he didn''t meet a father like Hao Ren so he had to depend on himself. So in a way, Zhang Bin was not that different from Hao Ren''s four adopted children.


    Zhang Bin died literally hours apart from the celebrity but no one mourned his death.


    The body was left at the morgue for a week, all of us believed no one woulde to im him. But God was always ready with a surprise. One weekter, a girl came to im Zhang Bin''s body. She looked shy and her clothes were tattered.


    "I hear, I''m supposed toe here to im my big brother''s body?" She asked with a shaking voice.


    "Your big brother?" I asked for more confirmation.


    "Yes, my stepbrother." She looked at us with frightened eyes. "His name is Zhang Bin. I saw him on the tv news so I came."


    I nodded. As I led her to the morgue, I asked, "How did Zhang Bin be your stepbrother?"


    She answered softly, "I have followed him since I was young, he adopted me. I have a very fragile constitution and have to spend a lot of time in the hospital." Then she showed me the scar on her stomach.


    "My father did this to me when I was young. My mom was afraid that he might identally kill me so she snuck me out and left me by the roadside." She said with ack of emotion. "I had no money until recently. My stepbrother suddenly had a windfall and I finally got to do the surgery to save my life"


    At that moment I understood where Zhang Bin had spent all of his money and who Zhang Bin had been hiding from.

 Chapter 173: The Story Killer

    Chapter 173: The Story Killer


    Xiao Lu slept early yesterday night so she woke up early this morning. After a simple wash up, she opened the window as she munched on her breakfast. She nced at the sses on the bedside table and decided to skip them for the day.


    Xiao Lu looked out at the whiteness outside the window. It snowed yesterday night. Before she slept the night before, she heard a heavy creak, it was probably a branch snapping. She stood on the wooden heated floor of her room and she was appreciative of this simple warmth.


    What is that?'' Xiao Lu lowered her eyes and saw a woman lying on the ground. The woman was lying face up and there was a red rope around her neck. The woman wore a red and white striped dress and red flower petals were scattered around her. Sheid there peacefully like Snow White waiting for her prince. Perhaps she''s a model, and this is a photoshoot.''


    Xiao Lu had encountered such people before. They would go around in exaggerated clothing and take pictures, with no concern for others. Xiao Lu had met someone from this circle not too long ago. It was a man dressed in a ck cape, he looked handsome and full of character. When Xiao Lu ran into him, he was taking pictures in the back garden.


    She seems to have fallen asleep.'' Xiao Lu took another nce. Sometimes she envied these people who had no worry in the world, she on the other hand, was an OL who had to work overtime quite often.


    Hmm, but there''s only one set of footsteps leading to the model, where''s her photographer?'' Xiao Lu looked around with curiosity. The windows on the opposite were all closed. She believed she saw a ck figure behind one of the closed windows. That is probably the photographer. Perhaps they want to use the ss for added effect.'' Xiao Lu waved at the photographer but the figure gave no response.


    The rm rang, it was already 7.30 am. Xiao Lu frowned. It was time to go to work. She nced at her neighbourhood''s back garden onest time. The woman was still lying there, Xiao Lu wondered how long this photoshoot would take. Xiao Lu grabbed her purse and left.


    At work, Xiao Lu was scolded again. It was because she made a mistake, the reason she made the mistake was because she didn''t wear her sses. Xiao Lu enjoyed the blurry world, she didn''t like to see things too clearly, it was why she was averse to wearing sses.


    When she left thepany, it was alreadyte at night, because she had to stay back to correct her mistake. The neighbourhood was dark. Everyone was asleep. Xiao Lu was afraid of the darkness, thankfully the neighbourhood guard was kind enough to walk her home.


    "I often see you workingte until midnight, your boss sure is heartless." The guardmented. "You have to be careful if youe back sote at night, after all, we have a murder happened at the neighbourhood today. It was a young girl just like you, the police just removed the body this afternoon."


    Xiao Lu''s heart skipped a beat, she was reminded of the model she saw that morning. "What happened?" Xiao Lu asked with fear and curiosity.


    The guard was quite a chatterbox. "The police said that the woman was tailed when she took a shortcut home. She was murdered in the back garden. Her blood sttered everywhere, but strangely enough there was only one set of footprints." Xiao Lu''s heart wrenched even harder.


    Seeing how fearful Xiao Lu was, the guard added, "The police said, it was probably because the killer walked over the victim''s footprints and used the same method to leave the crime scene."


    "Then has the killer been captured?" Xiao Lu asked nervously.


    The guard shook his head. "They''re still investigating but I hear from the police that the culprit is a psychopath who only targets single women. The police said the murderer probably has been scouting out our neighbourhood multiple times already. Perhaps they have been inside the victim''s home too."


    Xiao Lu shivered.


    "The woman wasn''t wearing a white and red striped dress, was she?" Xiao Lu asked with a shaking voice.


    The guard waved his hands. "A dress? Who would wear a dress in the middle of winter? She was in a white winter coat and a pair of jeans."


    Then they soon arrived at Xiao Lu''s building.


    "Wait, you live here?" The guard suddenly asked.


    Xiao Lu looked at the friendly guard and answered, "Yes, what''s wrong?"


    "I have to go." The guard turned and practically ran away. Xiao Lu frowned. But as she approached her home, her heart slowly calmed down. She thought she saw a dead body this morning but she was merely scaring herself. She opened the door, closed the door and switched on the lights.


    "There you are." Xiao Lu stared at the sses on the shoe rack. She had such a bad memory. She forgot to leave home with her sses several times already, but she had gotten used to seeing the world through blurry eyes. Xiao Lu crawled in bed, it was very warm. She heard the creaking noise again but it was louder than yesterday. But it was not snowing when she came home earlier. Xiao Lu pondered these things as she slowly drifted off to sleep.


    "Such a wonderful sleep." Xiao Lu pushed open the window and the world outside was still pure white in color. "It''s another new day, I''ll have to work hard!" Xiao Lu cheered.


    An old man with greying hair sat before me and Captain Zhao sat beside him. From the senior''s presence, I knew he was someone important. The casual way Captain Zhao sat beside him also proved their close rtionship.


    "If I''m not mistaken, you must be Chief Bai?" I asked.


    The senior nced at Captain Zhao and nodded. "Clever kid."


    I shook my head, "But I still can''t tell why you''ve told us this story."


    The senior exined, "That, you''ll have to ask your Captain Zhao." Then the old man left the room, leaving only Captain Zhao and myself behind. Captain Zhao began, "When I returned to Dong Xing City, Chief Bai found me. He handed us a case, if we can solve this, we''ll be moved back to Dong Xing City."


    "The case is rted to that story?" I asked with shining eyes.


    "That''s right." Captain Zhao answered.


    One hourter, we returned to Dong Xing City.


    Captain Zhao exined in the meeting room. "A few days ago, this story was released online. One day after that, a woman called Xiao Lu discovered a dead body in her neighbourhood''s back garden. A few days after that, someone discovered Xiao Lu''s body. The reason Chief Bai wants us back is because the team led by Captain Lee hase up with nothing after so long." Captain Lee was the one who squeezed Captain Zhao out of Dong Xing City and now Xiao Liu was working under Captain Lee so we might cross paths.


    Captain Zhao continued, "Chief Bai wants both of our units to work together to capture this killer as soon as possible. If we seed, we''ll stay."


    "A story-writing killer?" I mumbled to myself.


    Captain Zhao heard me and nodded. "That''s right. This story was found only after the two females were killed but the strange thing is that the story was released before their deaths. In other words, if someone who knew Xiao Lu in real life had found this story and rted it to her, the two women might still be alive."


    "A death predictive story?" Gu Chen concluded.


    "Perhaps." Captain Zhao looked at the few of us. "Since the killer has written the story, then this whole thing is premeditated. Perhaps we can find some clues from the story."


    Guan Zhenglin asked, "Can Sister Mary find the person who posted the story?"


    Captain Zhao smiled sadly, "Captain Lee would have already thought about that, if the culprit can be captured so easily, Chief Bai wouldn''t call us back. The IP address was overseas but the killer can''t be so the killer knows their way aroundputers."


    I said, "The killer has already told us what he looks like."


    "Hmm?" Everyone turned to me.


    I pulled on my hair and said, "This story might sound illogical but it contains a lot of useful information. The killer wrote it from the first person view, describing how a young singledy discovered a body. However, Xiao Lu had serious myopia so she thought it was a photoshoot." I continued, "The white wintercoat was streaked with blood, so Xiao Lu mistook the woman as wearing a red and white striped dress. The red rope around the neck had to be the wound. The caped man in ck that Xiao Lu encountered had to be the killer who was there to scout out the crime scene."


    "And then?" Gu Chen asked.


    I massaged my temples, "The creaking was not the branch breaking from snow, but someone walking on the wooden floor. The sses were on the bedside table in the morning but were moved to the shoe rack at night, which meant that someone was inside Xiao Lu''s home."


    Everyone''s faces were heavy.


    I continued slowly, "As I said before, the killer has already told us who he is. He told us through this story that Xiao Lu would eventually be killed. The guard didn''t dare to enter her building because the previous victim lived there as well. The creaking Xiao Lu heard the night before was the killer moving upstairs."


    Captain Zhao nodded. "Now you understand why Chief Bai has requested for us to return, we''re not dealing with a normal killer."


    "But how could the killer guarantee everything written will happen in real life?" Guan Zhenglin said in disbelief. "Is there really a killer who could follow every step as written in the story? If Xiao Lu didn''t open the window as described, then it wouldn''t have made sense."


    Looking out the window, I said, "The killer might be someone with mental illness or more precisely, multiple personality disorder."

 Chapter 174: Serial Killer

    Chapter 174: Serial Killer


    I had been in the mental asylum for a long stint and met many interesting people. Some liked to be tied to the bed and tortured; some liked to eat their own feces; some liked to go out at night to scare people. So a story-writing killer was not that special.


    However, to find a person wearing a ck cape at Dong Xing City which had over 20000000 people was not easy. I believed the normal methods, ie, the surveince footage and stuff had failed, or else Chief Bai wouldn''t have found us.


    In other words, the neighbourhood security cameras were probably sabotaged or the killer knew their blind spots. In any case, the killer must be good at anti-surveince. But Xiao Lu still managed to encounter the killer or perhaps the encounter was on purpose.


    I closed my eyes and a profile came to me. He had very dark eye circles from ack of sleep. This was a cultured man, he liked to read, especially serious literature. He had a cactus as his best friend. He didn''t like mirrors even though he was tall and handsome. He was of mixed heritage, he had a cleanliness obsession, he won''t allow himself to get dirty.


    But this kind of person was not rare in Dong Xing City.


    Guan Zhenglin said, "In any case, we''ve not even seen the 2 bodies yet. Perhaps we''ll have more clues after doing that."


    Captain Zhao said, "There''s no need to, the autopsy report is already out. Both of the women had their throats shed. The first victim''s name is Zhao Kaifang and the second victim is Luo Xiao Lu. Both of them lived in a neighbourhood called Dong Chang Apartments. They lived on the 5th block, Zhao Kaifang in Room 502 and Luo Xiao Lu, Room 402." Then Captain Zhao looked at me. "Wu Meng''s hypothesis earlier is correct. Based on Captain Lee''s investigation, the killer has been into the victims'' room because they found semen belonging to the same man inside the two women''s rooms. The semen was evenly spread over their beds and it was already dried when found."


    Guan Zhenglin asked, "Have either of the victims shown signs of being raped?"


    Captain Zhao studied the autopsy report and answered, "No, based on the coroner''s report, neither of the girls had sex before death. Luo Xiao Lu was a virgin. So the killer didn''t kill for sex but he did leave behind his semen on the girls'' beds" Captain Zhao frowned. "We were unable to find the man''s DNA from our database, in other words, he has no criminal records. In my years of experience, 99 percent of psychopathic killers do not have a criminal past. They suddenly snap and will not stop until they are captured."


    Gu Chen asked curiously, "Really?"


    I looked at Gu Chen and exined, "Because these serial killers are executed once they''re caught so there won''t be any repeat offenders. And this story-telling killer doesn''t fit any of the serial killers currently on the run. So he must be new to the scene."


    "What about thest 1 percent?" Gu Chen asked.


    Captain Zhao tapped the table. "The 1 percent managed to escape before their execution or they were sent to the asylum. This killer will kill again and we can''t even guarantee he''ll stay in Dong Xing City. This city has 20000000 people, that is enough for 20000000 stories."


    Guan Zhenglin was anxious. "Then how can we tell who will be his next target? Many stories are released online daily, we can''t go through them one by one. Plus, we won''t even know we''re reading the killer''s story until after hemits the murders."


    "The killer suffers from premature ejaction." I said.


    "Premature ejaction?" Captain Zhao asked.


    I nodded and analyzed, "This might have to do with why he only targeted single females. The thing that drives his libido is not the opposite sex but the murders. Like how lions would pee to mark their territory, this killer is doing the same. And his next target might be another young, single female."


    I concluded, "We better head to the crime scenes."


    Everyone nodded.


    The case not only concerned the safety of all the single women at Dong Xing City but also our future so we had to give it our all. However, when we arrived at the crime scene, there were already a lot of police there and the leader of the unit was someone we were very familiar with.


    We hadn''t seen Xiao Liu for months already and this was an awkward reunion. Gu Chen ignored Xiao Liu and walked past him while I greeted him and Xiao Liu smiled lightly at me.


    "You guys should go upstairs to take a look." Captain Zhao told us. I looked at Captain Zhao and then at Xiao Liu. Xiao Liu was basically Captain Zhao''s disciple, so I wondered how they felt with regards to this reunion. We knew better than to get involved so we hurried upstairs. Everyone had their own considerations and choices, plus his decision didn''t really hurt anyone so o well.


    The officers from Xiao Liu''s team told us that since there hadn''t been any progress with the case, Captain Lee had Xiao Liu return to the crime scenes to see if they had missed anything. When they departed for the first time, they told thend owner to not move everything, so the rooms were preserved as they were on their owners'' day of death.


    We first came to the first victim, Zhao Kaifang''s room. Based on what the officer told us, Zhao Kaifang and Luo Xiao Lu knew each other from work. They work from 9 to 5. Neither of them had boyfriends and stayed in the same building.


    I nodded. From this, I knew that the killer must have scouted his victims for a long time. The killer was a meticulous nner because if one thing strayed from his written story, everything would fall apart. For example, if Luo Xiao Lu was staying with a roommate, then the killer might change his target.


    This was something uncontroble so the killer might only be using the story to tell us about his next target and he might not follow the story line perfectly. The stories might be a clue for the police. In other words, his story was far from over!


    I stood inside the room and studied Zhao Kaifang''s dcor. We put on shoe wrappings and the floor did creak when we paced around the room. One had to be barefooted for the sound not to be so loud.


    The rooms at this apartment had the sameyout so Zhao Kaifang''s bedroom was simr to Luo Xiao Lu''s bedroom. Closing the heavy curtains, the bedroom was instantly much dimmer. The officer switched on the UV light and we spotted twinkling spots on Zhao Kaifang''s bed. These were the killer''s semen.


    Gu Chen frowned, "This might be premature ejaction, but there are a whole lot of them."


    When he finished, the officer who held the light had his face turn pale and then he gasped, "Wait, this is not right!"


    I turned to him and asked, "What''s wrong?"


    He said, "During the initial investigation, there weren''t that many semen traces! How did it multiply by that much all of a sudden?!"


    I frowned but said nothing. I took the UV light and came to Room 402. Simrly, the officer told us there was more semen on the bed Room 402pared to the initial investigation.


    Pulling open the curtain, I looked at the unmelted snow in the back garden and said, "When your unit left after the initial investigation, did you have someone change the locks on the windows and doors?" The officer shook his head.


    An unassable truth appeared in my mind. "The killer must have returned, perhaps to adore his handiwork. When he was back, he ejacted further on the two beds. From the load that we saw, it is biologically impossible for them to havee from one or two day. The killer must have returned here often."


    "The killer oftenes back here?" Gu Chen asked, "Doesn''t that mean we can catch him if we set up a trap here?"


    I shook my head. "Not necessarily but we better assign people to guard this ce. The killer has made use of our psychology. The police believed he would not be back after the murders but he did and left his traces behind. If we didn''t inspect the crime scenes a second time, we would not have discovered it at all." I turned to ask, "What about the surveince?"


    The officer shook his head. "The system was hacked, all the footage has been deleted."


    I frowned and turned to look back out the window. In the snow I appeared to see a grinning face. This was the killer, he was excited to be ying with us. At the same time, he was back at his corner, writing his second story.


    The killer would not stop here. We had met some pseudo-psychopathic killers in the past but this time, this was a real psychopath serial killer.


    And he might be hiding among us.

 Chapter 175: Semen

    Chapter 175: Semen


    When a killer left behind nothing but something specific, it was meant for us to find. The officer told us that Captain Lee had searched the two victims'' rental thoroughly and found nothing but the semen on their beds.


    I stood before Luo Xiao Lu''s bed. Without the lights, it felt like everything had gotten silent. There were other methods to mark his territory so why ejacte over the beds? I switched on the UV lights and when I focused on the bed, something came to me.


    If we ignored the actual substance, and just focused on the bright spots, they formed a kind of irregr pattern. I had a feeling their cement was on purpose. In my mind, an image appeared in my mind. When webined the two beds we had seen together, a picture would appear. Simr to theyout, the twodies had the same model of beds.


    I yanked off the bedsheet and raced upstairs. When I did that, everyone shot me confused looks. Even though the semen couldn''t be seen with naked eye, everyone knew they were stuck to the bedsheet. The officers naturally stayed away from me, as if afraid of touching the sheet.


    Guan Zhenglin and Gu Chen said nothing, but followed after me.


    "Help me smooth out the corners." I spread the bedsheet on the bed and then told Gu Chen and Guan Zhenglin, "Make sure the corners all meet."


    After the bed was made, I opened the UV light. The semen on the 2 bedsheets ovepped, but the patterns still didn''t make much sense. After we adjusted the bedsheets, it finally surfaced. The bright spots on the two bedsheets formed several rows of English letters!


    My English was good enough to recognize it was English but that was all. Gu Chen was about the same level as I was so we turned towards Guan Zhenglin. The girl''s face was serious as she stared at the English sentences. I coughed lightly to get Guan Zhenglin''s attention.


    "You should understand these simple vocabries." Guan Zhenglin took out her phone to take pictures.


    I nodded. "I do but not when they are ced together like this."


    "This is why you need to study." Guan Zhenglin tranted as she snapped pictures. "The sins descending on the world, ugliness called men, the prologue of the story, with the pouring blood of two girls, ultimately will begin, main text."


    "I get every word that you say but not when they''re together." Gu Chen scratched his head. "What does it mean? Are you sure your trantion is correct?"


    Guan Zhenglin ced the phone before her chest. "Do not underestimate a coroner''s English level, I''ve encountered many English professional terms that you might not understand in your life The trantion is correct but then what does it mean, that is another story."


    The sentence seemed to make no sense and it was written in such a unique way, the killer wouldn''t have left this behind out of boredom. Perhaps it meant that the statement was not meant for the police but for the killer himself. I was leaning towards thetter.


    "But why would the killer leave the message in English?" Gu Chen asked.


    I thought about it and said, "Chinese characters have more strokes and linespared to English letters. Plus English characters are harder to make out when they''re split apart on two bedsheets." I pulled on my hair and said worriedly, "Based on what I know, psychopaths see the world differently than we do. So the things that he might want to express might be different than ordinary too."


    "He wouldn''t be part of some cult, would he?" Gu Chen sucked in a cold breath. "The tone of this message does sound like one."


    I shook my head. "I don''t know. Let''s go check out the back garden."


    As we were about to walk out, several officers stood at the door as if confused by our actions. One of them said, "That''s impressive. Inspector Liu has led us to look around for a long time and we found nothing. If you ask me, the council shouldn''t have moved you guys out of Dong Xing City, we would be able to learn so much from your team."


    I chuckled, "You were there during the previous case, you knew how it ended." Then I patted the officer on his back, "Looking down from the window in this room, the footprints at the back garden appear very messy. Even though it hasn''t snowed recently, the weather is warming up, can we still identify the victim''s footprints?"


    The officer smiled awkwardly, "It was thendowner who discovered the body. When a person was found lying on the ground, a normal person wouldn''t assume that they were dead, perhaps they had fainted. So thendowner rushed over with the security guards. The footprints were already destroyed then. We only arrived after the ambnce. By then the whole garden was already covered in tracks."


    I scratched my head. "Alright." We didn''t have firsthand information so we couldn''t draw our own conclusion. We were still inside Room 502, the house of the first victim. I walked to the shoe rack and turned to ask, "Say, when the body was found, she wasn''t wearing any shoes, was she?"


    The officer nodded, and gasped in surprise, "Yes, how did you know?"


    I shrugged, "From the killer''s own writing. He said he tail Zhao Kaifang by stepping on her footprints and left wearing her shoes. In that case, how could the victim still be wearing shoes on her feet?"


    "You''re right." The officer tapped his head. "How can I forget about that?" I turned to Guan Zhenglin, "By the way, what would an OL be wearing on her feet when she came home from work?"


    Guan Zhenglin pouted, "An OL you say, then most likely a pair of high heels!"


    "Even in the winter?" I asked.


    "There are heels specially designed for winter!" Guan Zhenglin nodded.


    I opened the shoe rack. Some said a woman''s closet was alwayscking a set of clothes, the same could be said for their shoe storage. When I opened the rack, pairs of shoes looked right at me. I pulled out a random pair of heels. "Come on!" I told the rest.


    "Where are we going?" The officer asked.


    "We''re going to do something interesting." I said.


    When we reached the ground floor, Xiao Liu just finished talking with Captain Zhao. When Xiao Liu saw up, he came towards us and asked, "Wu Meng, did you guys find anything useful?"


    Gu Chen still couldn''t stand Xiao Liu so he grumbled, "What does that have to do with you? You need to understand that this is apetition, in the end, your people will leave or we will. So I''m sorry, I have nothing to say." Then Gu Chen stormed past him. Gu Chen was not a chatty person but had actively provoked Xiao Liu, this meant that Gu Chen still cared about Xiao Liu. People were often like that, we were always cruelest to the people we cared about. What we said might not really be what we felt. Xiao Liu watched as Gu Chen walked away. Xiao Liu looked despondent.


    I patted Xiao Liu on his shoulder and said, "You know the kind of person Gu Chen is. His heart is softer than his mouth. This officer here knows what we have found, just ask him back at the station, we''re going now."


    Xiao Liu sighed and told me, "Thank you."


    We arrived at the back garden. Recently the weather was warming up and the effect of global warming was serious in big cities like Dong Xing City. Most of the snow had melted into slush. There were only minor spots of snow left. I turned to Guan Zhenglin and said, "Xiao Lin,e on." I waved the heels at her.


    Then they finally understood what I was doing


    "Oh, a crime scene reconstruction!" The officer said with some excitement.


    Guan Zhenglin shrugged as she removed her shoes. Then she hooked her finger at me, signaling me to help her put the high heels on. I didn''t mind the job. The heels fitted her quite well. Zhao Kaifang was 1.7 metres tall, about the same height as Guan Zhenglin.


    The killer tailed the victim by stepping on her footprints so his route would be simr to hers, which meant that they both entered the back garden from the neighbourhood alley. Zhao Kaifang wanted to take the shortcut so instead of taking the winding garden path, she cut a straight line through the garden over the snowy field, it was how her footprints got left behind.


    "So, who will y the killer?" Guan Zhenglin looked at me and Gu Chen.

 Chapter 176: Second Story

    Chapter 176: Second Story


    "I''ll do it." I volunteered.


    Gu Chen chuckled, "Normally you would have pushed me to do such a job, so howe you''re so willing this time? Is it because you get to do it with Guan Zhenglin? Is there something between you two? Kid, if you like her, then do something, don''te and regret itter."


    With other people there, I was quite embarrassed. I quickly exined, "Based on my understanding, the killer stepped on the victim''s footprints to follow after her and walked away wearing her shoes. So I believe they are almost of the same height." As understanding settled on the other officers, I continued, "The size of a person''s feet is proportional to their overall height, but of course there are exceptions to the rules."


    Gu Chen urged, "In that case, let us begin." We nodded and started the simtion.


    Guan Zhenglin chose a path that was free of footprints so that her trail could be seen more clearly. She hurried home like she didn''t notice the man following behind her. She was just desperate to get home to rest after a long day of work.


    I followed behind Guan Zhenglin. Honestly, it was not that easy. It reminded me of walking on those pebbled paths meant to massage one''s feet. I had never felt so ufortable.


    Guan Zhenglin''s gait was small yet quick. I had to match her gait to fill in her footprints or else there would be additional prints in the snow. For that, I had to walk on tip toe. This was a very tiring way to walk and it was hard to do that while making sure Guan Zhenglin didn''t notice me. After around 20 steps, I felt like my calves were leaden. If I continued to do this, my legs might convulse. I could barely walk normally after this, much lessmit to a clean murder. Guan Zhenglin clearly had noticed me, the clumsy man, but for the sake of simtion, she had to pretend otherwise.


    After another stretch, I couldn''t stand it anymore. I rushed towards Guan Zhenglin and pretended to slice her neck. Guan Zhenglin immediately tumbled to the ground. I used Guan Zhenglin''s body to wipe away my nearer footprints and then removed Guan Zhenglin''s heels. When I put the heels on, I felt like a woman from Ancient China who had to go through foot binding. My feet definitely could not fit into the small heels and when I stood up, I realized the challenge was only beginning. Holding my own original shoes in one hand, I slowly retraced my steps. It was no different from walking on tightrope. My feet hurt and the heels didn''t help with bnce. I didn''t take many steps before I fall face first to the ground. The other officers hurried over to pick me up.


    Gu Chen said, "That''s weak, let me try."


    Then Gu Chen stuffed his feet into the heels. Gu Chen was 1.8 metres tall, he was at least 1 head taller than I was so his feet wererger as well. As I saw him stuff his feet into the heels, I was reminded of girls forcing themselves into dresses too small for them. After a long time of trying, Gu Chen gave up, "I don''t think the killer is my size. The heels are too small. It can only fit half of my foot. Plus I don''t think I can even walk in heels."


    I patted away the snow on my body. I looked at the heels Gu Chen kicked to the side. "If a person with a martial arts background like you can''t do it, then I doubt amon man can do it either. In other words, the killer is smaller than you and might be even smaller than me and the victim."


    Guan Zhenglin observed, "There are biological differences between males and females. If both are of the same height, a male''s feet will berger than his female counterpart. So what you mean is that the killer might be smaller than Zhao Kaifang because his feet fit Zhao Kaifang''s heels quite snugly. Or else he would have tumbled and fell like you and Gu Chen did."


    I found Guan Zhenglin her shoes. While I helped tie herces, I said, "That''s right." After I was done, I stood up. "To be sure about that hypothesis, we''ll need to examine the victims'' bodies."


    Everyone nodded.


    As we returned, I pondered about this killer who was only 1.65 to 1.7 metres tall. I was curious about this man. How did he manage to follow the victims soundlessly like a shadow in the dark?


    In the darkness, a pair of eyes appeared to open. A shadow lurked behind, following you silently. He wore an entire outfit in ck, ck clothes, ck shoes and ck night. You ran faster and faster but the shadow was catching up as well. You couldn''t resist turning back and you saw a face. A smiling face. There was a glint and then you felt warmth around your neck. The warmth spread through your body and he kept on smiling at you. Your body got warmer but your heart got colder. You wanted to scream but not a word came out. You copsed to the ground. As you bade farewell to this world, the killer slowly removed your high heels. He put them on and slowly retreated into the darkness. You saw the pair of legs slowly disappear into the road and then everything ended.


    At the city morgue, we decided to see the bodies. Even though the autopsy report was already out, I still decided to see if we could find any clues from the bodies'' wounds.


    Both of the women were garrotted. When the bodies were shown before us, we could see clearly that the directional force of the neck wound was different. Zhao Kaifang was 1.7 metres tall, the wound on her neck went from right to left, the wound going lighter along that direction. The wound turned downwards.


    Luo Xiao Lu was only 1.6 meters tall, simrly her wound went from right to left but the wound curved up towards the left end. Simrly, the wound was deeper on the right.


    These two bodies told us an important detail, the killer was not left-handed and the killer was around 1.6 to 1.75 metres tall.


    I ced myself in his shoes. "The killer is a man around 1.6 to 1.7 metres, he should be younger than 25. When he was young, he might have been sexually harassed. Due to some kind of external trigger, the psychopathy within him awakened and he finally took up the knife."


    Guan Zhenglin scratched her chin and asked, "How did you tell he is between 1.6 to 1.7 metres."


    I pulled on my hair and then pointed at the wounds. "Look at their wounds. One is titled upwards, the others tilted downwards, this points towards two directional forces." I used one of my fingers to act as a faux danger and then made a vicious cut. "This was how he killed Zhao Kaifang. Since she was taller, the killer had to raise his arm to reach her neck. Then he cut downwards, forming the wound that we see." I lowered my finger around my chest. "But Luo Xiao Lu is shorter than the killer. If he used the same posture, he would have hit her hair and not her neck. Therefore, the cut around Luo Xiao Lu''s neck is straight before curving upwards at the end. His hand naturally lifted when he was near the end, that ismon human behavior."


    Gu Chen praised, "No wonder you''re a criminal profiler. Just with these bodies, you can tell how the killer acted during the moment."


    I was silent before adding, "if the killer only targets females less than 1.7 metres tall, then I believe he might have been humiliated by someone of that description, but then again, this is just his first kill, he might go after a male next." We pushed the bodies back into the freezers. "But so far, this is the profile I came up with. Since this is a psychopathic killer, I am confident I am correct."


    At that moment, an officer rushed in and told us, "Sister Mary had mee and get you guys. She said she found something important."


    "Something important?" My eyes glowed.


    The officer nodded. "After this case was reported, someone also found the story of Xiao Lu that we saw on the inte. However, the difference is, the story theizen found has a continuation following Xiao Lu''s, a new story!"


    "A new story?" Everyone gasped.


    The officer nodded vehemently, "That''s why Sister Mary had mee get you. If we can find the characters in the story before the murders, we might be able to save their lives."


    "Let''s go!"

 Chapter 177: The Girl and The Cats

    Chapter 177: The Girl and The Cats


    This was the 13th time the girl saw the group of stray cats wander past her. Whenever the group of cats walked past, she would stand on her tiptoes and hold onto the balcony rails, her eyes following the cats of varying colors.


    When the cats crawled through the hole in the wall, the girl''s heart seemed to leave with them. The girl sat dumbly before the window and looked into the sky. There were no birds, perhaps they had all gone, leaving her behind, a sparrow trapped in a cage.


    She got down from the railing and stood on the balcony. She lived on the 3rd floor and the balcony wasn''t sealed off. However, even thieves wouldn''te to old buildings like hers. Sometimes the girl wondered if she would die if she jumped down from the balcony. Perhaps she wouldn''t, like that cat she saw one time. The girl was so worried about the cat but itnded perfectly, shook its fur and left.


    She turned around and was greeted by arge and imposing piano.


    "What are you doing over there?" A woman with a heavy country ent demanded, "If you have the time to space out, why don''t you practice on the piano? Look at Wang Xiaoming next door. He''s already in Grade 8. Why are there so many fliestely? It''s so annoying."


    A man''s voice said, "I hear Boss Wang from the nearest street has gone missing."


    "Which Boss Wang?" The woman asked.


    The man dropped the clothes on the couch. "The female boss from the adult toy store."


    The woman rolled her eyes and huffed, "Good riddance, I say. She probably went off with some unknown man. Why, do you miss her? The bitch walks around like she doesn''t have enough fabric to make proper clothing for herself. And why are you still sitting there? Go and cook!" The woman went to close the window and chased away the flies.


    Soon the sound of piano echoed inside the room, the music was melodious but no one knew the girl''s sadness behind it.


    The girl stood beside the window and wished on the stray cats, Dear kitties, can you please bring me away with you too?''


    Every day she spent hours staring at the ck hole in the wall. At night, she would dream that she had transformed into a cat and crawled away from the hole. The girl loved those strays but at night, she became afraid of them. The cats appeared to be more sinister at night. There were a few times when the moonlight shone just right, the girl could see something out on the balcony.


    They were feline shadows. They hissed and howled. The girl then understood her balcony was filled with cats. Most of the time, they would fight on her balcony, making these horrible sounds. They sounded like girls screaming, or babies crying.


    Every time she would bury her head under the cover. She would ponder to herself, why would such a cute creature make such horrible sounds. This was different from the meowing of pet cats, this was something more feral and terrifying. Before night came, the girl would lock the balcony door and try to force herself to not think about what was happening on her balcony.


    Sometimes, the girl would think, where would these stray cats go in the day? Would people feed them? And if there was, who would this person be? Was it a boy or a girl, a child or an adult? Perhaps it might be a kind grandfather.


    That day, her parents went to work. The girl didn''t practice her piano but waited on the balcony. That day, arge group of stray cats walked past her building. A man in ck walked among the cats. The girl opened her eyes in shock, she had never seen this man before. The man was crawling on all fours, the girl had not seen anything like this. Her mouth fell wide open with shock.


    When the man saw the girl, he smiled at her. Then with the strays following him, the man crawled through the hole in the wall and disappeared. She couldn''t see what was beyond the wall. She wondered who that man was and what was behind the wall.


    Curiosity was the most special thing God had given to human beings. Everyone had it when they were young but as people grew older, some would lose that power, but some of them retained it. If the girl''s parents saw this man, they would think this man was crazy.


    For the next few days, the girl saw the same thing. It felt like there was a big secret behind the wall.


    One day, the man stopped and told the girl, "Come with us."


    The girl didn''t answer but she dreamt all about it. What was behind the wall, the girl desperately wanted to know.


    That night, the girl saw a lot of shadows projected on her window curtain. The horrible howling came again. There were women''s shrill cries and screeching wails. The girl was reminded of a piano tune she had been practicing called Lamentation Concerto.


    Her neighbours were used to this kind of life. Someone tried to chase away the strays before, but brute force and poison were ineffective. Perhaps this was the cats'' territory to begin with. This continued for half a month and everyone had gotten used to it.


    The sounds finally stopped afterte midnight.


    The next morning, the girl learned with shock that her mother didn''t wake her up early in the morning for piano practice. The girl''s mother was nowhere to be seen at noon. The girl was hungry but she still climbed onto the balcony. She waited and waited but the cats didn''t show up. What happened?


    The sky darkened and the girl''s parents still hadn''t returned home. The girl opened the front door and went out.


    She squatted down before the dark hole. She looked into the hole and saw nothing. After giving it some thought, the girl decided to crawl through it.


    The story ended there. After reading the story, everyone felt strangely oppressive and ufortable. Different from the previous story, this tale was written in the 3rd person perspective. It described the story of the girl and the group of stray cats from the perspective of an observer.


    "The question is, who died?" Captain Zhao sat before the table and asked.


    Everyone was silent when Captain Lee asked, "No, the question is where the location described in the story is."


    The two shared a look but didn''t say anything. One continued to turn his tea cup, the other kept on smoking. The subordinates like us didn''t know what to say so we kept quiet.


    After a while, I decided I needed to say something, "Well, we should just assume every character mentioned in the story might be in danger. From the start of the story, we knew the boss of an adult toy store had gone missing, this woman might be dead. Then we found out the girl''s parents have gone missing, so they might be dead too." The group turned to me and I continued, "Then there is a girl and a cat-like man dressed in ck, one is the protagonist and the other the killer. If the killer really goes after the protagonist like thest case, then we should assume the girl is in danger too."


    Captain Zhao mmed on the table and said, "Since the boss has gone missing, then there will be a record. Search for the business records in Dong Xing City."


    Captain Lee took a puff of smoke and said, "But that will be such a huge workload. How many such stores are there and where are they normally distributed? Plus we can''t even tell if the boss has really gone missing, perhaps she merely has gone out on a holiday"


    "Look into this!" Captain Zhao told Mary, "If it''s a registered business, we''ll find traces of it." Mary nodded and searched through the database on the business registry website. The list only stopped half an hourter. Mary counted the numbers, "Thousands, ten thousands, hundred thousands, I have no idea there are so many sex stores at Dong Xing City, just how sex-deprived are these people"


    Captain Lee shook his head. "Several hundred thousands? Even if we send out every officer, it''ll take days. In the previous story, the time between the story being posted and the actual murder is only 1 day apart. We won''t have enough time."


    I interrupted Captain Lee, "We won''t look through hundreds of thousands of them, the story did mention the girl''s house. It is in an old building. Dong Xing City is an expanding metropolis, the old houses are located at the western side of the city. And I doubt there are many buildings with open balconies."


    Captain Zhao turned to Mary. "Call all the stations in the city west now. Have them look for buildings with open balconies, the building shouldn''t be taller than 7 storeys."


    "Then what should we do in the meantime?" Xiao Liu asked.


    Everyone turned to him but no one answered.


    I said, "We analyze the story. What is the story trying to tell us and how did or would the people die?"

 Chapter 178: Cats

    Chapter 178: Cats


    In the previous story, the killer was a stalker but in this story, the killer was a human cat. What kind of person was this killer? In the previous story, he was silent and quiet. But in this story, he had a very unusual hobby, which was to mimic cats. But at the same time, the killer had talked to the girl. Psychologically speaking, these were two very different killers, one dark and shadowy, the other feral and wild. After all, mimicking a cat to draw the attention of a girl was theplete opposite of a shadowy, silent stalker.


    So could there be two killers?


    From overall analysis, there were two questionable parts about this story. One, why was there such a constant stream of stray cats walking through the neighbourhood daily? Two, what was inside the hole in the wall?


    Why did the cats and the killer go through it? This killer''s action was so strange, it couldn''t be logically exined. I pulled my hair and closed my eyes to think.


    Suddenly Captain Zhao said, "Based on the killer''s story-telling style, something must have happened on the night before her parents disappeared. From my personal experience, I believe the parents were killed the night before." Captain Zhao said seriously and I followed his line of thought.


    "The crying and screaming!" Suddenly it hit me. I tapped my head and said, "Captain Zhao, you''re absolutely right. From the story, the tenants at this building have gotten used to the cats fighting at night. But the girl did say that on the night before, she heard cats meowing underneath the crying and screaming. She might have been limated to think that the sounds she heard were sounds of cats, even though they might not be."


    Xiao Liu frowned. "You mean someone infiltrated into the girl''s home and killed her parents? The crying and screaming came from her parents?"


    I nodded.


    Xiao Liu shook his head. "But normally when a person is attacked, other than to scream for help, they would demand an exnation from the attacker. Humannguage won''t sound like cats screaming."


    I pressed my finger on my lips. Xiao Liu was not wrong.


    "What if the sound was to cover up the sound of the killer moving bodies?" Captain Zhao tapped on the table. "The shadow the girl saw on her curtain of her balcony was the killer sneaking into the house. He infiltrated into the parents'' bedroom to kill them. And the sounds of the cats were to cover up his tracks when he removed the bodies."


    Guan Zhenglin questioned, "But what would be his murder method? If there was blood, people would discover it the next day. Plus how did he move the bodies? If he used a car, the tenants at the old building would have heard it. Could he have used a tricycle?"


    I was reminded of a perfect way to remove the bodies. It involved a ce the adults would never check. I said, "That hole."


    "Hmm?" Guan Zhenglin turned to me.


    I said confidently, "Since that hole can fit both the killer and a group of cats, I''m sure it can fit two dead bodies."


    "It''s still pointless for us to discuss these things." Gu Chen sighed, "When we don''t even know the setting of the story!" Gu Chen made everyone silent. He was right. We might have narrowed down the location to city west but city west was still huge.


    "I''m afraid." Captain Zhao told us, "All we can do now is wait."


    And we waited until the afternoon of the next day.


    We were finally standing on the street described by the killer. I lifted my head to look at the old building which was only 3 storeys tall, it indeed had an open style balcony. The building was made from red brick but most of the bricks had fallen. Even I could have climbed up the wall using the natural footholds on the bricks.


    On the nearby wall, there was also a hole. The hole wasrge enough to fit a skinny adult male. With some elbow grease, it was not impossible to shove two dead bodies through.


    "Guard this hole!" Captain Zhao told the officers. "We''ll go upstairs to look." This kind of old building had one tenant on each floor. When we walked into the building, we knew the first floor was abandoned. The corridor was filled with so much trash that the door was blocked. I crossed my finger across the door and came off with a heavyyer of dust.


    We walked up the stairs and headed to the 3rd floor.


    The door was left open. It was not locked. Gu Chen was nervous and he moved towards the door but Captain Zhao stopped him. "Don''t rush it. I believe the killer has already moved on." Everyone''s faces were dark. Captain Zhao sighed. "Even though none of us wish for this, I don''t hear the sound of anyone living here. We might be one step toote." Then Captain Zhao put on gloves and entered the room. We followed. The house was empty.


    Arge piano was ced in the living room. The piano was quite expensive. It was quite unusual for a tenant staying at a ce like this to own a piano. But other than the piano, there was nothing else worth noting. The furniture was all old and worn. No wonder the balcony was left open, there was nothing to steal.


    Several certificates were pasted on the wall. Perhaps it was to show off the girl''s talent, or it was to cover up the cracked paint.


    I walked through the living room and the bedroom to reach the balcony. I stood there and looked down at the path below. It was too narrow to fit bicycles, much less a car. My eyes wandered involuntarily to the dark hole. It was hard to tell what was beyond it. The top of the space was shielded by a blue corrugated roof.


    Based on the killer''s story, now would be the time when the group of stray cats crawled into the hole. With that in mind, I shouted, "Captain Zhao, Gu Chen and I will go to look at that hole. ording to the time, the group of cats should be crawling through the hole now. I want to see if they''re still here or not." I pulled Gu Chen and ran down the stairs.


    A few officers stayed guard at the hole. I asked, "Did any catse through?"


    One of them shook his head. "No, but we did hear cats meowing."


    I looked at this narrow hole. This proved again the hypothesis that the killer must be smaller than an average male. A muscle man like Gu Chen wouldn''t be able to fit through this hole. Therefore, the job was left to me.


    "Get me a shlight, I''m going in!" I removed my heavy winter coat and crawled into the hole in my inner clothes. Originally the hole still had lightsing from outside but when my body blocked off the mouth, the hole waspletely dark. I used my teeth to twist open the shlight. I then realized I was inside a passage about 20 cm tall. Several metres ahead of me was a fork.


    I couldn''t even stand upright or even half squat. I ced my palms on the ground and crawled like a cat. All of a sudden, the killer''s behavior made sense to me. A feline crawl was the most efficient way to move in this space.


    I did hear cats down the distance, it was past the fork. I crawled my way further in, dangling the shlight in my mouth. When I was close to the fork, I heard a sudden scream. And then it was followed by this crescendo of horrible wailing. Like the story said, it did sound like screaming and babies crying.


    Inside the narrow tunnel, the sounds ovepped together to form an echo. Even though I knew they were cats, I couldn''t stop the goosebumps. It sounded like a horde of ghosts.


    I steadied myself and powered on. As I turned the corner, the most terrifying image greeted me. Endless pair of green eyes looked at me. And the wailing stopped at once, there was nothing but silence. I knew the eyes belonged to cats but it was still quite unsettling.


    With my breaths, the shlight bobbed up and down. The light refracted in the cats'' eyes. I eventually managed to make out a small girl sitting not far away from me. She was draped with cats. She was naked. Her eyes were wide open with ck pupils.


    At that moment, a ck cat jumped onto her head. And her head rolled down like a ball towards me. The cats jumped at it like it was a toy. In the shock, my shlight fell and everything dropped into darkness. I couldn''t see anything but I could feel many cats jumping and running over me.


    At that moment, a voice that clearly did not belong to cats sounded beside my ears.


    "He he." It was a person chuckling.

 Chapter 179: Black

    Chapter 179: ck


    The chuckle was extremely shrill like metal grinding against metal. It was not a cat who made that sound, but a human. And the person''s vocal cords must have been harmed, or else the pitch wouldn''t be that high. In the dark, paired with the meowing of cats, the voice was terrifying.


    My heart started to quiver. Light couldn''t enter this ce. The pair of fluorescent eyes looked at me. I could feel the cat''s paws climbing all over me. I could feel the ws leaving scratches on my arms and face, I could feel someone watching me in the dark.


    Humans had an innate fear of darkness. No matter how hard I tried to convince myself that it was just darkness, I couldn''t stop my heart from racing. My arms were shaking as I tried to find my way in the pitch ckness.


    Suddenly I touched a person''s hand. The skin was smooth, like the person used lotion every day. I instantly pulled my hand back. At that moment, I was sure this person was the killer. This was because the hand had human warmth. Earlier, when I still had the light, I saw the girl sitting not far away from me and I saw her head fall from her shoulders. So this couldn''t be the girl.


    Fear and responsibility bound themselves around my heart. I had no idea how the killer managed to remain so calm in this environment and I had no idea where the killer came from. The fear was slowly overwhelmed by anger when I was reminded of the girl who was brutally killed and beheaded.


    I reached my hands forward to grab at the killer but I grabbed at nothing. By then, the stray cats had almost all run out and the surroundings became quiet. I arched my body to block the narrow tunnel so that the killer wouldn''t be able to escape. I waited for a while but there was no movement.


    Suddenly, a song came from afar and it was moving away. It was sung by that shrill voice but underneath the shrillness, I heard an indescribable emotion. I knew then there was another tunnel leading away from here. I wanted to give chase but I couldn''t see anything. I rummaged around for the shlight but the thing had rolled to god knows where. Perhaps a cat had run away with it. Suddenly my hands closed around something round. My fingers found the eyes and nose. It hit me that I was holding the girl''s head. Her eyes appeared to be wide open.


    I was given quite a fright. I let go and scrambled backwards. I hit something stick-like. I grabbed it and finally the light returned. With the shlight, I saw the head was just beside me. It was the girl''s head and stuck into the back of the head was a dagger.


    I then realized the killer was armed. The killer was able to be so calm in the darkness, it would have been easy for him to kill me but he didn''t do that but instead he chose to escape. Was he purposely letting me go or he was afraid of being captured? I really had no idea.


    I looked around and realized this space was slightly bigger than the tunnel, at least it was big enough for a squatting adult. I scanned around, looking for the tunnel the killer used to escape but I realized there was none other than the one behind me. I examined the space closely. The girl''s headnded beside me but her body was leaning against the wall on the other side. The girl was naked. Uneven English letters were carved on her smooth skin. I had no idea what they said.


    Beside the girl were two dead bodies. White bones were peeking through their flesh. The two bodies'' heads had decayed to be skulls. There were only some skins stuck to the skulls. Simrly, the two bodies were naked. From their sizes, they should be adults. The bodies'' genitalia were too destroyed to make out their sexes. But from the upper body, namely the chest, one was probably male and the other female. This was probably the entire family of 3.


    The two adult bodies belonged to the girl''s parents. The girl probably didn''t expect that inside the dark hole, it wasn''t a kind person who raised the strays but a killer who was trying to lure her into her death.


    I studied the two bodies and the girl''s headless body. I noticed something was different about the position of the girl''s body. I crawled forward like a cat and moved the girl''s body to the side. As I expected, a narrow tunnel appeared behind her.


    Without thinking too much, I crawled into it. I crawled for about 10 minutes before I saw the lights. I walked out into the light. I finally understood why some people had such intense ustrophobia. The sense of oppression was real.


    There was a door before me. I walked out and realized I was in an adult toy shop. The front door was locked from outside. I pulled on it and the door refused to yield. I stood at the window and looked out. This was not a particrly busy street, there were not that many people around.


    I pasted my face to the window, hoping to spy the murderer. At the corner, a man in ck flitted across my eye. I confirmed the man was 1.68 metres tall and he was the killer!


    I kicked hard at the ss door but the door was surprisingly firm. I grabbed a chair and threw at it. The ss held. I was surprised that despite the location, the ss was bulletproof.


    A man walked past and he kept looking at me. He took out his phone and said, "Honey, you won''t believe what I''m seeing. A man is trapped inside an adult toy store. Who knows what he''s up to. No I''m not kidding"


    I pped my head and quickly took out my phone and gave Gu Chen a call. "Gu Chen, bring a unit to the street ahead. Hurry, the killer is a man, no, perhaps even a woman, around 1.7 metres tall. They are wearing full ck. There won''t be many dressed like that around here. Quick!"


    "What about you? Are you alright?" Gu Chen asked.


    "I''m fine. Just follow my orders." Then I ended the call. I thought about it and turned back to the back of the shop. I retraced my step and crawled back into the hole. I stopped when I passed the bodies. Then I moved on. When I came out, an officer was still guarding the hole. He looked surprised when he saw me. "What''s wrong?" I asked.


    The officer said, "I should ask you that, Inspector Wu. Your face is bloody and your clothes are scratched. Your hair is out of ce. What happened there?"


    I didn''t have the time to exin so I quickly asked, "Did anything happen when I was in there?"


    The officer thought about it. "20 minutes after you went in, a group of cats suddenly charged out from the hole. There were around 50 of them! After they came out, they scattered down the streets and disappeared. Gu Chen was worried about you so he called you but the calls went unanswered." The officer exined, "But around 10 minutes ago, he received a call and led the rest of the unit away. I was left here to watch over the hole. I have no idea what happened."


    I nodded and patted his shoulders. "Find a few thin officers to haul the 3 bodies out from this hole. Tell them to be prepared."


    "There are really dead bodies inside?" The officer widened his eyes.


    When I went back upstairs, there was only Guan Zhenglin. The rest of them had followed Gu Chen to chase after the killer.


    Guan Zhenglin was still analyzing the trace inside the room. When I arrived, she turned to look at me and asked, "What have you been up to? Your whole face is covered in blood." Then she took out a bandage from her toolbox and helped me wipe away the grime. "These look like cat scratches. You really should take a look at yourself. Those who didn''t know would think you were assaulted by some crazy woman."


    I turned to look out the window. It was dusk and the clouds were beautiful in colors. The setting sun showered golden rays on Guan Zhenglin''s face. For some reason, my pumping heart started to slow down. I didn''t feel that nervous anymore.


    "You''re right." I uttered softly.

 Chapter 180: Water Torture

    Chapter 180: Water Torture


    Guan Zhenglin gently wiped away the blood from my face. "Go and wash yourself in the kitchen. When you go back, you better get a lupo shot."


    I nodded. As I used the water to wash my face, I asked her, "Did you find anything here?"


    Guan Zhenglin answered, "There''s no sign of the killer in the house but there are traces of rope bound around the balcony rails. The bodies were probably lowered down that way. However, that didn''t really mean much. The killer is very cunning. I believe his stories are the only way for us to capture him." Guan Zhenglin sighed, "This will be a hard case. By the way, where is everyone else?"


    I then exined to Guan Zhenglin the adventure that I had inside the hole. Guan Zhenglin gasped. She expressed genuine surprise at the killer''s ability to remain calm in pure darkness and his ability to see through the darkness. Guan Zhenglin looked at me and exined, "As non-nocturnal creatures, human beings are practically blind in darkness. Animals though have tapetum that enables them to see in the dark. If our killer is able to do that, then his eyes would be green in color"


    I shook my head. "I couldn''t tell."


    Guan Zhenglin scratched her chin. "At least, we can confirm this killer must be used to living in the dark." I sighed, I didn''t know what to say.


    As the sun almost set, Gu Chen finally called me. But the content was rather disappointing. Gu Chen said the team had searched for a long time but they couldn''t find anyone in full ck, be it male or female. I closed my eyes and pinched my nose. When I couldn''t breathe anymore, I only let go.


    Guan Zhenglin asked, "What are you doing?"


    I answered, "Someone said that when the brain iscking in oxygen, it will work overtime. I was going to give it a try."


    Soon Gu Chen came back with the team but unfortunately, they didn''t have the killer with them. I was feeling regret, if I had held onto the killer at first notice inside the hole, then they wouldn''t have gotten away. The killer was just before me but I let them go.


    Gu Chen cursed, "Damn it, he has disappeared down some kind of small alley or we would have caught him."


    I sighed andforted, "The killer probably has been banking on that. Never mind. Have we moved the bodies out from the hole? It''ll be harder when nightes."


    Gu Chen said with some annoyance, "Xiao Liu has crawled into the hole. The officer told us there are 3 bodies inside?"


    I nodded.


    Half an hourter, all 3 bodies were moved out. Xiao Liu did everything himself. When thest body was carried out, Xiao Liu copsed to the ground. Based on the paleness of his face, I knew he was given quite a fright. Guan Zhenglin handed him some bandages to wipe his face. Xiao Liumented, "I had never experienced something like this before, I knew you guys are just outside, but once you''re in there, it''s like you''re in another world, and you''re all alone. It''s so scary."


    I smiled. I knew that Xiao Liu was not a cowardly person, after all, he did volunteer to head into the factory during the Liu Yinyan case. However, with the knowledge of the bodies inside the hole, the fear factor had been lowered a lot. At least, he was not going in blind like I was. I also knew why Xiao Liu was saying this, it would look good on the case report. I didn''t expose him.


    I turned to look at the 3 bodies ced in the middle of the road. Everyone felt quite saddened while I felt helpless. I let the killer escape and that meant there would be a next story, at least another person would die and that was on me.


    I couldn''t look at the girl''s body for too long. She looked younger than 13, she was about to venture into the outside world and she was killed. Her body was desecrated with the killer''s message.


    Gu Chen cursed, "Motherfucker, he even went after a young girl. He should be shot!"


    Captain Zhao studied the 3 bodies and massaged his temples. After some time, he said, "The best way to help the victims is to capture the killer. And to do that, we''ll need their help. Let''s go. I, Zhao Silin, swear on these 3 bodies that I will never rest until their deaths are avenged!"


    One hourter, when we returned to the station, the sky was already dark.


    Before the bodies were moved to the morgue, Guan Zhenglin gave me a lupo shot. I was probably the first officer to get scratched by cats on duty. I wondered if this counted as work trauma.


    Captain Lee sent over a coroner to help with the autopsy, it eased the workload on Guan Zhenglin. The doctor''s name was Zhang Qinrui, he was rather fat and tall. He looked quite shy too. The two started with the bodies of the 2 adults, the 2 bodies which looked more like skeletons.


    The most important bone for autopsy was the pelvic bone because much information could be derived from it. For these two bodies, their flesh, fat and even internal organs were shattered like they had been hit by a running vehicle.


    The two bodies'' skulls were extremely clean like someone had scraped away the tissues and muscles. Other than the bits of hair on the scalp, there was nothing else. From a distance, it looked like 2 white skulls wearing wigs. It was just macabre.


    The two adults'' stomachs were shed open. Even standing to the side, I was assaulted by the stench. The bodies'' fingers and toes were picked clean of flesh too. The genitalia were heavily damaged.


    The only rtively unharmed locations were the arms and inner thighs. But even so, there were holes where one could see the red muscles inside. The fattyyer had all gone. Based on the small holes, I believed the wounds were caused by tearing. And the answer already appeared in my mind.


    After some time, Guan Zhenglin announced, "The woman died from asphyxiation. Her palms and feet are curled up in a w. That suggests peri mortem struggle. I also found ck fibres in the victim''s nail. In other words, the victim had struggled against the killer! And the ck fibres probably came from the killer''s clothes."


    Zhang Qinrui added, "It''s the same on the male adult but I also found traces of sevoflurane in his blood."


    "Huh?" Gu Chen and I looked at each other.


    Guan Zhenglin exined, "It''s a kind of sedative. A normal adult will lose consciousness in 5 to 10 minutes after being injected with thisponent. It has a light fragrance, and colorless, making it hard to detect. If one is not a professional, one might not realize one has been drugged."


    I nodded. "You mean, the killer sedated the father, killed the mother and then came back to kill the father?"


    Guan Zhenglin thought about it. "I think so. I didn''t find any sevoflurane on the female body. But this does suggest that the killer knows chemistry. He has to be quite a genius. During the previous case, Sister Mary also said that he is aputer expert. And now he is shown to be a chemistry genius too!" Guan Zhenglin nced at Zhang Qinrui. Thetter added, "Also, we found pieces of paper in both of their mouths."


    "Paper?" I asked.


    Zhang Qinrui said, "Have you heard of the ancient chinese torture called water torture? Basically the killer dampened pieces of paper andid them piece by piece on the victims'' faces. Slowly the victims would drown from theck of oxygen. The woman wasn''t made unconscious so she could still struggle but the man was not so lucky."


    I shook my head. "No, in the killer''s eyes, the man was lucky because at least he died in his sleep, but the woman had to struggle for a long time before she died."


    Guan Zhenglin sighed, "Thankfully the killer didn''t use toilet paper or else we wouldn''t have found even bits of paper in their mouths." Guan Zhenglin continued, "The victim''s time of death is around 12 midnight. The story was written aroundte afternoon and the killer made his move at night." She turned to Zhang Qinrui. Thetter nodded. "Same with the male."


    Guan Zhenglin added, "With regards to why the bodies are in the state they''re found, the answer is quite horrifying but it''s clear."


    I frowned, "Would the strays really feed on the dead bodies?"


    Guan Zhenglin and Zhang Qinrui said at the same time, "Yes."

 Chapter 181: The Girl

    Chapter 181: The Girl


    Seeing how shocked we were, Guan Zhenglin worked her wrist and exined, "Among the felids, themon cats are the only families that won''t murder us humans because they have been domesticated. Normal felids include tigers and lions, they can kill humans easily." Guan Zhenglin shrugged, "Cats are just a miniature version of them. A small scratch and bite from a cat might not cause any injury but imagine if the cat was muchrger. Felids normally like to be alone, they''re very agile, and incredibly curious.


    "There is an untamed wilderness about them, which lend them that unique allure." Guan Zhenglin continued, "But umon to most people is that if you suddenly die and are unable to feed your pet cat, they would start to munch on your lips and eyelids, because they are the softest parts on the human body. Of course, if the body is naked, then they might start with the genitalia because that is soft as well."


    Zhang Qinrui nodded and pointed at the two bodies'' bones. "Feline tongues are covered in little spines called papie. They''re used to scrape down flesh from bones. That''s why the bodies are picked so clean." Zhang Qinrui removed his gloves and added, "Stray cats are unlike house cats. They gorge whenever they have the chance because they have no idea when their next meal woulde. From the missing mass of flesh on the dead bodies, it fit the bill. But," Zhang Qinrui washed his hands and said, "Stray cats normally would stay away from human contact. If you encounter a stray cat and a stray dog on the street, the stray dog is more likely to answer your call. But you said you encountered the killer inside the hole which was filled with stray cats?"


    I nodded. On the way back, I shared my experience with a few people. I was surprised Zhang Qinrui would have heard of it as well. Zhang Qinrui scratched his head and said, "That''s interesting. The strays appear to be used to the man''s presence. In other words, he often spends time with these strays."


    Zhang Qinrui was not wrong. Stray cats normally stayed away from humans, but the strays showed no resistance around the murder. I was reminded of the missing female boss from the adult toy shop. Could the killer have used her body to feed the cat to endear himself to them?


    Time, time.


    Suddenly, I realized there was another simrity in both of the stories. It also made me believe that the killer wasn''t picking his victims at random. In the first story, to familiarize himself with the lifestyle of the two girls, it would take time.


    In the second story, the killer also needed time to endear himself to the group of stray cats. In the story, the girl said that the cats had been around for half a month already, in other words, the killer had been in preparation for at least half a month already.


    However, there were only several days of difference between the first and second story. In other words, when the killer wasmitting to the first story, he was already spending time with these cats. In conclusion, the killer''s targets, the method and the stories were mostly all premeditated. This was a killer who followed his own n strictly. I should have noticed this sooner, after all, these stories could not bepleted without lengthy preparation.


    Gu Chen sighed, "I really don''t know how to face those stray cats in the market anymore, now that some of them might have ingested human flesh." Gu Chen painted the pictures of the cute cats munching on dead people in the dark, it was not a pretty picture alright.


    Zhang Qinrui added, "Does it really make any difference? I often see pet owners picking up their pets to kiss and hug after the pets had just finished doing their business. What''s the difference?" We were speechless.


    Guan Zhenglin cut in, "Well, this is nature at work, either humans eat animals or animals eat humans. We consume so many dead animals daily. In any case, there is still onest body. We should hurry up."


    Guan Zhenglin moved to the girl''s body. Zhang Qinrui put his gloves back on to help Guan Zhenglin. Gu Chen and I observed the girl''s body, her head and her body were separated. Her head was ced to the side. Seeing this, my heart was heavy. This was just a young girl, one couldn''t help but feel the sense of potential lost, especially when she had died in such an unnatural way.


    Guan Zhenglin began softly, "Before we start the autopsy, perhaps we should study the English characters first." Zhang Qinrui hissed and sighed, "The wounds around the letters are bloody and red, in other words" He didn''t know how to continue. We turned to look at him. Then Guan Zhenglin added, "In other words, the girl was alive when the killer carved down these English letters."


    "Fuck!" Gu Chen cursed, "Fuck."


    The rest of us were silent. Guan Zhenglin must have noticed this at the crime scene but she didn''t point it out. Many English characters were carved into the girl''s stomach. The wounds were so deep that the flesh was turned inside out. The pain must have been monumental on a girl this young!


    This killer must bepletely inhumane to do something like this to a powerless little girl!


    "Trante it." I suppressed the heavy helplessness and sadness in my heart. I regretted not capturing the killer when I had the chance. What if the killer went after someone younger next time?


    Guan Zhenglin thought for a while before she started tranting, "Darkness survives in the eternal night. The hungry beasts, the cleansed human sin, expands, disappears and finally silences in nothingness. Tremble, those who are shaking, for the massacre has begun."


    Simr tost time, this was a statement that was incredibly confusing. We had no idea what the killer was trying to say. However, it was certain that there were deeper meanings behind them. We just hadn''t figured them out yet.


    I nodded and the autopsy began. The whole process was silent but the sound of scalpel and scissors. There was the sound of meat being cut and the breathing of us four. When a girl was ced like this before us, what could we do but be silent?


    She was a good pianist, she might grow up to make the country proud, she might be a famous celebrity, or a world-famous musician, but now she was a dead body on the table. All hope was lost.


    One hourter, Guan Zhenglin said, "The time of death is around 4.30 am. The cause of death is a stab into the back of the neck. The cut severed the artery in her neck. She would have died in less than 2 minutes." Guan Zhenglin showed us the girl''s head. The dagger was still inside the neck. It went in from the back of the neck and came out from the front. I was reminded of what I saw inside the hole. Before the cat knocked the head over, the girl''s head was connected to her body via this dagger.


    Guan Zhenglin continued, "After the girl''s death, a fish line was tied around her neck. The killer slowly pulled and eventually the force decapitated the girl."


    My skin crawled with goosebumps. In the dark, endless cats were feeding on two bodies. The killer leaned against the wall and slowly pulled on the fishline around the girl''s neck. As the smell of human meat wafted out from the hole, more strays would be attracted into the hole.


    The killer was perverted. But that begs the question, why didn''t the killere after me? I frowned because I had no answer.


    Guan Zhenglin concluded, "There''s nothing else. The girl''s body was extremely healthy a shame."


    Thest step of the autopsy was to rece all the organs and sew the bodies back up. We saw the girl being cut open and now being sewn back up. Her short life shed before us. Guan Zhenglin covered the girl with white cloth. "When this case is over, the family of three will be cremated. Hopefully, they will have peace then."


    I told them, "I need you to follow me to investigate some things. I have a feeling that even though our killer is a psychopath, he is notpletely crazy, he didn''t kill at random. He seems to have his own condition for picking his victim." I said seriously, "And our job is to figure out that condition!"

 Chapter 182: The Return

    Chapter 182: The Return


    Weid out the pictures of all the victims. In terms of timeline, the first victim was Zhao Kaifang, 27 years old, a single female who lived alone. The second victim was Luo Xiao Lu, 25 years old, single female who lived alone. Simr to Zhao Kaifang, she was also an OL.


    The third victim, Zhou Mei, 35 years old, a cashier at a supermarket, married; Zhang Libo, 37 years old, a vehicle repairman, married. The fifth victim was Zhang Xiaowen, 12 years ago, primary 5 and was enjoying her school holiday when she was killed.


    We studied the 5 pictures. However, we couldn''t tell the simrity between them. In terms of upation, there was no ovepping. Zhao Kaifang and Luo Xiao Lu were both OL but they worked in differentpanies that specialized in different fields.


    In terms of gender, there was no unified theme either. The killer didn''t go after only single females like I predicted. In the second story, the victims were a family of three, they were definitely not young females.


    In terms of age, they couldn''t be more different either. The two OL were about 20 plus, the married couple was in their 30s and their daughter was only 12.


    So what was the condition used by the killer? Did he kill indiscriminately, why did he pick these few as his victims?


    I frowned and pulled on my hair. Were there killers that killed without reason and rhyme? Yes, of course there was. Those kinds of killers were the hardest to capture. Crime investigation was based on a few fixed concepts, like the mo, the murder weapon, the time of death and motive. These details provided the openings. We normally used these points to narrow down our suspect list and then from the lists, specte the culprit.


    However, in this case, the murder weapon was varied. Other than the dagger that was of unknown origin, there was no more weapon found. The dagger had no manufacturing details so that was a dead end too.


    The mo was often the most reflective of the killer''s perspective. A killer who used dagger was not afraid of blood, a killer who preferred torture was mentally perverse and so on. However, so far, the mo in these 2 cases were so distinct that I had the impression they were done by two killers.


    In terms of timeline, I believed the killer had alreadye up with his hit list a long time ago. He was only going through it one by one. Based on the two cases so far, it was hard to tell if the killer would kill every week, every day or every fortnight. Or perhaps he struck whenever he felt like it.


    Criminal motive was a field in psychology to read the killer''s thoughts and mindframe through the evidence left at the crime scenes. This was something I was good at. From current evidence, there were basically 2 possibilities. 1, these were random killings done by the killer to satisfy his need to kill; 2, these were premeditated murders but we hadn''t found the connection between the killer and these 5 victims.


    We knew only half of everything. For example, the killer appeared to be a jack of all trade, and he was extremely cunning. From my short interaction with him, I believed this man was psychopathic, preferred darkness and shied from the light.


    From my own experience, psychopathy wasn''t developed overnight. Something must have happened to the killer when he was young or something broke his mind. The trauma trapped him inside a worldview that we couldn''t understand. So would that mean our killer might have a history of being in a mental hospital? It was notpletely impossible. A mental patient could have run loose and gone on a killing spree. Many psychopaths killed because they viewed the world in a way differently from ours. And these people were normally locked inside areas within mental hospitals with the highest security. I was familiar with these ces in Dong Xing City. Even though I had not been to such areas before, I knew that without proper authority,mon people were not going to be given ess to such ces.


    This was because the patients kept there couldn''t be called human beings anymore, they were more like demons in the human shell.


    Captain Zhao suddenly said, "There is one person from the second story who we still can''t track. When we were back from the crime scene, I had Mary look into the adult toy store. The boss'' name was Wang Chunli, she is not a local. We called her phone many times but they went unanswered. The only news we had is that she wasst seen with a man."


    Captain Lee nced at Captain Zhao. "Yes, we found out the same thing. I was about to report on that but you already did." Then Captain Lee turned to Xiao Liu. "Xiao Liu, don''t you have a lead to follow? Go on then." Xiao Liu hurried to oblige.


    Captain Zhao sipped on his tea and said, "Indeed, since you already know about this lead, then why didn''t you send people to investigate it earlier? You have to wait for me to bring it up first?"


    Captain Lee scoffed. "The day is getting dark, you should go and rest. You''re not getting any younger. Your hair has gotten so white, the pressure from the case must be mounting, huh?"


    Gu Chen looked at Captain Lee and whispered, "This Captain Lee is clearly trying to steal our lead."


    I said, "Based on my analysis, it will take time to endear oneself to a group of stray cats. Plus, I believe this might not be the first time the cats have fed on human flesh. If you ask me, the female boss is already inside many different cat stomachs."


    Guan Zhenglin countered, "That might be so but cats don''t eat bones. Where have the bones disappeared to?"


    I was reminded of the paper boxes in the back of the shop. One of the boxes was sealed. Now that I thought about it, perhaps the boss'' bones were inside that box. With that in mind, I called Xiao Liu.


    Xiao Liu was clearly surprised to get my call. "Wu Meng? What''s wrong?"


    I said directly, "I need you to visit the storage of the adult toy store. Look for sealed boxes. If I''m not mistaken, you might find some flesh and bones."


    "Okay." Xiao Liu answered. "Thank you."


    I didn''t say anything in return. Gu Chen nced at me and grumbled, "Why did you tell him? When you''re in trouble, he''ll be the first to abandon you, haven''t you learned that lesson?"


    I shook my head. "That''s not important. Tomorrow, I need you to go somewhere with me."


    "Where?" Gu Chen asked.


    "Dong Xing Mental Hospital," I answered.


    Xiao Liu found the bones and was told to investigate the man who wasst seen with the boss.


    I spent the night tossing and turning in bed. Once I closed my eyes, the pair of green eyes stared at me and the killer''s shrill giggles echoed in my ears. I could see the girl''s head roll towards me. In the dark, someone was smiling at me and refused to leave.


    Why didn''t he choose to kill me? That was such a perfect chance for him. He wouldn''t have missed. I had no answer.


    Early the next morning, Captain Zhao led the team to Dong Xing Mental Hospital. This was a ce I both loved and hated; hated because it hid my deepest secret, my both failures in the hands of Wu Zui; loved because this ce was home to many of my friends like Doggie Wang Er. Sometimes, just because they couldn''t fit into this world didn''t mean that they were crazy.


    It was the same male chief nurse who came to wee us. When he saw Captain Zhao lead me back, he chuckled, "Well, ain''t this quaint? He doesn''tst through the test drive period so you''re returning him? Wu Meng, why are youing back? Do you think we don''t have enough work here?"


    I smiled, "Who said I''ming back? I have even stopped my medication."


    "We''ll see." The chief nurse added, "You know your own mental history. Stick with these people longer and eventually you''ll find your way back in here."


    "Where''s Doggie Wang Er?" I asked, "I miss him."


    The chief nurse replied, "His girlfriend is visiting him. I''m not going to stay to interrupt them. Tell me, why would a perfectly beautiful girl waste her youth on a mental patient?"


    I chuckled, "I''ll report you to the director for leaving the patient with his visitor. That''s against the rules."


    "Nice try!" The chief nurse called my bluff. "Even the director knows about the two of them. Anyway, back to business, why are you back here? Don''t tell me, it''s because you miss me."


    I looked at the chief nurse and said seriously, "There''s this new case, the killer is extremely psychopathic. I''m wondering if he might be one of the severe cases here. He might have escaped. Do you have any records? Perhaps we should visit Area A, we might find something there."


    "No way!" The chief nurse stated, "You know Area A has the highest level of security. There won''t be any runaway."

 Chapter 183: The Elder

    Chapter 183: The Elder


    The chubby fat on the chief nurse''s cheeks shook as his head turned left and right. He almost messed up his hairstyle.


    "That''s not a ce for normal people. You don''t understand the terror of the ce, this is not to protect them but to protect you. Weak-minded people will be converted by these people in Area A." The chief nurse warned. "Even for the staff, we are not allowed to stay in Area A for more than 5 minutes. What is it that you want to know? In any case, I can assure that none of our patients has escaped, that''s impossible."


    I smiled, "Well, we can find that out on our own. Captain Zhao hase with the warrant."


    The chief nurse rolled his eyes. "Then why did you waste my time? Let''s go." Even though I had spent almost a year at this ce, I had not been to Area A before. This hospital was split into 3 areas, A, B and C, with decreasing levels of security. A patient like me was from Area C!


    The patients in Area B would not harm others but they would harm themselves, they had self-muttion desire. They required special treatment. However, with good treatment, there wasn''t any problem.


    The patients in Area A, as mentioned before, were devils in human skill. Most patients here were psychopaths. There was a patient who imed that everyone wanted to kill him so he needed to kill others to be safe; there was a patient who believed his destiny in this world was to kill 8000000 people before he could reach samsara. Dong Xing City was a metropolis, there were several mental hospitals, but this was the only hospital that looked after these heavy cases. The patients treated in Area A would be violent towards others so most of the time, they were closed inside individual rooms. Their rooms didn''t have any metallic objects, the meals wouldn''t have bones and the utensils were soft. After each meal, the staff would check the utensils to make sure there was none damaged or missing. Other than meal time, these patients were strapped to the bed. They were only allowed to look at the ceiling.


    We walked towards Area A. Area A was at the deepest part of the hospital, it was very far from Area B and C. There was even arge iron gate separating them. Outsiders needed the director and the chief nurse''s permission to cross this gate. We had obtained the director''s permission and the chief nurse wasing with us.


    Therge gate behind us slowly closed. I noticed that every guard here had an electric baton and wore metal helmets. After crossing the gate, one had to walk a distance before one could see a building 3 stories tall. This ce housed these serious cases. The building itself was grey in color and the walls were mottled. It looked quite old. The red paint on the wallDong Xing City''s Second Mental Hospital was peeling.


    The chief nurse exined, "As you can see, this building is aged. It has been here since Dong Xing City was built. This is the city''s first mental hospital. This is the original building."


    There were several sentries around the building. The walls were not just concrete walls but had electric wires as well. The security here was really high. We pushed open the door and entered the building. A small transmission room was ced to the side. There were several guards posted there. They all nodded when they saw the chief nurse.


    On the other side of the transmission room were rows of CCTV. From them, we could see everything that happened inside the building. I counted carefully, there were 20 monitors so there should be 20 patients here. I nced about and realized some of the patients were tied to the bed, while others could move around in their small rooms. Gu Chen asked, "Not all of them are tied to the bed?"


    The chief nurse checked the monitors and answered, "Of course, as police, you''ve seen perhaps as many deranged people as we do. But we are more professional when ites to diagnosing their mental state." The chief nurse pointed at a monitor and exined, "Even though patients at Area A have serious violence tendencies, there is gradation among them as well. Take for example, these are the 8 rooms on the first floor."


    We followed the chief nurse''s pointing finger. None of the patients on this floor were tied to the bed. They could move freely inside their rooms which were around 10 cubic metres. The rooms also had a toilet. I looked closely at the monitors, hoping to draw some clues about the killer from these people.


    I looked down the row of monitors. Some had their heads lowered and sat motionless on the bed like a statue. Some faced the wall, asionallyughing and crying. One stood beside the toilet with his penis in his hands. It was impossible to tell what he was doing. There were only 2 female patients on this floor. One was fully naked, rolling around on the floor; the other was sleeping facedown on the bed so I couldn''t see her face.


    These people''s actions were inexplicable and they scared people away. However, they didn''t look like they were harming themselves.


    The chief nurse continued, "This row is for the second floor."


    We turned to look. The rooms on this floor didn''t have toilets. Some were tied to the beds, others were moving around freely. There were both male and female patients. Some struggled against the binding so hard, their faces were red. One mmed his head heavily against the pillow but the pillow was soft, so it did no damage. Those who were not tied to the bed mostly sat there quietly. It was quite impressive.


    When I moved my eyes downwards, I saw 4 CCTVs and they corresponded to 4 different people.


    They were doing 4 different things.


    There was a man who was tied to the bed, the straps were so tight, he could barely struggle. The patient red at the camera. He shouted something at the camera but we couldn''t hear him. However, we did notice that his teeth were all ck and every tooth was sharpened like a canine.


    The chief nurse made the introduction. He pointed at the man, "This man killed a family of 8 when he was young. The reason was after he was bitten by a bat, he believed he had transformed into a vampire. He needed blood to survive but one night he bit his family to death." The chief nose pointed at the man''s mouth, "The teeth are grinded down by himself. He would grind his teeth every day, it often injured his own lips or tongue. Whenever he grinded his teeth, the gums would get so bloody. Last time, a nurse was tasked to feed him but she was identally bitten by him. She almost lost her hand. Last time, I even saw him bite a hole through the iron bed."


    "What about her?" I asked. This was a woman even though her hair was shaved. She too was tied to the bed. However, instead of resisting, she looked extremely sedated.


    The chief nurse warned, "This woman might look quiet but if you ask me, she''s much more dangerous than the previous man. When she was first sent here, she didn''t show any sign of psychopathy. She is a very good disguiser. Last time, she managed to sneak poison into everyone''s food supply. If not for the eagle eye of the canteen worker, perhaps you''d be dead already."


    I shook my head. "What about the child?"


    The chief nurse sighed and began slowly, "Speaking of which, this child is the scariest child I''ve ever met. The boy knows how to y to others'' pity. He might look young but he''s more demented than most adult. There was one time when he saved a date pit from lunch and tried to kill the staff that came to clean up the te with the sharpened pit. Thankfully, the guards stopped him in time. Anything can be turned into a murder weapon in his hands."


    Captain Zhao suddenly cut in, "I''ve met a child like this once, but he''s already dead." I looked over and Captain Zhao''s expression was severe as he red at the boy. There was sadness in his eyes. I wondered what kind of memory this boy had evoked in Captain Zhao.


    However, the most eye-catching people on the monitors was not these people but an elder who looked so polite and gentle. In thest screen, we saw somethingpletely different than before.


    An old man about 50 sat behind a table. An English book was ced before him, we couldn''t see the tile. Next to the table was arge bookshelf with many books. Most of them were in English but there were Chinese titles too like Zhou Yi, Lun Yu, the Understanding of Human Psychology. The selection was eclectic.


    From the screen, I also noticed the old man''s room was muchrger than the rest. I was confused. This elder didn''t look like a mental patient but like an established schr.


    I joked, "I have no idea you have footage of the hospital director''s room."


    The chief nurse scolded, "Stop joking. This is the scariest patient at our hospital. None of the staff dares to enter his room."

 Chapter 184: Choices

    Chapter 184: Choices


    I had never heard the chief nurse being afraid of anyone before. When I was a patient, no one dared to cross him. So when the chief nurse said he was afraid of this fragile-looking old man, I was confused.


    I studied the old man closer. From his appearance, he looked just like a normal elder. His face was wrinkled and a pair of gold-rimmed sses sat on his nose. He licked his finger to turn another page over. Then the old man turned to write something down in a small notebook. The pen was an old parker, which was hard to find these days. The old man was dressed casually, and he looked presentable. The tea cup on the table was steaming, a heater was ced beside the wall. Behind the elder was his bed. Theforter was well made. The room overall was clean and well kept. Interestingly enough, the window behind the elder opened a gap. The gap was narrow but at least it allowed the old man a view of the outside world.


    The old man looked very weak. A strong wind would blow him over, I couldn''t imagine him killing anymore.


    However, there had to be a reason why he was locked here. After all, who would watch over a normal old guy reading a book? Furthermore, the chief nurse was afraid of him.


    I was interested to talk to the old man. Humans were creatures of curiosity after all. If curiosity could be stopped, humans wouldn''t explore space; if curiosity could be stopped, humans wouldn''t discover so many new deep sea creatures every year; if curiosity could be stopped, humans wouldn''t survive until today.


    I was so curious, just how unique this old man had to be to be kept in Area A? On the surface, he looked like a retired old man in his quiet corner, reading a book, drinking tea. Unable to stop my curiosity, I asked, "Chief nurse, who did this old man kill?"


    "He hasn''t killed anyone." The chief nurse looked at me and said in a conspiratorial tone.


    "He hasn''t killed anyone?" My brows were locked together. I couldn''t understand it. "But isn''t Area A the ce to lock up all the crazed murderers? So why is this old man locked here if he''s not a murderer?"


    Gu Chen stared at the television monitor and said, "If you said he''s the scariest person here, then why do you provide him with books, cups, pens and so on? If he wants to harm others or himself, these can all be turned into weapons."


    The chief nurse looked at us for a long time before he said, "He doesn''t kill but those who have met him have all turned insane. Some were already insane before they talked to him; others turned insane after they talked to him. He hasn''t officially murdered anyone but he has caused so many murders. Therefore, there is a rule here forbidding anyone from talking with him for more than 3 sentences. Normally when you ignore him, he''ll ignore you too."


    "A hypnotist?" Guan Zhenglin touched her face and said, "Before this, I was lucky enough to attend a conference by Madam Yang Xiaojuan. Sister Juan said that, in one of their cases, the culprit has used some kind of hypnotic method to control a man to kill on their behalf."


    Captain Zhao suddenly sighed, "The man who was controlled was actually the leader of the special crime unit back then. The culprit used a kind of special drug that originated from Brazil. I doubt the culprit is this old man. However, I did hear from Juanjuan that some people can hypnotize others without using any other props. And the target would be hypnotized forever until the hypnotist releases them with a prompt." Captain Zhao paused like he had remembered something sad. His face was drawn. Then he added, "Without the prompt, the target might be in hypnosis forever; or the hypnotic suggestion could beid when they were young and once the prompt was heard, they would sink into hypnotic state." Then Captain Zhao stopped talking.


    I wanted to ask for more details but Guan Zhenglin pulled on my arm to stop me.


    The chief nurse urged, "Since you have to warrant, then go ahead. I''ll stay here. If there''s any incident, there''s an emergency button outside each corridor. Press it and the security wille."


    The few of us nodded. Captain Zhao ordered, "Wu Meng, you''ll lead the rest to go in. I''ll stay here to watch the CCTV. Be careful."


    There were two reasons why I was at the mental hospital, one was to try to derive the killer''s psychology from these mental patients and the other was to find out the meaning of those English statements. Gu Chen said they sounded like cultish teachings. There were many patients who were involved in supernatural and cult activity here. Or at least many patients here believed they were incarnations of the angel or demon. Maybe we could find something useful.


    After the 3 of us walked for a distance, Gu Chen asked, "What is up with Yang Xiaojuan? Why do all of you sound so cautious talking about her?"


    Guan Zhenglin nced behind her. After making sure Captain Zhao was far enough, she whispered, "Yang Xiaojuan is Captain Zhao''s girlfriend. She''s our nation''s most famous female coroner. In the special task force that was set up 10 years ago, Captain Zhao, Sister Juan, Sister Mary and Yan Junde have solved many big cases." Then her face drooped and she continued in a sadder voice, "About 7 years ago, during an operation, Sister Juan was shot and entered aa. Because of that, the special task force was resolved. The operation was a great sess, every target was captured but one, a woman named Zhao Mingkun."


    When the name Zhao Mingkun was mentioned, my expression shifted and my heart trembled. However, I said nothing. I had only heard thetter half of the story from Zhao Mingkun, I hadn''t heard the front part of the story. I only knew that Zhao Mingkun was Si Huacheng''s adopted daughter and she hadmitted many crimes under his tutge. The big reason Captain Zhao established this new task force was to capture Zhao Mingkun.


    Guan Zhenglin continued the story, "Sister Juan actually blocked the bullet meant for Captain Zhao. The bullet would have hit him if not for Sister Juan. And the shooter was the leader of the heavy crime unit at the time, and also Captain Zhao''s teacher, Si Huacheng. Currently Si Huacheng is still in police custody."


    "Wait, he''s still alive?" Gu Chen didn''t know Si Huacheng. He said directly, "He''s such a stain to the badge. Someone like him should be executed!"


    Guan Zhenglin shook her head. "The superiors naturally have their considerations, a living Si Huacheng was far more useful than a dead Si Huacheng. After all, the organization they attempted to take down back then was huge. There were many loose ends. Also the police were afraid that Zhao Mingkun was the only known escaped criminal. There might be more like her."


    Suddenly I wished to know more about Si Huacheng. I heard from Captain Zhao that Si Huacheng turned to crimes to save his youngest daughter. So what happened to the daughter? Was she still alive?


    "And she has been asleep ever since." Guan Zhenglin walked before us and she whispered, "Until now, Sister Juan shows no sign of awakening. And for 7 years, the scar has been in Captain Zhao''s heart. It is why he is so adamant to capture Zhao Mingkun, to give the events back then a closure."


    Suddenly a question came to me and I said, "But something''s not right. If Sister Juan has been ina for 7 years already, you''re only 19 this year, 7 years ago, you would be a 12 years old girl. Why would you attend Sister Juan''s conference on hypnosis?"


    Gu Chen was also confused.


    Guan Zhenglin suddenly stopped moving. When she turned around, her eyes were watering. She exined, "That''s right. It''s because my grandmother is Sister Juan''s biological sister. Technically speaking, Sister Juan is my aunt and Captain Zhao is my uncle." Guan Zhenglin continued, "At the time, I was small and I followed my aunt everywhere. It was after I attended my aunt''s conference that day that I was determined to be a good coroner to help the dead speak. Therefore 7 yearster, when the chance came, I joined the task force without hesitation. I need to capture Zhao Kunming! To bring closure to my sleeping aunt."


    This was the first time I saw Guan Zhenglin cry so openly. Yang Xiaojuan must have yed a huge role in her life. Guan Zhenglin would never let Zhao Mingkun go for the sake of her aunt, but I had purposely let Zhao Mingkun go before. Thinking back, I now realized how hard it was for Guan Zhenglin to keep her emotions inwards when she ran into Zhao Mingkun during our Minghun case.


    For the overall benefit of the group, she suffered through it but in the end, I let Zhao Mingkun go.


    I suddenly realized everyone was acting. No matter how they might appear on the surface, many things were hidden deep inside the heart. Perhaps because we had spent so much time together, or perhaps Captain Zhao''s emotions reminded Guan Zhenglin of her aunt, she revealed her deepest secret to us. It also meant that she trusted the two of us deeply.


    But what about me? How would I choose? If there was a next time, would I stand with Guan Zhenglin or with Zhao Mingkun, the only person who could really understand me?

 Chapter 185: Look Into Yourself

    Chapter 185: Look Into Yourself


    Momentster, Guan Zhenglin wiped away her tears. "Sometimes it''s better to voice the things in your mind, after all, I know I can trust you two. But let''s not dwell on that, it can''t be hurried. By the way, Wu Meng, why are we here?"


    I stopped thinking about it. It was still unknown whether I''d meet Zhang Mingkun again, much less capture her. If there was indeed that option, it was a future me problem. For now, we needed to focus on this psychopath killer before he found more victims. With that in mind, I asked, "What would you do if you''re tasked to find a drop of water in the sea?"


    Gu Chen groaned, "Stop with the riddles, just tell us."


    I raised my brow. "The easiest way is to ask the other drops of water about it. We cannot understand this psychopath''s worldview but it doesn''t mean the other psychopaths can''t. We might not be able to understand the messages left behind by the killer, but it doesn''t mean that others won''t. In fact, the person we''re looking for might be in this building."


    To interview these patients won''t be easy. First we needed to confirm if the patient understood the killer''s messages and then confirm whether they would cooperate with us. Neither of them was easy to do.


    For now, we could only visit the rooms one by one to see if anyone could help us. After several attempts, the result was less than satisfactory. When Guan Zhenglin approached the door and recited the message, most of them banged madly against the door, while those tied to the bed wiggled crazily. I started to question the validity of my action. Perhaps these patients lived in their own world; they couldn''t understand each other, much less a killer on the loose.


    As we went upstairs, our shoes echoed in the quiet corridor. Guan Zhenglin said, "Looks like we''re going to return with no result. Perhaps these messages have nothing to do with the killer''s motive at all. He might have just written them down to throw us off."


    In any case, we continued our way up to the second floor. When I passed the room, I saw the woman was still lying in bed. She was so still, she looked more like a dead body than a living person. Gu Chen knocked on the door and looked through the window. The woman remained motionless.


    We moved on. We discussed the messages among ourselves. When we passed a room, one of the patients suddenly shouted, "Devil, that''s the devil''s whispers." We turned to the sound and saw a patient screaming and kneeling on the ground. He kept drawing crosses before his chest. We shared a look, this might be our breakthrough!


    "What do you mean?!" I leaned close to the door before I could see the man on the ground. I noticed that the man was crying like he was in great pain. He said, "Come in and I''ll tell you."


    I reached my face closer to the gated window. At that moment, the man suddenly stood up and grabbed at me. The gaps between the iron-gated window was very small, but it didn''t deter the man. He somehow managed to squeeze his hand through. His wrist must have been broken from doing that. He held onto my cor and refused to let go. At that moment, the siren rang. Soon I heard footsteps, I knew people wereing. The man looked at me with eyes filled with sadness and fear. Then he suddenly let me go and walked around. He crawled to the deepest corner of the room and cowered there like a frightened child. I adjusted my cor while the chief nurse rushed over with the guards. He only slowed down when he saw that I was fine. "I already told you to be careful, didn''t I?"


    I ignored the chief nurse and turned to the patient. I demanded, "What do you mean by what you said earlier? Exin yourself!" But the patient refused to respond anymore.


    The chief nurse intervened, "You''re really treating the words of a mental patient seriously? I already told you they cannot be trusted. Stop wasting time here and go back out there to solve the case. Don''te back here again with paranoia. You won''t get anything here, because everything here is illusive, they''re not real." The chief nurse looked at me like how he''d look at his charge, "We live only in one world, but different people have different worldviews. Our world might be false and theirs might be real, who can really tell?"


    I was not a philosophist and I didn''t have an answer to this question, because it could never be answered.


    "We''ll leave after we''ve seen everyone. There''s still one person we haven''t met." I said.


    "Who?" The chief nurse frowned. He looked quite displeased.


    I pointed upwards. "Of course, the one above, we haven''t even seen that studious senior schr."


    The chief nurse said adamantly, "No, absolutely not. No one is meeting him. I''ve already told you, he''s too scary. He can look into people''s hearts, you''re naked before him. He can pierce through your heart to dig out your secret."


    I asked, "Sounds like you''ve experienced it yourself."


    The chief nurse shook his head. "I have not, because I know there are certain things in this world that are not to be attempted. Why do you think he''s locked here otherwise?"


    I said, "But I have an instinct that I''ll be able to get some clues from this elder." Since I had the warrant, the chief nurse could only persuade me but couldn''t stop me. Personally I only wished to meet this old man, to see how unique he was.


    The chief nurse couldn''t persuade me otherwise so he added onest time outside the door, "Do not trust anything he says. Remember, he is a mental patient, not a schr, or else he won''t be here." Then the chief nurse knocked on the door. A heavy voice from inside said, "Come in."


    The chief nurse tapped me on my shoulders, signaling me to go in. I went in and closed the door behind me. The old man changed another pair of sses to take a better look at me. "Why are you so nervous?" The elder pushed on his sses and asked, "Am I that scary? You must have heard those rumors about me again. Sometimes I wonder why I am here. Why don''t you sit down and talk to me, perhaps we can figure this out together."


    I looked at him and pulled a chair over. "I''m not nervous."


    The elder shook his head. "No, you are. Human beings are funny creatures. They''re the only creatures who can''t tell what they''re really thinking. You might be able to fool yourself, but your subconscious can''t fool others. You bent over slightly when you closed the door and your fingers trembled. That proves that you''re indeed nervous."


    I looked at him and continued, "The moment I walk in, you assert your dominance, leading me into your rhythm. Whether I answer or not, you have control over the flow of the conversation. That cornered me into the passive role."


    The expression on the elder''s face didn''t change. "Interesting, are you a fellow student of psychology?"


    I shook my head. "These are just rudimentary knowledge of psychology. An amateur psychologist could do what you did. I''m not here to listen to your lecture. You have many books on your bookshelf and most of them are rted to criminology and psychology. I''m here to seek your help with a case."


    "Are you afraid?" The elder looked into my eyes. And I looked back at him. Behind the sses, the eyes appeared to be able to look into people''s souls and the secret in my heart. "Let me see. I can see uncertainty and fear in your eyes, as well as weakness." I kept my eyes on him.


    The elder held his chin. "You''re afraid of something deep inside your heart. But what is that? Let me guess." I shrugged.


    The elder smiled, "I know what it is. You''re afraid of loneliness. The more insouciant you act, the more anxious you appear. Even though you have not done anything since you sat down, your pupils moved to take in the whole room."


    The elder looked around the room. "You know, the more one tries to hide something, the more it''ll be revealed. The greater onecks something, the more one tries to preen about it, because they''re afraid that others might notice they''recking in that department.


    "Won''t you agree, officer?" The elder smiled. "Now let me see, why are you so lonely? Why can''t you trust anyone? Why can''t you believe their words? Yes, this started when you were young. You were abandoned, you are an orphan, aren''t you?"


    I still didn''t say anything.


    "Ha ha." The elder winked at me, "That''s why you''re most afraid of betrayal, you''re afraid of getting too close to another person. That''s why you prefer to do everything alone, you prefer to live and die quietly on your own. But why? Have you ever questioned why that is?


    "Officer, look into yourself, you know the answer."

 Chapter 186: Hypnosis

    Chapter 186: Hypnosis


    I couldn''t help but counter, "Then what about you? Are you also afraid of something since you''re hiding here? You should be able to live outside just fine but you enjoy the environment here. Or you are afraid of crowds, you like to face people one by one. You''d get anxious when there are too many people."


    The elder looked at me gently and raised his brow at me, as if encouraging me to continue. And I did, "You enjoy being alone, you''re antisocial so you are living in a situation where you can always control. It is why your hobby is to expose other people''s secrets. You hide here to research psychology, sociology and criminology. It''s for that purpose too, right?"


    The elder didn''t answer. Naturally I wouldn''t abandon my upper hand so I pressed, "So you came to hide here. You thought you had everything under control but you''re just afraid of facing the people. Am I right?"


    For a moment, no one spoke.


    After a long silence, the elder spoke, "You are young but you have read a lot of literature on psychology. In a few minutes of interactions, you have exposed many things about me and I do admit they are true. Your observation skill is good, no wonder you''re with the police. But so what?" The elder looked at me, "I do have those problems but I can face them head on. I know my weakness and my strength. It is why I found this ce for me. Do you know, this is my way of facing my problem?


    "But." The elder''s tone suddenly sharpened, "You''re different. You can''t see yourself. Perhaps you believe you know yourself but you can face yourself. Ask yourself, what is it that you really want in your life now?"


    Suddenly I felt like something in my heart was hit. It was the softest part of my heart. I was all of a sudden so tired. The elder grabbed the pen and started to draw circles on the paper. As he drew, he said, "You do not trust anyone but you have to pretend to be close to people. You are afraid of loneliness but you are also afraid of getting too close to others, because you understand that once you get too close to someone, the ultimate ending is separation.


    "So why can''t you admit it?" The elder passed me a pen and paper. Then he continued, "We are actually kindred spirits. You do not socialize because you are fearful of loneliness. We are people who enjoy loneliness, what''s wrong with that? Because we''re abandoned, we have to give up? No, we have to resist."


    The elder said, "Draw me a house and tree."


    I drew a tree and then after some thought drew the house in the middle of the tree. So the picture showed a tree growing out from the house. The elder looked at my drawing and said, "You are the tree, but you''re trapped inside the house. But your heart is yearning to leave, can''t you feel that? You shouldn''t limit yourself inside this frame." The elder slowed down, "Do you understand me? Putting on that disguise won''t help you release yourself. Human lives are only less than 100 years long. Some people lived for 100 years and did nothing with it; some lived for only 30 years but they would be remembered forever. Being infamous is better than being forgotten.


    "What do you want to ask me already?" The elder sat upright and asked seriously.


    I was silent before I took out my phone and showed him the English message, "This is it. We suspect the killer is also a psychopath. We''ve searched for the messages online but we found nothing. So the killer probably came up with them himself. You study psychology, can you tell what he is trying to say?"


    The elder continued to draw circles with his pen. He read the messages as he looked at my phone. After he was done, he asked, "Don''t you think your trantion is seriously wrong? Who tranted these messages into Chinese?"


    "You don''t need to know that." I said, "I only want to know what is on the killer''s mind."


    The elder was silent before he said, "This is simple, can''t you tell? It''s so obvious. He left behind so many traces because he wanted to prove his existence. It''s like people writing their names at famous tourist spots, it''s for others to see their existence. If the victims die but you can''t find any trace of the killer, then his sense of existence would be too low."


    Suddenly the elder leaned forward. "I''ve already told you, the more one is missing something, the greater one would manifest it. He iscking in presence. When the killer was small, he must be consistently ignored. He might be abandoned. Think about it, who could the killer be?"


    Listening to him, I felt a strange feeling in my heart. My brain buzzed and there was a sudden headache. I pressed against my temples hoping to smooth out the headache.


    "He''s abandoned and unloved." The voice was fleeting but it travelled into my ears. "He doesn''t fit into this world, he is never epted by this world. Everything that he sees is fake. The friends around him, the people he loves, the people who love him are all fake." The voice rose a tempo. "This world is fake so you have to shatter it and find your own world. Remember your prompt is"


    In the blurriness, there was a ringing siren. I suddenly snapped out of it. The elder had mysteriously left the table and was standing before me. He was holding the pen in his hands. At that moment, I heard the ramming on the door behind me. I turned around and saw the door was locked. But I remembered leaving the door unlocked. When was the door locked? I turned around and saw an inexplicable darkness in the elder''s eyes.


    It waspletely different from the kind old man who greeted me when I first walked into the room. He charged at me with the pen but he was no match for me, he was in his twilight years, I was in my prime years. I might be thin, but I could still handle him. The elder grabbed my cor and shouted, "Remember, you''re an orphan, you want to die, you don''t want to live anymore, remember that!" The ghastly expression on his face made him look like a demon. The capiries on his face bulged and his face was red like he was using all of his energy to fight me. But suddenly he stopped struggling and mumbled to himself, "No, wrong, I can''t do this. I''m not someone like this, but so what? No, wrong, what?"


    Then the elder appeared to be caught in some spiral. He ignored me, and started to pace around, talking to himself.


    I hurriedly ran to the door, opened it and rushed out.


    When I was out, the people looked at me like I had survived a brush with death, which I probably did.


    "What really happened?" I asked.


    The chief nurse said anxiously, "I told you not to do this, you had to. You almost ended up in the same fate as those who went in before you. But I have never seen him like this before, kid, you must be special. Your predecessors were all hypnotized by him, but he was never so open about his hypnosis before"


    I was confused.


    Guan Zhenglin exined. "You almost scared me to death. We were waiting for you but suddenly you stood up to lock the door from inside. We called your name but you didn''t respond. Then the elder walked to stand before you, telling you something."


    I frowned and then realized the severity of the situation. I was reminded of how many times the elder had drawn circles with his pen. I now understood that was not a habit of his. He was hypnotizing me. At the same time, he used his words to draw me further into his control. Without even realizing it, I was hypnotized. The scariest thing was, if not for the siren, he would have reached the most vital step of hypnosis which was to set the prompt.


    Like Captain Zhao said, without the prompt, the hypnotized person might not wake up from the hypnosis for life. The prompt wouldn''t be some everyday phrases, and it would normally be less than 5 words. With the prompt all set up, I would have fallen fully under the old man''s control. During my state of hypnosis, I had no idea what the old man told me.


    The chief nurse sighed, "Thankfully someone was clever enough to ring the siren or else you wouldn''t be alive for long. Either you''ll be detained back here or you''d kill yourself. I''ve already told you, these people are mentally deranged. Do not attempt to converse with them. Only psychopaths can understand psychopaths."


    "So who rang the rm?" The chief nurse looked around and asked, "I need to praise him for his brilliance."


    People looked at each other and no one spoke. The situation turned quiet and eerie.


    "It has to be us, right?" Gu Chen began slowly, "There''s no one else in the corridor."


    "Or could it be"

 Chapter 187: Escaped Patient

    Chapter 187: Escaped Patient


    "Stop joking, now is not the time!" The chief nurse looked around and still no one answered him. By then everyone understood the severity of the situation. If it was not them or the guards, then the only possibility was the patient. The chief nurse gasped, "It couldn''t be one of the patients, could it?"


    Right then, a guard shouted, "Not good,e please. A patient has escaped!"


    The voice came from downstairs. We hurried towards the voice. We noticed one of the steel doors on the 2nd floor was open. I worked my mind and remembered that this room kept the woman who always faced the wall. But the woman had disappeared.


    The chief nurse was so anxious he was pouring sweat. As he shouted into the walkie-talkie, he charged into the room. The room was empty. "How did she get out?" The chief nurse turned towards us, "All the rooms aretched from outside. The people inside won''t escape unless someone unlocks the door from outside. The old man''s room is the only one which can be locked from the inside. The other room can''t do that."


    I frowned as I heard the meaning underneath his words. "You mean one of us has left her door open?"


    The chief nurse shouted into the walkie-talkie. "Attention, a female patient from Area A has escaped. Currently we can''t confirm her features and number but she is a patient from Area A so she is highly aggressive. I repeat, a patient from Area A has escaped." Then the chief nurse told us, "Please stop moving around and create trouble for us. You''ve already made me lose my year-end bonus because of this."


    Then he pulled out the stun baton and told the guard around him. "Follow me, she wouldn''t have gone far."


    As the chief nurse rushed away, I was reminded of the woman in this room when we first entered this ce. She was lying in bedpletely immobile. It looked suspicious and this proved that suspicion correct. However, was this woman''s disappearance rted to us and was it rted to the case?


    I stared at the open door and the empty room. Then I walked towards it. Standing at the door and looking around, the room was actually very small. Other than the bed, there was nothing else. I checked and the bed was welded together from a whole piece of iron board, in other words, the people staying here couldn''t use the bed for anything, not for weapons or to make lock picks.


    I noticed some small traces on the wall. I leaned in closer and noticed there were hundreds of horizontal grooves. They lined neatly beside the bed. They looked newly scratched. I walked to the door and studied the lock from outside the door.


    "shlight!" I told Gu Chen. Gu Chen handed me one and I shone the light at the lock. I noticed there were a few new scratches near thetch. Suddenly an image appeared in my mind. Actually this kind oftch-type lock was not hard to open. I only needed a fish line and a small circr pebble. However, before entering this ce, all the visitors and patients would be checked and had their entire inventory removed.


    I closed my eyes. Before this, I knew that for the patients at Area A, even their eating utensils were soft because the hospital was afraid that the patients would use normal utensils to harm others or themselves. So how did this patient fool the inspection when she was sent into Area A?


    I would have used the fish line to tie a small pebble on one end and then wrap rice around it. I would swallow the rice and then tie the other end of the fish line on one of my teeth. That was how I would have brought the items into Area A. Then facing away from the camera, I slowly pulled the stone out from my stomach.


    I would toss the pebble out from the barred window. No,'' I corrected myself. It was not a pebble but a small ma. That way, the ma would have stuck right to the irontch. With that step done, I only needed to slowly ease thetch out from the lock.


    When I opened the door, the camera couldn''t be watching. Suddenly I understood the meaning of the horizontal scratches on the wall, it was to mark time. This room was unlike the old man''s room where there was a small window to see the sky outside. This room had no window, not even a light. In other words, the people here wouldn''t know the time, the cycle of day and season.


    The scratch mark was to tell time. I observed the length of the scratches and believed 1 scratch equal to one second. I studied the small grooves on the wall closely. There were 30 scratches in one row, and 100 rows would be a unit. There were 3 such units. In other words, there were 9000 + scratches on the wall. That equaled 9000 second, or 150 minutes or 2 and a half hours.


    In 2 and a half hours, the woman slowly carved out these 9000 scratches to count time. But why would the woman mark down the time? I believed I knew why. The woman was waiting for the perfect timing. What was she trying to do?


    I said, "Come on, Captain Zhao should still be outside, we''ll ask him what happened."


    Walking down from the second floor, we saw that everyone had gone. Only a single guard was left. I walked forward to ask him, "Where''s everyone else?"


    He turned back. "They''ve all gone out."


    I turned to look at the CCTV monitor. I realized they were all ck, I asked. "What happened?"


    The guard shook his head. "I don''t know. Just now, the screens all went down. No one knew what happened. A few of us went to check the circuit. Your Captain Zhao and I waited here. Soon, a person ran out. Captain Zhao tried to stop her but he failed." The guard told us what he experienced, "Then the 2 ran out, I have no idea where they disappeared to. Then the people who went to check the circuit returned, they told me someone had cut the CCTV line. Then the rm rang. Then another group of people rushed out and I''m the only one left."


    As the guard exined, I became even more confused. As I tried to make sense of what he said, I pictured the events in my mind. There had to be a bigger n behind the incident with the female patient. She must have her own reason for getting nted here. Or else without preparation, she wouldn''t have known to prepare ma and fish line. So why did she purposely get herself admitted here?


    "Come!" I told the rest. "Let''s go see what''s happening outside. You stay to continue guarding this ce." The guard nodded. When we exited Area A, the guards outside had all disappeared, they probably went to chase after the female patient. I frowned. Technically, it would be impossible to escape from Area A. The woman charged out straightly so how could she not be discovered? Either she had insider help or there was a secret pathway.


    After some time, a group of people returned. It was the chief nurse and the guards. They pulled along a woman with tousled hair. She wore Area A''s patient clothes. They had managed to capture her. The woman struggled endlessly.


    I looked at the woman and something didn''t feel right. This woman gave me a different feeling from the woman that I saw earlier. This woman was too agitated while the other woman waspletely in control. I strode towards them, "This is her?"


    The chief nurse nodded as he turned to nce at Captain Zhao. "Yes, it was Captain Zhao who caught her. I still have no idea how she managed to escape."


    I asked, "What about the surveince?"


    The chief nurse answered, "Someone cut the circuit from outside."


    "I want to see it," I said.


    The chief nurse pointed at a guard. "You, bring them to go check it out. I''ll bring this woman back to her room."


    We parted and a guard led us outside. As mentioned earlier, this was an old building. The circuit was built outside the hospital. The guard pointed it out to us. The main circuit was cut so the monitors lost electricity and thus lost the images as well. I looked around and realized there were no patrols around. So it would be easy for someone toe here to cut the circuit.


    "In your opinion, is it possible to escape from Area A?" I asked the guard.


    The guard shook his head. "Even though Area A is old, the walls are sturdy. The patients won''t be able to escape. Plus we''re fenced in by an electric. The jolt will easily knock someone out and it will also trigger the rm. So even if the woman managed to escape from her room, there is no way she can get out of Area A, so don''t worry. Our chief nurse likes to get worried for no reason."


    I had to disagree. The woman had nned so much to escape from her room, would she not n the rest? This was a woman who had swallowed a ma into her stomach, would she not figure out how to escape from Area A?


    Suddenly, the image came to me!

 Chapter 188: Familiar

    Chapter 188: Familiar


    Perhaps this captured female patient was just a smokescreen. From the start, there were 2 women involved. In my head, I was alreadying up with the solution to escape from this ce but to confirm that, I needed to see this woman''s information. I nced at the circuit which was exposed. The cut was even and the circuit was pinned on the wall which was 3 metres tall.


    I looked on the ground and noticed a small de near the wall. It was stuck into the ground. I picked up the de and studied it closer. There was a bit of ck rubber stuck to the edge, which came from the outeryer of the circuit.


    "Give me a push," I told Gu Chen, "I''m going up there to look." Gu Chen nodded and squatted down. He signaled for me to step on his shoulders. I nodded.


    When I was up there, I noticed there were small grooves on the wall surface and there was something smoked.


    "Did you see anything?" When I jumped down from Gu Chen''s shoulder, he asked.


    I patted the dust from his shoulders. "A timer, something like a candle that can be used to time a process. When the candle burned out, the de propped on it would drop and slice through the old circuit."


    "Therefore." Guan Zhenglin concluded, "Everything is nned." I nodded as I picked up the de. "Indeed, and it also proves another thing."


    "What is it?" Guan Zhenglin asked.


    I answered slowly, "A single person designed all this. If there was a second person, they wouldn''t need to set up a timer device like this. But there is still a problem." I extended 1 finger. "How did that woman enter or leave Area A?"


    When we returned to the hospital, the chief nurse was standing at the door assigning the guards to inspect the patient room by room. After all, if a patient had escaped, there was no stopping the others from escaping too. Especially the 4 on the 3rd floor and that old man. If that old man managed to escape, the world would be in danger.


    I asked, "Who was that female patient? Was she from here?"


    The chief nurse red at me gloomily. "Of course she''s from here. She was transferred here 1 month ago. She suffers from serious schizophrenia. She took her child as chicken and cooked him in soup. When she was sent in here, she saw everyone as the murderer of her child"


    I said, "I need to see the files on this person."


    The chief nurse crossed his hands behind him and narrowed his eyes on me. "Wu Meng, don''t press it. You have to know how chaotic the situation is now, I don''t have time to entertain your fancy. Why are you still here when there''s a case waiting for you to solve?"


    I turned to Guan Zhenglin, "Is there any news from Sister Mary? Is there a third story?"


    She held her phone and waved at me. "No. Sister Mary would have notified us at first notice. Plus based on the established pattern, the 3rd story will not appear at least until tonight. We still have a few hours until then but we have zero clues on the killer"


    I shook my head and told her. "After hearing what the old man had to say, I feel like I am close to understanding the killer''s psychology already." Then I turned to the chief nurse. "Don''t you think this is very suspicious? The woman tried so hard to escape from her room but she was discovered before she even got out of Area A?"


    The chief nurse looked at me and checked the guards on the CCTV. He then fidgeted, "Do you think there''s a traitor among us?"


    I shrugged, "I won''t go that far. After all, who would coborate with a psychopath for no reason? If the patient here offers you 100000 RMB if you let him go, would you believe him? I believe a normal person wouldn''t, so she probably opened the door on her own." Then I shared my thoughts with the chief nurse. The chief nurse scratched his head. "And your point is?"


    I didn''t answer but turned to Captain Zhao. "Captain Zhao, are you sure the woman you captured is the same as the one who escaped?"


    Captain Zhao frowned. He seemed to have caught onto my thought. "You mean" I nodded. The woman who escaped and the woman who was caught might not be the same.


    Realizing the problem, the chief nurse quickly handed me the female patient''s file. From the file, it said that this woman was 30 and she looked quite pretty. However, the woman in the picture and the woman who was captured were slightlyrger than the woman that we encountered this morning. I studied the picture and told the chief nurse, "Are you sure this file is correct?"


    The chief nurse studied it closely and then said, "Yes, this is the woman."


    I pointed at the picture. "Then don''t you think this woman doesn''t look that simr to the one who was in the room earlier?"


    "Not the same person?" The chief nurse countered, "How is that possible?"


    Then the chief nurse led us to the second floor and stopped before the room of the woman who was just captured. Looking in through the barred window, the woman was now tied to the bed and she was struggling very hard.


    The chief nurse studied the woman for a long time before saying, "Yup, it''s the same person. You''re overthinking things again."


    I pointed at the woman and said, "Earlier, on the CCTV this woman had been sleeping so she didn''t attract anyone''s attention. Therefore none of us realized that the woman back then was not this woman now. Someone has taken her disguise." Then I asked, "Are the patients in Area A allowed to leave their rooms under supervision?"


    The chief nurse nodded and said matter-of-factly, "Of course, patients have human rights too. For example, every morning, the patients on the 2nd floor would be released from their rooms to use the bathrooms because their rooms have no toilet."


    "Why is that?" Gu Chen asked.


    The chief nurse pointed at the woman. "Because there was an incident in the past where patients used the toilet water to drown themselves. So the toilets have all been removed. Instead, they now shuffle to themunal bathroom every morning and it''s easier for us to monitor too." The chief nurse used a light tone to describe this but from his expression, I knew this job mustn''t be easy


    "Then would the guards watch them use the bathroom?" I asked.


    "Of course not!" The chief nurse sighed, "They deserve their privacy"


    Then I could confirm what had happened. A woman had disguised herself to infiltrate into this building and then knocked out this female patient when they were in the bathroom. She put on this woman''s clothes and then shuffled back to her'' room. Before she made her infiltration, the woman already set up the timer on the main circuit. Therefore after she got into the room, she started to mark the wall, to coincide with the timer device outside. Once the circuit got cut, the woman would start her escape.


    In that case, the woman must have gotten in here for a reason, she wouldn''t have gone through so much just to prove that she could escape from this ce. Viewed from that perspective, there was only one possibility why the woman wanted to get in here, she came to meet someone and instantly the old man on the third floor came into my mind.


    Was my encounter with the old man arranged or coincidental?


    While I was considering that, Mary''s call came to my phone. It was alreadyte afternoon. I suspected a third story had appeared.


    "Sister Mary," I answered the call.


    Mary asked, "Wu Meng, what are you doing? Xiao Liu has found a lead."


    "The 3rd story hasn''t appeared?" I was surprised.


    Sister May said, "No, not yet. But Xiao Liu has found the man who wasst seen with the adult toy store boss. And he said he found something useful from the man."


    I nodded and told the rest. "Xiao Liu found something and he wanted us to go back."


    Gu Chen frowned, "What does Xiao Liu''s investigation have to do with us? He probably needs us to solve some problems for him. Just wait and see."


    I didn''tment but said, "Come, let''s go back and see what happens. Chief nurse, please investigate this further, I don''t think things are that simple, especially that old man on the 3rd floor. I suspect this has to do with him."


    The chief nurse waved his hands. "The moment you came back, something happened. Let me tell you, just go back and focus on your case. Don''t mind the issue here anymore. I know the old man better than you do."


    I smiled and said nothing.


    After we left Area A, it was like we had stepped through time. Everything felt so new. Just as I turned the corner, a woman walked out and we almost bumped into each other. The woman didn''t apologize but hurried away. Watching her walk away, I felt she looked familiar.

 Chapter 189: Male or Female?

    Chapter 189: Male or Female?


    I stared at the woman''s back and felt she looked familiar like I had seen her before. I wanted to catch up with her but she had already disappeared around the corner. The others hurried me so I moved ahead.


    Captain Zhao said a few more words with the chief nurse. The chief nurse looked tired. Whenever we returned, we would always bring problems with us, but he knew it couldn''t be helped.


    I still wanted to see Doggie Wang Er because I had no idea when we would return again. I told Gu Chen and the rest, "You guys go on. I''m going to visit Doggie Wang Er."


    Guan Zhenglin responded. "Okay,e find us when you''re done. After all, Doggie Wang Er is your dog, no, I didn''t mean it that way. Aiz, you know what I mean."


    I shrugged, "I understand. I don''t think he minds either since Doggie Wang Er believes he''s a dog, the world''s most obedient and greatest dog. That''s apliment for him."


    Guan Zhenglin shook her head and sighed, "Doggie Wang Er is a good man, but this happened to him. Then again, tomb-raiding is punishable by death so he has survived because of this illness too. So sometimes, it''s hard to tell what good fortune is."


    I smiled. "At least Doggie Wang Er is happy now. He has forgotten about being betrayed by his father and killing him."


    I pointed at the mental patients around us. Some of them were squatting, others screaming. There were someughing, others crying. "Look at these people, for the conventional society, they are crazy. However they are happy, at least happier than before they became crazy. If they were happy back then, they wouldn''t be crazy. Perhaps this is a kind of blessing."


    After we parted, I went to find Doggie Wang Er. When I found him, Doggie Wang Er was curling under the sun like a dog. I saw arge lipstick print on his face, that was left behind by his lover. Honestly, his life was not bad, he was happy and loved. Before I even got near, Doggie Wang Er suddenly sat up. He looked around like a dog before he finally spotted me. The joy was clear on his face. He barked as he ran towards me. "Master, you came to visit me!" Doggie Wang Er licked my hand and said.


    I nodded and ruffled his head. "How are you doing?"


    Doggie Wang Er wagged his tongue. "I''m good. I''m well-fed and I have a lot of people to y with. But sometimes, I miss master. You have toe visit me more often, okay?"


    Seeing him, my heart warmed. Perhaps in this world, being a dog was happier than being a human. Humans might be at the top of the food chain, they might understand all the other animals, their body structure and habits, but they could never tell what the human sitting across from them was thinking. They might not even know what they were thinking themselves.


    I apanied Doggie Wang Er and then yed fetch with him. When the sky darkened, I had to leave.


    When I arrived at the station, everyone was there. Xiao Liu was still in the meeting room waiting for me. As I walked in, Xiao Liu said, "Wu Meng, you''re back. We found some clues."


    "Hmm?" I looked at him. "What clues?"


    Xiao Liu handed me a file and said, "I found the man who was seen leaving with the sex toy store boss. The man is still alive. The man paid the woman for her service, their rtionship was strictly professional. The man said he dropped the woman off at the shop after theirst transaction. He dropped her in the alley near her shop and then"


    "And then what?" I prompted.


    Xiao Liu looked at me and said with an expression of disbelief and fear. "The boss didn''t get into the shop. The man blinked and she disappeared. The man said she was walking towards the shop and then she just disappeared like that"


    That was indeed curious. "What else?"


    Xiao Liu continued, "Based on DNA analysis, the bones brought back from the store did belong to the female boss and her time of death was at night 23 days ago. In other words, when the man blinked, she probably died."


    "What about her cause of death?" I asked.


    Xiao Liu swallowed his saliva. "That''s the problem. Based on doctor Zhang Qinrui''s report, the woman died from having her air pipe gnashed apart by human teeth. This meant that we have her killer''s DNA. However, we have nothing topare it to."


    An image appeared in my mind. One dark night, after the business waspleted between the man and woman, the man sent the woman home. The alley was too narrow for the man''s car so he parked outside. The woman was afraid so the man promised to wait at the alley mouth until she entered the shop. The man felt itchiness in his eyes so he rubbed them, but when he raised his head, the woman had already disappeared.


    The man was confused. When hest checked, the woman was still far from her shop. He only took several seconds to rub his eyes, the woman couldn''t cross the distance so fast. However, since their rtionship was strictly business, the man didn''t care. He didn''t call her. He turned and left. The alley became darker.


    But at that moment, the woman was pressed against the wall and she struggled nonstop. She was very afraid and hoped to make some noise but it was pointless. Someone was biting hard on her throat. The sharp teeth bit through her neck and snapped her air pipe. She opened her mouth and she could feel the air leaking out from her neck.


    Then the woman slowly died. The killer used her key to enter her shop and came to the storeroom. He dismembered the woman in the hidden tunnel, cutting her flesh into pieces. Then she was fed to the stray cats. It was how the cats got limatized to eating human flesh.


    At the start, the strays were guarded around the killer. But as days passed, the strays finally epted him. The strays could eat, y around the man, they treated him as one of them. Then the killer wrote down his second story.


    "Is the man a suspect?" I asked.


    Xiao Liu shook his head. "The man has a solid alibi. He''s the ceo of a bigpany, he has literally thousands of witnesses. He has no chance tomit the crimes. However, our records did show that he had called the woman several times after her death." After a pause, Xiao Liu continued, "But all his calls went unanswered so he went to the shop to find her. He visited multiple times and she was always not there. But there was one time where the boss saw a woman walk out from the shop. The man stopped her to ask about his business'' partner. The woman said that the previous boss had retired and gone back home. She just bought the shop."


    I nodded and signalled for Xiao Liu to continue. Xiao Liu flipped through the document. "The man didn''t suspect anything. After all, this happened quite a lot. The man assumed the woman had found a better partner and moved on. However, we did get a description of the woman who supposedly took over the shop from the man."


    My eyes glowed. "Show me."


    Xiao Liu handed me a portrait. "This is an artist''s impression of the woman." As I studied the picture, Xiao Liu continued, "The woman wore ck and had on a cap. She is around 1.8 metres with ts. She had on light make-up and to quote the male ceo, she looked innocent. Based on age, he said she was probably 18." Xiao Liu paused before adding, "The CEO said the woman''s cheeks were flushed and her teeth were white. She had ck eyeliner and her eyes were ck and shiny. She had a small nose and pink lips. She had short hair and bangs. Due to the warming weather, she didn''t have manyyers and he believes she has a B cup."


    "B Cup?" I repeated, "He can tell that?"


    Xiao Liu nodded. "Based on what the ceo said, he is a rich second generation. He has been surrounded by women since he was 14. He imed that as long as the object is female, he would be able to tell their bra size even through clothes"


    I sighed. "That doesn''t sound that reliable."


    Xiao Liu shook his head and said seriously, "I triple-checked with the boss, stressing the severity of the case and he didn''t look like he was toying with me."


    "Then we have a problem!" I tapped on the table.


    Xiao Liu nodded and sighed. "You''re right. If this is the killer, then she is a woman. Then how does that exin the semen-stained bedsheets? Is the killer male or female? Or is there more than one killer?"


    I held my chin. "Not sure, but this case is looking even moreplicated. Also one more thing, if the female boss died 23 days ago, that means that the killer didn''t kill entirely ording to the order of the published stories. They might strike in between stories."


    Then I pushed my hand into my pockets to think. At that moment, I discovered a piece of paper in it. I didn''t remember putting a paper in it. I took it out and saw a line of sentences.


    I recognized the handwriting.

 Chapter 190: Shot

    Chapter 190: Shot


    I took a quick nce at the note. The handwriting was recognizable but not familiar. My heart raced. I was reminded of that time when I used to cheat during exams. Xiao Liu''s attention was on the document so he didn''t notice what was happening with me.


    Xiao Liu said, "Wu Meng, this is my analysis. I believe there is more than one killer, at least 1 male and 1 female. It will also exin why the cases are so close together in terms of time."


    Even though I desperately wanted to read the note closer, I understood solving the case was more important. However, I disagreed with Xiao Liu that there was more than 1 killer. Different from the case at First Drain Vige, the killer in this case had shown simr mo, through the use of stories.


    Killing a person was not easy, especially at the level of cruelty shown in these cases. In the history of criminology, serial killers mostly worked alone. There were asional couple or sibling serial killers, but they were in the small minority. This was quite easily understood, because it was very hard to find a kindred spirit in this world, especially for a psychopath to meet another who shared their ideals.


    Even though the two cases so far had ovepping timeline, the key timing like the murder time didn''t ovep. In other words, after the killer murdered the 2 OL, they had more than enough time to set up the ambush for the second story. It was also worth noting that this could mean that there might be other victims but the killer simply had not told'' us.


    "What do you think we should do?" Xiao Liu looked at me. I was reminded of what Gu Chen said earlier. Xiao Liu was only using us for his promotion. He hoped that we could help him find something useful. I personally didn''t mind this. After all, I wouldn''t be joining the force officially anyway. I told Xiao Liu, "Now we can confirm that the killer is around 1.6 to 1.9 metres, likes ck clothes and prefers to be alone" At this point, I stopped talking because I realized my criminal profile was noting together. I couldn''t use any specific term to describe this killer''s persona. They were both solitary and not; they could be patient as a waiting panther but also mad like a pouncing tiger. It was like there was more than one killer.


    I told Xiao Liu, "The killer doesn''t feel like they''re killing randomly. There has to be some connection between the victims. We should focus on that, as that is our opening. The messages left behind have to carry a certain meaning. There are a few things we can look into, the victims'' profession, family background, social rtionship and so on. If we can find the simrity, we will find the next victim. 80 percent of serial killers have their own conditions when picking their victims." I looked at Xiao Liu, "Not everyone fits."


    Xiao Liu nodded. We were silent for a long time before Xiao Liu said, "Wu Meng, I have something that I want to discuss with you."


    "What is it?" I asked.


    Xiao Liu looked out the meeting room, everyone was busy with their own thing and there were only 2 of us in the room. No one was paying us any attention. Xiao Liu leaned in to whisper, "Wu Meng do you know why the chief is cing so much weight on this case?"


    "Because there''s a serial killer on the loose?" I answered.


    Xiao Liu shook his head. "You must have noticed that the case has not caused that much of a ripple among the public. In a city as big as Dong Xing City, there are deaths every day. The chief is so focused on this case because there is apetition between Captain Zhao and Captain Lee. I know you''ve noticed that the chief is siding with Captain Zhao too"


    "Isn''t that expected?" I said, "After all, when the chief was climbing up the ranks, Captain Zhao was his right hand man."


    Xiao Liu countered, "But Captain Zhao is too unambitious of a person. If not for the pursuit of Zhao Mingkun, Captain Zhao would have retired already and when he does, people who worked under him would have to start from the bottom or ostracized by the members of the other captains. Do you get it?"


    I shook my head. "I don''t care about that. The ranks and sry have never been my concern. What is it that you wish to tell me?"


    Xiao Liu looked at me and hesitated for a long time before he admitted, "Sometimes, I envy people like you, who are detached from the material world, people who don''t care about power and wealth. But I''m just amon man."


    I frowned.


    Xiao Liu continued slowly, "Wu Meng, I know that in terms of investigative skill, I''m definitely not better than you. No matter how hard I work, I can''t rival your natural talent. My hard work can never even out the difference. Therefore, I''m begging you," Xiao Liu''s voice was urgent. "When you find the killer, can you please give me the honor of capturing them? That way, we can stay in Dong Xing City and have a brighter future. If I fail, we will have to leave Dong Xing City with Captain Lee for a small town. My future will be ruined" Xiao Liu pleaded, "Just help your brother this one time. What do you think?"


    Seeing him like this, I didn''t know what to think. I felt strangely disappointed. I felt like I couldn''t recognize this man anymore. I still remembered Xiao Liu who was so happy-go-lucky, who still bought lottery tickets daily despite not winning. That man had disappeared to be reced by this serious and power-hungry Xiao Liu.


    After some time, I nodded. "If I''m the first to find the killer, I''ll tell you." Xiao Liu sighed in relief. When he lifted his head, his eyes were smiling. "Wu Meng, thank you so much. I like my job but if I wish to fight for a better life for myself and my future family, there''s nothing wrong with that, right?" It sounded more like Xiao Liu was convincing himself than me. Regardless, the focus was still to capture the killer, for me, it didn''t matter who was the one who put on the cuff.


    However, at that moment, I was still more concerned about the paper in my hand. I had seen this handwriting only once and it belonged to Zhao Mingkun.


    "Meet you outside the mental hospital at 12 midnight."


    I only caught disparate characters when I nced at it earlier. Now I realized it was a note meant for me. I was reminded of the woman I bumped in as we left the hospital. That was probably when she slipped the note into my pocket. I was wondering why the person looked so familiar. Turns out she was none other than the person whom Captain Zhao dreamed of catching, Zhao Mingkun. I had to admire her courage for showing up so close to Captain Zhao. If she was captured, she would be in prison for life.


    At that moment, I was deeply conflicted. I didn''t know how to face Zhao Mingkun. I was excited but also afraid. I found Gu Chen and told him I had something private to do before I hurried back to the mental hospital.


    When I arrived, it was already close to midnight. I parked and walked towards the hospital. I was only halfway there when I saw a woman standing under the streetlight. She was in a nurse outfit, leaning against the pole smoking. The short bob heightened her beauty. She puffed out smoke rings as she turned to look at me.


    "Zhao Mingkun," I whispered while standing a distance away. She nodded and dropped the cigarette butt to the ground. Both of us said at the same time, "What are you doing here?" Then we bothughed at the same time.


    I asked, "The woman this morning was you? What were you doing in the hospital? To meet that old man?"


    Zhao Mingkun leaned on the pole and looked at me. "Wu Meng, you''re quite clever."


    I shrugged. "Before I saw the note, I knew that the woman in the hospital felt very familiar to me. Now I realize she reminded me of you, but I still can''t tell what you were doing inside."


    Zhao Mingkun didn''t answer but she did straighten herself to walk towards me. Zhao Mingkun was physically shorter than me but in her high heels, it made her taller than me.


    She began slowly, "Wu Meng, since you know my background and I know yours. Do you think I''ll let you go like that?" Zhao Mingkun pulled out a gun from her waist and aimed it at my head.


    From the quality, weight and various parts of the gun, this was a real gun. The safety had been removed and it was loaded.


    Zhao Mingkun was emotionless.

 Chapter 191: Collaboration

    Chapter 191: Coboration


    I nced at Zhao Mingkun''s finger from the corner of my eyes, she was slowly pulling the trigger.


    "Look." Zhao Mingkun''s cold voice echoed in my ears. "We''re right behind a mental hospital. There is no camera here. Do you know this building? This is the hospital''s so-called Area A, it is home to people who are considered dangerous to society, psychopaths and murderers."


    I didn''t speak and continued to look at her.


    "I have a story to tell you." Zhao Mingkun smiled to reveal her white teeth. "A zoo built an enclosure for the kangaroos. Initially, the fences were 3 meters tall, the next day, the zookeepers noticed all the kangaroos were out. So they raised the fences to 5 meters but on the next day, the kangaroos came out again. They decided to raise the fences directly to 20 meters tall but the kangaroos still got out the next day." Zhao Mingkun enjoyed telling the story quite a bit. She smiled. "Guess what happened in the end?"


    I shook my head.


    "The kangaroos discussed among themselves, do you think the zookeepers will continue to raise the fences''?" Zhao Mingkun pinched my chin. "One of them answered, They will if they forget to close the door again."


    Zhao Mingkun pointed at the wall with her left hand. "Look at this wall, it''s more than 10 meters tall. And it has an electric. A normal person wouldn''t get over it but that doesn''t mean one can''t get under it. We''re in the old part of town. The ground we''re stepping on is very loose. Entry is easy."


    I looked down. The road underneath us was a dirt road, there was not even ayer of brick. It was entirely possible to dig a tunnel here to get into the building. I said emotionlessly, "Looks like no one has thought about that."


    Zhao Mingkun nodded.


    "But why would you disguise yourself as that madwoman?" I looked at her and voiced the question in my heart. "Even after you enter Area A, you have to get into the building itself. The building at Area A only has one front door and there are guards at the door always. So you have to pretend to be a patient. You chose a female patient who had murdered her child." I continued, "If I''m not mistaken, you did all these to meet someone, the person at the deepest room on the third floor."


    Zhao Mingkunbed her hair with her fingers. "You''re right."


    "What are you doing?" I stressed and my voice became harsh. "You know Captain Zhao is at Dong Xing City so why do you choose to return now?"


    Zhao Mingkun''s smiling face turned icy. She said, "Dong Xing City is a big city. I don''t want to meet you people but sometimes it can''t be helped. All I can tell you is that I find that old man to help me find another person and that person is very scary."


    "Someone who can scare you?" I raised my brows. "Who is it?"


    Zhao Mingkun didn''t answer but burst outughing. She caressed my face and said softly, "I''m surprised you care about me, but that will not soften my heart. I told you, in my line of work, I have to be vicious. This ce has no surveince. With one pull and you''d be dead."


    I cut straight to the point. "Really? Inparison, I think you care more about me. When I entered the old man''s room, you were on the other side of the 3rd floor. When you saw my colleagues banging worriedly on the door, you knew I was being hypnotized by that old man and so you hurriedly pressed the rm." I looked into her eyes and said, "If not for you, I wouldn''t be myself anymore. Plus, you told me you never put bullets in your guns."


    "Try me." Zhao Mingkun challenged.


    Without hesitation, I grabbed her gun and pulled the trigger. There was a pop and nothing happened.


    "It''s no fun if you guess the ending every time." Zhao Mingkun sighed as she ced the gun back in her waistband. She shrugged. "That''s why I hate dealing with clever people. One is you and the other is your Captain Zhao. It''s always the same."


    "Is it?" I asked.


    Zhao Mingkun pulled out a female cigar and handed one to me. I waved and rejected it. I didn''t smokedies'' cigars.


    Zhao Mingkun smiled and said, "When your wife said those things on the 2nd floor, I already recognized her voice. Then I knew your real identity. You two are not grave-robbing husband and wife, you''re the police. But I still don''t get it. Why did you let me go at Lin Fen when you had the chance to catch me?"


    I didn''t know how to answer. I couldn''t tell her it was because I felt a connection with her and we were kindred spirits. Thus I said, "I don''t need any reason to do the things I do."


    Zhao Mingkun nodded. "In that case, since you let me gost time, I saved you this time. We don''t owe each other anymore. Next time, we meet, I won''t let you go so easily anymore, Mr. cop. Of course, you can try to arrest me now provided that you can catch me first."


    "I knew it was you when I saw the note," I said. "If I wanted to arrest you, you would be arrested already."


    Zhao Mingkun was silent before she suddenly said in a serious tone, "But I''d advise you to stay away from me, it''s bad luck to stick close to me."


    I asked, "Is there a rtionship between us?"


    "What?" Zhao Mingkun looked at me.


    "I feel a sense of familiarity from you." I said seriously, "I felt that at Lin Fen, or else I wouldn''t have let you go."


    Zhao Mingkunughed until she had tears in her eyes. "Kid, you didn''t really fall for me, did you?"


    I didn''t answer but pressed, "Zhao Mingkun, do you know something about me? Since I returned from Lin Fen, I''ve been thinking about it. That day, the way and tone of your speech were very vague. Captain Zhao said you are Si Hwacheng''s adopted daughter so you must have grown up at Elm Town and Elm Town is not far from Qing Cheng Prison."


    Zhao Mingkun stoppedughing, "You have such great imagination. I was only ying at Lin Fen, I don''t know you. And I am serious, you better don''t meddle in the business between me and Zhao Shilin again or you will regret it."


    "Regret?" I repeated. "That will happen after the fact. And curiosity alwayses before regret."


    After a pause, I continued, "When we met at Lin Fen, you were looking for Lai San but it was interrupted by a case. Are you here to find him again?"


    Zhao Mingkun answered, "No, it''s for someone crazier than Lai San."


    Instantly the masked youth who called himself Wu Zui appeared in my mind. He had defeated me twice. With that in mind, I slowly uttered, "The man is wearing a mask and his name is Wu Zui?"


    Zhao Mingkun''s expression shifted when she heard that. "You''ve met him?"


    I nodded. "He escaped from me."


    Zhao Mingkun''s jaws were sharp and she added swiftly, "My advice is still the same, this field is not for you."


    I asked, "You went to that old man to find Wu Zui?"


    Zhao Mingkun studied me for a long time before she exined, "Yes, and it seems like you still don''t know this. Before Wu Zui put on the mask, he studied psychology and criminology with this old man so he is Wu Zui''s teacher."


    That was a revtion for me. No wonder the chief nurse said this old man was very dangerous. But how did Zhao Mingkun know this detail that even the police did not? Why was she trying to locate Wu Zui?


    "You seem to know a lot." I offered. "Would you like to coborate?"


    "Coborate?" Zhao Mingkun looked at me with confusion.


    I nodded sincerely. "I''ll be coborating with you personally. You know my identity, I''ll be able to help you from the inside."


    "Then what do you need from me?" Zhao Mingkun was intrigued.


    I told her, "Help me with the cases, help me find my background, and help me investigate Wu Zui."


    "You sure have a lot of demands." Zhao Mingkun toyed with her lighter.


    I nodded and then tilted my head, "But it''s fully worth it."


    Zhao Mingkun nodded. It looked like she was about to say something but she changed her mind at thest minute. In the end, she only said, "I can ept your terms but if you have any news on Wu Zui, you need to share with me. Deal?"


    "Deal," I said.


    "it''s nice dealing with clever people." Zhao Mingkun touched my face. "If I have news, I''ll have my way of contacting you, so be prepared to be harassed by me every once in a while."


    I said, "Now, I need your help with a case."


    "You''ve already learned to order me around so soon?" Zhao Mingkun hugged her chest.


    I said seriously, "I need you to check something for me."


    "What is it?" She asked.


    I handed a note to her. "I wrote this in the car ride over."


    "Such cunningness." She epted the note.


    I returned the praise. "The same can be said about you."


    Zhao Mingkun walked away and then turned around with mncholy. "Sometimes I feel like people like us deserve to die and no one would have pitied us."

 Chapter 192: Third Story

    Chapter 192: Third Story


    Zhao Mingkun disappeared just like that into the night. Seeing her dissolving into the darkness, I couldn''t believe we met again so soon. And I was equally surprised that I would volunteer such a crazy coboration with her.


    For his girlfriend, Yang Xiaojuan, Captain Zhao made it his life mission to arrest Zhao Mingkun. Guan Zhenglin chose to be a coroner because of Yang Xiaojuan. If I told them about the note, they would immediately arrest her. Because of me, they had missed this important opportunity.


    For some unknown reason, I had this feeling that Zhao Mingkun had some connection with me. Zhao Mingkun was a naturally suspicious person. She would always hide her real thoughts. She would use words to obfuscate her real self. Perhaps the old man in Area A was right, we were the same in our bones, we refused to trust in others but we needed others; like Zhao Mingkun said, perhaps people like us deserve to die. Sometimes, I do hate myself.


    On the other hand, curiosity was human nature. Even after 20 years, I still wanted to know who my parents were, I wanted to know the crime my father hadmitted, whether he was still alive, and I wanted to know if my mother felt any sadness when she abandoned me.


    I shook my head to clear my head. Perhaps certain people were born to be lonely.


    When I returned to the station, it was already quitete but the ce was still bustling. When I walked through the lobby, an officer waved me down. "Team leader Wu, the rest is already in the meeting. They''re waiting for you." I nodded and walked towards the meeting room. I nced at my phone, no one called me.


    I pushed open the door to a full room. Captain Zhao and Captain Lee were seated at the head of the table. The rest took up the rest of the seat. Everyone was there except Xiao Liu. When I left, Xiao Liu was still at the station, I wondered where he was now.


    Captain Zhao waved at me. "Sit. Gu Chen said you have something important to deal with, is everything okay?" I nodded. Captain Zhao continued, "In that case, we''ll carry on without Xiao Liu."


    I cut in to ask, "Where is Xiao Liu anyway?"


    "I hear he has gone to investigate the victims'' background." A fatty officer from Captain Lee''s group answered, "He told me to go on with the meeting without him."


    Mary tapped on the table. After she got our attention, she pushed a file towards me. "The third story."


    It happened after all. This meant that the killer would murder soon after. This was a very helpless feeling. We were reading the killer''s n but we were unable to stop him. Everyone was silently reading this third story.


    I turned over the file and noticed the story had been marked out in red. Looks like someone had read it before I did. The 3rd story went like this:


    Technically speaking, I am not a good person. I am just a normal worker, doing the same thing at the assembly line, again and again, day after day, fixing parts to phones. Honestly, at my age, my wage is not little but it''s not a lot either.


    This is a very boring job, that is something I understood when I was 19. You only need to fit the phone into the casing. This is a job that a person can do in 5 minutes without training and you''d spend 4 minutes putting on the work uniform. From your first day of work, you can envision your life until your retirement. Assembly, assembly, assembly. The phone''s model might change but the work is the same. Even if I go blind, I can still do this job.


    Today, the willow right outside the window facing me has a new young branch, now it has a total of 3251 branches. Today Sister Lee mentioned her useless son for the 32nd time already. Today, the supervisor only came 9 times, 1 time less than the day before.


    This is not my first time wanting to murder. Like I said, technically speaking, I''m not a good person.


    I often imagine people getting pulled into the machine and ground into meat paste. The blood will pour like rain. As we bathe in the blood rain, people will scream like crazy and they''d run from fear.


    I often imagine the woman next door who had been widowed for 5 years, the widow who has different mening out from her house every day, kicking down my door at midnight. Before I knew what happened, she tore apart my clothes; before I spoke, she kissed me. We would fuck until morning.


    I often imagine the child who still doesn''t go to school after he is six, the one who is already so noisy at 5 am, falling down the stairs and dying on the spot. His family must have died to allow their child to make so much noise so early in the morning.


    However, nothing really happened, everything is always so peaceful.


    My life appears to be longer than everyone else, my life appears to be shorter than everyone else. I like to watch movies. I like tough with the characters inedies; I like to cry with the characters in dramas; I like to shiver with the characters in horror movies.


    But still, many things are missing.


    Nothing happened, it''s yet another typical day.


    When I return home, there will be nothing but emptiness. 5 years ago, I had a divorce from my wife, we had no children. I was married for a long time. It was about the same time I got this job. This is a stable job, I saved enough to own a house. 20 yearster, I have nothing but a house.


    "Ol'' Wang, you''re home. Something is wrong with my underground pipe, mind checking it out?" A middle-aged woman who was chatting with others hurried towards me when she saw me. I nodded.


    An uncle said, "Well, isn''t it Xiao Wang~ Xiao Wang, my rtive has mailed me a big bag of their local specialty. I''m too old to carry this on my own. Do you mind hauling it up the stairs for meter?"


    The senior was ying chess with his friends. I originally also liked chess but now I couldn''t remember thest time I yed.


    "Uncle Wang, Uncle Wang." A few children surrounded me. "We want candy, candy."


    "School is over?" I smiled.


    "Candy! Candy!" The children chanted happily. I rummaged through my pocket. I only had a 50 RMB note. A kid jumped up and snatched it away from me. As he ran away, he shouted, "Let''s go buy candy!" The adultsughed seeing them and I walked up the stairs trailed by theughter.


    I so wanted to die.


    I cleared the underground pipe for the woman, I pulled out arge ball of hair. When I left, they were having dinner. When I came downstairs, I helped the senior haul the boxes back to his house. He told me to put them at the door, he wanted to finish the game before he went home. The children were ying. I heard one of them say, "Didn''t you say you''d get 100 RMB from him? Why is there only 50 RMB? Sona''s new skin costs around 60 RMB, I still can''t afford it."


    The other child replied, "Don''t be dumb. We''ll ask him tomorrow, he''ll give us again."


    "You sure?" The child said with disbelief. After all, 50 RMB was a lot for children already.


    The other child nodded seriously. "Of course, my mother told me this Uncle Wang is a dummy. He will do anything anyone asks him to do. Didn''t you see it earlier? The neighbors are all using this Uncle Wang. They could have hired others to help them but they didn''t want to waste money when dummy Uncle Wang is here to help them for free."


    The other kid nodded. "Oh, so that''s why. But if he''s dumb, why would he have so much money?"


    "Don''t know, who cares." The other child said, "We''ll keep asking for money, that''s all that matters"


    Then the children started to ramble about something else.


    The lights in the room were off, everything was dark. I couldn''t sleep. I couldn''t tell when I lost the ability to sleep.


    What is the rope doing in my hand?


    I stood on the chair and hung the rope on the drying rack on the balcony.


    A thud and the chair fell to the ground.


    What sound is that?

 Chapter 193: The Child

    Chapter 193: The Child


    The story ended there abruptly.


    The story was very slow and every day. If we didn''t know this was a killer story, we would assume this was a diary by Ol'' Wang. From the diary, it appeared like the protagonist had lost all passion in life.


    He had no passion for work and life. Others treated him as freebor and the children saw him as a dummy. Ol'' Wang knew all these but he didn''t expose them and didn''t feel angry at them.


    From the story, we knew Ol'' Wang had an ex-wife but no child. Ol'' Wang divorced 5 years ago due to some unspecified reason. Ol'' Wang''s life was boring. He was like a living dead. The noisy and rowdy world outside had nothing to do with Ol'' Wang.


    However, faced with this world, Ol'' Wang had many imaginations. He imagined idents happening to his colleagues; he imagined having a sex escapade with the widow next door; he imagined the brat would die so he could have peace and quiet. Ol'' Wang hoped for many things but he never put them into action. Finally, after helping others for onest time, Ol'' Wang took a piece of rope and hanged himself. This was Ol'' Wang''s story, a sad yetmon story in the big city. Ol Wang''s heart perhaps had died when he had the divorce. So who else would die in the story?


    As mentioned earlier, someone had marked the story with a red pen. I noticed that all the characters in the story had been marked. The person was probably thinking who among them would die. After a moment''s silence, Captain Zhao coughed slightly. "I believe everyone is done reading the story. The killer ces themselves into the character of Ol'' Wang. Through Ol'' Wang, they described the things a suicidal victim would have encountered and thought about before their death." We all turned to Captain Zhao. He scanned at all of us and said, "Even though the story is not long, we can clearly iste a few characters. The first is naturally the protagonist, Ol'' Wang. From the story, I think we can say that he has died from suicide."


    Since no one countered him, Captain Zhao continued, "Then, the character after that is Sister Lee. I doubt she will die, she''s just mentioned in passing. Then three unnamed characters in Ol'' Wang''s imagination."


    At that moment, Captain Lee cut in. "That''s right, our focus should be these 3 imagined scenarios. Ol'' Wang wanted these people to die. The first is the unnamed colleague; the second is the widow. Even though Ol'' Wang didn''t want her dead, she''s important too; thest is the brat, the person Ol'' Wang clearly wanted dead."


    Captain Zhao nced at Captain Lee. To our surprise, he didn''t say anything. Captain Zhao agreed with Captain Lee.


    Captain Zhao nodded. "That does seem to be the case. However, we cannot eliminate the other characters, an auntie who asked Ol'' Wang to help fix her pipe, the old man toozy to move his own stuff, and the kid who stole 50 RMB from Ol'' Wang." Captain Zhao turned to me. "What do you think?"


    I sighed and pulled on my hair. "If I have to guess, someone must have jumped or pushed down from the building. The final sentence suggested that." Looking at the roomful of people, I said, "At the end of the story, the killer asked, what is that sound. That is a hint and normally the killer will only supply hints when there is a death. If my guess is not wrong, the fallen victim is a child."


    "How can you possibly know that?" Captain Lee raised his brow and asked with derision.


    I looked into his eyes and said, "Instinct and guesswork. If that is the mo this time, a child is easier to toss down the building than an adult."


    Captain Lee shrugged. "We rely on actual evidence and not guesswork. The most important thing now is to find the neighborhood mentioned in the story."


    "But there''s no geographical marker mentioned in the story." Gu Chen said.


    I nodded and said worriedly, "We have a hard time capturing this killer because they never mention a location in the stories. Dong Xing City is so big, to find a neighborhood without any information is too difficult." After some thought, I told Captain Zhao. "In that case, I believe there will be a story about a child falling from a building tomorrow. Sister Mary, do you mind paying attention to such news. I believe this is the only chance we might have to find the killer. If we miss this opportunity, the killer might slip away."


    Mary nodded and tapped herptop. "No problem but I still have the same thing to say. Dong Xing City is not small. The number of child idents from falling isrger than you think."


    We were silent before I added, "Now that I think about it, falling might not necessarily lead to death. We need to widen our scope to inspect injured children."


    Captain Zhao twirled his teacup and said, "News agency!"


    "What?" We all turned to him.


    Captain Zhao mmed the table and said, "These reporters are faster than anyone else. If something like this happened, the reporters would know. When we wait until the newspaper article is released, it''ll be toote. I''ll have the chief call the heads of the main few newspapers agencies. If they have such news, we''ll be notified at first notice."


    Then there was ensuing silence. It was hard to tell what each of them was thinking.


    I closed my eyes and an image appeared in my mind. In the dark night, when everyone was in slumber, Ol'' Wang prepared the rope, the chair and started to prepare for his hanging. When he kicked the chair away, there was another loud thud. The sound didn''te from the chair falling over but someone falling down the building.


    It was a child, a child who liked to stay outte to y but he had never stayed out sote before. His family was looking everywhere for him but they couldn''t find him. They called his name everywhere. They phoned the child''s friends. But no one knew where he was.


    The child was on the roof, watching the people below, watching his parents. He cried and wanted to speak but he couldn''t because his limbs were tied and he was gagged. He couldn''t call his parents even though they were just there below me.


    Then I opened my eyes. "The building must be quite low."


    "Why would you say that? Stop trying to derail the investigation." Captain Lee red at me.


    I exined, "Tall apartment buildings will have elevators. Only old buildings in the old city would have residential apartments lower than 6 floors. The old man had Ol'' Wang carry the stuff for him, if there is an elevator, he wouldn''t have done that." I continued, "If this is an apartment lower than 6 floors, then it''s normal for the tenants to know each other, after all, there wouldn''t be that many of them. It was how the child knew Ol'' Wang was a dummy. So this building has to have less than 6 floors."


    Everyone nodded. Captain Zhao was still on the phone. When he heard my analysis, he gave me a big thumbs up.


    Sister Mary pulled up the city map. "A building without elevator and lower than 6 floors But if the height of the roof is tall enough to kill a person, then it has to be taller than 3 floors. We can narrow down the location by a lot."


    Captain Zhao finished his call. "Yes, I''ll notify the newspaper editors about this. The killer will make their move after writing their stories. This time we have to stop this killer."


    I nodded and closed my eyes to resume thinking.


    The building was not that high but the parents didn''t look up. The killer enjoyed this feeling, the feeling of being there but not seen. 6 stories were not tall, only 20 meters tall. 20 meters could be crossed in less than 10 seconds with walking, even faster with falling. In less than 1 second, the child fell before everyone.


    At that moment, the child hadn''t died. He looked at his parents and wanted to say something but he couldn''t say anything. The parents stared at their child. The killer grinned as they disappeared into the darkness.


    These 20 meters became the longest journey in the world, crossing the distance between life and death.

 Chapter 194: The Survivor

    Chapter 194: The Survivor


    Even though this was just my prediction, it fit the story. However, I couldn''t be certain if a child would die falling from a height of six floors. There was a chance that they might survive. If the child were only injured, they wouldn''t be able to deliver another blow. The killer was thin and only 1.6 metres tall. He might handle a woman or a child but not a healthy man.


    However, despite the rising body count, we still couldn''t tell what was the basis used by the killer to pick their victims. Since the killer could write their stories from the perspective of different people, it meant that they were familiar with the story''s protagonists. In other words, the killer must have observed these people for a long time already. If the killer picked their victims at random, this was too scary. Just think about it, a person you didn''t know hid at the corner, stalking you every day. What kind of color clothes you like, your favorite sport, your favorite food, they knew everything, they even knew how often you used the location. This could be sweet between couples but it was horrifying for strangers.


    The stranger wanted to know you not because they wanted to be your lover but because they were trying to find a unique way to murder you.


    When we left the meeting room, it was already 3 am. A crescent moon hung in the sky. Under its glow, everything looked so surreal. From far away, a figure was walking over. He had his head lowered and he ambled. I focused my eyes and realized he was Xiao Liu. Xiao Liu looked tired and haggard. From that, I knew he didn''t achieve any progress. Earlier, I told Xiao Liu to focus on the rtionship between the victims but clearly, he found nothing.


    Xiao Liu reached the door before he noticed us on the steps. Gu Chen nced at Xiao Liu and said, "I''ll go back to rest first."


    I turned to Xiao Liu. "So, did you find anything?"


    Xiao Liu took out some cigarettes and passed one to me. It was the brand, Hong He. Xiao Liu sighed as he lit his cigarette. "After you left, I checked the connections between the victims and found nothing. The victims'' age has such a big range. They have different backgrounds and working environments. There''s no connection." As I listened to him, I puffed out the smoke, trying to clear my mind.


    Xiao Liu looked at me and sat down on the steps. He said with his head lowered. "I''ve checked even their parents but there''s nothing. Wu Meng, this is a dead-end. The killer murders randomly. There''s no selection and no motive." He turned to look at me. "The killer is a psychopath. They found random people on the street, started stalking and investigating them before killing them. They are like a panther that enjoys the slow hunt."


    I was silent because I didn''t know what to say. The killer was incredibly cautious because they didn''t leave behind any useful clues.


    In the end, I said, "Xiao Liu, I really think the key is the connection between the victims. The killer definitely didn''t pick their victims at random. Look deeper, there has to be something we still don''t know."


    Xiao Liu took a puff of smoke. Then he mmed the cigarette on the steps and whipped his head at me. "Wu Meng, what have you been investigating? If this line is so crucial, why didn''t you investigate it yourself? And where you did go when you left the station earlier today?"


    Xiao Liu clearly had a hidden meaning behind this. Guan Zhenglin beside me frowned. "Xiao Liu, what do you mean by that?"


    "You''re not toying with me, are you?" Xiao Liu stood up and red at me. "You purposely led me down the wrong direction so I can''t solve the case? I know, your loyalty still lies with Captain Zhao. Things are not as simple as you make it out to be." Xiao Liu sounded quite pointed. I had no idea what happened to him that he changed so much. However, I saw how tired he was so I didn''t want to argue with him. I said lightly, "If you don''t trust me, then find your own lead. I''m just sharing with you what I thought." Then I told Guan Zhenglin, "Come, let''s go. We still need to follow the case tomorrow morning." Xiao Liu stared into my eyes for a long time. His lips opened but in the end, he said nothing and strode into the station. It looked like he was still going to work.


    Guan Zhenglin sighed. "Ever since he moved to Captain Lee''s unit, Xiao Liu has changed. I can''t even exin it, it''s like I can''t recognize him anymore."


    I offered, "Perhaps he''s just under too much pressure. After all, Xiao Liu has always been ambitious and he needs to solve big cases like this to rise in the ranks."


    The following day I was still sleeping when I heard the door kick open. Then a pair of mighty hands grabbed my shoulders and shook me. A loud voice eximed, "Wu Meng, it''s time to wake up. We have a new lead!"


    I opened my eyes blurrily. Seeing Gu Chen, I mumbled, "What''s wrong? Is there an earthquake?"


    Gu Chen answered, "Your spection yesterday was correct. Around 5 am this morning, someone called. Captain Zhao already confirmed the call is about thetest story. There was indeed a child who fell from the 6th floor, and in that neighborhood, there''s a divorced man who goes by the name of Ol'' Wang."


    I pulled back the nket and sat up. "Really? How is the child now?"


    Gu Chen shook his head. "He was still alive when he hit the ground but he died on the way to the hospital." I was silent, the child still died.


    After some silence, Gu Chen added, "But there''s good news."


    "What good news?" I looked at Gu Chen. I really couldn''t imagine cases like these could have any good news.


    Gu Chen answered, "The child is dead but someone is still alive."


    "Who?" I asked.


    Gu Chen answered, "The protagonist of the story, Ol'' Wang."


    "He failed tomit suicide?"


    Gu Chen nodded. "The drying rack on his balcony cannot sustain the weight of an adult man. The rack snapped from Ol'' Wang''s weight. He fell and broke an arm. He was rushed to the hospital with the child." This was truly a piece of rare good news. Since Ol'' Wang was still alive, we might get some useful clues from him. After all, the killer had been following him for a long time already, he might notice something. "Let''s go!" I put on the shoes and readied to leave. Gu Chen stopped me. "What''s wrong?" I questioned.


    Gu Chen sighed, "What you do in private is your own business, but I can''t allow you to make the force lose face." Then I realized I was naked. When we exited the hostel, everyone was already there.


    Inside the car, Gu Chen told me. "We''re going to Dong Xing First People Hospital. The child is still waiting for an autopsy, Ol'' Wang is in the ward. Do you think the killer wille to kill Ol'' Wang since he didn''t die?"


    I was stumped by Gu Chen''s question. Based on the previous stories, all the protagonists had died, but Ol'' Wang had survived. So would the killer return to kill him? I really had no idea, this killer was too hard to read.


    When we got down from the car, I heard Captain Lee told Xiao Liu, "Xiao Liu, I need you to assign people to guard this ce, especially Ol'' Wang''s ward. The killer might return to kill him. Zhang Qinrui, go and notify the hospital and start the autopsy on the child." Captain Lee was quite a good leader.


    Captain Zhao got down and said, "I knew Captain Lee would arrange these things, so we will directly go to find Ol'' Wang to see if he knows anything."


    Guan Zhenglin said, "I''ll head to the morgue." The rest of us nodded. I followed Captain Zhao into the hospital. We arrived at Ol'' Wang''s ward at the same time as Xiao Liu. We looked in and saw the patient inside the room. Ol'' Wang''s arm was in ster and hey in bed. From the despondency on his face, it would appear like Ol'' Wang had broken more than his arm. I shared a look with Xiao Liu and he pushed the door open and walked in. I followed behind Xiao Liu. The others waited outside.


    Ol'' Wang turned his head when he heard the door open. Then he turned away wordlessly like he didn''t see us.

 Chapter 195: Excitement

    Chapter 195: Excitement


    I expected Ol'' Wang''sck of enthusiasm. From the story, I realized Ol'' Wang suffered from depression. However, if he sought medical attention, he could still be cured. We were inside a single, unshared ward. At First People Hospital, a room like this wasn''t cheap. Ol'' Wang had paid a lot for it. Ol'' Wang preferred quiet and didn''t like noises. He didn''t like to interact with others so naturally, he ignored us.


    Xiao Liu moved to stand before Ol'' Wang to block his sight. However, Ol'' Wang didn''t react to him in any way. It was like Xiao Liu was transparent. Seeing theck of reaction, Xiao Liu raised his hand and waved it before Ol'' Wang''s face. Ol'' Wang still didn''t respond.


    I looked at Xiao Liu and then said, "There''s no need to waste time on these. Just ask him what we came to ask."


    Xiao Liu looked at me and then at Ol'' Wang. He took out a stack of documents. "Ol'' Wang, full name Wang Shouyin, 43 years old, was divorced from his wife, Liu Lihua 5 years ago and has no children. Currently, he works at a manufacturing factory at Dong Xing City, and finds the job boring." Since Ol'' Wang didn''t say anything, Xiao Liu continued, "You''ve lost all hope in love and life so you attempted suicide but the drying rack was unable to support your weight and you failed. The sound of you falling awakened the downstairs neighbor and they sent you to the hospital." Xiao Liu stared at Ol'' Wang, "You heard a loud thud, didn''t you?"


    Finally, Ol'' Wang sat upright. However, he still didn''t look at Xiao Liu as he answered, "Yes."


    Xiao Liu pulled over a chair and sat down beside Ol'' Wang. "Do you want to know what caused that sound?"


    "No." Ol'' Wang answered softly.


    Xiao Liu was stumped, he didn''t know what to say. Xiao Liu looked at me and then suddenly demanded angrily, "Wang Shouyin, you better cooperate with me. You might not understand your current condition. If you refuse to cooperate with me, you might die." I wondered if Xiao Liu was doing this because I was there or this was how he did his job normally, in any case, I didn''t think it was a good tactic. Having different interrogative methods for different people was a skill required of a detective. Xiao Liu''s interrogation was definitely going nowhere. To threaten a suicidal victim with death was ludicrous but I knew Xiao Liu was not that dumb. So the only exnation was his words were meant for me. He probably wanted me to carry over the questioning for him. Xiao Liu still trusted'' me to handle this.


    I didn''t expose Xiao Liu and told him, "Let me try." Xiao Liu nodded and handed the document to me. I epted them but didn''t look at them. I sat down opposite Ol'' Wang and told him, "If life is that boring, why not find something exciting to do?"


    "Hmm?" Ol'' Wang looked at me with interest. I had studied psychology before. Ol'' Wang had lost his interest in life so the cure was deceptively simple, which was to help him regain that interest. Ol'' Wang still helped others even though he knew they were just using him because he hoped that he could have more of a connection with the world around him. I asked Ol'' Wang, "Do you want to be a detective? This might be thest chance at the excitement in your life."


    Ol'' Wang looked at me and answered emotionlessly, "Okay."


    I asked, "Did you feel like someone is following you recently? Think about it, why would someone purposely follow someone as boring as yourself?"


    Ol'' Wang thought about it. "Yes."


    "What does that person look like?" I asked.


    Finally, Ol'' Wang said with some excitement, "Oh, it has to be that person. I''ve always been seeing himtely!"


    "Who is it?" Both Xiao Liu and I widened our eyes. Ol'' Wang frowned as if in thought, "I often see this man in ck smiling at me. He has a lot of stubble and I will run into him whenever I get off from work. He was just standing there. He would stand at the same spot. He has been standing there for at least a month already."


    I looked at Xiao Liu, thetter had started to record something in his notebook. I prompted Ol'' Wang to continue, "Can you give us more details about this man? Like his weight, height, physical property, and so on? You''re being such a good detective."


    Ol'' Wang nodded and answered. "He always shows up in full ck attire, even his shoes. He''s around 1.7 meters tall and very thin. Whenever I got off work, he would be there waiting for me. Others didn''t seem to notice him but I would. He was like a mirror to me." Then Ol'' Wang added with some agitation, "He was like me, he was unmotivated,zy, and tired. He just stood there." Due to his depression, Ol'' Wang didn''t care about anything but he cared about this man, but this was probably something the killer wanted him to care about. Holding up a mirror to Ol'' Wang, the killer made his condition worse.


    I continued to ask, "He was just standing there? Doing nothing?"


    Ol'' Wang nodded.


    While the killer stalked Ol'' Wang, he understood Ol'' Wang''s depressive tendencies. Therefore, he appeared before Ol'' Wang in that depressing appearance every day, draining excitement from Ol'' Wang''s life. The killer wanted to kill Ol'' Wang but through Ol'' Wang''s own hands.


    From Ol'' Wang''s description, we got some basic info about the killer. The killer liked to dress in ck, he was around 1.7 meters tall and thin. These were the only concrete details we had so far of the killer. Especially, the killer''s gender.


    I told Ol'' Wang, "That person is our target. He''s following you and you also want to find him. The two of you will face each other until one of you falls."


    Suddenly, Ol'' Wang revealed a ghastly grin. "That does sound interesting."


    "Then tell me, where did he go after you left? Would he follow you?" I asked.


    Ol'' Wang shook his head. I didn''t press any further because I was afraid that I might turn this patient of depression into a schizophrenic patient.


    We walked out and I told Xiao Liu, "We better find him a psychiatrist or he''ll continue to harm himself or worse, others."


    Xiao Liu couldn''t care less about that. He groused, "Is the killer male or female? How can they suddenly be a young woman and then a man with stubbles? How many killers are there and how old are they? Or is there just one killer?"


    "Is there this possibility that" Gu Chen told me and not Xiao Liu, "The killers are a group. There''s one person writing the story and the others realizing it. These people have the same uniform, a ck attire. They are all around the same height. That would exin the different genders." After Gu Chen said that, we were silent. If he was correct, then this was scary. This was a terrorist group, aimed to murder with stories.


    "No!" I repeated, "There aren''t multiple killers, there is only one."


    "If there is only one, how can they suddenly be male and then female?" Xiao Liu asked.


    I didn''t answer but said, "Let''s go to the morgue and see how the autopsy ising along."


    When we came to the morgue, there was a group of people gathered there. Waves of cries hit me, they almost shattered my eardrums. There was a young couple, the woman was kneeling on the ground, the man leaning against the wall. An officer walked over and whispered to us, "These are the boy''s family. The boy is only 6, his name is Gao Ze He fell from the 6th floor and snapped his neck. There was blood everywhere, it was not pretty."


    The boy had the same age as the noisy brat in the story. If I was not mistaken the boy was the boy Ol'' Wang hoped to die. However, I didn''t ask Ol'' Wang whether that was the truth. After all, he couldn''t be responsible for what the killer wrote. However, the ghastly expression on Ol'' Wang''s face earlier showed me that the imagined scenarios painted by the killer for Ol'' Wang were true.


    Then it hit me. The killer must have studied psychology before, or they must know human nature very well or else they couldn''t have ced themselves in different people''s perspectives so perfectly. We pushed open the door to the morgue. Guan Zhenglin and Zhang Qinrui were inside sewing up the body. The autopsy was ending.


    "How''s the situation?" I asked.


    But at that moment, someone outside screamed. "Leader Wu, Leader Liu, this is bad. Someone is dead!"

 Chapter 196: Penetration

    Chapter 196: Pration


    Guan Zhenglin and Zhang Qinrui had just sewn up the body when we heard the screams from outside. We walked out and were notified there was another death. Based on the officer''s description, the person''s way of death was very strange. The crime scene had been secured by the local police.


    I asked the officer, "Where''s the crime scene?" The officer looked at Xiao Liu and me. "It''s at Happiness Neighbourhood, the same neighborhood where Ol'' Wang and the boy live."


    We looked at each other. We understood that this had to be the doing of that serial killer. However, the neighborhood was under great scrutiny after the incident with Ol'' Wang and the boy, so how did the killer continue to murder without being discovered?


    The officer couldn''t answer my question. I looked at the boy''s parents and leaned to whisper into Guan Zhenglin''s ear. "Is the autopsy on the boy done?"


    Guan Zhenglin nodded.


    I turned to Zhang Qinrui. "Zhang Qinrui, you can stay here to help. The rest of us will hurry to Happiness Neighborhood."


    Then without wasting time, we hurried to the crime scene. Xiao Liu departed with his own team.


    Inside the car, I asked Guan Zhenglin, "What is the situation with the boy?"


    Guan Zhenglin balled up her gloves, ced them back in the toolbox, and then told me, "The boy did fall from a great height, and the cause of death is a broken spine. The time of death is around 1 am. There is no drug found in his body, so he was thrown off the building fully conscious. But he was unable to scream for help."


    "Why?" I asked.


    Guan Zhenglin sighed sadly. "I didn''t want to borate when the boy''s parents were at the morgue. The boy''s tongue was cut, and arge stone was stuffed inside his mouth. When he hit the ground, the stone smashed against his teeth, and they were all knocked out. It was cruel."


    I held my chin as I tried to suppress my anger. We knew this killer was ruthless, and they wouldn''t hold back even against a child. They were like an animal who only knew how to kill.


    With a sigh, I said, "Ol'' Wang''s imagined scenarios have urred, the noisy brat is now dead, and he was permanently silenced before he died. Then who do you think would die next?"


    "In the story, Ol'' Wang has three imagined scenarios." Gu Chen said as he drove. "The first scenario was his unnamed colleague being eaten by the machine; the second was a sexual encounter with the widow opposite from him; thest was the falling child. The child is now dead."


    With that, I said, "So the victim this time is most likely the widow." Soon we arrived at Happiness Neighborhood. Before we even got down, we saw the crowds around the neighborhood. The space before the building was cordoned off by a police line.


    After the cars were parked, two teams hustled out. Along the way, we heard the whispering of the crowd. "I hear it''s the widow on the 2nd floor who had died." An auntie whispered to the middle-aged man standing beside her. Her throat was like a speaker, so it was impossible not to hear her.


    "Really?" The other auntie probably didn''t live here, she questioned, "The one who kept bringing men home?"


    The woman nodded and said with confidence, "That''s the one. I already said with the way she kept going. She would one day die in bed."


    "How did she die?" The other woman asked. Everyone turned their gaze to the auntie because she made it sound like she was at the crime scene in person.


    As we walked through the door, an officer walked towards us. He was from Captain Lee''s group. As he led us up the stairs, he reported to Xiao Liu. "Leader Liu, Captain Lee told us to investigate every character that was mentioned in the story, so we did."


    Xiao Liu nodded. "Who is the victim?"


    We reached the second floor. The door to Room 201 was left open, but there was a police line across the door. Needless to say, this was the crime scene. There were already analysts inside taking pictures and collecting evidence. As we walked over the line, the officer exined, "Based on our investigation, this woman''s name is Zhou Yufeng, 33 years ago. 5 years ago, her husband died in a car ident, and they had no children. Based on our questioning of her neighbors, Zhou Yufeng didn''t have a good reputation."


    Xiao Liu nodded. The officer continued, "During these 5 years, Zhou Yufeng didn''t work. Instead, she relied on a few constant men to keep her life afloat. Frankly, she was no different from a prostitute. Actually, we came today because we wanted to investigate her. However, no one answered the door." The officer exined, "We smelled something wrong and kicked down the door. Then we saw this." The officer pointed into the bedroom.


    When we saw the scene, we were speechless with shock.


    "Well, the crime scene looks untouched" Guan Zhenglinmented.


    One of the analysts said, "No one has touched anything because we know you people areing. Plus, this kind of death is definitely one of its kind." Everyone nodded.


    Inside the bedroom was a veryrge bed, and on the bed were two bodies. The female was straddling the male. And they were both naked.


    Gu Chen shook his head. He didn''t quite know how to arrange his expression. "At least they were happy when they were killed." Gu Chen was not wrong because these two were killed in the middle of sex. They were adopting the cowgirl position.


    The bodies maintained their position because they were punctured by a metal pipe about the size of a person''s finger. The pipe was about 1 meter long. It entered from the female''s back and then pierced out from her stomach. Then the pipe entered the man''s stomach, joining the two bodies together.


    The female body was held in ce by the metal pipe as the body leaned backward. It was like a sex sculpture. The male body was the base supporting the weight of the female body. It kept the bnce of the sex position. The female''s hands were still gripping the male''s thighs, and the male had his hands around the woman''s waist. They were probably in mid pration.


    The whole metal pipe was red with blood. The bed was dyed red as well. So were the two bodies. Even the ceiling was sttered with blood. The blood had a spray pattern. Some hit the ceiling and then dripped back down. This was like a horror movie scene. The blood spatter suggested that when they were punctured, they were both alive.


    An officer whispered, "I wonder if they were happy or painful when they died." Xiao Liu red at him and the officer immediately. Xiao Liu then began, "From the condition of the bodies, the conclusion is that they were killed by the killer who was waiting with the metal pipe while they were having sex. The metal pipe impaled both of them. Blood must have gotten on the killer as well"


    I looked at Guan Zhenglin and said, "We better remove the bodies first."


    The officers nodded but didn''t know where to begin. In the end, Gu Chen frowned and then walked to the bed. He put on the gloves to grab the metal pipe. With a powerful yank, the metal pipe was pulled out. Without the support from the pipe, the female body copsed onto the bed, and blood poured out from her two wounds.


    I looked at the pipe Gu Chen was holding. It was very sharp, like a spear. I looked closer and noticed the front end of the pipe was pentagonal in shape, and they were grooves running down the side. I turned back to examine the bodies. Their wounds had a pentagonal shape. I believed this wound was extremely rare because the weapon was homemade.


    When the pipe pierced through the bodies, the blood ran through the grooves before it sprayed through the air. The two wouldn''t take long to die. The air would have gone into the blood capiries to block off blood cirction.


    Gu Chenmented, "This kind of metal pipe will yield little resistance entering the body. In tv shows, we would often see situations where one was knifed, and it was better to leave the weapon inside the body to stop the blood flow. That only works for a smooth de with no grooves." Gu Chen shook his head. "But this pipe, it is designed to kill."

 Chapter 197: Who is Next

    Chapter 197: Who is Next


    Guan Zhenglin opened her toolbox and lifted her head to look at the metal pipe Gu Chen was holding. She concurred, "I don''t think this pipe is soldmercially. No manufacturer will sell them. In other words, this metal pipe was made by the killer. They know metallurgy." We nodded.


    "How did the killer puncture two people at the same time?" I frowned and asked.


    Gu Chen looked at me and demonstrated. "They probably grabbed one end of the pipe and pushed through the two victims."


    "That can''t be right." I shook my head. "Gu Chen, you used a lot of force to pull out the metal pipe, didn''t you?"


    Gu Chen shook his head. "Actually, it was quite smooth."


    I chuckled and said, "But not everyone is muscr as you. From all the physical evidence and witness statement, the killer is a person with a small and weak body. For such a person, it wouldn''t be easy for them to pierce the pipe through two people''s bodies."


    Xiao Liu widened his eyes and argued, "Do you still think the killer is singr? The killer is sometimes male and then female. Perhaps you''re wrong this time. I think there is a killers group. And their motive is the key to solving this case."


    I looked at Xiao Liu. I had no concrete answer. I said slowly, "In that case, we''ll split up our investigation. In my study of criminology, I''ve not seen a murderer''s group work like this before! A team wouldn''t gather without a unified goal and benefit! So the killer cannot be more than one."


    Xiao Liu shook his head vehemently.


    Guan Zhenglin coughed and said, "I don''t know criminology but I do know medical science. The killer made the pipe this way. Other than to expedite the victims'' death, the other purpose might be to make the piercing process easier."


    "What do you mean?" We turned to Guan Zhenglin. Guan Zhenglin exined, "Gu Chen has mentioned something important earlier. When a person is still alive, their muscle will contract. It is how the body could grab onto a pierced knife. This is why it is better to leave the weapon in for puncture wounds." Guan Zhenglin pointed at the blood grooves on the pipe. "The grooves are very deep. When it is pierced through the body, the muscles can''t close around the wound because of the grooves. Thus the pressure and resistance will be weaker. It''ll be easier to push the metal pipe through the bodies."


    This was indeed something to consider. But how much easier it would be to drive the pipe in? Would it be enough for a weaker individual tomit this crime? I believed it would be enough, and Xiao Liu didn''t.


    Guan Zhenglin looked at us and then at the bodies. "Regardless, help me extricate the bodies first." Gu Chen and I held one of the bodies each, then we pulled them apart. Guan Zhenglin studied the bodies and began her preliminary autopsy. I walked around to study the house. The bedroom was quite hugepared to the rest of the house. Those who had big bedrooms enjoyed the better things in life. This was something Sister Mao told me. And I believed that did describe Zhou Yufeng.


    There was a partition screen at the side of the bedroom. It was around 1.5 metres tall. Based on Zhou Yufeng''s height, when she changed behind the screen, her shoulders would be exposed. That was probably part of her seduction skill. It was entirely possible for the killer to hide here and not be seen. Of course, the killer had to be certain that the woman would note back here when she had guests'' around. Or else she would have notified the killer, and the man, who was 1.8 meters tall and quite muscr, could have easily ovee the killer. In other words, the killer knew the woman would note back here. It proved that they had been stalking her for a long time already.


    I closed my eyes and tried to imagine the situation.


    In bed, a pair of hungry couple was exercising''. They didn''t notice a killer, holding a metal pipe, had walked out from behind the screen. The killer slowly made his way to the bed. The two didn''t notice the killer at all. The killer then jumped up and propelled the metal pipe through the woman''s back. The woman''s fair skin immediately ruptured with a giant wound. Blood gushed everywhere, including on the man and killer''s faces. The man had no idea what had happened. He saw the hole on the woman''s stomach and then a pipeing through.


    Before he could react, the pipe ate into his stomach. Their blood got mixed together. Creating life or life itself was always bloody.


    The woman wanted to turn around and the man wanted to lift his head, but they couldn''t do it. A single pipe had joined them together. The smallest movement would cause great pain. The killer pped their hands and then walked away. The couple died in extreme pain, connected to each other.


    Guan Zhenglin broke my reverie. "From the appearance, both of them only have one single wound. From the location of the wounds, the woman''s kidney, intestines, and liver were all punctured while the man only had his stomach and intestine punctured." Guan Zhenglin pointed out the wound for us. "There is a lot of cellr activity around the wound, so this has to be fatal. The cause of death is organ failure due to loss of blood, but I can''t be sure until further examination. There is a trace of semen inside the woman''s body. Comparing that with the rigidity of the body, the time of death is 10 pm yesterday."


    "10 pm?" Everyone asked.


    Guan Zhenglin nodded seriously. "Don''t be surprised. This means that the killer killed this couple and instantly went to kill that child."


    I asked, "How is the investigation into the child? Did we know when did he go missing?"


    An officer walked forward. "We''ve asked the neighbors. They said the boy never came home after he went out to y after 8 pm. Gao Ze was a yful boy but he would alwayse home on time. He was neverte. His parents came down to find him but they couldn''t. They started to get desperate around 10 pm. Then the whole building helped them to look for the boy." The officer scratched his head. "Some of them thought the boy just forgot about the time, others thought he had been kidnapped by human traffickers. However, the boy was already six, and traffickers wouldn''t be interested in children so old. In any case, they searched for a long time, but no one called the police."


    At 10 pm, this couple was dead. If I was not mistaken, the boy was already captured by the killer then. The couple could probably hear the boy''s parents calling for the boy, but they ignored it because they were too busy exploring the union of life.


    The officer continued, "They kept searching until 1 am. Someone said the boy might have fallen asleep at Ol'' Wang''s ce because Ol'' Wang was a good person. Whenever a kid went to visit him, he would offer them sweets and money. So the kids like to stay around Ol'' Wang. Therefore some of them went to find Ol'' Wang who lived on the 2nd floor while others remained." The officer looked out the window and said, "When they walked in, they saw Ol'' Wang hanging in his balcony. At that moment, the drying rack snapped and Ol'' Wang fell. He injured himself. At the same time, Gao Ze fell from the roof."


    We knew what happened next. Both Ol'' Wang and the child were sent to the hospital, but the boy died in the ambnce. What the people didn''t know was that before all that happened, this couple had already died at 10 pm. The killer was already inside the building. Since the search was going on for the boy, the killer couldn''t escape. Furthermore, the killer had to stay with the boy to detain him.


    Then it hit me. It was not just the killer who was behind the screen. There were both the killer and the boy. The killer brought the child here because he wanted to expose the boy to the obscene activity. After killing the couple, they led the boy to the roof.


    The people would never imagine that the boy they were searching for was actually inside the building all along.


    "This is not good!" I suddenly eximed, "The killer was killing ording to Ol'' Wang''s imagined scenario. The widow and the boy are dead. If the killer continues to kill, then they will do it at the factory and"


    "Someone will be dragged into the machine?" Xiao Liu widened his eyes.


    "That''s right." I said, "Contact that factory now and send our people there. The killer must have shown up at there before." I turned to tell the other police. "Send the bodies back to the morgue. Guan Zhenglin, you''ll handle the autopsy. The rest of us will move to the factory."

 Chapter 198: Insurance

    Chapter 198: Insurance


    The factory Ol'' Wang worked at was in the countryside. Naturally, a big factory wouldn''t be located in the middle of Dong Xing City. On the way there, the officer told us that Ol'' Wang had worked at this phone manufacturing phone for more than 20 years already.


    20 years ago, the phone Ol'' Wang worked on was Nokia. At the time, not that many people owned cell phones. But 20 yearster, Nokias were a relic, everyone used iPhones these days, but the assembly process was still the same.


    Ol'' Wang bought a ce in the old city a long time ago. But 20 yearster, that neighborhood became a corner of the city and lost its former glory. Someone back then said that the tenants would bepensated for arge amount because the neighborhood was about to be torn down for development. However, that never happened. The people here were born at Dong Xing City, but Dong Xing City''ster development didn''t have to do with them. Like Ol'' Wang, most of them lost their goals in life. Ol'' Wang had worked here for 20 plus years, but he never got promoted. However, the factory owner treated the first batch of workers very well. Ol'' Wang was relieved from work every day at 5 pm, and then he rode his bicycle home.


    When we arrived, the factory was still working. The giant factory sat in the middle of thend. We couldn''t hear any noise from outside. The factory had good soundproofing. Xiao Liu told us to wait at the entrance because he had already contacted the factory owner on the way here. The owner woulde out to meet us. Captain Lee''s people were always good with these things. Unlike the few of us who always depended on hypotheses and predictions.


    Soon, a man with a round belly walked out. He looked around 50 and was bald. When he saw us, he hurried over and said in a thick local ent, "And you are"


    Xiao Liu shook his hand. "I am Officer Liu, who spoke on the phone earlier. They are" After some quick introduction, we understood this factory was a family business. The factory manager''s surname was Liao, and he inherited the ce, which was originally a vehicle factory, from his father. Due to the rise of cell phones, Manager Liao''s investment was correct. When we mentioned Ol'' Wang, Manager Liao sighed.


    When Manager Liao wanted to update the factory, Ol'' Wang was hired in that first wave of workers. 20 years ago, the mass market was not as fertile as it was now. Many people saw no point in having a mobile phone. Manager Liao saw the trend ahead and, 5 yearster, everyone had a phone in their pocket. 10 yearster, everyone had a phone in their hand. For these past 20 years, the phone industry had zoomed like a rocket. Manager Liao offered his first batch of workers arge bonus.


    However, not everyone did the same thing with money. Some went into sales, others into investment. A few even started their own factories. Ol'' Wang was the only one who stayed at the assembly line.


    Manager Liao said, "Ol'' Wang is very quiet and introverted, but he is a good person. I introduced him to his wife, and their marriage was happy. However, 5 years ago, Ol'' Wang found his wife with another man. Since then, Ol'' Wang became even more reticent and lost his love for life."


    We nodded. That did describe Ol'' Wang.


    Xiao Liu said, "Hmm, let''s move away from Ol'' Wang. In fact, we''re not here for Ol'' Wang."


    "You''re not here for Ol'' Wang?" Manager Liao was surprised. "Oh, you mean about the danger warning? That''s impossible. My factory is run in strict ordance with the safety rules. The worker will rest for half an hour every three hours to prevent lethargy. There has never been any ident here. The workers are all adults, and they know the danger of heavy machinery. They''ve been given safety sses training too."


    "Do you mind bringing us into the factory?" Xiao Liu asked.


    Manager Liao nodded. Even though we said we were not here for Ol'' Wang, Manager Liao still continued to talk about Ol'' Wang. "This morning, Ol'' Wang didn''te to work, and he didn''t request a holiday, so I called him. Only then did I realize what happened. I heard the boy''s head was crushed from the fall and his brain matter was everywhere."


    "Those are just rumors, don''t believe them." Xiao Liu corrected. "All I can say is that it''s a murder, and the rest is still in investigation. This is very serious, so I hope you can cooperate with us."


    "Of course!" Manager Liao promised. "Workce ident can ruin a wholepany. There was an incident at a nearby factory where a worker purposely reached their finger into the machine. He created argemotion online and forced the factory owner to pay him thepensation of several million. Now the worker is already married and manages to buy a house in a small city."


    "We live in a capitalist society. What to do?" Xiao Liu sighed greatly.


    Manager Liao continued, "After all, Ol'' Wang has been with me for more than 20 years already. I''ve already sent my driver to fetch him home. He only broke his arm, and that will heal with time."


    We walked into the factory. Only then did we realize how big the ce really was. There were more than 100 people standing along the assembly line. The assembly line was connected to many big machines, and they looked quite scary.


    Manager Liao looked at his workers and said with some pride. "Don''t worry. There won''t be any danger here. If there''s any dangerous machinery, it has to be that cutter. It is extremely sharp and is used to cut out phone casings. If one falls into it, they will be minced, but clearly, no one will. Or" Manager Liao chuckled, "If the killer is so brave, he cane and try. There are at least 30 plus muscr young men here. The killer wouldn''t kill here."


    We walked to look into the cutter machine. We saw the rapidly spinning des. The rectangr metallic tes went in from one side and came out as casing from another. The buzzing sound was the sound of the des cutting through the air. But Manager Liao''s confidence was not unfounded. If someone didn''t enter the machine on purpose, the killer couldn''t have pushed someone in with so many people around the assembly line. I asked, "Does the factory run at night?"


    "No." Manager Liao shook his head. "Thew forbids it."


    Xiao Liu nodded. "Hmm, just keep watch."


    At that moment, a female voice called from afar. "Manager Liao?" We all turned to the voice. It was a 40 plus woman. The woman looked like amon middle-aged woman. When he saw the woman, Manager Liao frowned and asked, "Yan Zhenyan? Why are you here?"


    Hearing the reply, Yan Zhenyan was confused too. "Huh? Your secretary called me here."


    As Manager Liao walked towards her, he said, "Let''s not disturb the workers here, we''ll talk outside. But Yan Zhenyan, I didn''t have my secretary call you, are you sure you''re not mistaken?"


    "This is?" Xiao Liu asked.


    Manager Liao introduced, "Oh, this is actually Ol'' Wang''s ex-wife. But I really didn''t have my secretary call you." Yan Zhanyan came in looking quite excited, but when she heard Manager Liao, her face dropped. She said seriously, "Manager Liao, we''ve known each other for 20 years already. Let''s drop it. There''s no need for you to joke with something like that, do you?"


    Manager Liao frowned deeper. "I''ve always been with these officers. I don''t have time to call you. By the way, what are you doing here?" Sensing the confusion in Manager Liao''s tone, Yan Zhenyan answered, "But there was a woman who called herself your secretary who told me toe to collect Ol'' Wang''s insurance because he has died at work. Apparently, I''m his beneficiary, and I''m supposed to get 300000 RMB. She told me toe to verify the details in person."


    Everyone frowned.


    No wonder Ol'' Wang separated from his wife. This woman''s first reaction was toe to im the money instead of verifying the validity of Ol'' Wang''s supposed death. In any case, this was clearly false because Ol'' Wang was still alive. So who was this secretary''?


    Xiao Liu shed his badge and demanded, "The secretary called you? Give me your phone."


    Yan Zhenyan was shocked and quickly obliged. "It''s thetest number in my contact list." We all leaned in closer to look. The number was locally registered. Xiao Liu immediately called the number and was told the number had already been cut.


    Xiao Liu was about to say something when we heard screamsing from all around us. It was a scream of pure terror. People bustled about. I quickly hurried towards the source of the screams. When I saw the scene, it froze me to the spot, and my brain buzzed.

 Chapter 199: Right Under the Eyes

    Chapter 199: Right Under the Eyes


    At that moment, I felt my face warm, and I tasted something coppery. I was very familiar with this taste because I came into contact with it often. My eyes were misty, and there was a red mist everywhere.


    This was blood, and before us was a blood mist. The blood mist enveloped the entire factory. Everywhere was crimson. Through the mist, we couldn''t even see the workers. At the same time, screams swallowed the factory. People panicked and trampled everywhere. The heady smell of blood rushed through my nose and gripped my brain.


    I came to my senses and shouted, "Don''t panic, be careful!" However, the situation was too chaotic for anyone to heed my order.


    Manager Liao''s voice echoed. "I''ll go close the machine. Someone go stop the main power!"


    We could hear the machine buzzing. The rapid des could slice through metals, much less human flesh and bones. The blood mist continued to pour. If someone were inside the machine, they''d be dead by now.


    Through the mist, I couldn''t recognize the others. Based on my memory, I ran forward. But at that moment, a hand grabbed my shoulder. I turned back and was surprised to see Zhao Mingkun. She ced her finger on her lips. Then she pulled me and ran outside.


    The blood mist didn''t float out. We were exposed to the sun. As Zhao Mingkun pulled me along, she said, "The murderer has run out from the back."


    I frowned and asked, "Are you sure it''s safe for you to expose yourself here?" Zhao Mingkun didn''t answer. The two of us ran out of the factory. Along the way, Zhao Mingkun said, "When my investigation reached this ce, I noticed someone had installed a timed hacking program in the surveince system. About 10 minutes of the surveince will be wiped, so don''t worry. They won''t find my trace here."


    "Why are you here?" My voice was shaking from the quick running. In contrast, Zhao Mingkun didn''t even stop to breathe. She answered, "I was helping you with your case. I''ve seen those 3 stories already, and it''s not hard to predict thest death will happen at the factory. Therefore, I''ve been staying here. I''m surprised the killer managed to slip away so sessfully."


    "You saw everything?" I frowned. "The whole killing process?" And then I saw the worker''s uniform Zhao Mingkun was wearing. Many things clicked.


    Zhao Mingkun nodded. "I saw everything. I was on the assembly line then. There was an extra worker, but no one noticed it, or rather the others weren''t paid to notice. When I noticed the hacking program, I knew the killer would make their move in these 10 minutes. But I had no idea who the target was."


    I frowned. "Then you could have stopped this murder! If you had pulled the electric brake, the person wouldn''t have died."


    Zhao Mingkun sneered. "Wu Meng, don''t press your luck. You''re a cop, but I''m not. I agreed to help you for myself. If I stopped the murder, how would I know who the killer is? If you want to me someone, me the killer."


    I looked from the corner of my eye. Zhao Mingkun was aloof. This was Shi Huacheng''s adopted daughter, a criminal of great experience, not a kind sister next door. She had no choice but to be ruthless. But somehow, she wasn''t that ruthless around me.


    Then it hit me. If Zhao Mingkun could infiltrate the factory with this method, so could the killer. The killer had predicted the scenario before they shoved someone into the cutter. This blood mist had been calibrated many times in the killer''s mind. Using the chaos caused by the blood mist, the killer would slip away from the factory. If Zhao Mingkun didn''t help me, when we came to our senses, the killer would have been long gone. The surveince wouldn''t capture anything. The other officers might conclude this as suicide. But the big problem remained, who was the victim?


    "Who died?" I asked.


    Zhao Mingkun looked around and led me down a small alley. "The victim is Ol'' Wang. When you spoke, Ol'' Wang came in from the side door. He saw and walked towards you guys. But along the way, he was knocked into the cutter. Instantly blood misted everywhere."


    The alley was deserted, and we stopped. As we walked down the alley, Zhao Mingkun exined, "The killer knew the cutter well. They knew with the spinning des, blood wouldn''t fall like rain but instead would form a mist. The killer used this opportunity to escape." Zhao Mingkun turned over a paper box. There was a worker''s uniform inside, and it was stuck with red dots. Clearly, it had just been removed.


    "If not to grab you." Zhao Mingkun frowned as she sniffed the uniform. "I would have caught him. But this killer is highly unusual. He is familiar with all kinds of knowledge, be itputers or machinery. That''s very rare."


    I nodded. "The killer must have removed his clothes, changed, and mixed into the crowd. However, I know the killer has a preference for ck clothes. He wouldn''t have gotten far." Then I made to run out. Zhao Mingkun stopped me. "That might not be necessarily true."


    I saw Zhao Mingkun drop the uniform. "What is your opinion?" Zhao Mingkun smiled and said, "You are people who live under the sun, so you always like to look up. You never notice what happens right underneath you. That''s why you fail to capture me. Human beings wish to conquer outer space, but they don''t even know what is happening underneath them."


    Zhao Mingkun''s face was filled with an indescribable loneliness and solitude. There was a moment where I felt how she couldn''t fit into this world and felt her trace of fear and helplessness. But the momentter, her queenly presence returned. She pointed underneath her and said, "If I''m not wrong, the killer has escaped from here." She was pointing at a sewer cap.


    "But the killer has a cleanliness obsession," I argued.


    "How did you know that?" Zhao Mingkun challenged. I was silent before I answered, "Criminal profile."


    "Then your profiling is wrong. When I was at the mental hospital, I checked your file. You suffer from paranoia. You will ce yourself in the killer''s shoes whenever youe up with their profiles, it triggers your paranoia. You''re afraid that one day you''ll get schizophrenia from it."


    "Why did you look through my file?" I stared at her.


    Zhao Mingkun lifted up the cap and said, "Why do you care? I''d advise you to stop with the criminal profiling. If you don''t go in-depth, the profile will be wrong; if you do, you might lose yourself. I don''t want to see you back in the mental hospital."


    Zhao Mingkun slithered down into the sewer. Since she had already made her move, I had to follow.


    It was dark inside the sewer. When I was down there, I understood what Zhao Mingkun meant. This was the perfect locale for the killer. The light from the hole was only the size of a penny. Looking down the distance, there was nothing but darkness. When I encountered the killer in the tunnel leading to the adult toy store, the killer moved freely in the dark. Darkness was the killer''s best cover.


    Zhao Mingkun looked left and right. She asked, "Which way do you think the killer has taken?"


    "Left!" I said confidently. "We''re in the countryside, going right leads to the sea, the killer will not go there. He needs crowds, so definitely left."


    Zhao Mingkun smiled. "You still have your brain. Let''s go." Zhao Mingkun moved ahead. She made no sound at all. If she were tailing behind you, you wouldn''t discover her. This was simr to the killer. If Zhao Mingkun weren''t 1.75 meters tall, she would be a great suspect. We didn''t speak in the dark. Zhao Mingkun was not affected by the darkness, but I was. I kept worry that I would trip on something or walk into a wall.


    At that moment, I knocked into something soft. I lost bnce andnded on Zhao Mingkun''s back.


    "Sor" before I could say anything, Zhao Mingkun yanked me forward and closed her hand over my mouth. Her soft lips leaned into my ears. "Listen closely."


    I put my other thoughts away and paid attention to my hearing. At the fork ahead, there was a girlish giggle. It was simr to the sound I heard inside the tunnel leading to the adult toy store. The killer was right ahead of us and the giggle was slowly getting louder.

 Chapter 200: Injured

    Chapter 200: Injured


    Both of us leaned against the sewer wall as the sound became clearer. Even though the sound came intermittently, we both knew the source wasing towards us. We didn''t dare to breathe too loudly, much less speak.


    What kind of person was the killer? Why would he make such a childlike sound? How did the killer master the art of moving in the dark? The killer was like a shadow in the dark, he could shift at will so people couldn''t pin him down.


    The girl''s giggle echoed in the sewer as if it came from all sides. It felt like someone was scratching on my heart, it was very difiting.


    Then came the sound of cloth dragging on the stony ground. I soon realized this was the sound of the killer walking. It was like he couldn''t lift his feet off the ground. The rustling and the giggling came closer and closer. The killer appeared like he would be in front of us soon. I resisted the urge to charge out. I gripped my fists, I could feel my muscles tense. In the dark, I sensed Zhao Mingkun lowering her body, but I couldn''t see her expression.


    Even though my eyes had gotten used to the dark, I could barely see 1 meter beyond me. The weak sunlight made the sewer feel even darker.


    The surrounding was silent except for the sound of dripping water. My heartbeat appeared to sync with it. Inside the silent and dark sewer, at the corner, we were on one side and the killer on the other. We were less than 1 meter away, but it felt like the world''s longest distance.


    The sound of giggling and rustling disappeared like we had imagined everything. However, we understood that the killer was on the other side of the wall, waiting for the other to make their move. However, neither party did. In this situation, neither Zhao Mingkun nor I dared to be reckless. We had no idea if the killer had a dangerous weapon or not. Time ticked by just like that. We were like statues forgotten by time.


    I started to sweat. This couldn''t go on forever. The killer was at home in the dark, so the longer this dragged out, the more danger we''d be in. I was about to tell Zhao Mingkun that when she grabbed my hand. Zhao Mingkun wrote down the word, go'' on my palm and then tapped it 3 times. I understood what she meant we would go after 3 seconds. Even though the killer would move freely in the dark, we had the number''s advantage. Zhao Mingkun raised her fingers before my face so I could see them clearly.


    3 fingers.


    I perked up my ears and I still couldn''t hear anything. The killer was more patient than we were. Then again, that was observable from how he had stalked and followed his victims.


    2 fingers.


    I sucked in a breath to jump out with Zhao Mingkun to apprehend the killer. The killer was thin and short. He always killed when his victims were surprised or weakened. This meant that he was physically weak, so the odds were on our side.


    1 finger.


    I leaned forward and cleared my mind to focus on capturing the killer. My eyes focused on the 1 finger, waiting for it to fall. But before that, a rough male voice said, "What are you doing here? Run!" The voice was gruff, and it sounded like a middle-aged man. It caused my body to shiver like thunder. Then it was quickly followed by a girl crying and running footsteps. My heart winced. There appeared to be multiple people in the sewer. The killer was really not acting alone? Were they a team?


    Zhao Mingkun had already rushed ahead, and I followed closely behind her. When we turned the corner, we saw the sound but couldn''t see the killers. The killers were all dressed in ck, and they melted perfectly into the darkness. Zhao Mingkun moved quickly but I was slowed down by the muddy water. There was something that tripped me. Even though Zhao Mingkun was fast, she couldn''t be faster than people who spent their lives in the sewer. The running sound moved away from us.


    We could hear the girl crying. So even though we couldn''t see the killers, we could guess their general direction. The killer managed to hug a crying girl and run without trouble in the darkness. But as long as the girl kept crying, we would be on the killers'' trail.


    But at that moment, the man''s voice spoke again, "Mind your little sister, make her stop crying."


    I frowned. There appeared to be many people in this group. Was Xiao Liu right? A person couldn''t be both male and female, so this had to be a team. They were all about the same height and all wore ck. However, what kind of group would attract members of the same frame and height with the psychopathic desire to kill? Plus what was the purpose of this group? Just to kill? If it was just to kill, why did every member have such incredible anti-surveince techniques? Every member was so professional. And what was the meaning of those English messages?


    And in thistest story, where did the killers leave the message? There was none on the boy, none on the widow and her lover, definitely it wouldn''t be on the shredded Ol'' Wang either. Could there be other victims?


    I ran in the dark as these questions bounced in my mind. The girl''s sobbing was quieting down. Suddenly a woman''s voice said, "I''ll bring little sister and go hide. If there''s no choice, get Yama to handle them."


    The man replied, "Understood. Hide and be quiet. They won''t find you."


    Then the girl''s crying stopped altogether. It sounded like the woman had disappeared with the girl, and we lost the trail. I followed Zhao Mingkun who was moving down the sewer. I tried not to be distracted, but suddenly, something tripped me. I lost my bnce and tumbled to the ground face first. When I crawled up, the people had already disappeared.


    I felt pain from my ankles. I tried a few steps and the pain became more obvious. I had to stop. I lowered my head to check the item which had tripped me. It was a toy bear about 1 meterrge.


    I shuffled ahead as I pondered the situation that happened earlier. After the woman said her piece, she probably absconded with the girl.


    From the conversation, we knew that there were at least 4 people in the sewer, the man with the gruff voice, the little girl, the little girl''s big sister, and Yama, who could deal with us. The surrounding was dark and oppressive. I shuffled a distance when I reached another fork. There was no one around. I wondered where Zhao Mingkun had disappeared to. I looked closer and realized a worker uniform was dropped at one of the forks. It looked like Zhao Mingkun had taken this path. Back at Lin Fen, Zhao Mingkun already knew I didn''t have good stamina, so she left this trail for me. In a way, she was quite considerate.


    I picked up the uniform and continued on. After about 10 minutes, I saw someone leaning against the wall. It was none other than Zhao Mingkun. There was no one else.


    "What''s wrong?" I asked hurriedly.


    "I''m injured." She lifted her head and answered.

 Chapter 201: Injured Zhao Mingkun

    Chapter 201: Injured Zhao Mingkun


    I took a few steps forward to examine Zhao Mingkun. She held her waist and then looked up at me. In the dark, I couldn''t see where her wounds were, but I did smell the blood. I hurried over and saw that her face was covered in sweat. She gritted her teeth to tide over the pain. Her breathing was heavy, and her body trembled. I turned to examine her waist and slowly peeled back her hand. Then I saw therge gash on her shirt.


    Blood was slowly leaking out from the wound. This meant that the wound didn''t cut her main artery, or the blood flow would be faster. However, the wound was still quite deep. I could see her flesh. It was about 20 cm long. While I examined the wound, Zhao Mingkunid one hand on my shoulder, and her whole person dropped on me. Without even thinking, I removed my jacket and then my shirt. When I fell earlier, I dirtied my jacket, so naturally, it couldn''t be used as a bandage. But the shirt inside was clean. I folded the shirt into a square and pressed that against the wound. Then I used the sleeves to tie it around her slender waist.


    Zhao Mingkun leaned against my shoulder, and she chuckled. "Kid, you react quite fast."


    For some reason, I was sad as if I couldn''t ept this situation. In my heart, Zhao Mingkun was a queen who could do anything. Be it intelligence or physique, she was much better than me. This weakened woman talking softly in my arms couldn''t be Zhao Mingkun.


    "Can you still walk?" Putting the jacket back on, I tried to ask rationally.


    Even though Zhao Mingkun was shaking, she said evenly, "This small wound is nothing. I''ve experienced worse."


    "What happened?" I asked.


    After a silence, she said, "When I reached this ce, I saw the killer run into a fork. I chased after them without much thought. But the killer was lying in ambush there. I had no idea where he found a knife. Thankfully I dodged at thest minute, or else I wouldn''t be talking to you now."


    My ankle was hurting but that was nothingpared to Zhao Mingkun''s pain. I also didn''t tell her about my sprain. I only moved my center of gravity to my other leg and slowly moved forward carrying Zhao Mingkun. Zhao Mingkun''s sweat dropped onto my hand but she said lightly, "I saw that man. He''s 1.7 metres tall, wearing all ck. He has a crew cut, and his eyes have great spirit."


    "Is it really a man?" I asked.


    Zhao Mingkun heard the hidden meaning in my question. "You guys suspect the killer is a woman?"


    I shook my head. "Based on the witness statements, the killers have been both male and female."


    "We''ll talk about this further when we''re up there." We had reached another sewer cap. But we had no idea where it would open to, a busy street or a bad alley. If it was a motorway, then we could be run over. I stopped and closed my eyes, and tried to listen to soundsing from above.


    Zhao Mingkun said, "Move ahead some more. Turn left after 20 meters, and there should be another exit."


    I frowned. "You know even that?"


    Zhao Mingkun scoffed. "To escape the police, I have to remember all the passage above and below ground, or else I''d be dead several times already. I simply can''t movepletely unaffected in the dark like the killer." When Zhao Mingkun said that, I realized a problem. If the killer was a group, were there so many people who could move so freely in the dark? With the dexterity shown by the killer, they had to be underground for at least decades already. Were there so many such people at Dong Xing City?


    We soon arrived at the location mentioned by Zhao Mingkun. There was indeed another sewer cap. I flipped up the cap and then looked around. We were in the middle of a small alley bookended by 2rger streets. I crawled back down. Zhao Mingkun was wounded so she couldn''t climb. I pushed her from below and helped her up thedder. After much maneuvering, we finally reached the surface.


    I turned to study Zhao Mingkun. My shirt was already dyed red by blood. With each of her movement, her face would sweat. Zhao Mingkun opened her phone and pressed on it. She then said, "There is a motel not far away, and we''ll go there." I held her and then told her, "Your wound is at least 10 cm long. You need to stop the bleeding immediately. You have toe with me to the hospital. You can''t possibly operate on yourself, can you?"


    Zhao Mingkun''s face turned frosty. With one hand on the wall, her other arm hugged my neck. Her forehead leaned against mine, and our eyes were less than a few cm away. I could even see the patterns around her brown pupils. Her breath was light as it hit my face.


    "Wu Meng, the most important thing in life is to remember one''s identity, no matter the situation and the danger." Zhao Mingkun pressed against my forehead. "If I go the hospital, I''ll be dead for real, do you understand?" Zhao Mingkun''s voice was weak but her logic was firm. "Bring me to the motel and then purchase some bandage, thread, and needle from the convenience store. Also, buy some shirt buttons. Remember purchase cotton towels to make the bandage, don''t buy medical bandage."


    I understood why, she didn''t want others to realize she was injured. No wonder she was able to avoid Captain Zhao for so long. The more we dragged this out, the more danger Zhao Mingkun would be in. It was not the time to stand there and argue. I had no choice but to follow her orders. I removed my jacket. It had a smell but it was not wet. I ced it over Zhao Mingkun so that people wouldn''t see the blood on her body. We called a cab and headed towards the motel. On the way, Zhao Mingkun teased my half-naked body like everything was perfectly fine. But I knew she was doing this on purpose. As I expected, when we got down from the car, Zhao Mingkun grimaced from pain. Despite the pain, Zhao Mingkun put up a smile to chat with the motel boss. The motel didn''t require identification to open a room. I sent Zhao Mingkun to the room. Sheid down and then said, "If you want to capture me now, there''s nothing I can do." I ignored her and walked down.


    "Oh? Going out to purchase condoms?" The boss smiled sciously at me. "Youth is everything. You''ve sprained your ankle, but you still want to do it?" I smiled wordlessly.


    I followed Zhao Mingkun''s instructions and arrived at the convenience store. The store did have cotton towels in stock. I touched it. It was thicker than a normal bandage, but it was still usable. I bought a box of needles and thread as well as buttons. When I left the store, my phone rang. The caller was Guan Zhenglin.


    I was hesitant, I didn''t know whether to answer this call or not. I thought about it, and it had been at least 1 hour since we raced out from the factory, Guan Zhenglin and the rest must be worried. There was no signal in the sewer, which wouldn''t make them feel more assured. In the end, I answered the call as I moved to the motel.


    "Wu Meng?" Guan Zhenglin sounded surprised, and it was followed by a sigh of relief. "Where have you been? We''ve called so many times, but it won''t connect. Do you know how worried I, we are? Are you alright? Where are you now?"


    Guan Zhenglin fired off so many questions, I didn''t know which one to answer first. I eventually spoke. "When I was at the factory, I saw the killer escape. I didn''t have the time to inform the rest of you and chased after the killer. Unfortunately, while the killer could move freely in the darkness, I couldn''t, so the killer escaped again.''


    Guan Zhenglin sighed. "The important thing is that you''re fine, Wu Meng. We can''t reach you for over an hour, I mean, we are so worried. You bettere back to the factory, the English message has been found. It''s on the ground"


    I answered, "Okay, don''t worry. I just came up from the sewer. I''ll collect myself and then head back."


    "Okay." Guan Zhenglin replied, "We''ll be waiting for you." I was silent because I didn''t know what to say. I could feel the sincere concern Guan Zhenglin had for me but I also knew the history between Guan Zhenglin and Zhao Mingkun. Like Zhao Mingkun said, if I wanted to capture her now, she wouldn''t be able to escape.


    What choice should I make?

 Chapter 202: Atmosphere

    Chapter 202: Atmosphere


    When I reached the motel entrance, my phone rang again. If I said that Zhao Mingkun was with me, Guan Zhenglin would be so happy. However, Zhao Mingkun was injured because she helped me with the case.


    "Wu Meng?" Guan Zhenglin greeted me softly. I still couldn''t sell Zhao Mingkun out so heartlessly, so I said, "I have to go home to change. I''ll be there in a minute."


    "Okay." Guan Zhenglin suspected nothing and ended the call. I ced the phone in my pocket and returned to the 2nd floor. I pushed the door open and realized it wasn''t locked. I didn''t think much of it and walked in. The room wasn''t that big, and it only had one room. I could see the bloodstains on the bed, but I couldn''t find Zhao Mingkun. My heart squeezed. Did she leave because she''s afraid that I would sell her out? But her wound is so heavy. Plus, if she intends to escape, she could have lost me in the sewers. Why wait until now?'' Then, I was sure Zhao Mingkun was still inside the room.


    I closed the door and saw Zhao Mingkun hiding behind it, holding a dagger. Her face was pale, and she leaned against the wall weakly. However, her grip on the dagger was strong. When she saw there was no one behind me, she let the dagger down. Then her whole person leaned against me. Imented softly, "You were afraid that I would bring the police with me?"


    "Clearly you didn''t." She chuckled weakly. I helped her to bed and said slowly, "I''ve gotten everything you asked for."


    Zhao Mingkun had me remove the shirt I made into a bandage. The shirt was stained red, and the blood made the shirt stick to the wound. With the grit of my teeth, I pulled the shirt off. It made Zhao Mingkun moan in pain. The moment the shirt was removed, blood started to trickle again. We both understood that if we didn''t deal with that immediately, she would die from blood loss. The depth of the wound meant that it would require stitching.


    Zhao Mingkun''s shirt made the operation difficult. It was not the time for modicum, so I used the key to make a scratch through her shirt and then rip it into halves. Zhao Mingkun''s supple body was exposed before me, and it was covered in blood.


    The wound went vertically from her waist down to above her crotch. In other words, she had to pull down her pants a bit so that I could examine the wound. I didn''t say a word but lifted my head to look at Zhao Mingkun. She understood my meaning. She loosened the belt and then pulled her pants off. She stood before me only in her underwear.


    It was clear that she exercised often. She had the perfect physique. If this was another time, another ce, and another situation, this would be a perfect enjoyment but at that moment, I didn''t have the time to enjoy anything. There were so many scars on her body. They were long and ugly. They crawled on her skin like millipedes. The longer ones were more than 10 cm long, and the shorter ones were at least several cm long. I had no idea what kind of life she had experienced to earn so many of them.


    Only then did I realize she wasn''t lying in the sewers earlier. Thetest wound didn''t look that seriouspared to the old scars on her body. The contrast of the scars and the wless skin did take me by surprise.


    Zhao Mingkun hissed through her teeth. "Stop staring. You''ll have time to stare after you''re done with the stitching."


    I snapped out of it. "What should I do?" I had never done anything like this before. I had no field experience. Zhao Mingkun used her feet to tap at her pants. "There is a lighter inside. Use it to disinfect the needles and start sewing. I don''t think you''ve done any sewing in your life, but it''s not hard. Just sew my skin together, or it''ll hurt a lot."


    I took out the lighter as ordered. I lit it up and chose one needle from the box as instructed by Zhao Mingkun. I felt strangely protective of Zhao Mingkun, but when everything was ready, I was quite flustered. I didn''t know how to begin. Zhao Mingkun continued to exin, "Tear the towel into two and dab them in warm water, use them to wipe away the blood."


    I hurried to oblige. When I touched her wound with the towel, despite her best effort, she still groaned in pain. It humanized her in my eyes. After cleaning the blood, Zhao Mingkun''s wound was already turning white. I could even see the muscle tissue inside. My hand that held the needle trembled. Without an anesthetic, the field surgery would be intensely painful. Zhao Mingkunid back. She grabbed a pillow in one hand and gripped the bedsheet with another.


    "Pick the red thread." Zhao Mingkun noticed my trembling hands and smiled. She saidzily, "Red is auspicious. Perhaps it can help the wound heal faster. Don''t worry, after this training, you will definitely learn how to sew already." Zhao Mingkun sounded bright, like she was not the one in mortal danger. I had no idea whether she was consoling herself or me because we both knew that if this was not done well, she could die.


    I swallowed and then picked a red thread. I focused on her wound. Zhao Mingkun nodded and bit on the pillow, signaling me to start.


    I closed my eyes and took several deep breaths before I pierced the needle into her skin. At that moment, I could feel Zhao Mingkun''s body shake, and her whole body tensed. I understood that I had to finish as fast as I could if I didn''t want to prolong her pain. I moved faster. I didn''t dare imagine that I would one day be stitching up someone''s flesh. And I didn''t dare imagine that human skin could be sewn together like fabric.


    With each of my stitches, I could feel Zhao Mingkun''s body tensing up. Her veins were bulging, and it caused the wound to bleed again. Sweat poured out from my pores.


    Zhao Mingkun bit on the pillow hard, but her groans still escaped from her nose. It sounded nasal. Beads of sweat broke out on her skin, soaking the bed. Zhao Mingkun''s feet were arched together from pain. It was only 10 cm long, but it felt like forever to me.


    Finally, thest needle waspleted. When I removed the thread, I felt like I hadpleted the world''s hardest job. I put the needle away and copsed on the bed. Zhao Mingkun also gave out a long breath. Like me, she gasped hungrily for air. The bed was filled with sweat and blood. I had trouble believing that it took less than 1 minute.


    Zhao Mingkuny in bed, and Iy beside her. We turned to look at each other. We saw each other''s sweaty faces, and we could smell each other''s scents.


    "You''ve learned how to sew." Zhao Mingkun looked at my handiwork and praised, "Not bad, at least I didn''t die."


    I looked at her for some time before I broke outughing. I had no idea why I wasughing. I just felt the moment was hrious. Zhao Mingkun looked at me and soon joined me. But she couldn''tugh too hard, or it''d irritate her wound. Seeing her in the state of wanting tough but couldn''t made meugh harder. Iughed so hard that tears started to fall.


    We looked at each other and then soon returned to silence. Looking into her eyes, a feeling unique to lovers burgeoned within me.

 Chapter 203: Xiao Lius Confidence

    Chapter 203: Xiao Liu''s Confidence


    Zhao Mingkun was silent as we looked into each other''s eyes. We both saw the same emotion there. I moved my body slowly, and my hands moved to Zhao Mingkun''s stomach and caressed it softly. There was a long scar on Zhao Mingkun''s stomach, longer than the one I had just operated on. If I weren''t touching the scar myself, I wouldn''t have believed something so ugly would exist on the body of a person so beautiful. I moved to caress the various wounds on Zhao Mingkun and imagined how they came to be.


    Zhao Mingkuny there quietly. She didn''t stop me or speak to me. A scar led to her breast, and my finger inched along with it. A sadness rose within me. All these scars, old and new, meant that this woman was not raised with care. Her childhood featured cruelty and blood.


    "How." I uttered slowly, "Did thesee about?" Zhao Mingkun touched my face and said in a saddened voice, "Each scar represents a story. When we have time, I''ll tell you the stories, okay?" Her tone was gentle.


    The emotions erupted, and I kissed her lips. It was the meeting of 2 lonely souls. Time stopped. I didn''t dare to use too much force lest I hurt her. It all started with a kiss and ended with a kiss.


    We separated, and I understood this opportunity might note again. I knew that the moment Zhao Mingkun said she would tell me the stories behind her scars in another time. Life was unpredictable. Humans were fragile. The two of usy in bed, but we didn''t look at each other. There was nothing but silence. Suddenly Zhao Mingkun said, "You received a call before you came in. If you don''t go back soon, people will be suspicious. I''m not worried about you, but I''m worried that you might bring trouble to me."


    I nodded seriously. "Then you better take good care of yourself. You need to deal with that wound."


    Zhao Mingkun stood up, gritting her teeth. She tapped her wound and said, "I''ll deal with the rest myself. You don''t need to worry about me. If I can''t handle a wound of this level, then I deserve to die. But little kid, how was big sister''s body? Delicious?" Then she winked at me.


    And at that moment, I thought, the real powerful ones never revealed their weakness.


    When I left the motel, the boss grinned sciously at me. "The motel has thin walls. Hehe, little brother, you''re leaving so soon? Why not stay for another round" I was speechless. I thought about the sweat and blood on the bed. When the boss saw that, he probably would have more dirty thoughts.


    I called a cab to hurry back to the factory. In the cab, I examined my ankle. It was sprained, but if I didn''t apply force, it didn''t hurt. Compared to Zhao Mingkun''s wound, this was nothing. Thankfully, I could still hobble around. When I arrived at the factory, the factory was already shut down. The workers were gathered outside the factory, listening to the factory manager ramble on about safety, confidentiality, and so on. After what happened, probably no one dared to use that cutter anymore. Seeing me in person, Guan Zhenglin and Gu Chen sighed in relief. Gu Chen asked, "You saw the killer?"


    I shared with them how Zhao Mingkun spotted the killer and how we followed the killer through the sewer, but of course, I swapped Zhao Mingkun out for me, and I skipped the part at the motel.


    Gu Chen scratched his head. "If I saw the bastard, I would have caught him."


    Guan Zhenglin said, "The killer is too cunning. Right, Wu Meng,e take a look at this. The killer actually left the message a long time ago. What''s with your leg?" Compared to Gu Chen, Guan Zhenglin was more attentive. I sighed, "I slipped when I was in the sewer."


    Guan Zhenglin bent down to examine it. She pinched and twisted my ankle before she sighed. "Your bones aren''t hurt, and it''s just a sprain. I''ll spray some medicine on it when we''re back at the station, and you''ll be better tomorrow." Guan Zhenglin became my crutch as we moved towards the message. I suddenly remembered how unused to each other when we first worked together, but now the three of us were like a family. But the more I thought about that, the guiltier I felt towards Guan Zhenglin. The enmity between Guan Zhenglin and Zhao Mingkun could only be solved through death.


    Soon we arrived back at the assembly line. There were many officers working to collect evidence. They checked every corner of the room. But I knew the killer wouldn''t leave any trace behind. This meant that the semen left in the 1st case might not even belong to the killer.


    Guan Zhenglin pointed at a wall. "See up there." I looked up and saw white traces on the faded red wall, but I couldn''t tell what the message was. Guan Zhenglin exined, "When the cutter was working, its internal temperature was very high. With high speed and high temperature, it''ll create an interesting reaction. When the high-temperature blood mist sprayed on the cold wall, it formed blood beads and condensed on the wall. It was then that someone saw the surfacing message." I did understand this theory. When we were at Elm Town, we had a case where a husband was trying to scare his wife by creating various supernatural'' events. For example, he used candles to write down horrifying words in the mirror. Normally the words wouldn''t be seen, but when the wife took her hot shower, the vapor would condense on the mirror. Since the wax was very slippery and water-proof, it would form the negative of the message. The killer must have done something simr on this wall.


    Guan Zhenglin looked at the wall and continued, "It has been almost 2 hours since the ident. The message is now blurred, but we did take a picture of it and have tranted it."


    "It''s a message that doesn''t make sense again?" I asked.


    Guan Zhenglin nodded. "With my blood, with my name, the sin is hidden in ancient darkness, time will not always hide it. Others call it the truth and I call it justice. The justice will end. Rebirth ising. New Life."


    I shook my head. I still didn''t understand what the message meant. It was equally confusing and baffling.


    But I slowly agreed with Gu Chen. These messages sounded like religious teachings or cult learning. At least I didn''t think it was a message left behind to taunt the police. The message probably only had meaning to certain people.


    I walked towards the cutter. The machine had already stopped operating. Therge des dangled before us. The des shone dangerously. Most of the des were dyed red, and blood was still dripping. I looked closer and saw human flesh stuck to the sides. These were thest traces Ol'' Wang had for this world. His clothes, his body, his person were all gone.


    "The victim is Ol'' Wang." I said, "Do you guys know that?" The two nodded. Gu Chen said, "Yes, someone saw Ol'' Wang walk towards us and the next second"


    "Where are the rest?" I asked. I noticed Xiao Liu and his unit were not there.


    "Xiao Liu?" Guan Zhenglin looked at me. "If you''re asking about him, he led his team into the sewer to search the moment he heard you said the killer escaped from the sewer. He didn''t even tell us anything and led his people down the sewer. Since there''s no signal down there, we have no idea how things are progressing. Speaking of which," Guan Zhenglin sniffed at me. "You do smell like the sewer. You should go back to shower, and we''ll go have dinner while waiting for Xiao Liu''s news. But since you didn''t catch the killer, I doubt his team would be able to."


    I nodded. Back at the station, I changed, took a shower, and had dinner. Xiao Liu''s team only returned when the moon was up in the sky. From Xiao Liu''s expression, we knew that he had found something, or else he wouldn''t be so happy.


    I noticed two of his member carry a big gunny sack, and it stunk heavily.


    "What is that?" Guan Zhenglin pinched her nose. "Why is it so smelly?"


    Xiao Liu snapped his fingers. "These are the things I found in the sewer."


    "Why did you collect these things?" Guan Zhenglin was confused.


    Xiao Liu had his people pour out the content. "Because with these things, we can be certain that the killer is not singr but is definitely a group."

 Chapter 204: Xiao Lius Determination

    Chapter 204: Xiao Liu''s Determination


    Without saying anything else, Xiao Liu had his people pour the things in the sack on the ground. Instantly we were standing in the garbage. They reeked horribly like socks that hadn''t been washed for 30 years. There were all sorts of garbage. There were stic toys, worn clothes, snack wrappers, mattresses, broken ss, and things that I couldn''t identify. The station was turned into a mini garbage dump.


    But among the dump, I did spot a few things that I was familiar with because I had encountered them in the sewer. Xiao Liu had carried them back. In this manner, Xiao Liu was more attentive and hardworking than I was. I saw the big bear that tripped me and the blue worker''s costume.


    Xiao Liu looked at me and asked, "Wu Meng, you said you saw the killer who pushed Ol'' Wang in the cutter."


    This was something Zhao Mingkun saw when she disguised herself as a worker, but I had ced myself in her story. I looked at Xiao Liu and said, "When you guys were focused on Yan Zhenyan, I turned around and saw Ol'' Wang walk in from the other door. Before I could say anything, I saw someone flip Ol'' Wang into the cutter."


    Xiao Liu was satisfied with my answer. He turned to his people, "See, I told you so. When I found out the killer had escaped from the sewer, I predicted how the killer murdered Ol'' Wang. When I figured that out, I immediately led my team to search the sewers. And then," Xiao Liu picked up the blue uniform, "This is a worker''s uniform I found inside the sewer, and we found another blue uniform in the alley. They are the same size, and they fit someone around 1.7 meters. But," Xiao Liu raised his finger, "1 person wouldn''t need 2 uniforms, so that means the killer has to be more than 1. The killers must have been hiding at the factory for a long time already and knew that Ol'' Wang would pass them by."


    Xiao Liu had mistaken the disguise used by Zhao Mingkun as the one worn by the killer, but I couldn''t tell Xiao Liu the truth and expose Zhao Mingkun. I didn''t expect Xiao Liu to find the uniform Zhao Mingkun left for me in the sewer, and it led him further down the wrong direction. It made him stray further and further from the truth.


    I tried to exin to Xiao Liu, "Human choices might look varied, but most of the time, your choices have been made for you. For example, when at the supermarket, the chance of the items ced in the middle rack being bought is several times higher than the rest. This is because human eye level is about 1.2 meters and our eyes travel to the items in the middle rack naturally. Therefore, when you thought you were making a random purchase, the boss has already influenced your thoughts with the cement of the merchandise." The others were quite interested in my psychology as they turned to me.


    I continued, "It''s the same theory here. The factory isrge, so the manager opened 2 doors, and both doors face south. Most people would use the southern door and not the northern door because the assembly line is situated in the south part of the factory. Therefore, the killerid in wait at the south side of the assembly line." I looked at the rest and said, "This is something the killer has considered. So the killer either has learned psychology in-depth or is familiar with human nature. Plus, I think we''re close to capturing the killer, but there is one thing that I don''t understand."


    When Xiao Liu heard me, his expression turned serious. He said, "Wu Meng, you really got it wrong this time. The killers work in a team, and I think I''m close to catching them too."


    Not too long ago, Xiao Liu and I had already argued about this. He believed the killers were a group, and they worked in a team. However, he hadn''t figured out how the leader was able to control everyone inside a team.


    I believed this was the handiwork of a singr serial killer. Even the closest family would have altercations, much less, strangers. Even though the murder styles had been varied so far, no one had left behind any trace, and no one had strayed due to money or other allure, I didn''t think a team could aplish that. I had heard that conversation of many voices, but I didn''t see it in person, so I refused to believe it. After all, the killer was very cunning. I knew Xiao Liu desperately wanted to crack the case with his own ability, but I also knew that Xiao Liu would not hesitate to beg me to find the killer. Plus, I did promise him that I''d let him capture the killer once I knew the truth. Even though I wasn''t 100 percent confident, I had a fair idea of what the truth was. However, I still couldn''t bring up Zhao Mingkun, so I said, "I saw the killer. There was only one."


    Xiao Liu looked at me and sneered, "If a person can do all these, then they won''t need 2 uniforms. Wu Meng, you''re not the only detective here. You''re not the only one who can close cases. This time, I''ll find the killer first."


    Gu Chen looked at Xiao Liu andmented, "In the end, a team is going to leave Dong Xing City. Just make sure you''re not on the wrong team." The atmosphere tensed. I had no idea when my rtionship with Xiao Liu became so hostile. Xiao Liu valued his career too much. I believed that he would be willing to take down anyone who stood in his path. When I thought about it that way, it was inevitable for Xiao Liu to leave Captain Zhao''s team. Captain Zhao was only doing this to capture Zhao Mingkun, and he wouldn''t be much help to Xiao Liu and his career. In contrast, Captain Lee was different because he was the same kind of person as Xiao Liu. They would do anything to achieve their ambitions.


    Everyone was silent. Gu Chen looked at Xiao Liu sideway. Xiao Liu was once our best teammate, but he was now our most hostile opponent. Xiao Liu probably didn''t expect Chief Bai to summon us back to Dong Xing City so soon. I sighed, "Yes, ultimately, we''repeting teams."


    Xiao Liu''s expression saddened, and he turned away to say, "We found something else in the sewer." He squatted and showed us other things. "We found many interesting things when we were down there." Xiao Liu said, "We used almost 2 hours tob through every corner of the sewer. We realized the killers had been living down there for a long time already. Look at these things. The clothes, the mattresses, and even the toy bear are rtively new."


    When Xiao Liu said that, I studied these things closer. Due to their smell, I assumed they had been in the sewer for a long time, but Xiao Liu was right. They did look rtively new.


    "And this." Xiao Liu pointed at the thing I couldn''t recognize. "Do you know what that is?" We shook our heads. Xiao Liu pinched at it, "This is a pile of ash."


    "Ash?" It hit me then.


    Xiao Liu exined, "When Wu Meng encountered the killers, he said that the killers wouldn''t be affected in the dark, but that might just be the one killer he encountered. This is a team of killers, so perhaps only one of them can walk in the dark but not the others. So they need to rely on fire and light." The officers behind Xiao Liu nodded, impressed by his hypothesis.


    I frowned.


    Xiao Liu looked at us and continued, "There''s one more thing that helps me confirm this is a group of killers." Xiao Liu picked up the broken ss. "These are bowls. If they have been in the sewers for a long time, they would have been worn down to crystals already, but these are still rtively new pieces. I found these pieces before an extinguished firece, and these pieces can be patched together to form several bowls. That means that the killers were eating underground. The killers are a team of people who live underground." Xiao Liu said confidently, "And these pieces gave me another clue that proves the connection between the victims."


    My eyes lit up when he said that. The key to this case was the connection between the victims. Why did the killer target these people? Why these specific victims? If we could understand that, we could find the killer''s future targets and protect them in advance. From there, we could trace our way back to the killer too.


    "What is it?" I asked.

 Chapter 205: Perfect Actor

    Chapter 205: Perfect Actor


    Xiao Liu nced at me but didn''t answer. Xiao Liu also understood that there were 2 major points to this case. If these 2 points were solved, the case would be closed. The first was whether the killer was singr or plural; the second was the killer''s motive.


    Currently, Xiao Liu said he had clues regarding the second point, and he was certain the killer was a group. It meant that he was close to the truth. It was why he was so confident that he''d capture the killer before me. If not, he''d be face-pped by his own words.


    I noticed Xiao Liu''s hesitance. I knew Xiao Liu wanted to capture the killer, and he wanted to stop the murder, but even more than that, he wanted to arrest the killer first. So if he shared with me his clue, I might catch the killer before he did. Sometimes friends were like that. They were there for the good times but not necessarily the bad times. If that were the case, then I wouldn''t press. The station was silent again. I looked at the night outside and said, "Let''s go to sleep. It''ll be a new day tomorrow. As long as the killer can be stopped, then it''s good enough."


    Even though that was what I said, I tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. I eventually sat up, and lit a cigarette to ponder the case. I sat on the rails and looked at the crescent moon in the sky. The cigarette formed smoke rings. The world was quiet. It was 2 am.


    This was the 3rd story. Based on the killer''s mo, we would have the 4th storytest by tomorrow night. I sincerely hoped that Xiao Liu was right and I was wrong, at least that way, no more innocent people would die. But my head spun around the one thing Xiao Liu didn''t tell me, what was the connection between the victims?


    I smoked the cigarette quietly when the door beside me opened. Gu Chen walked out from the backdoor. He wore a tank top and shorts. It was spring, and the weather was cold, but Gu Chen didn''t seem affected as he walked towards me. I tossed him a cigarette, and he caught it expertly in the air. "Jesus." I gasped, "You need to teach me that sometimes."


    Gu Chen chuckled. He lit the cigarette and said, "I thought this always looks quite cool on tv, so I''ve been silently practicing. Don''t tell anyone."


    I chuckled. "As long as you promise you won''t use that to catch bullet or daggers."


    Gu Chen smoked and used the fence to do some presses. "Haha. To tell you the truth, I had the dream of being a movie actor. I was always into kung fu movies seeing the people flying all over the sky. It''s quite a dream."


    I looked at him and shook my head. "But you have to give up because you''re not handsome enough? My childhood dream was to be a president but well"


    Gu Chenughed. "If you must know, someone has indeed offered me an acting contract, but I rejected it. Compared to y-acting, I prefer to uphold justice in real life. Even though I might not enjoy the admiration of celebrities, real heroes wouldn''t need all that."


    I was suddenly reminded of a question Captain Zhao asked me, and I directed it at Gu Chen, "Why do you want to be a cop?"


    Gu Chen took a drag of the cigarette and then said, "When I was small, I wanted to be a wuxia hero, I wanted to be admired and be a hero of Jiang Hu. But as I grew up, I realized those were just tales." Gu Chen scratched his head and smiled. "My parents were just normal farmers. One time, my mother was sick. She needed toe to the big city for her treatment. My father held 10000 RMB tightly in his hands. He probably thought that was the best way to protect the money from being stolen from thieves."


    I nodded. This was the first time I heard Gu Chen talk about his childhood.


    Gu Chen smiled and said, "At the time, 10000 RMB was a lot of money. It was my parent''s life savings. What he did might stop the thieves, but he did attract the attention of burrs. Once they got down from the train, they were surrounded by hooligans. With knives, they forced my parents into a corner and demanded the money."


    "What did your parents do?" I asked.


    Gu Chen said, "The money was for my mother''s treatment. Without the money, she would die. My father knelt down and begged them. He told them the truth, but it was pointless. Why would the hooligans care about what the money was for? Since my father was unwilling to surrender, the hooligans beat up my father.


    "My father was beaten until he was barely conscious, but he was still hugging the leg of the hooligan tightly. As long as he was still alive, he would not surrender the money. The hooligan had never seen some who loved money that much. He used the knife to cut into my father''s arm, but my father refused to let go.


    "The hooligan was about to go for the kill when a police officer appeared. Like a hero in movies, he scared off the hooligans. He got back the money and sent both of my parents to the hospital. My parents always told me about the story. Perhaps for that officer, this was something normal. He probably forgot about the 2 honest farmers from the countryside that night itself."


    Gu Chen extinguished the cigarette. He looked at me and said seriously, "It was why I worked so hard to get into the police academy to be a police officer. I wanted to be the officer in my parent''s story because you might never know. Your single action might change a whole family''s life.


    "Even though this job is dangerous and often we are scolded and insulted by others." Gu Chen said in a powerful voice. "We are the citizens'' protector." He continued, "There are good people and bad people, kind people and evil people like there is day and night. People like us have one foot in the dark and the other foot in the light. We use our own bodies to stop the corruption of darkness. I cannot guarantee that others wouldn''t face the darkness in their lives, but I want them to know that there are always people like us who are trying their best to push the darkness to the corner the normal civilians would never see."


    Gu Chen''s words pulled at my heartstrings. I was proud to have him as a friend. But as he said, in this business, we were exposed to many dark sides of humanity. It was unclear if we''de out untainted by darkness. But at least I was certain that Gu Chen would always be in the light.


    Then Gu Chen patted my shoulders and asked, "What about you?"


    I was silent. I still didn''t know how to answer. Honestly, I couldn''t be a good officer because I valued freedom too much, and I couldn''t be as firm in my conviction as Captain Zhao wanted me to be. Sometimes, I too, would ask myself why I wanted to be a police officer. But until now, I couldn''t answer this question.


    "To be honest, my dream is to be an actor." Iughed.


    Gu Chen was not surprised by my answer. He said, "Actors might not have it easier than police officers. But at least you''ll be good at acting since you''re good at analyzing a character''s emotions, background, and motives. In fact, I heard that an actor had purposely trapped himself in a room to live his life as his movie character. Also, I heard there were many actors who needed time to extricate themselves from their characters. For days, they would think they were the characters."


    When Gu Chen said that, my eyes lit up. There was something that I had been ignoring, something that was before us all along.


    "Gu Chen," I looked at him and asked him seriously, "You mean there are really people who can''t extricate themselves from the roles that they''re given?"


    Gu Chen looked at me in confusion, "Yes, isn''t that what I said?"


    "The perfect actor will see themselves as someone else. They''ll be so into the character that they themselves wouldn''t realize they''re acting." I said, "So Xiao Liu''s direction is wrong. There might be multiple killers, but he is definitely singr!"

 Chapter 206: Connection Between the Victims

    Chapter 206: Connection Between the Victims


    I finally got it, and I could be sure that Xiao Liu''s direction was wrong. The killer worked alone and not in a team. Like actors who got too stuck into their roles, whenever the killer wrote the story, they would see themselves as the victims. To be able to do something like that, the person had to be a perfect actor or a perfect mental patient, a patient of multiple personality disorder.


    The patient of MPD couldn''t converse using 2 identities at the same time. For example, when I was in the sewer, I did hear multiple voices, but they never talked at the same time. When the man spoke, the girl stopped crying. This also proved that the killer was already at ate stage of their illness. From what I noticed, there were at least 4 personalities inside the killer. A young man, a girl, a young woman, and a man called Yama. The pathology of MPD was heavily rted to one''s childhood and environment. When one couldn''t solve the problem, and no one could help, someone woulde out to say, "Don''t worry, I''m here."


    And the speaker was none other than yourself. If no one could help you, then you create someone who could.


    I turned to ask Gu Chen. "Even though Xiao Liu didn''t tell us the connection between the victims, he found them from the bowls. What do you think Xiao Liu could have derived from those bowls? What did you see from those pieces?"


    Gu Chen leaned against the rails and rubbed his temples. "Other than being old and worn, I can''t really see what''s so special about them."


    "Perhaps that''s it." I turned around to lean on the rail. I mumbled to myself, "Old and worn." Suddenly a key point came to me. I rushed to Mary''s bedroom and knocked on her door. When I was about to knock for the 10th time, the door opened. Mary stood there angrily, "What do you think you''re doing? Do you know what time it is?"


    I took in her tussled hair and said seriously, "I need your help to save people. Help me check the victims'' background. If I''m not mistaken, these people all lived near each other in the past."


    Mary red at me and yawned. "You better hope you''re right, or else I''ll smash your head in!" Then Mary signaled for Gu Chen and me to enter her room. Mary picked up theptop that she left on the ground and started working.


    I gasped, "Theptop was given to you by the government, right? Isn''t it extremely rare? Aren''t you afraid that it might get broken?"


    As Mary worked, she exined, "If it''s so easily broken, then it''s not good for me anyway. Theptop will still work even after being dropped from the 6th floor. Plus, it is resistant to fire and water. It can be used in both high and low-temperature environments."


    Mary finishedpiling the info on all the victims and set up aparison chart. I looked at the data that flew across the monitor. Soon they formed a 3d map.


    In the first story, the victims were 2 Ols; in the second story, the victim was a family of 3; in the third story, the victims were 3 tenants from Happiness Neighbourhood. They came from all parts of Dong Xing City, and there didn''t seem to be a connection between them. Soon, 3 dots appeared on the map. We understood these were where the victims lived in the past.


    Mary said, "Even though they were all residents of Dong Xing City, they didn''t live close to each other. On the map, they might look close, but actually, the distance isrge. Plus, several years ago, Dong Xing City was still developing, and there weren''t that many people who had cars. If they had to walk, they had to walk for at least 3 hours to reach each other." Then Mary stood up and told me gloomily, "So Wu Meng, don''t wake people up in the middle of the night with just a hypothesis, don''t you know we girls need our beauty sleep? Get out." The door mmed in our faces.


    Gu Chen looked at me and scratched his head. "So, what did you find?"


    I pulled on my hair and paced around. "At least we know they alle from Dong Xing City. But if they were here several years ago, with how much the city has developed, they should be rich already. However, none of the victims is rich."


    Gu Chen tapped his forehead and said, "Right, in the 3rd story, the killer did mention something about that. Even though the tenants of Happiness Neighbourhood wanted to move, no one was interested in their piece ofnd. The old city was far from the city center. People at the old city had be disconnected from the development of Dong Xing City."


    I frowned. With the reminder from Gu Chen, I realized that was true. The tenants at Happiness Neighbourhood were waiting for the government to use theirnd so they could be paid handsomely inpensation. However, that didn''t happen. The government said that it was to preserve the city''s history, but in reality, it was because the old city was not near the sea or river, so it wasn''t prime real estate. So even though the old city was also called Dong Xing City, it was actually the metropolis'' countryside.


    So was the connection between the victims? Several years ago, the killer must have interacted with the victims somehow.


    But the victim in the 2nd case and 3rd case had children. The killer was already 20 plus, so why would the killer target these children?


    I knocked on Mary''s door again. The door opened, and a pillow flew out. The pillow aimed at my face but at thest moment, a hand plucked the pillow from the air. I turned around, and Gu Chen was smiling at me smugly. "Impressive, Master Gu," I said.


    Gu Chenughed. "There''s nothing in this world that I can''t catch."


    "Are you two done?" Mary demanded. I poked my head out from behind the pillow. "Can you show me a picture of the old city?"


    Mary shook her fist at me and said, "if there''s a next time, it won''t be a pillow anymore." Then she grabbed the pillow back from Gu Chen. Soon the map of the old city appeared before us. This time, the 3 red dots all existed inside the old city. This was the connection!


    "Here!" I pointed at a spot. The two looked and asked in unison, "The old city''s cultural center? What about it?"


    I turned to the two and shared my thought. "We all know that the government yed a huge role in developing Dong Xing City. Even though we''re not as developed as Beijing, we''re considered one of thergest cities in China."


    "That''s right." Mary said, "I was here 7 years ago. At the time, this ce was still a vige."


    I said, "So back then, the only ce for the people to find entertainment was probably this so-called cultural center. The victims'' family background, age, sex, work had no connection, so this might be the only connection."


    "But what could have happened there?" Gu Chen turned back to ask me. "Plus, the chance of this is so low."


    I nodded seriously, "After you eliminate all the possibilities, thest one is the truth, no matter how impossible it is. I believe even the victims had no idea why they had to die, but for a person with MPD, they are very suspicious of others. They are also easily-angered, vengeful, sensitive, and have low self-esteem."


    "But what could have happened that the killer would remember for so many years and even kill the children who would have been mere babies back then?" Gu Chen asked.


    I was silent and then said, "I believe it has to be the reason why the killer can sometimes be male and then female. It is his deepest secret. As he grew older, he became more sensitive and resentful. He needed to kill everyone who once knew this secret, even though they might have already forgotten all about it."


    I looked at them and shared my thought. "He, or she, is a real hermaphrodite."

 Chapter 207: Hermaphrodite

    Chapter 207: Hermaphrodite


    "Hermaphrodite?" They were shocked by my conclusion. I looked at them and exined, "Yes, the killer should be a hermaphrodite. This could be the reason behind his MPD. We know that the timeline of all 3 stories oveps. The killer first killed the female boss from the adult toy store in the 2nd story before he went after the 2 OLs in the first story."


    The two nodded. I continued, "And when the killer went after the family of 3 in the 2nd story, he has lived in the sewer for a long time already. The 3 locations are very far from each other. It is why Xiao Liu believes the killer is in a group because a single person couldn''t be at so many ces at one time."


    Gu Chen agreed with Xiao Liu. "That''s right, I think so too. But the killer is crazy, and his mind is different from normal people. If we can understand his mind, then we''d be crazy too."


    I corrected, "It''s more than that. The killer has multiple personalities. It''s like there are many souls living inside one body, but the souls couldn''t see each other. So every time the killer wakes up, he doesn''t even know where he is. Each soul can only control his body for a specific period of them, and each soul has their secrets hidden from the others."


    Mary nodded. "I''ve encountered people like that before. So you mean when the killer was killing people, the body was controlled by different souls? Is it why the mo is so different? Some are so brutal, some mysterious, and others careful?"


    I snapped my finger. "And the reason why the killer has to write down the stories." This was something I had been pondering. The killer wrote down the stories, but he didn''t really follow them strictly ording to the timeline. I also understood why the killer left behind those English statements at the crime scenes. The messages were not for the police but for the killer himself. The messages were for the killer to remind himself who had done what. I added, "I believe some of the personas canmunicate with each other."


    You went to bed at night, but you woke up on the street; you talked to your friend, but then you realized you were home; you were at City A, but suddenly you were at City B. A clever person would eventually realize the problem with their mind. I believed the storyteller was the cleverest persona among the rest. He had discovered the other personas within him. When I was underground, I was lucky to have met 3 of his personas.


    The person who injured Zhao Mingkun was probably the 4th persona, the one they called Yama. I believed as the killer grew older, more personas within him started to realize each other''s existence. Perhaps by killing others, they could kill themselves.


    At that moment, Guan Zhenglin walked in. She yawned. "Even at my ce, I can hear you people. Why aren''t you sleeping?"


    I shared my thoughts with Guan Zhenglin, and she became spirited. "Wu Meng, I know you''ve studied a lot of psychology but most of the stories you know you heard from the prison inmates when you were young. If your spection is correct, then the killer suffers not from MPD but dissociative identity disorder."


    "Is there a difference?" I scratched my head.


    Guan Zhenglin sat on the bed and hugged Mary. "Of course there is. Multiple personality disorder has severalmon symptoms. The patient is extremely introverted and rarely talks to others. Normally they are expressionless, and they can''t effectively express themselves. They also normallyck sexual urges.


    "Dissociative identity disorder is easier to understand." Guan Zhenglin leaned on Mary, "There are multiple personas living inside a person. For some, the personas know each other, and some don''t. The personas are extremely varied, be it in gender, height, or weight. Of course, these only exist in their mind." Guan Zhenglin added, "If the killer is 1.7 meters tall, he won''t suddenly have a persona that is 1.9 meters tall. However, the different personas can be influenced by their preset subconscious. For example, when a person believes they have cancer, their cells will really die; when a person believes he is strong, his strength will be greater than normal."


    I nodded. "So that is how the killer managed to pierce the metal pole through 2 people." Guan Zhenglin nodded. I continued, "And I think the killer is a hermaphrodite."


    Guan Zhenglin frowned.


    I asked, "That''s medically possible, right?"


    Guan Zhenglin was silent before she said, "Yes, it is possible. Actually, if we''re talking about medical delineation, there are 7 sex to human beings. Other than themon male and female, there are 5 more."


    "That many?" I was surprised that my hypothesis would lead to a medical discussion. Guan Zhenglin shrugged and said seriously, "To put it inly, there is external male and internal female, they have a male penis but no testicles, they have ovary and vagina; external male and internal non-male, they have a penis but no testicles; external female and internal male, they have a female vagina but have internal testicles; external female and internal non-female, they have a vagina but no ovaries.


    "Onest type is the real hermaphrodite." Guan Zhenglin said, "They have the full set of male and female genitalia both externally and internally. But of course, there are variations to this too."


    The rest of us frowned. When I suspected the killer was a hermaphrodite, I didn''t consider such details. Guan Zhenglin lecturer, "Considering the poption of our country, it''s not that unusual to have a group of hermaphrodites. ording to statistics, there are 60 percent 46 XX, 30 percent 46 XY and 10 percent XXYY."


    I was confused.


    Guan Zhenglin shrugged, "I''ll exin it quickly. Hermaphrodites have a very high chance of having genital cancer. XX is suitable to live as a woman and XY to live as men post-surgery. Since the former is moremon, the surgery will have a lesser risk, so most doctors would suggest these people to live their lives as a woman."


    "What about XXYY?" I asked.


    "They are extremely rare and have been a point of contention within the medicalmunity. There are two sides. For example, we know that there are identical twins and dizygotic twins. Identical twins are when a fertilized ovum splits into two, while dizygotic twins are two fertilized ova. Since a fertilized ovum can split into two, then 2 fertilized ova can join into one. To put it simply, two fertilized ova join into one during fertilization, so one baby has 2 sets of DNA."


    I nodded with confusion. Guan Zhenglin continued, "The second is the ovum is heavily fertilized when it is differentiating before the fertilized ova form a singr embryo. Regardless, both of these cases are extremely rare,, and if the killer is one of these people, then it would exin the change in sexes."


    I pped my thigh. "Xiao Liu is always a careful person, and he rarely confirms something until he can be certain. I notice this during this case. Xiao Liu must have found 2 DNA on the bowls, so he is certain that there is more than one killer. And," I continued, "Even though Xiao Liu is ambitious, he still treats this case seriously. He believes that he can capture the killers before their next move. But his direction is wrong. And without the crucial clue, we wouldn''t be able to find the killer either." I frowned and said, "So now we need to go and examine those bowl pieces. There has to be something on them."


    "Now?" Gu Chen looked around, "Don''t you guys need to rest?"


    Guan Zhenglin said, "There''s no time to rest. By tonight, the killer will make his next move. We can''t let him kill more people."

 Chapter 208: The Missing Piece

    Chapter 208: The Missing Piece


    The rest nodded, and we moved towards theb. The sack of stuff Xiao Liu brought was still sitting at the office. The corridor was quiet, except for the sound of us moving. When we opened theb, we saw the stuff had already been separated into different evidence bags. The key evidence, the broken bowl was ced inside a bag. From the size and shape of the pieces, they would make up more than one bowl. I looked at them and then nced at the pieces. "We should get to work. Perhaps we might piece out a clue."


    We put on gloves and carefully took out the pieces. I took the pieces and matched them with the patterns on each piece. Thankfully the pieces were ratherrge. There were no small pieces, or else we wouldn''t get aplete bowl no matter how hard we tried. Due to the sizes of the pieces, we didn''t need glue to make out their bowl shape. Without too much motion, the bowls could even stand upright. Wepleted 3 bowls, but as we moved to the 4th bowl we noticed a piece was missing. We were certain that we had removed all the pieces from the evidence bag, but one piece was missing. There were only 2 possibilities. 1, Xiao Liu didn''t collect thest piece from the sewer; 2, Xiao Liu did collect thest piece, but he had taken it with him.


    Gu Chen looked at the bowls, and he didn''t even dare to speak too loud lest the vibration in his voice shattered the bowls again. "I say, what is so special about these bowls? They look normal to me, just a bit old. Perhaps some of them are as old as me."


    I held my breath and studied the bowls carefully. From their appearance, they did look normal. Despite their age, I could make out the shapes of animals on the bowls. I was reminded of the bowls I had back home. I looked around and realized they should form a set. There was a picture of a cock, mouse, dog, and pig. Four animals, one for each bowl. The missing piece was from the cock bowl.


    I looked at the edge of the missing piece. I noticed the trace of the edge was new, and the oxidation was not clear. It meant that this piece was just broken. The bowls had evidence of being worn. I looked inside the bowl and saw the dirt. Then again, that was to be expected since they were salvaged from the sewer. However, as I looked closer, I realized that was not the truth. The dirt inside the bowl could be wiped off easily. They were not there for a long time. This meant that they were used recently. Xiao Liu probably realized these bowls were left behind by the killer based on this.


    Zhao Mingkun and I surprised the killer under the sewer, so the killer didn''t have time to pack away all of his stuff. One hour after that, Xiao Liu swarmed into the sewer. His team was there for hours. Even if the killer wanted to return to grab his stuff, he couldn''t.


    I picked up one of the bowls gingerly to see what was underneath. I saw the date of manufacture. It was 2002. The bowls were made more than a decade ago. But they were still so well-preserved, there was only one exnation, someone had taken good care of them. The bowls belonged to the killer. I believed I could see what was on Xiao Liu''s mind.


    These bowls must have meant something to the killer, or else he wouldn''t have kept them for so many years. Plus, based on our observation, the killer kept these bowls on himself, or else they would have been far dirtier.


    I turned to Mary. "Sister Mary, can you find the ce of production for these bowls?" I passed the bowl to Mary. She looked at the word under the bowl. "Moulin Rouge Production? That sounds like an old ce. I''ll try my best, but I doubt the factory is even still running." I massaged her shoulders. "Sister Mary, thank you. The killer kept these bowls for a reason. They might mean a lot to him. If we can find out who bought these bowls, then we would find the killer."


    Mary turned to nce at me. "Kid, don''t you worry about this. This is work, so I will not disappoint you. But I need time. I need to check from Dong Xing City and then branch into other cities." Mary nodded and told us, "If that''s the case, I''ll go to investigate that first."


    At that moment, we heard footstepsing from outside theb. Soon the familiar faces appeared before us. They were none other than Captain Lee, Xiao Liu, and their men. I looked at Captain Lee, and Captain Lee looked at me. Eventually, Captain Lee said, "You people sure are so hardworking to be studying the evidence instead of sleeping at night."


    I looked at Captain Lee. "The same can be said of you, Captain Lee. I believe you must have reached some breakthrough, or else you wouldn''t be here in person. But if you ask me, it''s still too early to close the case."


    Captain Lee scoffed. "Don''t you worry about us. Xiao Liu, go and verify your findings. If it''s correct, then we''ll start the operation now. When the killers make their moves, we''ll capture them."


    Xiao Liu nodded. He walked past us to study the four bowls. Then he nodded seriously, "I''m right. The killers are most likely those people. But to capture these people, it will take time."


    "As long as you''ve confirmed the murderers." Captain Lee smiled, but that smile disappeared when he turned to me. "Okay, we''ll go initiate the nning. By the way, it''s already 4 am. Kid, you are not needed anymore, so go back to sleep. When your Captain Zhao wakes up, we would have captured the killers already." Xiao Liu looked at us. He didn''t say anything and followed Captain Lee and left.


    I said, "Xiao Liu, there is one thing that I need to tell you. If my suppositions are correct, then your spection is wrong, so you have to answer me honestly." Captain Lee and Xiao Liu stopped and turned around to look at me. I was familiar with Xiao Liu. He was a very careful person. He needed to tie up all the loose ends in a case. Even though Xiao Liu might not believe me, he would hear me out.


    "A key piece on one of the bowls is missing." I began. "You took the piece. Since all the other pieces are here, except one, you must have taken it for analysis."


    Xiao Liu didn''t say anything but Captain Lee looked at me with interest. "The piece has been given to theb for analysis. Is there a problem with that?"


    I shrugged, "Then my first supposition is correct. My second supposition is that you took the piece for analysis because the killer has left a trace on it. The killer is a very cautious person, that can be seen from the first case. If we weren''t observant, we wouldn''t have noticed the semen on the bed. So the trace on the piece isn''t a fingerprint, right?"


    "Lucky guess." Captain Lee ced his hands behind his back.


    I nodded. "Then, that''s the second supposition I got right. Then for the third, the piece that you took for analysis must have the killer''s blood. The killer clearly didn''t expect someone would chase him into the sewer. He panicked and identally cut himself."


    Captain Lee frowned deeply. He didn''t expect me to guess all of their secrets'' so easily.


    "How did you know all that?" Captain Lee demanded seriously.


    I tapped my head. "I used this! Not only that, but I also know what you''ve managed to analyze from that piece of the broken bowl."


    "Oh?" Two people questioned in unison.

 Chapter 209: Goodbye

    Chapter 209: Goodbye


    Humans were curious creatures. When the two questioned in unison, I knew they wanted to know my answer. And I managed to check whether my supposition was correct or not through their expressions. Captain Lee and Xiao Liu were afraid that we might capture the killer first, so they refused to share this crucial piece of evidence with us. However, humansmunicated not only with words but also expressions, gazes, or even small movements.


    I paused and said while I studied their expression, "You found a different DNA, different from the DNA from the first case, and this is a woman''s DNA. But the two sets of DNA are very simr. They are identical, or what we call dizygotic twins."


    Zhang Tairui, who had been standing behind the two, answered, "That''s right. In terms of hereditary study, monozygotic twins came from the same cell, so their sex and DNA are identical. They''re made from the same mold." Zhang Tairui walked forward and added, "Dizygotic twins inparison are different because theye from two different fertilized ova. Their DNA makeup will be different."


    I knew that since Zhang Tairui was under the impression that the killer was numerous, he would naturally think that the killer was a twin. However, he ignored the very small possibility that the killer might be a hermaphrodite.


    Guan Zhenglin said as she pieced together the bowl. "But your DNA analysis shows that this is a monozygotic twin with the dizygotic property. During the fertilization process, the male Y chromosome was lost, right?"


    Even though I didn''t understand the professional terms, I got the gist. Zhang Tairui nodded. "That''s right, so the killers are siblings."


    Xiao Liu added, "Wu Meng, this proves that you''re wrong. Now we have evidence to prove that there are multiple killers. We have 2 sets of DNA, and that solves the problem of the killers being suddenly male and female." I hugged my chest and waited for Xiao Liu to continue. Xiao Liu chuckled and said, "Even though most serial killers in this world work alone, that doesn''t mean that there aren''t murderous teams. And normally, they are rted by blood. You already see the result, and the killers are twins. Their actions are very simr." Xiao Liu looked at me and exined, "So if the big brother is mentally unhinged, then the sister will most likely be crazy too. Some might call this destiny or a twin connection."


    "That''s right." Zhang Tairui added, "Even the medical society has trouble exining why twins behave so simrly. But since they have 99 percent simr DNA, then it''s not that surprising that they think and act simrly.


    "So the killers are most likely a pair of twins." Xiao Liu said confidently, "Also, you said you heard 3 voices in the sewer. I believe that girl is the two''s child. Since they are twins, their child will have mental problems. The family of 3 has been living underground for a long time already." Xiao Liu concluded, "We found the bowls, mattresses used by the killer, and a toy. I believe the girl dropped the toy when she was chased by Wu Meng."


    I shook my head. "Fine, let''s assume the killer is a family of 3, but why would they go around killing people? Also, what is the purpose of the English messages left at the scenes? Can you answer that?"


    Xiao Liu scratched his mustache. "The killers kill because the world cannot ept them." Xiao Liu ordered, "Give me the map." A member handed Xiao Liu the map. Xiao Liu looked at the map and used it to exin to us. "I believe the twins kill because these people have seen their daughter. I suspect their daughter is not only mentally challenged but also disfigured. That''s why the twins have to kill these people who have seen their daughter! When I was down in the sewers." Xiao Liu used his finger to connect the crime scenes of all 3 stories. "These are the 3 crime scenes. It might look unrted on the surface, but they are connected through the sewers. You can see how they are connected. We have reasons to believe that the daughter hase to the surface and has been treated as a monster by the victims. The twins were angry, so they killed these people."


    I didn''t say anything. These were the sewers, so naturally, it was connected, or else the sewer would be stuck. Xiao Liu''s exnation made sense, and it would exin why the killer chose to live underground.


    "Then what about the English messages?"


    Xiao Liu shrugged. "It''s clear that the messages aren''t so easily tranted, many meaning will be lost in trantion. For example, how would you trante Dao?" Xiao Liu paced and said, "Even Chinese have a hard time exining it, much less exining it in anothernguage. If the trantion is forced, then the meaning will be distorted. It''s the same when we trante these English messages. I''m afraid they are religious messages that can only be understood in English, messages like curses." Xiao Liu sure was imaginative. "Perhaps this is a foreign religion, and they can''t be tranted. Maybe they are trying to say this is an act of revenge for their daughter, or they want to tell others that their daughter is not a monster."


    My heart crumbled when I heard Xiao Liu. On the basis that the killer was a family of 3, all of his hypotheses lined up, but I still believed the killer was singr.


    At this point, Xiao Liu put away the map. Before everyone else, he said, "Wu Meng, I''m afraid I''ll be catching the murderer before you do this time. When I was working under Captain Zhao, Captain Zhao always praised you but now that I''m no longer under Captain Zhao, I realize maybe I''m not so bad either."


    "What if you''re wrong?" I looked at Xiao Liu.


    Xiao Liu chuckled. "We have a key evidence that you don''t, and this evidence will lead us to the killers. Wu Meng, don''t always think that you are always correct and others are wrong. You are talented, but you are never put in as much hard work as others. This time, you''ll have to admit you''ve lost."


    At this point, Gu Chen pointed at Xiao Liu angrily, "You better make sure you catch the killer or else it''ll just blow up in your face. Who knows, we might get the killer before you after all!"


    "You won''t have that chance." Xiao Liu turned to Captain Lee. "We''re going to catch the murderers now." Captain Lee nodded.


    I had no idea what this key evidence was, and clearly, Xiao Liu was not going to tell us.


    Captain Lee and his people left. Soon Xiao Liu returned alone. We looked at him, and he looked at us. Xiao Liu said, "This time, the unit, who fails to catch the killers will be eliminated. No matter how much the chief favors Captain Zhao, you won''t be staying at Dong Xing City anymore." Xiao Liu''s eyes were red. "The days I spent solving cases with you all are the happiest days of my life. However, all gatheringse to an end. Furthermore, if you can soar, why crawl? One day, I hope you can understand that." Xiao Liu turned around, "I''m just a normal person. I am not as talented as you, but I am definitely more hardworking than all of you, and God has seen that."


    "How fake." Gu Chen chided.


    Xiao Liu walked away. He had said hisst goodbye to us.

 Chapter 210: Twelve Bowls

    Chapter 210: Twelve Bowls


    The night darkened like a ck cloth was pulled over us. Xiao Liu hopped into the car and drove away without even looking at us. In the end, the car''s taillights cut a red scar through the darkness and disappeared. The motor buzzed in my head. Gu Chen, who always had an opinion of Xiao Liu, was silent.


    It was Guan Zhenglin who said, "So what are we supposed to do now? If Xiao Liu catches the killer first, then we''ll have to leave Dong Xing City." I turned to look at her. "Actually, what difference does it make?"


    Guan Zhenglin stretched and yawned. "That''s right. I don''t mind. After all, our main goal is to find Zhao Mingkun. If there''s no case, then we''ll focus on finding her. It doesn''t matter where we are."


    Gu Chen shrugged. "Even though I don''t mind either, I can''t stand being looked down on like this. Plus, didn''t you say his direction is wrong? Since Xiao Liu doesn''t trust us and refuses to tell us the key evidence, then we''ll continue the investigation on our own."


    I sighed. "That''s not what I meant. I do believe that Xiao Liu has led himself to a dead end. I have no idea what the clue is but based on the current situation, and he won''t find the killer earlier than we do. Of course, unless he is willing to change his perspective." I turned to look at the starry sky. "What I meant was, no matter where we are, where there is human, there is darkness and murder. In the nation or abroad, in the countryside or in the city, such is human nature."


    Xiao Liu''s farewell made us see that Xiao Liu cared about power more than we did. This was readable from how Xiao Liu had bought the lottery for 3 years nonstop. I had no idea Xiao Liu needed money that much, and I never asked him for it. But I knew that Xiao Liu would grab onto power as long as it didn''t vite thew.


    "Then what should we do now?" Guan Zhenglin turned to me.


    "We wait," I said. "The bowls are our breakthrough because they mean a lot to the killer. Since we already know the factory that produces them, even though 10 years have already passed, with Sister Mary''s ability, I''m sure she''ll help us find the location."


    Noon arrived. Mary ced an address before us. Gu Chen stood up with his unfinished bowl of noodles. "This is the address for the factory?"


    Mary nodded and pointed at the map. "Yes, and I have another good news. Through the inte, I found one of the managers. Well, she''s not really a manager. This is more of a workshop than a factory. It was run by a small family. They didn''t produce many things." We nodded. Sister Mary continued, "With Dong Xing City''s development, many factories came into being, squeezing them out. However, I did find one of their addresses. Her name is Wu Xiufen, and she''s 60 plus already. But this was a small workshop. I really have no idea if she still remembers this specific set of bowls or not."


    I finished my rice. "No matter what, back then, Dong Xing City was just a very small ce. No one would travel far to buy tes and bowls. Inte shopping wasn''t a thing back then. So the killer must live very close to this workshop." I wiped my mouth. "Let''s go."


    The address was at Dong Xing City''s old vige. It would take at least 3 hours of driving, and that was when there was no traffic. When we finally arrived at our destination, the surroundings had turned into grasses and fields.


    It was not easy to find a peaceful vige like this at Dong Xing City. Interestingly enough, this vige was called Dong Xing Vige, but after Dong Xing City came into being, to prevent confusion, the vige changed its name to Xing Dong Vige.


    "It''s just up ahead." Gu Chen parked the car and pointed at a small house. The door was a wooden door, and it was mottled and aged. We knocked on the door, and soon, a muddled female voice said, "Who is it?"


    At the same time, the door opened, and an olddy walked out. Thedy looked kind and friendly. She looked at us and asked, "Who are you looking for?" Guan Zhenglin introduced ourselves and asked about the Moulin Rouge Workshop.


    The olddy nodded and said that her family did run the ce back then. The olddy opened the door for us. This was a very normal vige yard. It was a San Heyuanyout. The olddy led us into the main house. As she invited us to sit down, she poured water for us.


    I sat on the chair and looked around. The house was in disrepair, and the walls were cracked. From the furniture, it looked like the olddy lived alone. The single set of utensils on the table and the single pair of shoes at the door suggested that. I wondered if her partner had died or she didn''t marry.


    I nced from the corner of my eyes at a picture frame on the bedside table. A pretty woman was featured in the picture. Despite the low-quality dress, she still looked very pretty. In the background were a truck and a mud road that led out from the vige.


    The girl''s eyes were very simr to the olddy''s, so I believed it was a picture of her from when she was young. Guan Zhenglin took down the picture. I nced at the date at the corner, and the picture was from more than 30 years ago.


    "Grandma is such a beauty when she was young." Guan Zhenglin shook the picture and said. The olddy turned around andughed, "Oh, yes, the boys that wanted to marry me could form a line around the vige." Suddenly the olddy''s smile disappeared, and it was reced by a strange sadness. We didn''t know what happened and what had brought on this sadness.


    Guan Zhenglin reced the picture and walked over to hold the olddy''s hand, "Granny, what''s wrong?"


    The olddy wiped at her eyes. "Oh, I couldn''t help but remember my partner. He has left me for more than a decade already, and I''m going to join him soon. As you get older, you forget many things but certain things you''ll remember forever."


    "Granny, you were so pretty. Grandpa must be lucky to have found you." Guan Zhenglin said, "He must have led a happy life."


    The olddy smiled. "Sorry, forget about that. Such is life, be it good or bad. It is what God has given you, so you have to bear with it. If you surrender, you will lose all chances." I frowned. The olddy seemed to have hidden meanings in her words.


    The olddy sighed, "Why did youe to find me?"


    Guan Zhenglin switched on her phone to pull up the pictures of the bowls. "Granny, I know your family used to run a workshop, the Moulin Rouge. Can you check if these are your products?" Guan Zhenglin showed thedy her phone. The olddy stared at the picture for a long time. And then she said, "Yes. The workshop ran for several decades, and my father operated it. Unlike now, where everything is automated, back then, we had to burn the pottery ourselves. Women like us are there to help with the ze."


    I said, "So you painted the patterns on the bowls yourselves?"


    The olddy nodded. "Yes, we did. But as the country advances, the factories can do better than us and sell at a lower price than us. Eventually, the workshop died out. However, since it was my father''s workshop, my father didn''t want to sell. Most of the workers had left, and only the family stayed to keep the workshop running, but near the end, we weren''t earning money anymore. My father only kept it as a remembrance."


    "Then who bought these bowls?" I asked.


    The olddy thought for a long time before admitting, "I don''t know. But I remember theye in a set. There are 12 bowls in a set."


    "12?" We asked in unison.


    The olddy nodded. "Yes, I painted these bowls myself. They are a set of Chinese zodiac signs. See, what you have are rat, cock, dog, and pig. So there should be 8 more bowls."


    8 bowls, 8 victims.

 Chapter 211: Zodiac Signs

    Chapter 211: Zodiac Signs


    In the first story, the killer murdered 2 OL, and they were quite close in age; in the second story, the family killed a family of 3, their age was wildly different; in the third story, the killer murdered many people from different age groups. Previously we had been trying to find the connection between these victims, but we couldn''t find one because we were too focused on themon denominator. Chinese zodiac signs, now that not thatmon. We had not looked into that. It was time that we should. I immediately sent a message to Mary to have her check the victims'' zodiac sign.


    We continued to chat with the olddy, "Granny, are you sure you cannot remember who took the bowls? You know who we are, and we wouldn''t have visited you if the situation was not serious. Many lives are on the line. Can you please think about it?"


    The olddy thought and said, "I really can''t remember. I did paint those bowls myself, but I couldn''t remember who I had sold them to. As you know, your memory gets worse as you get older. Plus, who would have paid attention to these things anyway." The olddy added, "But I did remember this is thest set I painted. Not long after that, my father died. We couldn''t keep the workshop running anymore. We sold the workshop and shared the money with the family. When the ce closed, there were still quite a lot of bowls and tes that hadn''t been sold, and they were all given away."


    I nodded. After all, this happened more than a decade ago, so it was normal if the olddy couldn''t remember it. However, the trip wasn''t wasted. We got an important clue. If the killer killed ording to the Chinese zodiac signs, 8 people had died, and there were 4 more to go


    At that moment, Mary sent over a message. I realized I had miscalcted. There were 9 victims and not 8. I tapped my head. I had forgotten the female boss who had turned into a pile of white bones. I looked at the info and realized all 9 victims had distinct Chinese zodiac signs.


    The two OL were monkey and goat; the family of three, the father was dragon, the mother horse, the daughter, cow; the female boss was rabbit; Ol'' Wang was rat, his neighbor, the widow was snake, and the noisy boy was tiger.


    It hit me then. Perhaps after killing each victim, the killer would dump the corresponding bowl. When I encountered the killer in the sewer, he was dumping the bowl with the rat sign. In his panic, he broke the rest of the bowls.


    In other words, 3 more people would die, and they had the signs, pig, dog, and cock. And coincidentally, my sign was dog, Guan Zhenglin was pig, and Gu Chen was chicken. This was too much of a coincidence. I showed the message to the rest. "Look, the victims all have different zodiac signs."


    Gu Chen and Guan Zhenglin leaned closer to look, so did the olddy.


    Gu Chen said, "So only chicken, dog, and pig are left, but they are not easy to find. After all, there are plenty of potential victims for the killer to choose from. Plus, based on your earlier analysis, the killer killed all the people who knew his secret. Could there really be such a huge coincidence?"


    I frowned. Based on my analysis, the killer wasn''t killing at random. However, if the killer was only killing people ording to the Chinese zodiac sign, the killing could be considered random. So was this a coincidence or something orchestrated by the killer?


    Plus, the killer had left behind English messages at all 3 crime scenes. What was the purpose of that? Chinese Zodiac and English messages.


    "Okay, granny." I said, "If you can think of anything, just call us."


    The olddy nodded when she said, "O wait, I just remembered this now. Yesterday, there was a group of people who came to ask the same thing as you did. You see, your memory is really not that good as you get older. I was thinking why this whole incident felt so familiar. Wait a minute."


    The 3 of us looked at each other, and we had no idea what the olddy meant. The olddy rummaged through the drawer, and I stood beside her. There were all sorts of things inside the drawer, pillboxes, screws, scissors,b, USB cable, and so on. The olddy''s ID was on the table. I picked it up. "Granny, you''re 65 already?" I said, "You''re still so healthy!"


    The olddy smiled. "Thank you."


    I handed the id back to the olddy. "You should keep this somewhere safe and not leave it on the table. If it''s scratched or stolen, you''ll have to find a new recement."


    The olddy nodded. "That''s what the man said yesterday."


    "Which man?" I asked.


    The olddy took out a piece of paper. There was a phone number written on it. The number was very familiar to me. I took out my phone and keyed in the number. Instantly it showed the owner of the number. The owner was Xiao Liu. So Xiao Liu had been to this ce yesterday. This had to be the important clue Xiao Liu meant. The killer targeted the 12 zodiacs, and the victims were all from the old city. Xiao Liu had reached this ce one day earlier than we did. Furthermore, Xiao Liu must have found something to help him confirm the location of the killer''s next victim. Xiao Liu was at the location waiting to ambush the killer already. So what did Xiao Liu find?


    The olddy handed me the note and said, "The man was with the police too. They asked me the same thing you did. I couldn''t remember it until you left me your phone number and had me call you should I remember something."


    I nodded. "Did he ask things that we didn''t?"


    The olddy ced the id back in the drawer and sat back on her bed. "Oh, he did. He asked about my family members. Unlike you, the kid was very detailed. He questioned me until 11 pm."


    I nodded, that did sound like Xiao Liu. Once Xiao Liutched onto something, he had to know all the details. Xiao Liu was a very detail-orientated person. When he was under Captain Zhao, he had no chance to show this off.


    The current Xiao Liu was very different from the earlier Xiao Liu. Since Xiao Liu asked the olddy about her family then perhaps that was the reason Xiao Liu could determine where the killer would head next.


    At this point, I asked, "Do you have anyone in your family who has the sign of dog, pig, or chicken?"


    The olddy pondered and said, "Yes, my parents have two children, 1 boy 1 girl. My brother has the chicken sign and his wife the pig. Right, and their son has the dog sign. His son is in his 30s already, but he still hasn''t married. I told the same thing to the officer yesterday night. This sounds like something serious." The olddy raised her head to look at me. I looked at the olddy. Her pair of confused eyes stared at me.


    I sighed. "Yes, or else there wouldn''t be two batches of police who came to find you. By the way, granny, do you have any other family?"


    The olddy sighed, "That''s all. I have no children, and I live alone."


    "Your brother neveres to visit you?" I asked.


    The olddy shook her head. "I don''t have a good rtionship with him. After our father died, we hadn''t seen each other."


    "Not even once?" I looked into her eyes.


    She sighed. "Not even once. It has been such a long time since someone visited me."


    "Okay, granny can you give me your phone? I''ll save my phone in it so you can call us directly." I offered.


    She shook her head. "I don''t have such a thing. I live alone. Why would I need that? Oh, if you run into that man from yesterday, tell him that too."


    I nodded. "Then we will leave now. We''lle back to visit you."


    "Okay." The olddy walked us out. I took one nce at the picture Guan Zhenglin ced on the table before I turned to leave.


    We walked out the gate, and Guan Zhenglin sighed, "Poor thing, is this how the situation for all old people is like?"


    I pulled on my hair and uttered slowly, "Something is wrong with this old woman."


    "What?" Guan Zhenglin and Gu Chen turned to me.


    I said, "Her memory is perfectly fine. Didn''t you notice that she had been trying to lead us down a particr direction?"


    "What do you mean?" Guan Zhenglin frowned. She punched me. "Your old habit of suspecting everyone is happening again, isn''t it?"


    "I saw a USB cable in the drawer."


    I turned to the two, "Tell me, for an olddy who doesn''t even have a phone, why would she have a USB cable?"

 Chapter 212: Strange Marriage

    Chapter 212: Strange Marriage


    I looked at the two. Gu Chen and Guan Zhenglin looked at each other. They hadn''t considered these details.


    "What kind of USB cable was it?" Gu Chen scratched his head.


    I exined, "It''s an adapter that connects a USB port to aputer port. It''s normally used by oldputers and printers. You don''t find it that often now. Since she has a USB cable, she should at least have aputer or phone. Even though we haven''t been to the other rooms, I believe she doesn''t have those things." I turned back to study the old wooden door. I pulled on my hair. "There are only 2 exnations. The olddy was lying to us, and she did have those high-tech items; she didn''t have them, but someone else who often visits her does."


    "You have a point." Gu Chen conceded.


    I raised my finger. "The problem is when I asked her if she has any visitors, she said none. She said no one has visited her for a long time already."


    Guan Zhenglin concluded, "So she either lied about that or she did have a phone or aputer." I snapped my finger. "Either way, she has lied to us."


    "But why?" Guan Zhenglin asked.


    I shook my head. "I don''t know yet, but I''m sure it''s rted to this case. How could it be so coincidental that her brother''s family matches the 3 missing zodiac signs? It''s like she''s telling us they are the next target."


    Guan Zhenglin added, "Even if they do have those exact signs, how would the killer know that? Plus, how can we be sure the killer is aiming at these 3 people? How hard is it to find a trio with these 3 signs?" Guan Zhenglin paused. "Hell, the 3 of us have these 3 signs."


    "So what made Xiao Liu so confident that the killer would go after this family of 3?" I asked. "Things must be moreplicated than this, and Xiao Liu must have ess to clues that we don''t."


    "Will the killer really go after this family?" Gu Chen looked at the darkening sky. I lifted my head as well. The grey sky was filled with clouds. It felt like the sky was falling. Guan Zhenglin looked up as well. "But this still has nothing to do with whether the killer works alone or in a group."


    She had a point. Perhaps in Xiao Liu''s mind, after capturing one killer, they would give up the rest.


    "Should we go check this out?" Guan Zhenglin asked. I shook my head. "It''s already 5 pm. It''ll be 9 pm when we reach the city. By then, the 4th story will be on the inte already. If the killer''s target is really the family of 3, Xiao Liu''s people would be there to protect them. It''s pointless for us to go there. If the killer''s target is not that family of 3, we only have one afternoon to find and protect the real target. Plus," I leaned against the car. "Since we know that the olddy is lying, we should look into it. There is only one reason why someone would lie, and it is to hide the truth. No one would lie for something that they think is unimportant." I crawled into the car and said, "So if this case is rted to her, then tonight, when the killer goes on the killing spree, she will do something as well. There are 12 bowls, but we only found 4. What happened to the others? Perhaps we could find more clues on them."


    Gu Chen entered the car but didn''t start the engine. "So, what should we do now?"


    I thought about it and said, "Find the vige head and a ce to stay at the vige. Of course, we can''t allow the olddy to know that. If we''re around, she''ll be more cautious. So we need to create the impression that we''re leaving even though we''re really not."


    Guan Zhenglin tapped on the door. "But I still have my doubt. This is an old woman. What can she do to help the killer?" I looked at Guan Zhenglin. She looked cold on the surface, but I knew she had a soft center. She always hoped for the best in people. I sighed, "She naturally won''t be the killer, but the problem is, if she is not rted to the case, she wouldn''t need to lie to us. This can only mean that she ys a role in this case somehow."


    "But what role?" Guan Zhenglin pressed.


    I answered, "That is what we need to find out."


    We called Mary and had her contact the vige head of Dong Xing Vige through the station. In less than half an hour, we had our reply. We parked inside the vige head''s courtyard. After we exined everything, he promised to help us. Sitting in the yard, the vige head''s wife cooked for us while the rest of us chatted.


    After some pleasantries, I cut to the point. "Actually we''re here for official business. You''re the vige leader so I won''t hide this from you. There''s a string of murders at Dong Xing City and the investigation lead us to the set of Chinese zodiac set of bowls produced at Moulin Rouge Workshop which operated here in the past."


    "What?" The vige head didn''t seem to have any impression of the workshop. I frowned. The man looked like he was in his 50s. He should know about the Moulin Rouge Workshop but it looked like he didn''t. Suddenly I was reminded of something. Mary said this was where one of the managers of the workshop lived, but she didn''t say this was where the workshop was located.


    So I quickly added, "It''s your viger, Wu Xiufen. Wasn''t she a viger here 10 years ago? Wasn''t there a workshop called Moulin Rouge around here?"


    "No," The man shook his head as he handed cigarette to me and Gu Chen. "I am born here and live all my life here, and I have not heard of this workshop. I''m 50 plus this year, so unless the workshop was closed down more than 50 years ago, no, it wasn''t around here." Hearing that, my heart skipped a beat. Something shed across my mind but I couldn''t capture it. I asked further, "If that''s the case, Wu Xiufen wasn''t a local here? She moved here?"


    "Yes." The vige head nodded. "She is considered a viger I supposed. After all, she was married here. That happens around 30 plus years ago, it was my father who officiated the wedding." At this point, the man frowned, "You suspect Wu Xiufen?"


    I shook my head. "It''s not that. Our investigation showed that Wu Xiufen worked at the workshop back then so we are interested in her as a witness."


    The man nodded. "Speaking of, when she married here, it created quite amotion back then."


    "Commotion?" I asked.


    The man continued, "Yes, because Wu Xiufen was quite richpared to the rest of the vigers. Of course, we were too polite to ask her what kind of business her family was in. However, she traveled here alone to get married. During the ceremony, there was no one from the maiden family. Isn''t that strange?"


    I nodded. It looked like Wu Xiufen wasn''t lying when she said she cut off her rtionship with her brother after their father died.


    "Also, Wu Xiufen was quite pretty back then." The man continued, "She was both rich and pretty, so it would be easy for her to find a city kid to marry, but she insisted oning to the countryside. And the man she ended up marrying"


    "What about him?" I was intrigued. "She had the freedom to marry anyone she liked. What is wrong with that?"


    The vige head coughed. He looked around like he was searching for something. "It''s not good to speak ill of the dead but since you''re here for official work." The man spoke into the sky, "Please forgive me for the offense, but I am only telling the truth."


    I shivered. It was like there was something watching me from the dark.


    "So what about it?" Gu Chen couldn''t hold in his patience anymore.

 Chapter 213: Paper Money

    Chapter 213: Paper Money


    The vige head said, "Actually, before Wu Xiufen got married, we already knew her husband, Zhang Qiang, wasn''t long for this world. The old men all said that he had the presence of a dying man."


    I frowned. There appeared to be some unknown story in this vige.


    "And then what happened?" I was curious.


    The vige head dropped the cigarette butt to the ground and licked his dried lips. He continued, "At the time, I was already an adult. Even though I didn''t know Zhang Qiang that well, I heard from the others that he had a lungs problem. Plus, he would cough nonstop."


    "Was it that serious?"


    The man pped. "That''s right. Even a normal person could see that he was not physically fit. However, Wu Xiufen didn''t mind it. Later Zhang Qiang died from a weak lung, or perhaps it was cancer. Tell me, why would a woman with both wealth and looks marry someone who was dying?" I scratched my chin and said nothing.


    The man continued, "Someone did remind Wu Xiufen, telling her to reconsider. After all, marriage was for life. Even though Zhang Qiang was a local, we didn''t want a woman to waste her happiness like that. However, she insisted on marrying him. Is that not strange?"


    "It is strange." I nodded.


    At that moment, the wife came out with a few dishes as well as rice. After a whole day of working, I was indeed starving. The sky was already dark.


    "Come, eat up, and I''ll continue the story." The vige head invited us. We grabbed the rice and started to eat. The man took a sip of the soup and resumed the story. "The other strange thing is no one knew how those two got to know each other. We hadn''t seen Wu Xiufen before. It was like she had materialized out of thin air. We only met her a few times before they got married." The vige head swallowed the food. "But marriage is a good thing. In the end, we gave them our blessings. As long as they had love, the rest didn''t matter." The man''s wife sat down and chided, "Right, but it was my family who organized our wedding back then. So you would say that."


    The man red at his wife. "How can wepare to them? It''s destiny between us! Our fate was decided from our previous lives" This couple sure loved each other. Even before us, they didn''t forget to feed us dog food.


    The vige head smiled at his wife and continued, "So they got married. Not long after that, Zhang Qiang''s parents died. But they were already old, so it was normal. However, the couple never had any kids, and that got the vigers talking."


    We listened and ate.


    The vige head took another slurp of the soup. "Some said Wu Xiufen was infertile, and that was why she had to marry Zhang Qiang. Others said Zhang Qiang was too weak to perform his marital duties. In any case, there was no child. Soon Zhang Qiang died." The man added, "When he died, Wu Xiufen was only 30. Some of the bachelors in the vige didn''t mind her being a widow, they offered to marry her but she rejected all of them." After a sigh, the man continued, "Those people kept bothering Wu Xiufen, so she closed the door and stopped going out. Eventually, the men scattered. That was more than 30 years ago. Wu Xiufen would be more than 60 now. But for the past 30 years, Wu Xiufen would go up the mountains to burn paper money for Zhang Qiang."


    "Every day?" I frowned and asked to confirm, "You sure about that?"


    The man sighed, "Yes. After the men saw how loyal Wu Xiufen was to Zhang Qiang, they all gave up. Even now, she still went up to his grave daily regardless of the weather. It''s about 6 pm now. Around 8 pm, she''ll make the journey to the mountain." I nced at the watch. Then the vige head ended the story. He looked quite mncholic.


    However, after hearing the vige head''s story, I was quite confused. Marriage wasmon, but the details of this marriage were weird. Even though Wu Xiufen lived at Xing Dong Vige now, she didn''te from this ce, and Moulin Rouge Workshop wasn''t situated here either. A woman brought a lot of money to a ce where no one knew her and married a man she hadn''t met. Plus, everyone knew the man was going to die soon. Wu Xiufen had to have a reason to marry someone like that. So what was that reason?


    When we finished dinner, it was already 7 pm. The sky was fully dark already. Sitting in the yard, looking up, the sky was grey, and there were only a few twinkling stars. The spring night was rather cold. The vige head and his wife had already started to put away the stuff.


    We nned to spend the night at the vige head''s house, and he agreed readily. He had a lot of spare rooms.


    Then we went out. We waited behind the pile of firewood before Wu Xiufen''s home, waiting for her toe out. The time ticked by, and the lights in the vige went off one after another. The vige was too small to have streetlights. We couldn''t open any shlights. Time seemed to slow down. After who knew how long, there was a click. We woke up immediately.


    The wooden door opened. Wu Xiufen carried a stack of something yellow and came out. She closed the wooden door, but she didn''t lock it. She wasn''t worried about thieves. Wu Xiufen looked around and only departed when she was sure there was no one around. Gu Chen gave us a signal and told us to follow. In terms of tailing a suspect, Gu Chen was the expert. We stayed about 10 meters away from Wu Xiufen. We moved carefully lest we made any sound.


    Suddenly we heard a spark. Soon we saw fire light up Wu Xiufen''s hands. The ember was small. Looks like Wu Xiufen didn''t n to burn all the paper money, just a few of them. As she moved forward, she tossed the burning paper money into the air. The paper money twirled before theynded and sizzled on the ground.


    Wu Xiufen also mumbled something that we couldn''t understand. It sounded like a spell. We followed Wu Xiufen as she moved alone in the dark, burning the paper money.


    Many families were preparing to call it a night. The night breeze blew, and it caused me to shiver. The burning paper money fluttered everywhere, and they looked like ghost fire. The old woman in a ck coat was holding a stack of paper money, mumbling a spell while walking towards a grave. It was strange. Wu Xiufen moved surprisingly fast. She also used the burning paper money as a light source. She was heading towards the mountain behind the vige, and we had already reached the foot of the mountain. She paused for a moment. The me flickered in her palms. It extended her shadow, making it look like a demon. The few of us held our breath. The olddy paused to spread a lot of paper money on the ground before she resumed her journey.


    We followed her up the mountain. Suddenly the olddy took out a stack of ck paper from her pocket and started to burn them instead. We hadn''t encountered a culture that burned ck paper for the departed.


    Things only got stranger because eventually, Wu Xiufen got down on her hands and knees. She crawled forward, and she tarted to cry. She didn''t stop burning the ck paper and chanting the spell though.


    Our heart rose and fell with her strange behavior. What was Wu Xiufen doing? And had she been repeating this strange ritual for the past 30 plus years?


    The 3 of us shared a look. Under the dim light, we saw the confusion and underlying fear in each other''s eyes.


    Finally, Wu Xiufen stopped. We saw that she had halted before a tombstone, but it was too far for us to see what was carved on the stone.


    Wu Xiufen hugged the tombstone, her mouth still moving.


    I leaned forward to take a closer look and identally stepped on a broken branch. It snapped crisply.

 Chapter 214: Strange Culture

    Chapter 214: Strange Culture


    The sound traveled far and wide, and I cursed internally. Gu Chen pulled me down, and the three of us hid behind a tree. Even though we had no idea what Wu Xiufen was doing, we knew we couldn''t let her discover us. We slowly retreated, and we only stopped when we were more than 10 meters away.


    Guan Zhenglin looked around and began slowly, "Say, what do you think this old woman is doing? Why is she doing all these scary things?"


    I nodded as I felt my heart beating. After it slowed down, I said, "She has to have her reasons for doing all these things. She knelt and crawled all the way to the tombstone. What she did probably have to do with the person who was buried there. The grave should belong to her husband, Zhang Qiang."


    "Zhang Qiang?" Gu Chen looked around. "But she made it look like she was apologizing to him. Why else would a wifee kneeling at her husband''s grave after his death? Plus, she was burning ck paper."


    I frowned. "Perhaps this is some unknown culture. I''ll have Sister Mary look into it. I''m sure she can find something. I know people burn white and yellow paper money for the dead, but I haven''t heard people burning ck paper before." I poked Gu Chen in his ribs and said, "Why don''t you go back there and see if Wu Xiufen is still there?"


    Gu Chen nodded and stood up. With the burning ck paper, we could still see our way in the dark, but now it wasplete darkness. The only source of light was the twinkling from the stars in the sky. At that moment, the sparks from the burning ck paper faded away.


    Gu Chen turned to tell us. "I''ll go take a look. The two of you stay here. It''s very dark. If we get separated, it''ll be hard to find each other." We nodded as Gu Chen crawled away. Gu Chen kept his body close to the ground. He moved very fast but without sound. Guan Zhenglin and I stayed in the dark. Guan Zhenglin sat down beside me and waited for Gu Chen toe back.


    I turned to her, thought about it, and asked, "Our task force is formed specifically to hunt down Zhao Mingkun. Have you considered what would happen if we never get to find her?"


    Guan Zhenglin turned back to look at me. She was silent for a while before she said, "I don''t know. All I know is that I will work hard as long as I am alive. You think you know Zhao Mingkun, but you really don''t. She hasmitted so many cruel crimes."


    The Zhao Mingkun Guan Zhenglin described ovepped with the Zhao Mingkun that I knew. They didn''t sound the same. Perhaps when she was with me, Zhao Mingkun never showed her cruel side, even though that was how she described herself. I rubbed my eyes and said, "She was forced to do most of those things by her adopted father, Si Hwacheng. So Si Hwacheng is the real mastermind. Plus, he was a cop."


    Guan Zhenglin concurred, "You''re right. That''s why Captain Zhao looks down on his teacher, Si Hwacheng. He has forgotten his identity. He should use his knowledge to protect others and not harm others."


    "But didn''t he do all these things to help his daughter?" I asked.


    Guan Zhenglin said, "Yes, but that is just an excuse. Wu Meng, Auntie Yang Xiaojuan is a very important person in my life. She taught me many things. When we were at Lin Fen and saw Zhao Mingkun, do you know how eager I was to snatch the pistol from her and shoot her? But I didn''t do so because we were on another case." Guan Zhenglin''s voice was soft but firm. "So I contained myself. I held myself back from trying to kill her so many times. I have already let her go once, I don''t know if we''ll find her again, but you''ll help me capture her, right?" She turned to look at me.


    I also looked at her. An indescribable emotion rose within me. I could have told her that I would help her, but I couldn''t do that. I couldn''t use a lie to repay her honesty. I didn''t want to brush her off. But I couldn''t tell her the truth either. For some unknown reason, I didn''t want to capture Zhao Mingkun. At least after I had met her, she hadn''t killed anyone.


    "I." Before I could answer, Gu Chen''s voice came over. "Come on, Wu Xiufen has left. This is indeed Zhang Qiang''s grave."


    We followed the voice, and soon we saw Gu Chen waving at us. I pulled Guan Zhenglin towards Gu Chen. We met up with him and moved towards the grave. We could smell burning paper in the air. However, the weather was damp, so we didn''t need to worry about a forest fire. I only had the chance to study the tombstone when we were standing before it. The tombstone was built into a cliffside that protruded out. Standing there, one could look far into the distance. Not far away was Xing Dong City. Most of the lights were out already.


    With the starlight, I studied the words on the tombstone. This was indeed Zhang Qiang''s tombstone. However, we couldn''t see a grave. I wondered if it had been ttened by time. I touched the tombstone, and it did feel worn.


    Gu Chen offered, "Is it possible that Zhang Qiang didn''t die from lung disease but" Gu Chen didn''t finish his sentence, but we all knew what he meant. Gu Chen suspected that it was Wu Xiufen who had killed Zhang Qiang. It was why Wu Xiufen came every day to beg for mercy. However, this happened more than 30 years ago. It would be hard to start a case now.


    "30 years nonstop." I began. "Say, do you think Wu Xiufen does this every day because she fears Zhang Qiang that much or she misses him that much? Also, I remembered the vige head said something interesting. Everyone said Zhang Qiang would die before Wu Xiufen even married him. However, Zhang Qiang lived for a few more years after the marriage so much so that the vigers were talking about theirck of children."


    Gu Chen tapped the tombstone, "Are you trying to say that Wu Xiufen married Zhang Qiang because he was going to die, but Zhang Qiang stubbornly lived on, so she had to kill him? But why would she do that?"


    Guan Zhenglin shook her head and was about to say something when we heard another snap. It sounded very clear in the silent night. It might as well be as loud as an explosion. Guan Zhenglin screamed, frightened by the sound. I was frightened by Guan Zhenglin''s scream. Guan Zhenglin crawled into my arms, and I could feel her shaking. The snap was terrifying because it came from right beside us. That was quite suspicious. So what made that sound?


    I pat Guan Zhenglin on her back to help her calm down.


    When I was about to speak, I could feel something tap my head from my back. It was a person''s hand. Gu Chen was standing before me, and Guan Zhenglin was in my arms so who could be behind me?


    The hand tapped me again and again. I could feel that that person''s fingers were facing downwards. You would do this if you were to tussle the head of a child. This meant that the person tapping my head was much taller than I was. At that moment, I was reminded of many ghost stories and the story that the vige head told us. My body froze, and I didn''t dare to turn back to look. I was afraid that I''d see someone three meters tall, looking down at me and smiling creepily. The hand was still tapping my head.


    I hugged Guan Zhenglin tighter and shivered alongside her. I could feel her chest rising and smell the scent on her. However, Guan Zhenglin was slowly recovering from her shock. As my arms tightened around her, I could feel her struggling against me.


    Guan Zhenglin whispered, "Wu Meng, why are you hugging me so tightly?"


    "Don''t look behind me," I warned.


    However, humans were curious creatures.


    "Wu, Wu Meng"

 Chapter 215: The Dead and The Dead

    Chapter 215: The Dead and The Dead


    Guan Zhenglin''s voice was shaking. It could only mean that she had seen something scary. At that moment, Gu Chen walked past us to face the thing which had been tapping my head. Gu Chen said seriously, "Stop hugging. There''s a dead body. You two have seen so many dead bodies already. Stop using this chance to get lovey-dovey!"


    Gu Chen''s tone told me the severity of the situation. I let go of Guan Zhenglin and turned around. Guan Zhenglin looked behind me. We saw a dead body hanging on a tree. Her hand was just around my head. Her body was swaying, and it caused her hand to tap repeatedly against my head.


    When we saw the body, Guan Zhenglin and I were silent because the dead body was none other than Wu Xiufen. Wu Xiufen''s pants had fallen to the ground, and she was wearing cotton red long johns. I was surprised by this whole thing. I didn''t even expect Wu Xiufen to be hanging here. For some unknown reason, Wu Xiufen was already dead, hanging here when we just saw here alive less than 10 minutes ago.


    "Quick." She shouted. "She hasn''t been up there for long, so she might still be alive."


    I rushed forward to get Wu Xiufen''s legs and pushed up. Gu Chen moved to help. With a few jumps, he reached the top of the trees. He took out a dagger and cut off the rope. The weightnded on my hands. Guan Zhenglin helped to ease the woman down. We ced Wu Xiufen on the ground. Guan Zhenglin went to check on Wu Xiufen, and Gu Chen jumped down from the tree.


    Earlier we didn''t use our shlights just in case Wu Xiufen saw us but that was not a concern anymore. Gu Chen and I switched on our shlights for Guan Zhenglin. There was a deep ligature mark around the olddy''s chin. The snap that we heard earlier was her jawbone snapping.


    Guan Zhenglin touched Wu Xiufen''s neck and chin. She shook her head. "It''s toote. She died instantaneously."


    My shlight shook. I couldn''t imagine Wu Xiufen would end her life like this. She must have used a lot of effort to climb onto the tree to hang herself. But why?


    However, I understood that no matter the reason, it had to do with our arrival. It might be the secret, the reason why Wu Xiufen had lied to us. This was a secret that she needed to bring to her grave. That meant that she had to know something.


    Guan Zhenglin stood up and said, "The death happened instantly. Wu Xiufen climbed onto the tree, made a noose, and then ced her head through it. That must have happened when we were talking." Then she was silent.


    A picture painted in my mind. When we were standing around the tombstone, an olddy was preparing to hang herself on the tree. She was very careful like she was ying hide and seek with us. She put her head through the noose and then looked down at us. We had no idea what was going through her mind during the moment of her death. We knew that she killed herself when the three of us were present and didn''t give us any chance to save her.


    I knew that my idental step on the branch had notified Wu Xiufen of our presence. When we retreated, Wu Xiufen climbed up the tree. When Gu Chen went to look, she was on the tree. In other words, if I didn''t make that sound, she might still be alive.


    After a moment''s silence, Guan Zhenglin exined, "It''s a confirmed suicide. See the mark on her neck. The jawbone and neck bone have shattered, and the dental beds have loosened. I touched her neck bone, it is snapped as well."


    I turned to examine Wu Xiufen and could see the things Guan Zhenglin said. Guan Zhenglin continued, "Medically speaking, a force over 15 kg is more than enough to snap one''s neck. Wu Xiufen''s only weight plus the kic force from jumping is more than that. So the neck-breaking is the fatal wound. Plus the noose is stuck above the throat, it would have pressed on the bulbous caroticus. It would have killed her immediately. I would know more after autopsy."


    I examined the rope severed by Gu Chen. It was a long red cloth, people in the countryside were not used to wearing belts so they used red cloth to tie around their waist. This was why Wu Xiufen''s pants were on the ground. It meant that the secret that the olddy wanted to protect was more important than her own life and her sense of dignity.


    I looked at Zhang Qiang''s tombstone and Wu Xiufen whoy beside it. This couple that had married for an unknown reason had gathered after decades. I sighed and told Gu Chen. "Contact the vige head. We''re bringing the body back."


    As Gu Chen called the vige head, I called Sister Mary. On the phone, I asked her to look into culture where people would burn ck paper money for the dead. What did the ck paper money mean? Also, I asked her about the 4th story. Mary told me that everyone at the station was waiting for the 4th story to appear. I understood that once the 4th story appeared, we could confirm the killer was killing ording to the 12 Chinese Zodiac signs. Sister Mary promised that she''d let me know immediately once there was a new story. My heart was quite heavy after I ended the call.


    What did Wu Xiufen''s death represent? Xiao Liu wasying an ambush around Wu Xiufen''s brother''s home. What was the killer''s 4th story? Who were his victims? Why was he killing? It was jumbled chaos in my mind. I couldn''t find the answer and it annoyed me. 20 minutester, Gu Chen finished his call too.


    "Fuck." Gu Chen cursed. "The vigers said they don''t dare toe up the mountains sote at night because the mountains are haunted. The only exception is Wu Xiufen. But they said Wu Xiufen wasn''t someone normal either. She stayed in her home alone and normally didn''t interact with others." I frowned. This exined the vige head''s behavior earlier. This vige had such supernatural rumors. Then again, it was expected that as the vige head, he didn''t want to tell such things to us.


    Gu Chen looked around. "If we wait for help, it''ll be tomorrow already. I''ll carry the body, and you two help me light the way."


    "Are you sure?" I looked at Wu Xiufen on the ground. Even though we were police, and had less fear of the dead, if you asked me to carry a dead body in the middle of the night down a mountain, I didn''t think my heart can support it. Gu Chen nodded. "What else can we do? Or do you want to volunteer?"


    I quickly shook my head. Guan Zhenglin and I helped Gu Chen ce Wu Xiufen on his back. We went down the mountain like that. When we reached the foot of the mountain, my phone rang. It was Sister Mary. "There''s a new story?" I asked.


    "No." Mary said, "But I have found info on your ck paper culture. I mentioned that I''d visited Dong Xing City a long time ago and I liked to visit the locals. After some online research, I did find out there is a local culture that uses ck paper money."


    "What ce is this?" I asked.


    After a pause, she said, "It''s Wang Hu Vige. It''s also at Dong Xing City. At Wang Hu Vige, death could be categorized as natural death and unnatural death. If the people died of old age, ident, or illness, then they would burn normal paper money; if the person died of mysterious circumstance or were pushed to their death, then they would burn ck paper money. This is because the vigers at Wang Hu Vige believe that those who died an unnatural death still linger on earth, and they can''t ept normal paper money."


    "Wang Hu Vige?" I nced at the body on Gu Chen''s back. "Sister Mary, can you help me check where Moulin Rouge Workshop was?"


    Mary replied, "I did look around but it is very hard to find. Actually, you should be Wu Xiufen now. Wouldn''t it be easier for you to ask her?"


    I shook my head. Wu Xiufen probably won''t be talking already.


    "If possible, help me check if Moulin Rouge Workshop was situated at Wang Hu Vige."


    "Okay, I''ll update you if I find anything." Mary hung up. As she did, I was reminded of something. "Sister Mary said that only those who died of unnatural causes would be burnt ck paper money"

 Chapter 216: Missing Guan Zhenglin

    Chapter 216: Missing Guan Zhenglin


    Gu Chen stood where he was and turned to me. I exined, "Sister Mary said there was a vige at Dong Xing City called Wang Hu Vige. In this vige, people who died from unnatural death would be offered ck paper money. But I believe all of you have noticed an interesting detail. When Wu Xiufen left her home, she burned normal paper money. Only when she arrived at the mountain that she swapped to ck paper money."


    Wu Xiufen''s body kept slipping. As Guan Zhenglin held the body, she said, "I did see that. Wu Xiufen probably did that to confuse the vigers. She burned normal paper money when she was near the vige but only switched to ck paper money when no one was around."


    I looked at Wu Xiufen on Gu Chen''s back. "That is a possibility. But have you considered another possibility? She was mourning two people. One died of natural causes and the other unnatural causes."


    "You mean two people have died?" Gu Chen asked, "But if that was the case, who was the other victim?"


    I sighed and said, "I don''t know, but I believe this has to do with the story-telling killer. Of course, we''ll need to expend a lot of energy to look into this unless Wu Xiufen behind you suddenly decide to open her mouth to tell us the truth." The joke didn''t get anyughs but made the atmosphere quite awkward.


    Guan Zhenglin huffed. "Don''t you think that joke is rather out of ce in a situation like this? If Wu Xiufen does start talking, you''d be the first to cry from fear."


    "I am not afraid of living people, so why would I be afraid of the dead" I was about to counter when there was a woman''s cough. The cough made it feel like there was someone watching us from the dark. Gu Chen heard it as well. After he shared a look with me, we both turned to Guan Zhenglin.


    "What are you looking at me? It wasn''t me." Guan Zhenglin stood there.


    All three of us heard the cough, and we could tell it was a woman coughing. However, there were three or four of us on the mountain. If the cough didn''te from Guan Zhenglin


    Wu Xiufen''s head was leaning on Gu Chen''s shoulder. He only needed to turn around to have a close encounter'' with the dead. All three of us stopped to try to pinpoint the source of the noise. Did Wu Xiufene back to life?


    It was so quiet that we could hear each other''s breathing.


    There was a second cough, and then it turned into shrillughter. It sounded like someone giggling after being tickled. Then it sounded more like nails scratching the board. Tt became shriller and shriller. The sound clearly didn''te from Wu Xiufen.


    I raised my shlight and waved it around. This was not the first time I heard this giggle. It was the same giggle that I heard from the story-telling killer. However, there was no one captured by my shlight.


    "It''s the killer!" I shouted.


    Gu Chen undid the tie around his chest and ced Wu Xiufen''s body on the ground. The giggling was sharp then weak. It was hard for us to tell where it came from.


    "This way!" As I waved the shlight about, I heard Gu Chen calling. Gu Chen then charged down a direction. Seeing that, Guan Zhenglin and I chased after him. As we ran, we could still hear the giggle, and it was getting closer and closer.


    I had no idea why the killer was there. I had no idea the nature of the rtionship between Wu Xiufen and the killer. However, all that would be answered once we captured the killer. However, the killer could move unimpeded in the dark, and I could not.


    In less than a few minutes, with the shlight wavering, I finally lost Guan Zhenglin and Gu Chen. Leaning against a tree, I slowed down to catch my breath. I felt like coughing up blood. I aimed the shlight around. There were trees everywhere. Cast by the light, the branches looked like ws of monsters.


    I rubbed my eyes. Instead of losing my way in the forest, I decided it was wiser to return to Wu Xiufen. However, I only took a few steps when a hand reached out from the dark to grab me. I was about to scream when I felt the burly muscles on the arm. "Gu Chen?" I asked. "Why are you here?"


    Gu Chen exined, "I followed the killer back to the tombstone, but he just disappeared. I looked around but couldn''t find him, so I came back here to wait for you. Where''s Guan Zhenglin? Isn''t she with you?"


    I frowned. "With my physique, you know I would be running deadst. But shouldn''t Guan Zhenglin with you?"


    "No, I thought she was with you."


    A bad feeling rose in my heart.


    "Call her!" I quickly dialed Guan Zhenglin''s number. When the system said the number you are calling is currently unavable'' came, my heart chilled.


    "It won''t go through?" Gu Chen was nervous. "Yes." I said, "The line is on, but I can''t get through. The call was ended moments after I made the call, so there can only be one exnation." Gu Chen''s voice was light. "You mean it was the killer who ended the call."


    I nodded as I felt my whole body shake. "The killer has Guan Zhenglin. The killer is a heartless person. If we don''t find her soon, she''ll be in great danger"


    "Fuck." Gu Chen punched a tree, causing it to shake.


    "Where did you lose the killer?" I asked him.


    Gu Chen shone his shlight down the distance. "Near the tombstone. The killer is like a shadow in the dark. The forest ground is filled with roots and stone. If you run too fast, it''s easy to trip and fall, but the killer is not affected at all."


    "Say, do you think humans can really get used to extreme darkness?" I asked. "We aren''t nocturnal creatures."


    Gu Chen answered. "I don''t know, but the killer was indeed not affected."


    Certain people were born for darkness. Humans were not nocturnal creatures, but they could evolve into one. While I spoke with Gu Chen, I never stopped calling Guan Zhenglin. At first, the line was still open, but eventually, the line or the phone was switched off.


    "Guan Zhenglin has been captured by the killer," I said.


    "What should we do now?" Gu Chen said. "When you first called her number, we didn''t even hear her phone ring, so she must be very far away from us. The killer might not even be here anymore. The mountain is so big, and there are only two of us. What can we do?"


    I was anxious, but my rationality told me that it was not the time to panic. The more dangerous the situation, the calmer one should be. If anxiety could solve problems, then there wouldn''t be that many antidepressants. I took several deep breaths to force my heart to calm down.


    "You''re right. The night is the killer''s best tool. In this kind of environment, we won''t be able to capture him. We need to go back to the station and apply for reinforcement. Even if we turn the whole mountain upside down, we need to find Guan Zhenglin!" I tried my best to suppress my anger as I told Gu Chen. "Carry Wu Xiufen down the mountain. The vigers said the mountain was haunted. It looks like the ghost is the killer. There has to be some kind of unique rtionship between the killer and Wu Xiufen. We need to look deeper into the olddy."


    Gu Chen nodded.


    I continued, "Sister Mary hasn''t sent me the 4th story, so it means that the killer hasn''t uploaded it onto the inte. It''s now about 10 pm. Even if one drives back to Dong Xing City, it''ll take at least 4 hours. The killer won''t have time to kill."


    After some time, Gu Chen and I finally reached the location where we abandoned Wu Xiufen, but there was nothing there.


    "We did put the body here, didn''t we?" Gu Chen asked, "How could a dead body disappear just like that? Was she taken by some beast?"


    I looked at the empty ground. "If the beast is the killer, then yes"

 Chapter 217: Ghost Head

    Chapter 217: Ghost Head


    "You''re right." Gu Chen said, "With the killer''s speed and familiarity of this ce, there was more than enough time for him to return. But what would he need with a dead body?"


    I shook my head. "I don''t know, but Wu Xiufen must be someone important to the killer. There are too many things that we don''t know. Who is the killer, why does he kill, and what do those bowls mean to the killer?"


    I lifted my head to look into the sky. Through the branches, the sky was cut into irregr shapes. We were like birds trapped inside an irregr cage.


    "Regardless, we don''t have much time left. Based on the killer''s habit, he''ll make his movetest by tomorrow night. In other words, we only have one day''s time." And that was in the most optimum scenario. There was no way of telling if the killer was already killing Guan Zhenglin as we spoke. All I could do was to pray.


    "Let''s go!" I told Gu Chen. Before we headed up the mountain, I had called the vige head. He was waiting at home for us. As he answered the phone, I said directly, "Sir, Guan Zhenglin has gone missing in the mountain, and we can''t reach her by phone. I need you to gather some youngsters and help us look for her at the mountains."


    When the vige head heard me, he said, "I''m telling you no vigers is daring enough to go up the mountain because the ce is haunted at night"


    I was in no mood for his excuses. I said coldly, "Sir, we are talking about the life of a police officer here. I don''t care how you do it. When I return to the vige, you need to have 20 people in the search team. Do you hear me?" Then I hung up without giving him a chance to say anything.


    The vige head was in his 50s, and I was only 20 plus. It was disrespectful of me to employ that tone I did, but this was an emergency. I didn''t have the time to negotiate. I needed him to follow my orders. And I believed that he would.


    Gu Chen and I hurried to the vige. We jogged all the way back to the vige entrance. Gu Chen looked at me. His mouth opened, but he said nothing.


    "What''s wrong?" I asked.


    As he ran ahead, he said, "I''ve never seen you so full of stamina before. We''ve been running for 20 minutes already, but you don''t even look tired. Plus, I haven''t heard you employ the tone that you did with the vige head before. You do like her, don''t you?"


    "What do you mean?" I didn''t stop, but my heart did skip a beat.


    Gu Chen continued, "I can see that Guan Zhenglin likes you too"


    I stopped him by saying. "If you were captured, I would react the same way. But we don''t have time for that, and we don''t have much time left. If we waste any more time, when can we rescue Guan Zhenglin? The longer we linger, the more danger she''d be in." When we arrived at the vige, all the houses had their lights on. Many people were standing in the yard looking out, and dogs barked everywhere. I understood this would be a busy night for Xing Dong Vige.


    A young man saw us and said, "Sirs, the vige head told me to wait for you here, and he also told me that he''d be waiting for you at his home."


    I nced at Gu Chen. "See, most times you''d need to push people to get some effects."


    When we reached the middle of the vige, we saw the vige head standing there in his pajama and a coat. Many youths were gathered around him. Seeing me, the vige head came to me and said, "Brother Wu, what happened that you were so nervous"


    I looked at the 20 plus people gathered. "There''s a girl around 20 who had been captured when we were on the mountain. Her kidnapper is the ghost that you mention. As men, how can we let that happen? Plus, there is no ghost. What are we afraid of? We are going to go rescue her!"


    The vigers were clearly not interested. However, money could solve many problems. When I said that everyone who joined the search team could get 100 and the person who found Guan Zhenglin would get 2000, the vigers became more interested. Such was human nature. Then again, they couldn''t be med. After all, they hadn''t seen Guan Zhenglin. They didn''t know who she was. For them, Guan Zhenglin''s death would be nothing more than an article in the newspaper.


    Soon the group of men headed up the mountain.


    I turned to Gu Chen. "We still need reinforcements from the city station. If the killer is the ghost mentioned by the vigers, then he would have a vehicle to travel between the vige and the city. Tell the people at the station to seal up the path between Xing Dong Vige and the city." Gu Chen immediately obliged. I passed a cigarette to the vige head and whispered, "I was rude on the phone. I am so sorry. I hope you can understand."


    The vige head waved his hands. "Of course, if my wife went missing, I would be in the same state."


    As I smoked, I asked, "What is so scary about this mountain that the vigers don''t dare to venture into it?"


    The vige head pulled on his clothes and said, "I didn''t want to discuss such things. After all, I am the official of this ce, and I don''t want to give you guys the wrong impression. However, many of the vigers have seen and heard it, so it can''t be fake, right?"


    "What have they seen and heard?" I asked.


    The man said, "At first, it started as a rumor among the vige kids. The kids have nothing to do, so they ran up the mountains quite often. Even though the families forbade it, how many kids listen to their parents? The kids said that they heard a woman crying up the mountain."


    I had heard the killerugh, and I had heard him cry. When the killermitted murder, he often made that shrillugh. But when we were in the sewer, I also heard him cry. The killer had a dissociative personality disorder, so we couldn''t tell what his emotions were when he did these things.


    The vige head continued, "At first, we thought it was Wu Xiufen. After all, most of the kids have seen Wu Xiufen burn the paper money. Wu Xiufen was crying for her dead husband. There was nothing strange about that. However, the kids said that it was not the case. It was not Wu Xiufen because they would have been able to recognize her voice."


    "It was not her?"


    "No." The vige head took another big drought of smoke. "At first, we didn''t mind it too much. However, there were adults who heard the woman''s cries as well. The logger went up the mountain at night to do his job, and when he heard the cries, he immediately ran back to the vige. Some of the vigers didn''t trust him, so they too went up the mountains at night.


    "Some heard crying of babies, others heard a manughing. There were many different voices." The vige head looked up the mountain. "This continued until someone saw the female ghostying against the tombstone on the mountain. The vigers said that the female ghost was just a human head and it was crying before the tombstone."


    I frowned. "A human head crying before the tombstone? Is it Zhang Qiang''s tombstone?"


    The vige head nodded. "The human head was floating in the air, and it had long hair. The viger saw the head''s side profile. At first the female ghost was crying and then there was a male voice and finally a little girl''s voice. It was like there was many people but there was just one human head.


    "But the strangest thing was" The vige head dumped the cigarette butt on the ground. "The different voices appeared to be conversing, talking about life and death, and sleep. The viger was shocked as he hid behind the tree. At that moment, the human head suddenly turned to look at him."


    "And then?" I asked. "Did he get a good look of the human head?"


    The vige head shook his head. "Then the viger fell seriously ill, no doctor could cure him. We eventually had to find a shaman for him. Strangely enough, after the shaman came and did the exorcism, the viger became instantly healed. The viger started to share his experience with others and that was how the story of the human head on the mountain started to spread."


    By then, I already had an answer in my mind.


    The vige head continued, "Therefore, no one dares to go up the mountain anymore, other than Wu Xiufen who still continues her journey every day. Speaking of, she should be returning from the mountain already. You should have run into her. Where is Wu Xiufen?"


    Seeing the dark expression on my face, the vige head already had a guess.


    I said, "Wu Xiufen is already dead. If we can''t find Guan Zhenglin soon, she''d be dead too."


    "Wu Xiufen is dead?" The vige head was shocked. "But she has been to the mountain for the past 30 years, and nothing ever happened to her. Is this the doing of the female ghost?"


    I shook my head. "No, there is no ghost in this world, it''s a person."


    "A person?"


    At that moment, Gu Chen interrupted. "Wu Meng, the station said that they can''t send us any reinforcement"

 Chapter 218: Sister

    Chapter 218: Sister


    "There are so many people at Dong Xing Police Station. Why can''t they send over reinforcement?" I frowned. "What''s going on?"


    Gu Chen answered, "Tonight is the night the killer is supposed to strike. Most of the officers have been led by Xiao Liu to ambush the killer. Only a small number of people are left at the station. If theye here, then the station will be left empty. If we ask for reinforcement from the military, we have to go through many steps. It will take hours." Gu Chen said seriously, "I wonder if Captain Zhao can do anything"


    I frowned. "Okay, you contact Captain Zhao and get him to contact the armed forces."


    "What about you?" Gu Chen looked at me while he made the call.


    "I''m going to call Xiao Liu. Since the killer is here, then he wouldn''t be in the city killing people. This means that Xiao Liu doesn''t need that many people. Even if Captain Zhao manages to get people from the armed military, it''ll take them several hours to get to Xing Dong Vige. Time is life. If we can get help 1 second earlier, we need to try." However, it was not that easy to find Xiao Liu. During operations, most officers kept their phone on silent mode or even had it switched off. Xiao Liu would have silenced his phone already so there was a high chance he wouldn''t hear my call. In half an hour, I had called Xiao Liu more than 20 times, but none of them were answered. Just as I was about to give up hope, Xiao Liu called me back. I was ecstatic, and I was never so happy in my life. Seeing his number, I felt like I had won the lottery.


    "Xiao Liu," I said. Xiao Liu was aloof and cold, "Wu Meng, what are you doing? Do you know we''re trying to ambush the killer? We can talk about thister. If your calls have made me miss the killer, people will die. It''s already 10 pm. In a few hours, the killers are going to make their move. I''m going to hang up now"


    I quickly stopped Xiao Liu. "Wait, I need to tell you the killer won''t be going to your ce tonight. I can be 100 percent sure of that. We have run into the killer at Xing Dong Vige, and the killer has captured Guan Zhenglin."


    "What?" Xiao Liu was shocked.


    I said, "The killer really will not be going to your ce. He is currently at Xing Dong Vige."


    After some silence, Xiao Liu used a voice of suppressed rage to tell me. "Wu Meng, many people''s lives are on the line. If this is your way to prevent yourself from being moved out of Dong Xing Vige then"


    I cut him off, "If you believe me, then listen to what I have to say. Now, I need you to bring your people to seal up all the paths leading from Xing Dong Vige to Dong Xing City. Check every single car. Your team can handle all the major highways and have the local officers check the smaller shortcuts. The killer is 1.7 meters tall and is wearing ck. You know that." I continued, "You also know what Guan Zhenglin looks like. The killer will use a vehicle to travel to Dong Xing City to kill, so send Guan Zhenglin''s pictures to your people, understood?" I didn''t give Xiao Liu any chance to speak. "Pull out the people at the ambush. Half of them should set up the roadblock, and the other half needs toe to Xing Dong Vige to help me look for the killer. Bring your people to investigate Wu Xiufen''s brother, the family that you areying an ambush around. Look into what had happened so many years ago at Moulin Rouge Workshop." After saying all that, I shut up, waiting for Xiao Liu''s reply. Xiao Liu didn''t reply immediately. I could hear the young men shouting up the mountain. I could hear Gu Chen talking to Captain Zhao. I could hear the pacing of the vige head. But the world felt so quiet. I was like an astronaut in space. There was no other voice than the buzz on the phone.


    Yesterday night, the words that Xiao Liu said were farewell for us. So, now would Xiao Liu choose to believe me?


    "I''ll do that now." Several secondster, Xiao Liu finally said. A heavy stone lowered in my heart. "I''ll wait for your good news."


    Xiao Liu''s voice became louder since the ambush was rendered pointless. "I trust you."


    When Xiao Liu and I spoke, Gu Chen had ended the call with Captain Zhao. Seeing me hang up, Gu Chen came over. "So, what did Xiao Liu say?"


    I smiled, "No matter what Xiao Liu thought, he chose to trust me. Everything has been arranged. We need to rescue Guan Zhenglin. After all, this special task force will not beplete without her." Suddenly I sniffed, and my eyes watered. Since I was young, I had always been alone due to my loner personality. However, as I spent time with Gu Chen and Guan Zhenglin, I had experienced something that I had never experienced before. If one day, the special task force was dissolved, what would happen to the three of us?


    I looked up at the grey sky and said nothing.


    Two hours passed, the people couldn''t find anything about Guan Zhenglin or the killer. It was like they had disappeared from the mountain, leaving no trace behind. We watched the time tick by and we couldn''t do anything.


    At that moment, I received a call from Xiao Liu. I answered it immediately. Xiao Liu spoke very quickly, but I heard him clearly. "Wu Meng, I''ve done everything you asked me to do. I''ve assigned half the people to seal up the streets between Dong Xing City and Xing Dong Vige. We''ve set up roadblocks. Information about Guan Zhenglin and the killer has been shown to all the officers on duty. The other half is heading to Xing Dong Vige."


    "Xiao Liu, thank you so much," I said hurriedly.


    Xiao Liu replied, "Wu Meng, I know that I must look like a snobbish person in your eyes, but I admit to that. That is my problem, and I never thought to exin myself. This is my choice. But even so, I will not take a person''s life lightly. In my heart, nothing is more important than human life." I didn''t say anything. Xiao Liu continued, "I have worked with Guan Zhenglin for almost a year already. Don''t worry. We will save her, no matter what."


    I answered, "I understand. When Gu Chen was captured by Wu Zui, you were the first to volunteer to save him. We might not see things simrly on certain things, but I always remember that. This is why I''ve promised to let you arrest the killer even if I find him first."


    Xiao Liu was silent before he said, "We can talk about thatter. In the past one hour, I''ve asked Wu Jianguo about Moulin Rouge. He didn''t hide anything and told me everything that happened between him and his family."


    I asked, "Did you get anything useful?"


    Xiao Liu said, "I did. Moulin Rouge was started by Wu Jianguo''s father, and after his father died, the workshop closed down. But the workshop closed not because ofck of business, but a woman had died at the workshop."


    "A woman has died?" I asked, "Who is it?"


    Xiao Liu answered, "Wu Jianguo''s little sister."


    "Wu Jianguo''s little sister?"


    My heart squeezed. Instantly, a picture appeared in my mind. It was the picture I saw at Wu Xiufen''s home. Wu Xiufen was more than 60 already, and the picture was taken 30 years ago. Based on timing, Wu Xiufen at that time should be 30 plus. But the woman in the picture looked young and innocent. She looked more like a girl approaching her 20s and not a woman in her 30s. However, this picture was ced at Wu Xiufen''s bedside, so it must mean a lot to her. Then I was reminded of something. If Wu Xiufen really loved her husband that much, why wasn''t Zhang Qiang''s picture at her bedside but this girl''s?


    We believed that the picture was of Wu Xiufen because the girl in the picture looked like Wu Xiufen. So this meant that she might be blood-rted to Wu Xiufen. And I finally understood why Wu Xiufen would burn half white paper money and half ck. Because two people had died. Could the person who had an unnatural death be the girl who died at Moulin Rouge Workshop?


    The clues lined up in my mind.


    "Does Wu Xiufen have a little sister?" I asked.


    "Yes, a girl called Wu Xiufang."

 Chapter 219: Family Inheritance

    Chapter 219: Family Inheritance


    Wu Xiufen did have a younger sister called Wu Xiufang, so the picture by her bedside had to be Wu Xiufang. Wu Xiufen and Wu Xiufang came from Wang Hu Vige, which had the culture of burning ck paper money for people who died from unnatural death. So the ck paper money was for Wu Xiufang.


    The vigers saw a female ghost''s head crying against the tombstone, so who was this female ghost?


    Xiao Liu continued on the phone. "The Wu Family has three children, Wu Jianguo, Wu Xiufen, and Wu Xiufang. All 3 of them spent their childhood at the workshop, so they grew up to inherit their father''s job. The boy helped with the baking and the girls with the coloring."


    I asked. "And then what happened?"


    Xiao Liu answered, "And then they got married. Even after marriage, the family continued to work at the workshop. Back then, the workshop was still turning a profit. However, Ol'' Wu''s body was getting weaker by the days. He had to hand the workshop over to the next generation. Back then, the culture was to favor the boys over the girls."


    I frowned and pulled on my hair. "You''re not telling me that is the reason why Wu Xiufang had killed herself?"


    Xiao Liu answered, "It was. Based on what Wu Jianguo said when his father was bedridden, he called all three of his children to his bedside to tell them about Moulin Rouge. The workshop was going to be inherited by the son. Such was the culture at the time."


    "I understand." This was several decades ago. People still favored males over females, and it was verymon for sons to take up the father''s business. Girls were married out from the family instead. Thankfully that thought had changed today.


    Xiao Liu sighed. "The old man handed the workshop to his son when he was still alive and gave each of his daughters several thousand each. This was 40 years ago. Several thousand was a lot of money already. Even though the son had gotten the best share, the old man had already done his best by his daughters."


    "But his daughtermitted suicide due to the unfair inheritance?" To be honest, this was far moremon in real life than one would realize.


    "Amon story, or at least that is what Wu Jianguo told me." Xiao Liu continued, "At the time, Wu Xiufen epted the arrangement, but Wu Xiufang quit. She said she was given too little money. She demanded that her father sell the workshop and then share the earnings equally among the three."


    This was rather fair. I could agree with Wu Xiufang. "I can''t say she was wrong." I said.


    "Yes." Xiao Liu tutted. "In today''s day and age, perhaps people would agree with Wu Xiufang, but for the people back then, this was an act of great immorality andck of filialness." Xiao Liu paused. "Thus, the tension persisted. The family had no mood to work because of this issue. Eventually, the workers left due to ack of management. The workshop was Ol'' Wu''s whole life, and he didn''t have the heart to sell it. He offered Wu Xiufang 10000 RMB. That was a lot of money back then, but Wu Xiufang still refused. Finally, one day," Xiao Liu sounded sad, "Wu Xiufang started to threaten tomit suicide for the inheritance. She got into a huge argument with her brother and sister. A good workshop copsed, and the three biological siblings became strangers. When Wu Xiufang threatened to kill herself, the father suddenly copsed. Wu Jianguo and Wu Xiufen immediately rushed to save their father. They used everything they could, but they couldn''t save their father. ording to rumors, the old father was ring at his three children when he died." Xiao Liu said slowly. "They both knew that their father died from pure anger. When they walked out, they discovered Wu Xiufang also had died from hanging herself."


    I asked, "Just like that?"


    Xiao Liu said, "Yes. When Wu Xiufang threatened tomit suicide, her brother and sister were trying to save their father. Wu Xiufang didn''t really want to die. She was just scaring her father. But she slipped and hanged herself." Xiao Liu sighed. "The noose pressed against her air pipe, and she couldn''t make any sound. Furthermore, Wu Jianguo and Wu Xiufen were focused on their father. No one knew Wu Xiufang was dying. Just like that, two people died and there was nothing else to fight for. In the end, Wu Jianguo inherited the workshop, and Wu Xiufen took the 30000 and moved away. From then on, the two hadn''t seen each other again. Wu Xiufen left behind her husband and children and left. No one knew where she had disappeared to."


    I sighed. I had no idea Moulin Rouge Workshop had such a sad story behind it.


    "After Wu Xiufang died, Wu Xiufen and Wu Jianguo found out Wu Xiufang and her husband had a child already, but the child was born deformed, so she didn''t tell anyone about it. Even Wu Xiufang''s biological brother and sister didn''t know Wu Xiufang had a son. When Wu Xiufang died, the son was already five."


    "A deformed son?" I asked, "There are many forms of deformity. What form is he?"


    Xiao Liu answered, "Wu Jianguo said he only saw the son once from afar during Wu Xiufang''s burial. He didn''t see too clearly, and he hadn''t seen the son again. Wu Jianguo and his sister regretted itter because when they were going through Wu Xiufang''s effect, they realized she needed so much money to cure her son''s deformity." Xiao Liu sighed with regret. "Wu Xiufang was stubborn since she was young. She would never show her weakness to others. Because of that personality, Wu Xiufang didn''t allow her 5-year-old son to leave home and to tell her family the truth, or else I believe her father and siblings would have given her the money."


    I didn''t know how to feel after hearing that story, but something just didn''t sit right with me.


    "Their mother died young, and now their father and little sister died." Xiao Liu resumed, "Neither of the siblings had the intention of running the workshop anymore. The family story also spread around Wang Hu Vige. The two of them moved away and never saw each other again. But Wu Jianguo said he wanted to meet his sister. He wishes to talk to her." Xiao Liu uttered softly, "Wu Jianguo is ailing. He just wants to see his family onest time before he passes away."


    I revealed, "I''m afraid he won''t have that opportunity anymore. Just a few hours ago, Wu Xiufen was killed."


    "Wu Xiufen is dead?" Xiao Liu gasped.


    I said, "Yes. By the way, have you asked Wu Jianguo about the 12 bowls? You found out about the 12 Chinese Zodiac signs from Wu Xiufen and thus confirmed the killer''s next target was Wu Jianguo''s family because their signs correspond to chicken, dog, and pig."


    Xiao Liu was silent. "You found that out as well? That was indeed the basis of my spection. I did ask Wu Jianguo about that. He said that the set of bowls was actually a present from Wu Xiufen to Wu Xiufang. Wu Xiufen had no idea that Wu Xiufang already had a son, so she made the set of zodiac bowls for Wu Xiufang''s future children. I hear that Wu Xiufang cherished the set of bowls a lot." Xiao Liu concluded, "But after Wu Xiufang''s death, her husband didn''t take anything and left with their son. The workshop closed, so the 12 bowls and the other bowls were all given away. It is hard to tell who had taken the bowls."


    A thought appeared in my mind. Perhaps the killer wasn''t killing ording to the bowls, but he was going after people who had the bowls. Sister Mary said that someone was purchasing these bowls online, but she couldn''t pinpoint the buyer''s information. The killer was very good withputers so the killer could be the buyer! The victims were people who once sold the bowls to the killer, and that was how they were connected.


    A deformed son, a set of 12 bowls favored by his mother, everything wasing into ce.


    I said, "Xiao Liu, did you know that Wu Xiufen was married to Xing Dong Vige? The man she married was not long for this earth. Perhaps she married him not because she loved him but because she needed a new identity."


    Xiao Liu gasped, "You have a point! Wu Xiufen''s husband and children suspected Wu Xiufen was already dead."


    "Look into Wu Xiufen''s husband and son!" I said, "Wu Xiufen had lied to both of us, and the story you heard was from Wu Jianguo alone. It needs verification. Also, we need to find Wu Xiufang''s husband and son"


    At that moment, another call came on my phone. It was Mary. I said goodbye to Xiao Liu and switched to answer Mary''s call.


    "The 4th story has been uploaded."

 Chapter 220: Fourth Story

    Chapter 220: Fourth Story


    A few hours after Guan Zhenglin was captured, the killer released the 4th story online. "Wu Meng, even though I have no idea what happened at Xing Dong Vige but the killer has made a request through the story. He wants us to return the bowls or else he will kill the hostage, and the hostage is a female coroner called Guan Zhenglin Guan Zhenglin, is she"


    Hearing that, I couldn''t control my emotions anymore. My nose soured, and I started tough. When she heard me, Mary asked, "Wu Meng, Guan Zhenglin is captured. You''re not for her, and you''reughing?"


    I answered, "Since the killer has made a request, then he won''t kill Guan Zhenglin before he gets the bowl. In other words, we don''t need to worry about her safety until then. This means that we have more time."


    Mary sighed helplessly. "Okay then, I''ll send you the story, and you arrange what to do next. By the way, Xiao Liu has mobilized most of the people. Have you contacted him?"


    "I have. Xiao Liu is investigating Guan Zhenglin''s kidnapping. By the way, Sister Mary, I need you to help me look more into the bowls. I believe the killer has left behind the info rted to the bowls. Also, have the local stations look into the previous murders and see if the victims have lost any bowls."


    "Understood." Mary hung up. Soon Mary sent the 4th story to my phone. Gu Chen and I read the story together. It was written from the 1st person perspective.


    Night has fallen, everyone has fallen asleep, but a kind of people wakes up in this darkness. He has been unearthed like the returning dead. He carries the scent of death with him. The selected one will face the threat of death.


    The selected one this time is a young coroner. I wanted to be a coroner when I was small, but I didn''t want to help return justice to the dead. Instead, I wanted to cut the dead into pieces and hollow out their internal organs.


    They will be like beautiful art, just like this young coroner.


    I know this young coroner has done many autopsies, and she is very familiar with human anatomy. I wonder if someone can perform an autopsy on themselves. Think about it. When a person holds a scalpel to cut through themselves, it will be a beautiful moment.


    I am impressed with myself foring up with this fabulous idea. Therefore, I tied her to a bed. I had her lean on the headboard, holding a scalpel in her hand. In the next few hours, you will receive my orders. If you can''tplete them on time, then this little coroner will perform an autopsy on herself. It depends on you whether she can be saved or not. Whether she can return in one piece depends on how fast you are.


    Actually, I don''t want to do this, but my little sister is crying for those bowls. I know the bowls were shattered when they were in the sewer. This is all your fault. If not for you, he wouldn''t have let the bowls slip and lost them afterward.


    So the first thing I need you to do is to glue the bowls back for me, and my little sister can''t notice any problem with them. And you have 2 hours to do that.


    It is now 1 am. I wille to check on your progress at 3 am.


    Lastly, I''ll let you see your cute coroner, see how cute she is. Then, have a good night. Love you.


    The story ended then. Gu Chen and I frowned as we read the story. At the end of the story, there was a picture. A woman was in the picture. The woman was naked and tied to a bed. The bed was the kind that could be raised, the kind from the hospital.


    The woman was none other than Guan Zhenglin. The picture was taken from the side. We could see two scalpels tied to Guan Zhenglin''s hands. Her legs were raised to her hand level. Her hands and legs were parallel. In other words, when Guan Zhenglin''s hands moved, she would slice open her own legs.


    The killer said that he would make Guan Zhenglin cut open herself if we couldn''t piece back the bowls. The angle of the bed could be adjusted, so it was totally possible for the killer to keep his promise.


    I tapped on my chin to help myself calm down. Even though Guan Zhenglin was naked, my mind was on how to save her. The killer was truly psychopathic toe up with the idea of having Guan Zhenglin perform an autopsy on herself. Through the picture, we could see Guan Zhenglin''s profile. It was enough for me to sense her sadness and fear. It was like she had seen the scariest thing in the world. It was a real fear, and I had not seen that expression on Guan Zhenglin before. I knew that Guan Zhenglin was at the edge of a mental breakdown. If we wasted too much time, she would crumble under pressure.


    If the killer didn''t capture Guan Zhenglin, then we could take things slow with the killer, but we were given a time limit. One that was just enough for us to focus on the task he had given us so we wouldn''t have to focus on him. The killer had the upper hand. Toe up with such an arrangement, the killer must have a very high IQ. The killer must have studied psychology.


    Since Mary didn''t tell me anything about the bowls, then I knew that she must have arranged for people to do that already. The killer only gave us two hours, and we needed to use these two hours to do something else.


    Time ticked by, and trapped at Xing Dong Vige, I couldn''t do anything but wait for results from Xiao Liu and Mary.


    Gu Chen looked at me, "What should we do here?"


    I looked at Gu Chen and then at the shlights up the mountain. I asked, "Don''t you think there''s something wrong with the story?"


    "Something wrong?" Gu Chen scratched his head and said, "I did notice something weird, but I don''t know if it''s wrong or not."


    "Tell me." I turned to him.


    Gu Chen nodded. "The killer wrote this killer using his own perspective, so the killer has exposed himself. We can know more about the killer from the story. For example, the killer sounds old but based on known witness testimonies, the killer should be around 20."


    I nodded.


    Gu Chen continued, "So if this is the case, then I specte that the person who wrote the story is the older persona of the killer. Plus, this person seems to be familiar with human anatomy. Do you think is it possible for us to lure out the killer''s other persona and for them to release Guan Zhenglin?"


    I nodded. Gu Chen''s words brought me hope. That was possible. For example, the crying little girl persona, if we could make her the dominant persona, I doubt the little girl would hurt Guan Zhenglin. I tapped Gu Chen on his shoulder. "That''s brilliant."


    Gu Chen shook his head. "But that is based on the premise that the killer is alone and has a dissociative personality disorder. But until now, I still can''t tell whether the killer is singr or plural. I agreed with you initially that the killer might be alone but now" Gu Chen looked at me seriously. "When you were on the phone with Xiao Liu earlier, I heard everything. Wu Xiufen and Wu Xiufang''s husbands and children are still alive. It is possible that they have worked together to kill all these people. Their ages, genders, and the other properties match, but if that''s the case, I can''t imagine why they have decided to work together."


    I shook my head. "The killer is singr. If there are multiple killers, they won''t threaten us like this. If there are multiple killers, they don''t need to do so much.


    "Plus, did you notice that this story is unusually short? I believe the killer wrote it in a hurry." I continued, "The story doesn''t even have the same literary merit as the other stories. He has openly dealt with the police. The killer must still be nearby, or else he would have used more time toe up with his story."


    Gu Chen nodded. "It has only been two hours since Guan Zhenglin was captured, and the killer won''t have enough time to reach Dong Xing City."


    I frowned. "Perhaps the killer is still at Xing Dong Vige."

 Chapter 221: Activity Center

    Chapter 221: Activity Center


    I looked at Gu Chen and said, "If the killer is in the mountains, he won''t have a signal and inte on his phone. So he is definitely not there. The killer wouldn''t be on the way to Dong Xing City either because the police areing to Xing Dong Vige. If they run into a singr car parked by the side of the road, it''ll be very suspicious."


    Gu Chen nodded, and I continued, "In terms of time, the killer wouldn''t have gotten to the city or another vige, so the killer must be still around, perhaps in this vige." Then, both of us were silent. A chill wind blew, and we shivered. If my hypothesis was correct, then it was scary. In the dark night, while everyone was searching for the killer, the killer was hiding among us. Perhaps he was hiding somewhere,ughing at us.


    I took out my phone to study Guan Zhenglin''s picture again. The background was dark, but it was spacious. At Xing Dong Vige, there wouldn''t be that manyrge and empty spaces. The background wall was unpainted cement. This ce had to be unique at Xing Dong Vige. Even the mostmon family would paint their wall white and not let it look unfinished. I turned to the vige head. The vige head had been waiting for hours already. When he saw me call him, he immediately rushed over.


    I took out the phone to ask the vige head. "Sir, can you tell where this ce is from the background? It might be at Xing Dong Vige or somewhere near."


    The vige head took my phone. When he saw Guan Zhenglin, he was shocked, and then his cheeks flushed. But at a time like this, he abandoned culture and focused on the back wall. He looked for a long time and then said, "I don''t know, but it looks like the activity center. When Wu Xiufen moved here, she wanted to build one for the vige. She had started the project, but for some reason, she abandoned it halfway."


    I frowned. "Where is the activity center? Is it thisrge?"


    The vige head shook his head and sighed, "For us, this activity center doesn''t really matter. It''s good if someone is going to build it. It''s nothing to lose either if we don''t have one. So the activity center technically only has one wall, and the other walls are not even built." The vige head looked at the phone and said, "But look, this ce looksplete, and the bed looks like a professional hospital bed. But this background does look like the activity center. But our activity center only has one wall, but this ce in the picture looks indoors. But then the lights are dark, and I''m getting old. My eyesight is not that good anymore, so I might be wrong."


    When the vige head said that, I only realized the details. The lightning in the picture was very poor. There were corners that were not even lit up. This suggested that the lights at this ce were weak, and the ce was very huge. The bed was only the tip of the iceberg. So, where could this ce be? How could one find such arge ce at Xing Dong Vige without being discovered by the other vigers?


    I shook my head and asked the vige head about this activity center. "Sir, when Wu Xiufen wanted to build this activity center, had she prepared all the materials? The building materials, I mean."


    The vige head nodded. "Actually this was not that long ago, about five to six years. At the time, Wu Xiufen wanted to build this activity center for some unknown reason. She hoped that I would approve a piece ofnd for us to use. This was a good thing, so I agreed. This was to help improve the vigers'' life, so there was no reason for me to reject it, right?"


    "That''s right," I said.


    The vige head looked at me and continued, "So I quickly found a piece ofnd for Wu Xiufen. After all the procedures were done, Wu Xiufen suddenly gave up. She wanted a different piece ofnd, and I didn''t know why. The new piece ofnd she wanted was so isted, and normally, the vigers wouldn''t go there."


    I frowned.


    The vige head said, "I tried to persuade her, but I got nowhere. Since she was the one paying for it, I had to yield. So I gave her the other piece ofnd. Wu Xiufen started to build, but for some reason, she got into fights with the builders. She chased them all away, and Wu Xiufen also stopped working." With a sigh, he continued, "At first, I thought this would blow over, and the work would resume, but then I realized Wu Xiufen was serious. Thankfully, the center was built at a rather isted location. Since the project was abandoned, I had to get people to take down the built walls."


    I hugged myself and said, "Building an activity center requires a lot of bricks and cement. Even if the builders left, I am sure the vigers could build the center themselves."


    The vige head shook his head. "Well, Wu Xiufen sold those bricks and cement. They were transported away by cars."


    At this point, something clicked in my head. "When that happened, did anyone see where the cement and bricks had been brought to?"


    The vige head shook his head. "I don''t think so. Who would be so free to observe these things? In any case, they worked for a whole week, and the activity center ended like that."


    I pulled my hair. It sounded like Wu Xiufen didn''t really want to build an activity center in the first ce. This was just a front for her to bring red bricks, cement, and even a hospital bed to Xing Dong Vige. The vigers heard that Wu Xiufen had sold the bricks and cement, but they couldn''t be sure if she had used them to build this ce which was used to trap Guan Zhenglin. That was not impossible.


    This meant that we had to go visit the old activity center''s construction site, we might find something.


    I looked at my watch. The discussion had taken forty minutes. There were only eighty minutes left. At 3 am, the killer needed to see the fixed bowls. I wondered if Sister Mary and her team would aplish that or if they needed more time.


    I told Gu Chen. "Come, standing here is not going to solve anything. Vige head, can you bring us to the activity centre?"


    The vige head nodded. "We''ll take the car. It''ll only take ten minutes."


    With the vige head leading the way, Gu Chen drove to our destination.


    On the way there, Xiao Liu''s call came. Before I said anything, Xiao Liu began, "Wu Meng, I''ve found Wu Xiufen''s family, her husband, and son. When I told them the situation, they were shocked. They thought Wu Xiufen had died a long time ago."


    I asked. "Did you find anything out? Why did Wu Xiufen abandon her family to run to a vige where no one knew her and marry another man?"


    Xiao Liu said, "Ever since Wu Xiufen left, her family hasn''t seen her anymore. They didn''t know she got remarried. But they said Wu Xiufen had started to act strangely after Wu Xiufang''s death."


    "Acting strangely?"


    Xiao Liu exined, "Yes, Wu Xiufang hanged herself at the workshop before Wu Xiufen and Wu Jianguo. They believe she was traumatized. Wu Xiufen would wake up screaming in the middle of the night. They were nightmares. She had said more than once that she couldn''t stay there anymore."


    "Nightmares?" I asked, "What kind of nightmare?"


    Xiao Liu answered, "Even her family doesn''t know. But the nightmare was consistent until Wu Xiufen was acting weirdly in the day. She couldn''t live a normal life. On the day of the burial, when she came back from the gravesite, Wu Xiufen wasn''t there mentally. It was like she had lost her soul. That night, Wu Xiufen disappeared and was never seen again. When she left, Wu Xiufen took the 30000 which should go to Wu Xiufang."


    When I heard that, an image appeared in my mind. Perhaps, Wu Xiufang''s death back then was not that simple. If her sister had only died from suicide, Wu Xiufen wouldn''t be so afraid, and she wouldn''t have to burn ck paper money for the past 30 years. So what secret was behind this?


    "What about Wu Xiufang''s family?" I asked.


    "Still no news." Xiao Liu said, "Wu Xiufang''s husband and child didn''t even attend her funeral. Everything was handled by Wu Xiufen and Wu Jianguo, so it won''t be easy to find them." Xiao Liu added, "But I will keep on looking. If I find out anything, I''ll inform you first."

 Chapter 222: Connection

    Chapter 222: Connection


    After hanging up, we arrived at the activity center Wu Xiufen abandoned. We stopped and got down from the car. Cast in the headlight, a wall appeared before us. Grass grew around the wall, and the tallest was more than 1 meter tall. This proved that no one had been here for a long time already. The vige head looked at the singr wall and said, "This is it. But I don''t get why you''re here. The killer wouldn''t have hidden the girl here."


    The mall was 1.5 meters tall and more than 10 meters wide. Red bricks were exposed at certain ces. I gripped the edge and climbed to the top. I stood on the wall and looked around. The activity center was on the northwest side of the vige, and if one went up the back of this ce, one would reach the mountain.


    So as I stood there looking up the mountain, I could see the shlight cutting through the trees, I looked at the ground and could see a road paved with red bricks. The road was about 2 meters wide as it meandered down the distance.


    I jumped down from the wall and followed the red brick road. The grass grew from under the bricks, covering the tracks at somece. If not for the headlight, I wouldn''t have found this road. The road led all the way to the foot of the mountain, and then it just disappeared.


    Gu Chen waved the shlight around. The ray of light danced about. Gu Chen studied the disappearing red brick and said, "This is the first time I''ve seen people use the material to build the road first and not the wall. Also, based on the size of the original activity center, wouldn''t this road be inside the activity center should it bepletely built?"


    Hearing that, I closed my eyes. In my brain, the different clues started to piece together. The threads became clearer in my mind, but it was not fast enough.


    "The activity center is fake." I looked at Gu Chen and the vige head, "Wu Xiufen never wanted to build an activity center. Wu Xiufen created those troubles during the construction so that it would be halted."


    The vige head scratched his head. "But if Wu Xiufen never wanted to build the activity center, then go through so much? She paid all the builders their sry. Don''t tell me it was because she had too much money. Furthermore, she even hired some of the vigers to help out. She paid them 50 RMB a day. Then it was lowered to 20 RMB per day. But after the construction halted, she stopped paying."


    I shook my head. "Xing Dong Vige is only so big. If one wants to build something, it''ll be noticed by the other vigers. This reminds me of a story."


    "What story?" The two asked at the same time.


    I began, "There was an old man who liked peace, but there was always a group of kids making noise in front of his house. So on the first day, the old man gave the children 10 candies each, and he told them that he liked children. He told them that if theye back tomorrow, they would get more candies."


    The two looked at me in confusion, not understanding how my story was rted to a brick road. I cleared my throat. "On the first day, the children were very happy, so they returned to the old man''s house to y the next day. The old man followed his words and gave the children candies, but he only gave them 5 each. The children were not that happy, but they still took the candies. I believe you know how the story will go next." I continued, "On the 3rd day, the old man only gave the children one candy each. Therefore the children got angry. They threatened that they wouldn''te back to y with the old man again."


    The vige head nodded. "That does sound like what Wu Xiufen did with the vigers and the builders."


    I snapped my fingers. "The old man wanted peace, but he didn''t tell that to the kids at first. Instead, he told them the opposite. Because the old man understood the importance of reverse psychology." I pulled at the weed. "The old man and Wu Xiufen understood reverse psychology well. Human nature is rebellious, the more you don''t want people to do something, the more they would do it. So sometimes you need to pretend to hate something, and there is a greater chance that people would do things your way."


    The vige head nodded. "Yes, after Wu Xiufen stopped paying the vigers to help, the vigers stoppeding. She was left all alone. Not long after that, the builders rebelled. At the time, many vigers said this was karma for Wu Xiufen for being so selfish." The vige head soon chuckled. It was a helpless chuckle. "At the time, I was confused. Wu Xiufen wanted to build the activity center to help the vige, so why should she be mocked for it? But now that I think about it, Wu Xiufen was too clever." I shook my head. This happened much too often in real life. A famous artist donated to help fix the roads of his homework, but the peopleined that the road was not that good. Sometimes, it was easier to be a bad person than a good person. In Buddhism, you need to do good your whole life to reach nirvana, but for bad people, you only need to stop sinning. So being a good person is truly the hard mode of life. Wu Xiufen must have studied psychology before, or else she wouldn''t have known how to do this.


    I said, "As I imed before, it is impossible to do construction at this ce without attracting the attention of the other vigers, so why not be open about it? After having the vigers and builders turn on her, Wu Xiufen would be left alone, and she could do anything she wanted."


    "But it''s still the same question." Gu Chen asked, "What was Wu Xiufen up to?"


    I said, "To build a ce where the killer could hide. The killer is 20 plus, so 6 years ago, he would be 15 or 16. It was hising of age period. Perhaps it was since then that the killer started to scout out his targets." At that moment, my phone rang, it was Mary.


    "Wu Meng, we have some clues," Mary said directly.


    I cheered internally. "What clues?"


    "I''ve found the IP that released the stories." Mary exined, "The killer had encrypted his IP before he released the story. But I have been working on decrypting his real IP since he released his first story. Just earlier, I have found the real IP address! And you are very familiar with it!"


    Before she revealed it, I said, "It''s Xing Dong Vige, isn''t it?"


    Mary gasped, "You already knew?" I nced at my watch. There were only about ten minutes left until the killer contacted us for the second time.


    "Indeed. I understood many things since I arrived at Xing Dong Vige." I said hurriedly, "Now is the time to close the. Have you pieced together the bowls? The killer requests that the bowls mustn''t need to have any cracks. They must appear unbroken."


    "No problem," Mary confirmed. "The station has hired the city''s best china recovery expert. He normally works with antiques. Fixing these bowls will be easy for him. Don''t worry." Mary continued, "Even though you know the IP address is at Xing Dong Vige, can you guess who it is registered to?"


    I was silent and then said, "Let me guess, Wu Xiufen?"


    "You knew that as well?"


    I asked to confirm, "It''s really Wu Xiufen?"


    "Indeed," Mary said.


    Gu Chen said beside me. "How did you manage to guess that? But why Wu Xiufen? What is Wu Xiufen''s connection to this killer? Why would she help him do so many things?"


    I exined, "Do you still remember the USB cable? I believe it was used by the killer to get onto the inte. The killer normally lives at Xing Dong Vige. After he released the story, he would travel from Xing Dong Vige to Dong Xing City to kill people. After he was done with the murders, he would return to Xing Dong Vige to prepare for the next story and murder. But!" I quickly added, "The killer mustn''t show himself around Xing Dong Vige because people would notice the outsider immediately. So there has to be someone who can provide the killer with food and water. Wu Xiufen never visited others and never allowed others to visit her. Why?"


    "Why?" Gu Chen and the vige head asked.


    I answered, "Because Wu Xiufen was covering for the killer. She couldn''t let others see the killer. We all know the killer is good at psychology, so I believe it was the killer who taught Wu Xiufen reverse psychology. The killer knew he couldn''t stay with Wu Xiufen. It would be too dangerous, so he needed to build a ce no one knew at Xing Dong Vige."


    The vige head shook his head. "But to my knowledge, there is no such ce at Xing Dong Vige." The words Zhao Mingkun once said echoed in my mind. Everything wasing together.

 Chapter 223: Coincidence

    Chapter 223: Coincidence


    Certain people belong to the darkness. As people who walk in the light, we would naturally ignore the things underneath us. The living dead, they belong underground. So I was confirmed that the killer was underneath Xing Dong City. He might just be below us.


    "It''s 3 am." Gu Chen said. I looked at my watch. It was indeed 3 am. In other words, the killer was going to contact us through the inte soon. When the second needle passed 12, my phone rang. Mary sent me the killer''s request. We hurried to look.


    Two hours pass by so fast, and it''s time for us to meet again. I believe the police would have fixed the four bowls already. Hmm, or at least I hope you have. If there is a single bowl missing, the girl will slice her left leg down to the bone. If there are two, then two legs; if none, then all her limbs. I have to praise the young coroner for her flexibility. She is limber enough to cut herself. Right, if you have fixed the bowls, then leave them at a location I''ve predetermined at Dong Xing City. But the location, I''ll decide for you. Isn''t that exciting? Anyway, I think it''s exciting. So who shall be our delivery person?


    By the way, my little brother said the coroner is very pretty. He wanted to have sex with her, but our coroner said that she already has a boyfriend and his name is Wu Meng. Wu Meng, what a horrible name. Wu Meng, do you want to y this game? Oh wait, you have no choice because I have the choice here. If you want your girlfriend to live, then you better follow my instruction.


    So Wu Meng, are you ready? It''s now 3 am. I need you to be at Dong Xing City by 5 am. By the way, Wu Meng, I''ve seen you before, so don''t think about using another person to rece you. So, goodbye.


    I frowned, reading the letter left behind by the killer. Driving from Xing Dong Vige to Dong Xing City would take 4 hours, 3 hours if you drove as fast as you could. We couldn''t get to Dong Xing City in 2 hours.


    "The killer only gave us 2 hours." Gu Chen said, "It''s not enough time if we drive, then"


    Gu Chen and I said at the same time, "Helicopter!"


    I immediately called Mary. "Sister Mary, I need you to send a helicopter now to fetch me."


    Mary replied, "After reading the letter, Captain Zhao guessed the killer''s intention instantly. The helicopter is already going over to the vige. You just wait over there. The killer only gave us two hours. Even with the helicopter, the time will be tight. So stay there and don''t move."


    "I know." Then I hung up. After hanging up, I had a very bad feeling. In the short amount of time, the killer had considered so far ahead and fixed the timing just right. It was spring, and the sun would rise around 6.30 am. The killer belonged to the dark, so he would not make his move during the day. In other words, the killer would finish everything before 6.30 am. This also meant that the killer had to get back to Dong Xing City before 6.30 am. It''s now 3 am. Even with the fastest car, the killer would need three hours to get there. Furthermore, the highways and paths were already blocked off, so how did the killer get back to the city?


    If the killer didn''t return to the city, he couldn''t collect the bowls. Plus, the killer wouldn''t carry Guan Zhenglin with him. So he would have to leave her behind. So, in other words, if we could find Guan Zhenglin, we could ignore the killer''s request. But this was built on the premise that the killer was working alone. And only I believed that was the case, and the others believed the killers worked in a group. If the killer was really numerous, then Guan Zhenglin would need to perform an autopsy on herself, but I wouldn''t put my bet on that. So no matter what the killer demanded, I would have to do it.


    The killer would give me the time limit of 2 hours because he ran into us in the forest. The killer had set this perfect timing. It was improbable but not impossible. So who was the killer?


    While we waited for the helicopter to arrive, I told Gu Chen, "Gu Chen, the other officers will join you. You need to focus on investigating the underground of Xing Dong Vige. There''s a spot that is hollow. Guan Zhenglin is probably kept there. If the killers work in a team, then you have to be careful."


    Gu Chen nodded and patted my shoulder. "Even if I die, I will ensure that Guan Zhenglin is alive."


    I spat and said, "Don''t you die on me either. When you dueled with Wu Zui, you survived, so you shouldn''t die now. Bring Guan Zhenglin back safely, and I will treat you to barbequed skewers.


    "Promise?" Gu Chen smiled.


    "Promise," I said.


    At that moment, Xiao Liu called me. "Xiao Liu?" I exined quickly, "The killer has just given me instructions, and I need to follow them, or else Guan Zhenglin will be in danger. Tell me what you have quickly. The helicopter ising to get me soon."


    After hearing that, Xiao Liu quickly borated. "I almost broke my legs running all over the ce, but I did find Wu Xiufang''s husband. But he''s a dead man. After Wu Xiufang''s death, her husband moved away with the son because his son, no, his daughter, I don''t know how to put this. His son is dual-sexed!"


    "I''ve already guessed that," I said.


    Xiao Liu gasped. "You already knew that? I only got this clue after interviewing so many people. This is quite demoralizing. But this is something that you definitely don''t know. Wu Xiufang''s son or daughter is not Wu Xiufang''s son at all!"


    "What do you mean?" I was confused.


    Xiao Liu exined, "I found this entry in Wu Xiufang''s husband''s diary. When Wu Xiufang married him, Wu Xiufang''s parent was very against it because he was a cripple. He had a limp leg."


    "And then?"


    Xiao Liu continued, "But Wu Xiufang loved this man and married him despite her family''s objection. Her sister, Wu Xiufen also married at the same time and even more coincidentally was that the sisters had their babies on the same day. They shared the same ward. Even though the family was against the marriage, Wu Xiufang was still family." After a pause, Xiao Liu added, "The two children were born on the same day. Wu Xiufang''s husband was an outsider and didn''t have much money. It was also why Wu Xiufang''s family didn''t approve of this marriage. To ensure that his child would be treated better, Wu Xiufang''s husband swapped the two children."


    "So Wu Xiufang''s husband had swapped out the two kids?" I asked.


    Xiao Liu confirmed. "That''s right, even though Wu Xiufang''s husband was a cripple, his son was very healthy. However, Wu Xiufen had given birth to a hermaphrodite. Coincidentally enough, Wu Xiufang''s husband had swapped the children, so everyone thought this was Wu Xiufang''s husband''s problem."


    I shook my head. "This is such a joke."


    Xiao Liu concurred. "You''re right, and Wu Xiufang''s husband couldn''t say that he had swapped the kids, so they raised the child as their own. However, perhaps Wu Jianguo had lied to me, or Wu Xiufang''s husband had lied in his diary. Wu Jianguo said that the family hadn''t seen Wu Xiufang''s son, but Wu Xiufang''s husband said that the whole family knew about this. Perhaps it was because this was supposed to be a family secret?" Xiao Liu added, "In any case, they raised the child until he was 5. One day, Wu Xiufang went to the workshop and never came back. Then they said Wu Xiufangmitted suicide. Wu Xiufang''s husband had no reason to stay with the family that disproved of him, so he left."


    I rubbed my eyes and tried to arrange the logic in my mind. So Wu Xiufang might have died for her sister''s son. Wu Xiufang needed the money to cure Wu Xiufen''s son. Wu Jianguo might have known why his sister needed the money, but he refused to help.


    "Did the diary mention the 12 bowls?" I asked.


    Xiao Liu answered, "When Wu Xiufang left home for thest time, the child refused to let her go. Wu Xiufang told her son to wait at home. When he was done painting all the 12 animals on the bowls, she would return to him."


    "And then?" I asked slowly, "Wu Xiufang died at the workshop?"


    "Yes."


    The sound of rotors came from the distance. I told Xiao Liu, "I need to depart now. Call Gu Chen if you have any updates."


    "Okay." He said.


    The helicopter circted in the air and dropped down the ropedder to save time. I patted Gu Chen''s shoulder but said nothing. I climbed on the rope. The copter didn''t stop and flew towards Dong Xing City. My mind repeated the story Xiao Liu told me.


    When you have painted all the 12 animals, I will return.


    The waitsted for 20 years. This wait crossed the line between life and death.

 Chapter 224: Instructions

    Chapter 224: Instructions


    Hanging on the ropedder, the copter flew to Dong Xing City. I climbed up thedder. The rotors almost shattered my eardrums. Now I understood why helicopter pilots wore headphones. I had to scream to be heard.


    An officer handed me a headphone. "If not for Captain Zhao, I don''t think anyone can assign a copter so quickly for you. I don''t know what happened. Where are we going?"


    I looked at the officer and said, "I don''t know our destination yet. Just head towards Dong Xing City for now. I believe when you''re there, the killer will contact us. By the way, did you bring the bowls?"


    The officer nodded and took out a briefcase from the seat. He opened the briefcase and the first thing I saw was white bubble wrap. He reached in and took out the recovered bowls wrapped in bubble wrap. I took one and removed the bubble wrap. I held the bowl and the recovery was perfect. Looking at it, I couldn''t tell that the bowl had been shattered. However, right at the edge, I saw a weak red blinking light.


    I raised the bowl. "What''s this red dot?"


    The officer answered, "Captain Lee told us to install it. Since the killer went through all this trouble to request the bowls back, they must mean a lot to him. So the killer will carry the 4 bowls on him. Once you hand the killer the bowls, he won''t be able to escape."


    I frowned. "The killer is aputer expert. As the best hacker in Dong Xing City, even Sister Mary couldn''t decrypt the killer''s Ip immediately. This showed how impressive he is. Even I can see something''s wrong with this bowl, do you think the killer wouldn''t?"


    The officer looked at me and added with derision. "You''ve overestimated the killers. The killers would only examine the bowls after we get the hostage back. We''d have captured the killers then."


    I was quite angry internally. These bowls meant a lot to the killer. When he found out the police had desecrated them, he might take revenge on Guan Zhenglin. However, it was toote to take the tracer out from the bowls. At that point, I could only pray that the killer wouldn''t notice the red dot.


    I looked at the officer and the officer looked at me. We saw condescension in each other''s eyes. The officer didn''t even know Guan Zhenglin. He couldn''t care less if she died, his job was to capture the killers.


    The helicopter flew me to Dong Xing City. As the skyscrapers emerged down the skyline, I knew I was close. I nced at my watch. It was 4.44 am. There were 20 more minutes to the killer''s next contact. I looked at the briefcase with the bowls and closed my eyes to wait.


    5 am arrived. My phone vibrated. I picked it out and read it. No. 28, City East Street 3rd row, 10 minutes.


    It was a simple sentence.


    I stared at the message for a long time to confirm if there was additional info. Sitting on the copter, I could see the sun rising on the mountain. I understood that if the killer wanted to get the bowl before dawn, he didn''t have much time left.


    I handed the address to the pilot. The pilot keyed it into the GPS and said, "The ce is surrounded by skyscrapers, the copter can''tnd there. We can only put you down to the nearest spot and you''ll need to take the car there. It''ll take at least 10 minutes." The pilotmunicated with the local police and had them prepare a car for me when wended.


    I frowned. The killer had indeed given me 10 minutes. Was this a coincidence or a calcted move by the killer? From the moment the killer had us recover the bowls, we had been led by the killer. Everything was within the killer''s control but at this moment, the killer should still be somewhere underground at Xing Dong Vige. Or my spection was wrong? The killer was not at Xing Dong Vige? There were only 2 possibilities. 1, the killer had some kind of method that could allow him to arrive at Dong Xing City faster than the police. 2, the killer was still at Xing Dong Vige and he had an aplice.


    When I thought about it, the second possibility was more probable.


    If Zhao Mingkun didn''t spot the killer escape at the factory, he wouldn''t have left behind the 4 bowls inside the sewer. Then he would have disappeared already. In other words, if not for Zhao Mingkun, we might not have heard from the killer again.


    In any case, we had to save Guan Zhenglin and capture the killer.


    The copter circled at the nearby park and attracted the attention of the drifters. A police cruiser was already waiting nearby. I grabbed the briefcase with the bowls and undid my safety belt. The copter lowered the ropedder. I slid down thedder and got into the cruiser. It was a senior officer who drove the car. He only nodded when he saw me.


    When we arrived, the officer told me. "Every station has received orders from the headquarters to send in reinforcement to help you. Even though I have no idea what case this is but remember, safety first."


    I looked at him and said, "Thank you."


    The senior officer smiled, "I''ve been in this business for 30 years already, I have never been a part of a big case until now. My daughter said that my job as a cop is quite boring. After all, it''s the detective who handles the big cases right? But if you ask me, life is more important."


    I opened the door. "How old is your daughter?"


    "She just reached 10. My wife had her veryte." He said, "So I love her a lot."


    I got down the car and nodded at the senior officer. He was quite chatty but I was not in the mood to chat. When I arrived, I noticed the ce was dark. It was only a small alley. I looked around and realized no one was there. The killer only told me toe here after I arrived at Dong Xing City. He only gave me 10 minutes so the police wouldn''t have time to set up an ambush here. Therefore, I should be the first person to arrive on scene.


    The gate of 28 was shut. I pushed on it and realized it wasn''t locked so I walked into it. When I walked in, the inside was still equally dark. However, in the middle of the yard was a mountain bike. The bike looked new but the yard was old. It was strange for the bike to be there. However, the killer wouldn''t have ced the bike here after he captured Guan Zhenglin, so he had prepared this beforehand. A startling discovery surfaced in my mind. Everything we did since we arrived at Wu Xiufang''s home until now was nned by the killer. From the moment the killer lost the 4 bowls, he had nned to capture one of us as the hostage. That way he could use us as leverage. However, that knowledge didn''t help me. I still needed to follow the killer''s instructions.


    There was a bag beside the bike. Inside the bag were bubble wrap and air-filled rubber. There was a spherical space between these two protectionyers. There were 4 such spaces. I guessed correctly that they were for the bowls. I took out the bowls and ced the bowls into the spaces. They matched perfectly. I believed even if you drop the bag from the 3rd floor, the bowls would be fine. I zipped up the bag. There were two straps on the back so I could carry it on my back.


    At that moment, I heard a vibration. It was soft but it was clear in the dark. I followed the sound and noticed a small handphone slid between the walls. There was no caller id but I answered the call. "Hello?"


    A man''s voice said, "Wu Meng, get on the bike and ride north along Min Feng Street."


    "Okay," I said.


    "But on one condition."


    "What condition?" I asked.


    "To make sure that you don''t have a tracer on you, you need to shed all of your clothes, every single one."

 Chapter 225: Yama

    Chapter 225: Yama


    When I heard this request, I was not afraid of indecent exposure but of how the killer would feel when he discovered the tracer on the bowls. "Remember, other than the bag and the bowls inside, do not bring anything. Of course, except this phone." The killer ordered, "When you arrive, I will contact you. That''s all." Then the killer hung up. I looked at the phone with a frown. This was an old phone. Other than calling and messaging, it had no other function. I tried to use this phone to call my number, and I realized it couldn''t connect. I understood then this phone couldn''t connect to the outside world.


    In other words, I would lose contact with the outside world. I stood in the yard and looked around. When did the killer arrange this, and how could he get the timing so right? Since this involved Guan Zhenglin''s life, I didn''t hesitate for long.


    I started to strip. Who knew what the killer would do if I kept him waiting for too long. I suddenly was reminded of something. When I was inside the dark tunnel with the cats, my shlight fell to the ground. That was the perfect chance for the killer to kill me, but he didn''t. I didn''t know which persona upied the killer then, but I knew that if I could summon that persona out, I could capture the killer without using any force.


    However, would that really solve the problem? This person had many souls, but once we destroyed the physical body, all the souls would die. However, we couldn''t pinpoint which soul hadmitted the murder and which soul was innocent.


    Despite the thoughts in my mind, my hands hadn''t stopped moving. The weather was cold on the night of early spring, but I had no choice. After I stripped down, I shivered immediately. I worked my limbs, carried the bag, and got on the bike. I cycled along Min Feng Street. The weather was cold. There were not many vehicles on the road, but the street cleaners had gotten out for work already. I hadn''t ridden a bike for a long time already. I soon broke out in a sweat. A cleaner auntie was sweeping the ground not far from me. I had no choice but to keep on cycling. When I passed the auntie, the auntie suddenly stopped. I frowned and turned to look. Then I realized the auntie was actually just 20 years old. Then it hit me. This was the killer.


    "How''s Guan Zhenglin?" I demanded.


    The killer looked around and removed his jacket. He tossed it to me and said, "Cover it up."


    I looked at the disgust on the killer''s face like he was about to vomit. I quickly used the jacket to cover up my crotch. Then I asked, "If you don''t feelfortable, why did you have me strip?"


    "It was not me who made that demand but my big brother." The killer spoke in a fluid Chinesenguage. His voice was soft and gentle, and it sounded like a girl. I looked at her face closely and noticed she was dressed in a female outfit. She was about 1.7 meters tall. After removing the cleaner''s jacket, I saw that she was all dressed in ck, even her shoes were ck. These two properties confirmed for me that this was the killer.


    "Your big brother?" I asked.


    The killer didn''t answer me. "Follow me."


    "What about the bike?" I asked.


    The killer answered, "Toss it under the bridge." Then the killer tossed her own bike under the bridge. "Follow me." The killer repeated.


    From these few interactions, I knew that the persona who dominated the body now was the woman, a misanthropic woman, to be precise. This woman was probably the person I met in the sewer. I wondered if she would be kind enough to let Guan Zhenglin go. I probed, "Miss, have we met in the sewer before?"


    The killer continued to walk ahead as if not worried that I might ambush her from behind. She understood that I wouldn''t do that as long as she still had the hostage. But the strange thing was, if the killer was here, then who was the person who captured Guan Zhenglin at Xing Dong Vige, and if they were the same person, how did they get to Dong Xing City so quickly?


    The woman answered, "We have indeed met but not in the sewers."


    I got it then. I only heard the woman''s voice in the sewers, but we hadn''t really met. So if we had met, it had to be the cat tunnel. This woman was the persona who allowed me to go. However, based on our current interaction, she no longer felt so merciful to me.


    "Then you must be the person who let me go. I encountered you in the cat tunnel, but you didn''t kill." I said.


    "I didn''t kill you, but you''ve ruined my n." The woman said, "I''m not someone who murders the innocent, but if someone made my little sister unhappy, I will kill them."


    A bad feeling rose within me. The killer hadn''t checked the bowls, and I believed Captain Lee''s people would have been following the tracer already. Once they confirmed that I had made contact with the killer, they would make their moves. Therefore I had to confirm Guan Zhenglin''s safety before I handed the bowls over to the killer.


    I said, "Your mother told you that once you finished drawing the 12 Zodiac signs, she would return. But you waited and waited, and she never did. Before you finished painting the 12 Zodiacs, your mother died. Your father knew you were not his biological daughter, so he mistreated you. Your mother was the only one who really cared about you."


    The woman paused in the middle of the bridge and didn''t move. She didn''t turn around either.


    I also stopped. I stood 1 meter behind the woman and continued, "The formation of dissociative personality disorder has to do with childhood experience. No one would give birth to other personas for no reason. The young girl back then couldn''t ept that her mother had died, so she started to turn to avoidance. It was then that the second persona emerged."


    The woman''s shoulders shook, and I knew I had hit on the point. I continued, "The girl couldn''t face the truth, so she could only escape, but no one could help her, so she created a second persona. This persona would carry all of her sadness. He would shoulder the pain of all the other personas. When the little girl fell into a slumber, the other persona could control her body. After the girl''s mother died, the girl''s father led her away. But her father understood that the girl was actually Wu Xiufang''s child. So he treated her badly. He might have beaten her when he was angry. So this new persona was very strong. He has a masochistic tendency but also a sadistic tendency. So he must be the nner behind all the murders."


    The woman turned around with an expressionless face.


    "This persona''s name should be Yama." I said, "One of the personas found out the truth from the father''s diary, but at that moment, the little girl''s persona was awakening. She was the real anchor. Even though she was already 15, her mind was only 5.


    "She couldn''t remember anything. All the girl could remember was that she needed to finish painting all the 12 Zodiac Signs so that her mother coulde home." I looked at the killer but didn''t dare to raise my voice. "But the bowls have already disappeared. The girl was anxious when she couldn''t find the bowls. Therefore you appeared. As an understanding big sister, youforted her and promised her that you''d find the bowls." The woman''s expression finally changed. Her lips moved like she was saying something. I continued, "But the 3 of you are not enough. You need someone clever to set up all the ns. So another persona surfaced. This was a middle-aged man. He is familiar with psychology and is extremely knowledgeable, so he is the nner.


    "But," I shook my head. "A persona''s strength is dependent on his personality, Yama might be the persona created by the little girl, but he sustained all the pain and despair. She created him, and he slowly overwhelmed the little girl''s consciousness. It was not until recently that you couldn''t control him anymore. When you were in the sewers, you could have escaped easily, but you insisted on injuring Zhao Mingkun. This slowed you down, and that was how you lost the precious bowls."


    The woman suddenly chuckled.


    I pressed, "Now that you have all 12 bowls, it''s time to let the little girl out. She is the real owner of this body. You can''t let her slumber any further. I know the English spells that you left behind are to keep Yama asleep!"


    The woman''s expression turned nk. She looked around like a lost little girl. She looked so afraid. I was d, this was the little girl''s persona, and from her, I could get Guan Zhenglin''s location.


    I took one step forward, but at that moment, the murderer''s hand went for my neck.


    He had a wicked grin on his face. His voice was hoarse. "Don''t try to trick the others. I own part of this body, and I couldn''t care about the bowls. As long as the other persona has that wish to kill, I will appear. They can''t ever stop me because everyone has that murderous urge inside them! Everyone has that one moment where they might lose it! Can you really me me for that?"


    I felt like my lungs were closing up.

 Chapter 226: Familiar Face

    Chapter 226: Familiar Face


    I could never imagine that a gentle-looking girl could exude so much strength. At that moment, I also understood that when a persona changed, the same body could utter differentnguages. I looked at the expression on the man''s face. He had a soundless wicked grin. I had no suspicion that he would kill me. I believed that my face had turned white, a visage of fear and panic. Yama said he would appear whenever the other persona had the intention to kill. In other words, when I tried to summon the little girl, the young woman already wanted to kill me.


    I felt the world around me go dark, and my brain buzzed. There was nothing but silence. People say that when you die, you will repeat your life in your mind. However, at that moment, I only felt extremely tired. In my mind, it felt like perhaps slumbering like this might not be so bad because living was too tiring.


    In the blur, I heard a few voices. "You can''t kill him like that, and he is still useful. Have you forgotten how we managed to find the people who own those bowls? The purpose of your existence is to suffer all the external damage for our little sister. You can''t ruin this body." The woman sounded maic and soft. Then I felt the pressure around my neck lighten. However, I was still blurry and weak.


    "These people eventually have to die." This was Yama. Then I had no idea what happened next.


    When I woke up, I felt intense pain in my neck. I touched it with my fingers and realized the skin had been peeled off. Then I realized how powerful Yama was. He almost strangled me to death. When I woke up, the person that entered my gaze was a person who wore a mask. On the ck mask, there was a bloody red grin.


    I sat up to grab this man because this man was none other than Wu Zui. However, as my hands were about to reach Wu Zui, thetter evaded. He seemed averse to having my hands touch him.


    "Don''t worry. The good show is yet to start." Wu Zuiughed as he stood up. He said, "Before the mission ispleted, you can''t die." Then Wu Zui pinched my face. I didn''t even have the energy to struggle. He bent down. The strange mask was only several cm from my face. Through the holes in the mask, I could see his eyes, and in his eyes, I could see my own face. It was lost and fearful.


    Wu Zui leaned close to my ear and said slowly, "Remember, it was me who made you suffer from paranoia; it was me who killed Liu Yinyan at Dong Xing City. And I want you to remember this now, and the game is just starting. The day ising. Then you will understand that from the moment we are born, our fate has been written."


    I looked at Wu Zui. I was angry, but I couldn''t do anything. "Who are you? What do you want? Lai San, Ol'' Zhang, these people on the run have be your underling. One day, I will uncover you and the forces behind you!"


    Wu Zui pressed my head to the ground. I feel indescribable pain. It was not external pain, and it felt like needles had been pierced into my brain.


    "You reap what you sow." Wu Zui''s voice was twisted, "When I was small, I had it more painful than you did. Sometimes, ignorance is bliss. When you expose the lie, everything is too bloody painful. Therefore you better pray that you die before knowing the truth or else" Wu Zui released my head, patted down his clothes, and walked away. "You''d wish that you are dead! Haha."


    Wu Zui slowly disappeared from my sight and walked into the endless darkness. My throat was dry. I wanted to call after Wu Zui, but no voice came out. The footsteps faded away, and I felt like my head was splitting open. I had no idea who Wu Zui was, but I felt like he was targeting me for a reason. Since I had paranoia, I had fallen into Wu Zui''s trap, taking the steps he wanted me to one by one. However, what was this n? What was Wu Zui''s goal? He had conscripted criminals like Lai San and Ol'' Zhang, but what for? Everything was a mystery.


    With urgency in my heart, I shouted, "Wu Zui!"


    The voice was loud, and it echoed. I woke up immediately and stood up. I looked around, and there was no Wu Zui anywhere.


    A voice said slowly, "Haha, were you dreaming?" I shook my head and asked, "Where is this ce?"


    "This is my home." A woman offered. My eyes focused. The person before me was the killer. But the killer''s voice was soft and gentle, like a little girl. I was about to ask this persona some questions when the girl''s innocent expression disappeared. It was reced by an older woman, and I knew this had to be the big sister.


    "I didn''t mean to kill you." The woman stood up and said, "But no one can bully my little sister, or I will kill them."


    I touched my neck and face. I looked around. "Was a man with a mask here earlier?" The killer smiled. "Of course not. Were you dreaming?"


    I looked at the killer. "I have given you the bowls, so why are you keeping me?"


    The killer smiled at me. "We didn''t kill you but chose you to be the deliveryman because we have our reasons. We have looked into your info on the inte. The files show that you are not that strong andck stamina. But you are incredibly clever. However, most importantly, you have a mental illness like us."


    I frowned. Since I was a part of Captain Zhao''s team, my file should be confidential. This killer managed to see my files. That was not possible unless they had an insider. That was what I thought, but I didn''t show it. The killer continued, "So you should be able to empathize with us. I am the most neutral out of all of us. If it were Yama, you would be dead already."


    "Who saved me?" I asked.


    "Me." The killer suddenly switched to another tone. From the minor changes, I noticed that the killer was now male. He looked at me and said gently. "I saved you. If I didn''t show up, Yama would have killed you already." He continued. "Actually we just want to find the bowls, we never wanted to kill, but we cannot control Yama anymore. He appears more and more often. He is someone created to sustain all the pain, but he has taken too much pain and despair that his persona has twisted."


    I frowned. "So you came up with the n to fulfill Yama''s desire so he could slumber forever. Or else if Yama became the main persona, his psychopathy would bring death to all of you, and you didn''t wish to see that. After all, if he dies, all of you will die."


    The man said, "Yes, we share this body, so if Yama ruins this body, it''s not good for anyone. Therefore, the n was thus born. Even though Yama has a murderous tendency, he always has the main persona''s best interest in his heart. Do you know that Yama is actually a Satanist?"


    "So the English messages are Satanist spells?" I asked.


    The man nodded. "Yes, after Yama made his move, I would leave those messages behind. They were used to seal him up. However, Yama knows everyone''s secret and story. After he falls asleep, he will die with the secret of the 12 bowls. Then, our little sister''s persona will disappear and forget everything. Therefore, we hope to fulfill her wish for her before she dies because her persona is disappearing."


    "I suppose." The killer''s voice turned female again. "This is our way to live again, to forget everything and live again."


    I looked at the killer. The killer''s eyes were filled with sadness. This was someone whocked her parents'' love and lived her life in a lie. To hide from the world and to protect herself, she had created one after another persona but in the end, the many personas didn''t change anything. Avoidance couldn''t solve anything.


    Someone said that the human cells would refresh every seven years to be a new person. So was it true for memory as well? Once the memory disappeared, would a new person appear?


    "The bowls are behind you." The woman said, "If you agree, we will start now. We know there are tracers in the bowls." The woman said, "But if we do not start now, we won''t have the chance anymore."

 Chapter 227: What They Want

    Chapter 227: What They Want


    The killer continued, and from the voice, I knew it was the middle-aged man again, "I knew there are tracers in the bowls. I''ve already checked all four bowls when you are unconscious. I can''t remove the tracers because that will definitely break the bowls." I frowned. "But we are currently underground, so the signal won''t get released. The police will need time to find this ce, and that will be enough time for us to escape." The man smiled at me. "But we''re running out of time also. Do you get me?"


    I looked at the killer, and the killer looked at me. In this unknown location, the air around us froze. He looked at me, but I had no idea who it was that was looking at me. I saw hope and sadness in this person''s eyes.


    The surrounding was silent but for a dripping sound.


    "Why would you say that?" I asked.


    The killer exined, "I can sense the other personas in this body and I canmunicate with them. These personas are like normal people, they too will get sick and die. Our little sister has been trapped at her age for too long already, she is almost gone. If not for your partner, we would havepleted our job already." The killer meant Zhao Mingkun.


    "I need to know that the person that you''ve captured is safe." I hadn''t seen Guan Zhenglin.


    The killer looked at me and said, "Before our demand is met, I will not tell you where that woman is. She is our only trump card. After we leave this ce safely, I will tell you her location."


    "There''s one thing that''s bugging me. You''ve nned all these when I arrived at Xing Dong Vige? Wu Xiufen is your biological mother, so she would abide by your every demand." I studied the killer''s face, trying to get info from his expression, "Five years ago, your father, or rather Wu Xiufang''s husband died. You found out the truth from his notebook, it was then that your main persona started to show signs of fading. You are all created by her, so you have to protect her."


    The man exined, "There are four personas living in this body. The main persona is stuck at 5 years old. She couldn''t ept the death of her mother, so she chose to slumber and evade. It was then that the second persona, Yama surfaced. To survive, he would do anything. He was proud yet lowly, courageous yet cowardly. He was behind all the murders." This persona was very slow with his words and was extremely intelligent. "However, the second persona couldn''t satisfy the sense of security the main persona was missing so the third persona, Ze, the main persona''s big sister surfaced. Ze is the main persona''s big sister, protecting her, apanying her.


    "5 years ago," The uncle said, "I appeared. As thest persona, I didn''t know many things that happened earlier. As the third persona, Ze didn''t know many secrets too. Yama knew everything, but he never liked to talk to us.


    "Anyway, I digress." He continued, "When I showed up, I knew that I had to find the 12 bowls so that my little sister could paint with them. I looked at the notebook. The notebook said that the father didn''t leave with the bowls, so the bowls probably had been given away. The first thing to do then was to find my real mother, Wu Xiufen."


    I nodded.


    The uncleughed. "This sounds strange, but ultimately, Wu Xiufen gave me this body, and she was my little sister''s mother. Actually, Yama wanted to kill her when he saw her, but he gave up after witnessing one thing."


    I guessed, "Because of her 30 years of non-stop apology?"


    The uncle snapped his finger. "That''s right. Although I don''t really know why Yama was so mad when he saw Wu Xiufen. After all, she was his birth mother. Then again, I don''t think you''d want Yama toe to exin himself to you. I managed to contact the outside world through Wu Xiufen because, at the time, Yama had already started to lose control."


    "That was when he started to kill?" I asked.


    The uncle nodded. "That''s right. 5 years ago, Yama started to torture and kill people. The people who own the bowls are innocent but when a person has been tortured for decades, their mind would get twisted too."


    I finished his words. "So to prevent him from killing, you live underground and never interact with people?"


    The uncle nodded. "That''s right. We''ve lived underground for 5 years already. I need to find all the bowls but Yama is a problem. He has a particr insistence on the bowls. No one can touch the bowls and not die."


    "Why?" I asked.


    The uncle shook his head. "That''s his secret. I don''t know."


    "But how did you return to Dong Xing City so quickly?" I asked, "Even if you drove, you would take at least 3 and a half hour."


    "5 years ago, Wu Xiufen set up an underground space for us. After we stripped and set up your girlfriend, we set up an auto-camera. When you saw the first picture, we were already hurrying towards Dong Xing City.


    "However, you still moved very fast." The uncle chuckled. "As we drove back to the city, we already stumbled across roadblocks. I didn''t expect that. But the police didn''t once stop me, can you guess why?"


    I looked at the killer. "Your clothes."


    The uncle nodded. "You are very clever, but your cleverness has tripped you up this time. Every time we appear in the case, we are all dressed in ck, so once I change into a different colored outfit, the police won''t imagine we''re the killer. That is the human habit. However, this can only be used once."


    I nodded seriously, "You came up with all these? I knew the killer is familiar with psychology."


    The uncle smiled.


    I continued, "As the sole high intellect persona, without you, the rest of them wouldn''t be able to do much. But you are familiar withputers, psychology, and many things. I believe you are the first to notice the existence of the other personas?"


    The uncle looked at the watch he was wearing. Then he started to ce the bowls on the table beside us. He arranged them ording to the Chinese Zodiac Sign. I studied the bowls. Some of them had blood stains on them. This showed that each bowl had a bloody story behind them. He took out a piece of cloth and a bottle of cleaner. He started to clean the bowls. He moved slowly like he was dealing with important art. He slowly wiped away the blood. "Wu Meng, is there something in your life that you desperately want to get?"


    I looked at him and said, "Yes."


    He smiled. "The main persona has wanted these 12 bowls since she was young but she has to wait 15 years for them. But thankfully, she is always trapped at 5 years old. 15 years might just be 1 year for her.


    "Yama, on the other hand" The killer added, "Has been resisting for the past 15 years. He wishes to live freely in this world and abandon the need to hide but now, because of him, we need to hide even more. Is that not ironic?"


    As the killer wiped down the bowls, he talked to me but also to himself. "Ze, her appearance was to help the main persona walk out from her pain, to help her face the problem. But 15 years have passed, and she fails to do that and now the main persona is dying." The killer put down the final bowl. The bowls gleamed like they just came out from the factory.


    "What about you?" I looked at him. "What do you want?"


    The uncle didn''t answer me. "Soon the main persona will appear. She doesn''t know about your girlfriend so don''t think about asking her about it. Your girlfriend is tied to the bed and the scalpel is not sharp enough to cut through the binding. The bed is specially structured that it would bend at 7 o clock. Then the scalpel will cut into her body." The killer looked at his watch. "It''s now 5.30. There are one and a half-hour left. My little sister is a very good painter even though she has only studied it for a year. Of course, her one year is your 15 years. I''m leaving. I hope you can treat her nicely or Yama might surface."


    Then the killer closed his eyes. When they opened again, the killer looked shy. She twisted her hands together and looked at me carefully.


    A helpless feeling rose within me. In a short amount of time, I hadmunicated with four different people sharing the same face. But it was also quite interesting. At least there would always be someone there for you.


    "Look." I pointed at the 12 bowls.


    "Wow." The girl cheered. "They are all back."

 Chapter 228: What I Want

    Chapter 228: What I Want


    Then tears poured out from the killer''s eyes, and it was not a tear of sadness but a tear of joy. These 12 bowls were rough and the painting of the Zodiac sings wasn''t that nice but for them, eight people had died. And when they died, they didn''t even know why.


    Then something came to me. Why did the killer write the stories? If it was just to tell the other personas, then they could have written it down on a paper. Furthermore, I noticed that the personas couldmunicate with each other. So why this extra step?


    And everything was nned by the uncle persona, but why? Someone as clever as him should know that the police would find the stories, so why did he release them on the inte? If he didn''t write those stories, the killer would have absconded with the bowls already.


    A bad feeling rose within me. I believed there was something behind this case that we didn''t know. I wanted to summon out the uncle persona. I turned to the killer. She had pulled out the paper and pencil to start to draw. He was 1.7 meters tall and 20 years old but he acted like a little girl. He pouted his lips and knelt on the ground with the paper ced before him. He hummed happily as he sketched. Seeing that, I didn''t have the heart to interrupt her. The only sound was the sound of the pencil scratching on the paper. I stood up to observe the killer''s painting. The killer was a very good painter. I knew that if she wanted, she could paint better than the ones on the bowls. However, that was not the killer''s goal. She copied the animals on the bowls stroke by stroke.


    After the killer was done with one animal, she didn''t stand up but continued to slide on the ground to the next bowl. The killer was very serious. Once shepleted the 12 paintings, her mother would return. However, the other personas and I knew that wouldn''t happen. 15 years, she was fixed on the same thing. Thankfully time was frozen for her. However, the other personas had been troubled by this for 15 years. They had apanied the main persona toplete this hopeless ordeal for 15 years, and now it was reaching the end.


    Currently, I only had the jacket from the cleaner to cover myself. I couldn''t even find the phone provided by the killer. Time ticked by. I nced at the killer''s watch. It was already 6 o clock. The killer hadpleted six animals.


    I was anxious. If this continued, she would be done by 7. However, the uncle told me that the bed would fold at 7. Therefore, I had to make sure that the killer finished her painting before 6.30. That way, I still had time to call Gu Chen.


    An image appeared in my mind. In the deep dark underground, Guan Zhenglin was tied to the bed. There was no sound, no, there might be the skittering of rats. The camera had stopped shing. She screamed but no one could hear her. She was buried alive, helpless, and alone. The weather got colder, but Guan Zhenglin was naked. The frost ate at her skin. The machine of her bed started to move as it folded into itself. Guan Zhenglin was folded together like snapped chopsticks. Guan Zhenglin was afraid of the dark, so she must be very scared.


    With that thought, my heart became leaden. It was a veryplicated feeling, and I had only felt it from two people. One was Guan Zhenglin, and the other was Zhao Mingkun, but they were mortal enemies. I didn''t know how to describe it but if I had the choice to trade my life for Guan Zhenglin''s, I would.


    Now I could only pray that Gu Chen had found Guan Zhenglin. To hide from the other vigers, Wu Xiufen offered to build the activity centre. But in reality she had built an underground bunker and this ce had to be at Xing Dong Vige.


    The surrounding was quiet until I heard a weak siren. I looked at the killer, she was still drawing quietly. She didn''t hear the siren. I heard it. After all, I woke up to this sound daily. It was the police siren. However, I had no idea if the police car was just passing or they had found this ce. We were underground, so the signal was blocked off. However, Captain Lee could find thest location where the signal was found. So it might be Captain Lee''s people.


    It was already 6.30 but the killer was still moving slowly. She was very serious as she drew each line. The killer had all the time in the world, but I didn''t.


    Thest bowl, 6.40.


    I was very anxious, but I knew I couldn''t interrupt the killer because if I did, Yama might appear. In that case, not only Guan Zhenglin, but I would also die. But if I didn''t ask the killer for Guan Zhenglin''s location by 7, she would be sliced through by her own knife.


    Currently, I had two choices, ask for Guan Zhenglin''s location from the little girl; wait for the girl to finish and for the uncle to show up.


    If I picked the first choice, there would be two oues. 1, the girl told me the truth; 2, Yama showed up to kill me. If I picked the second choice, there would be two oues too. 1, the girl finished her painting and gave me the address and we managed to save Guan Zhenglin in time; 2, the killer was done painting and told me the address, but Guan Zhenglin was already dead.


    The four oues were all unknown. 50 percent chance of Guan Zhenglin to die. This was a very hard choice. But I was never one to leave fate to God. I needed to find out Guan Zhenglin''s location through the little girl. I needed to reach Gu Chen before 7.


    "Hey, little girl." I began. Perhaps I had startled her because her hand trembled. She suddenly reached for the bowl and mmed it on the ground. It was the chicken bowl with the tracer. Once the bowl touched the ground, the previous cracks split open again.


    Air froze in that moment. I had predicted four oues, and this was not one of them. I said quickly, "I, I didn''t mean to startle you." But when I said that, something was not right. I thought back to what happened. It was not me who caused this tragedy. When I spoke, the killer''s hands did tremble, but they didn''t knock the bowl over. Instead, it was the killer who deliberately picked up the bowl and mmed it to the ground.


    If I had startled the little girl, then she might have identally knocked the bowl over but she didn''t. Instead, the killer had grabbed the bowl and mmed it against the ground. So the killer did that on purpose.


    But why? The other personas existed to help the main persona so why break the bowl at thest moment? And who was this persona? At that moment, I really had no clue. I looked at the back of the killer dumbly. The killer knelt on the ground, and no one said anything. The tracer was blinking. It was not that bright, but it was clear in the dark. In my head, the sound of ss shattering was still ringing.


    Suddenly the killer started to cry, and it was a child crying. It also sounded like a banshee wailing. The sound was wispy like it came from the sky or right beside your ear.


    However, suddenly the crying turned into a wicked cackle. I was shocked. Yama had arrived, but then I listened to the voice and realized it wasn''t Yama. I finally recognized the voice. It was the uncle but why would the uncle beughing? It was a long-suppressedugh, like a childughing after getting the toy that he had yearned for years.


    My heart dropped. I suddenly understood what happened.


    "What I want"

 Chapter 229: Innocent?

    Chapter 229: Innocent?


    The suppressed voice exploded. The cackle appeared hollow in the underground. The killer slowly stood up, but he still faced away from me. His voice was like shredded fabric. "What I want is this body!"


    Then he moved his arm to swipe all the bowls off the table. The bowls shattered crisply against the floor, and the shards flew everywhere. I could feel some of the shards cutting me. The killer then stomped madly against the bowls. The white bowls with the 12 painted Zodiac Signs were ground down into small pieces. It was like he hated these bowls with a passion. I believed I understood his intention, but there were still many questions.


    He screamed madly until my eardrums shook. He vented everything. He shouted until his face was red, and then he finally stopped. His face bulged with veins, and he didn''t look at all like the gentle uncle from earlier. As he caught his breath, he said, "That felt amazing. You definitely haven''t experienced this before. The world is now quiet, and I have control over everything."


    It was now over 7. Guan Zhenglin was in serious danger. I could imagine the knife cutting into her body and her body drenching the bed. Guan Zhenglin''s dead body leaned on the bed. It was a picture of death and helplessness.


    I said, "I don''t care what you want. Tell me the address."


    The uncle shrugged and said, "It was not me who caught your girlfriend. It was Ze. She said guys like us should not see the girl naked. I didn''t mind it, and Yama was asleep." A bad feeling rose in my heart. Sometimes being too clever was not a good thing. The uncle wanted the body. After all, a dumb person might live with another persona forever, but a clever person wouldn''t allow another persona''s existence. I demanded with a shaking voice. "You mean the other personas have disappeared? You''re the only one left?"


    He nodded and sat at the table. "That''s right."


    My heart sank. Something precious was lost from my life. My legs wobbled, and I knelt to the ground. My brain was a mess. I tried to tell myself that perhaps Gu Chen had already saved Guan Zhenglin. However, even I couldn''t believe myself. I didn''t want to say anything or do anything. After all, everything had gone to waste. I knew going into this career death was a constant. We might die at any moment. We could be killed on the job or taken revenge by others. So many people wanted us dead. But when I faced death head-on, I understood death was more than just a simple word. It was a dead person, a wilted soul, and many wounded hearts.


    While I was in despair, the killer chuckled happily. "From the moment I was born, I nned how to vanquish the other personas. Therefore, I started to study psychology, to research how to cure dissociative personality disorder."


    My brain was too muddled to listen to him.


    "I realize that dissociative personality disorder is very hard to cure. Medically, there is no way to make these people disappear. But tell me, when you are not the main persona, does this mean you do not have the right to live? We too have feelings and emotions!" The killer''s words fell heavily into my ears.


    "Every treatment is to bnce out all the personas, to have the personas realize each other''s existence. Then the doctors will eliminate the stronger personas, to make them disappear or slumber permanently." After a pause, the killer continued, "For a persona like Yama, it is not immoral for him to disappear. He has killed, and he deserves to be killed. But what about me? If I seek help voluntarily, the result will not be better than me taking matters into my own hands."


    My tears hit the ground, but my heart was surprisingly calm. Perhaps it was the overwhelming sadness. I just wanted to sleep.


    The killer looked at me and said, "As the first persona to realize we suffer from a dissociative personality disorder, I started to gain contact with the other personas. Do you know? Before my appearance, these people couldn''t even live. They didn''t realize each other''s presence and thought they had a mental illness." After a silence, he added, "But they did suffer from a mental illness. I couldn''t stand it when one moment I was reading peacefully and the next moment I woke up at the nightclub; one moment, I was enjoying dinner, and the next I was punching someone I didn''t even know." The killer pointed at himself. "I admit that I am afraid of death, but which high intelligent person is not afraid of death. At first, I only wanted to make Yama disappear because as long as he was around, I won''t know when myst dinner would be. I don''t want to be killed or spend my life in prison. But I realized, if I can make Yama disappear, why not make the other personas disappear too?"


    I lifted my head to look at the killer. "So you decided to kill them?"


    The killer scoffed. "Kill them? Do you think there is any judge who will agree with you? When you cure yourself of a mental illness, is that murder?"


    I said, "But you''ve killed 8 people. Your other personas have disappeared, and you''re the only one left. Do you think you can escape thew''s judgement?"


    The killer shrugged. "That''s why I started to videotape my daily life 5 years ago. You must know that dissociative personality disorder is impossible to fake because everything about you changes when a different persona takes over. Your tone, your mannerism, your habit, they will all change."


    I frowned. The uncle had nned everything since 5 years ago.


    "So you never wanted to help the main persona to find her missing childhood. You never wanted to help her. From the start, you only wanted to help yourself." I looked at the killer and named my usation. "This is why you spent so much effort to find the 12 bowls. Nothing is more despairing than watching your hope go up in me. I believe the main persona will never appear again."


    The killer nodded. "Their lives are filled with pain. Instead of living with pain, why not let them die in peace? The main persona has been stuck at the same ce for 15 years due to an impossible promise; Yama, the bearer of pain, will eventually walk towards destruction; Even Ze, after 15 years of providingfort, she was tired already."


    I looked at the killer and listened to him. From his words, I heard more and more excuses.


    "No matter how painful their lives were, they didn''t deserve to be wiped out. It was their decision whether to slumber or not, who gave you the right to kill them?" I demanded, "Yama deserved the punishment. He had no bottomline to get the 12 bowls. But what about Ze, what about the little girl? Don''t forget. It was she who created you."


    The killer guffawed. "In court, I will im that it was them who begged me to release them. So what if I did kill them, what can you do? Is there aw in this world that says that a persona within a patient of dissociative personality disorder can''t kill his other personas?"


    I was silent. Of course, there was no suchw.


    "Because she has created me, so I had to make her disappear, do you understand? You are not us. Can you imagine her waiting for her mother to appear after she has finished painting all 12 bowls? When that time arrives, she would understand real despair and sadness." The killer looked at me, and his boobs rose and fell. "I couldn''t bear to see that so I couldn''t let her finish. Having hope is good but having that hope destroyed is more than enough to ruin someone. She is going to die anyway, but I want to spare her the destruction of her mind before she died. You don''t understand anything." The killer became more agitated as tears rolled in his eyes. "Like how you called me a hermaphrodite! We are just different from others. Does that mean we do not deserve to live in this world?"

 Chapter 230: Secrets

    Chapter 230: Secrets


    I was filled with sadness, despair, anger but the underlying emotion was helplessness. As a hermaphrodite, when the killer was born, she was hidden by her mother at home because she was a walking shame. Her father knew the truth, so he didn''t like her. Possibly, his father med himself for switching the babies. If not, he would have a normal child as his son. Only Wu Xiufang, this woman who was not her biological mother, loved her. However, I couldn''t imagine what Wu Xiufang would feel when she found out the child that she had sacrificed everything to save was not even hers.


    And inversely, once Wu Xiufen knew the child that she wouldn''t spare her money to save was her own child, what would she feel?


    The killer''s life was tough. However, that was not a justification for him to kill. I finally understood what Captain Zhao told me. You could never understand certain things until you had experienced them yourself. There were people who had the same fate as the killer in this world. However, they were still trying hard to survive. They never harmed or killed others. They didn''t me others for the unfairness they suffered. If we forgave the killer because of his background, then it would be so unfair to those who had worked hard despite the hardship.


    Before this, I believed that certain people deserve to die, and certain people deserve to be forgiven. However, when Guan Zhenglin was directly involved, I realized that if you showed these criminals a shred of forgiveness, darkness would eventually regrow in people''s hearts. They couldn''t control their sin.


    "I pity you, but I will not let you go," I said.


    The killer nodded and wiped at his tears. "You never understood anything. You know, sometimes I wish I am not that clever. Clever people have to bear a lot of burdens. Do you know Yama has actually recorded what happened back then, but I have never seen it before?"


    "You mean what happened 15 years ago?" I asked.


    The killer gave a long sigh. "You are a clever man, I am a clever man. We should know when to let sleeping dogs lie. I am going to start a new life, so let bygones be bygones. The more you know, the heavier the burden. Buttely, I can''t control myself anymore."


    I frowned. With regards to what happened 15 years ago, Wu Jianguo had his own version, Wu Xiufen had her own version, Wu Xiufang''s husband had his own version, I didn''t know which one was the truth. But now apparently Yama had the truth.


    After a quick silence, the killer said, "Actually, your girlfriend might not be dead."


    My eyes brightened. "What do you mean?"


    He leaned on the table and said slowly, "When you really want to kill a person, would you ce the knife in her hands or directly on her stomach?"


    "Thetter, of course." I had no idea why the killer was asking me that, but I answered anyway.


    He exined, "It was Ze who captured your girlfriend and tied her to the bed. She did everything when she owned the body. Even though I have no idea where she hid your girlfriend, I know that Ze is not a killer. My question is still the same." The killer asked, "If you want to kill, would you ce the knife in the hand?"


    I pulled on my hair and started to think. When the killer met me in the cat''s tunnel, she didn''t kill me but scared me away. Back then, I thought she was crazy, but now I realized she was merely trying to scare me off. Since Ze could let me go, then perhaps she could let Guan Zhenglin go. Ze''s goal was the bowls, and she didn''t want to kill Guan Zhenglin. Now that I had calmed down, I realized there was a high chance that Guan Zhenglin was still alive. If the killer wanted to kill Guan Zhenglin, she could have killed her at the beginning. In any case, I didn''t know Guan Zhenglin''s situation.


    The killer looked at me and continued, "Come on, everything is over now. To start a new life, I need to surrender. I believe the records that I have taken for the past 5 years should be enough to prove that it was Yama who killed those 8 people." He looked at me. "The real killer is gone. He has gone after hepleted his goal. Other than myself, every other persona has their goal, and my goal is to help them move on. The interesting thing is that." The killer continued. "When our physical body is just standing there, outsiders would assume I was spacing out, but in reality, deep inside our mind, we were arguing. When we were bored, the 3 of us could even y monopoly or poker with each other." At this point, the killer''s expression saddened. He uttered. "But those days are no more. I am finally alone. The voices in my head will not appear again, and I will finally have a good night''s sleep."


    I was suddenly very sad even though I just found out Guan Zhenglin might still be alive. Perhaps I was mourning the loss of the three personas. Other than Yama, the other personas were innocent. However, at this stage, what more could I say?


    "There''s one more thing that I still don''t understand." I looked at him and asked, "If Yama did everything, did he write the stories too? Why would he upload them online? Yama doesn''t seem like someone who would be aputer expert, so it was you who encrypted the IP address for him."


    The killer nodded. "I did do that, but I didn''t write the stories."


    I looked at the killer. "You didn''t write the story? But among the four personas, is there someone who is more familiar with psychology than you do? The stories manage to perfectly describe the victims'' perspective. I refuse to believe Yama can aplish that."


    The killer looked at me, and I looked at the killer. From our eyes, we saw panic and confusion.


    "It''s not really you?" I asked seriously. "But if it''s not you, who can it be?"


    The killer looked at me dumbly. He leaned against the table, and I could feel him shaking. However, momentster, he said, "It''s really not me. Even though Yama doesn''t like tomunicate with others, he would ask me questions about psychology. I admit I did encrypt the IP addresses, so at most, I would be charged with abetting a criminal. But I still know one more thing that will help me get a light sentence."


    I asked, "You might just be an aplice, but you still are responsible for 9 human lives."


    The killer shrugged. "At most, they will lock me up for a few years. I am only 30 now. My life is still long."


    "What is this thing that you know?" I asked.


    The killer shook his head. "I can''t tell you, I can only tell your superior. When you were unconscious, I" The killer stopped and changed the subject. "So I will surrender with you. I believe the police who have followed the tracers are close to us already. Soon they will arrive." I had no idea what game the killer was ying. It was instrumental for him to gain my trust because only he and I knew what happened here. Gaining my trust was crucial for him to gain the police''s trust. He was a clever person, so he should know that, but he decided to hide this thing from me. So it had to be something that was damaging to me but beneficial to him.


    The first thing I thought of was Zhao Mingkun. She was a Grade A criminal. The killer had seen Zhao Mingkun and me together. If the killer reported that to my superior, then the higher up might even provide him with witness protection. Because what Zhao Mingkun did was more severe than what he did. He had killed nine people, but Zhao Mingkun had killed a lot more. Plus, Zhao Mingkun was the only way to get to Si Hwacheng''s remaining disciples who were still out there.


    I looked at the killer and a murderous rage burned through me. When that happened, I frightened myself. I quickly pinched my thigh to remind myself that I was a police officer and not a criminal. I realized my paranoia had rpsed, and I had left the mental hospital for less than one and a half years.


    At that moment, there was a bang, and several rays of light shot into the room. "Hands up! Don''t move!" Xiao Liu''s voice traveled down the distance.


    "I surrender!" The killer knelt on the ground and raised his hands. I looked at the broken bowls on the ground. Xiao Liu hadn''t arrived here, but he would be in the room in less than 10 seconds.


    So what exactly did the killer know?

 Chapter 231: Blinded

    Chapter 231: Blinded


    I looked at the sharp ss piece beside my leg, and I had the urge to plunge the ss piece into the killer''s neck. I could see the killer''s blood squirt out to dye my eyes red. My heart raced. I only had two things in my eyes, the murder weapon and a dead person. At that moment, the world lost meaning to me. Everything was moving towards destruction. If I didn''t move too slow and discovered the killer toote, the nine people wouldn''t have died. I killed those nine people. Yes, since I had killed those nine people, what mattered with one more?


    Without realizing it, I picked up the shard and slowly walked towards the killer. He was still facing away from me, waiting for Xiao Liu''s people toe in. I was getting closer until I could see the veins on the killer''s neck.


    Even though I was not a professional coroner, I had followed Guan Zhenglin for a year already, and I had a rudimentary understanding of human anatomy. The shard I held was sharp. With a puncture, it would pierce through the killer''s skin and then his fascia superficialis. These twoyers protected us from infection. But these twoyers were enough to stop the shard from cutting into his neck.


    Then woulde the deep fascia, esophagus, air pipe, and blood capiry. The shard would slice through the killer''s airpipe, so he couldn''t even speak. But he would feel all the air bursting out from the wound. At the same time, he would feel warmth around his neck. Blood from vena cava would follow out, and it would be purplish-red in color. Then he would be squirting blood from his artery. It would be fresh red in color. He would die from blood loss in less than half a minute.


    Thestyer would be the muscle and bone. With my strength, I would only be able to cut halfway through his neck and not entirely sever his neck. However, that would be enough. As long as I was fast enough, he wouldn''t even have the time to speak. He would convulse on the ground, and one minuteter, he would be unconscious. Even though I didn''t know where I was, from the time I was unconscious, I calcted that it would take the ambnce at least half an hour to reach the hospital. He only needed five minutes to die. No matter the secret that he knew about me, it would die with him.


    As long as I could do that before Xiao Liu arrived, Xiao Liu would believe me over the killer. My jaw set, and my hand raised.


    "Wu Meng!" A ray shot into my eyes and blinded me. My hand shrunk and the shard sliced through the air. I didn''t feel any resistance. I let go. The shard fell to the ground with a tingle.


    The killer had no idea what had happened, but he did turn around when he heard the sound. Before he could say anything, Xiao Liu''s people had stormed into the room. The officers pressed the killer to the ground. The killer shouted, "I surrender!"


    Xiao Liu holstered his gun and shone his shlights at my eyes. I couldn''t see anything and tried to move his shlight away. Xiao Liu looked at me and then at the officer behind him. I noticed that he wanted to say something.


    I closed my eyes and massaged my temples. I asked, "How did you find this ce?" I had no idea if Xiao Liu had seen me with the shard, but I was halted by the ray shot right into my eyes. So it had to be one of the officers who saw me, but I couldn''t tell if it was Xiao Liu or not. I opened my eyes and studied the eight officers in the underground. Xiao Liu stood beside me, looking at me. Three officers pressed the killer to the ground and confiscated his weapon. The other four officers searched through the underground space. I had no idea who had hit me with the shlight among the eight officers. They were busy with their own thing. I couldn''t see anything from their expression. It was as peaceful as a pond, but the current underneath was raging.


    After ensuring I didn''t have any wounds, Xiao Liu removed his jacket and covered it on me. "Captain Lee has installed the tracers on the bowl. We followed the signal to nearby but then the signal disappeared." Xiao Liu looked around. "There are only two possibilities. 1, the killer has ruined the tracer; 2, the killer has gone somewhere the signal can''t be received anymore. I don''t think it could be the first because one has to break the bowls to get the tracer. The killer has gone through so much to have us reconstruct the bowls so he wouldn''t break it." Then Xiao Liu told the other officers. "Bring the killer out and guard at the cave. The killer has his teammates, so I will send people over to assist youter." The other officers nodded and led the killer out.


    I looked at Xiao Liu. Even until now, Xiao Liu still believed the killer worked in a team, but the truth was the killer was singr. The other killers were the different personas of the same killer. They had different ages and genders, so their dressing and mannerism would be different. However, Xiao Liu would understand that when the killer talked. I didn''t have the mood to exin it to him. As Xiao Liu led me out, he said, "Therefore it has to be possibility 2. Based on the time you took, I arranged for the nearby officers to look around this ce. The killer wouldn''t have gotten far." If I were Xiao Liu, I probably wouldn''t reach this ce earlier than he was. I added, "Because of the thing I told you about the sewer, so you believe the killer has brought me underground."


    Xiao Liu nodded. "That''s right. And we finally caught the killer. In Wu Xiufang and Wu Xiufen''s husband''s home, I found much evidence for the case back then. They are now all in the car. You can look at themter. By the way, your clothes and phone are also in the car. Great job."


    I asked, "Have you contacted Gu Chen? Did they find Guan Zhenglin?"


    Xiao Liu frowned. "I should ask you that. You were the one who told me that Guan Zhenglin is safe." Hearing that, I froze. Xiao Liu didn''t look like he was joking with me. Plus, he wouldn''t joke with something like that. However, I had not said anything like that, so how did he get that idea?


    Seeing my confused expression, Xiao Liu took out his phone and showed me his messages. I saw a person named Xiao Wu message him, Guan Zhenglin is safe. Follow the tracer''s signal to save me.''


    I grabbed Xiao Liu''s phone and read the message again. I didn''t remember writing this message, but the message dide from my phone. Someone had taken the stuff that I had left in the yard?


    The more I thought about it, the likelier it sounded in my head. It had taken less than 10 minutes of cycling before the killer stopped me at the bridge. Technically I could walk that distance. So could the killer have designed this for me to strip?


    When the killer knew about the tracers on the bowls, he didn''t get angry. This meant that he didn''t care about the tracers. So there was no need for him to make me strip.


    With that in mind, I asked, "When you found my clothes and phone, how did you find them?"


    Xiao Liu pinched his chin and said, "Your clothes were ced at the corner of the yard. The pants were at the bottom, then underwear, undershirt, shirt, and jacket. They were neatly folded. The phone was inside your jacket. Is there a problem?" Xiao Liu looked at me.


    I was frozen and then said, "You know me. You know I had never folded my shirts so neatly before. Plus, do you think I would have the time to fold the clothes in that situation?"


    Xiao Liu''s eyes widened. "I really haven''t considered that. I only charged into the room earlier because you said Guan Zhenglin was safe. I wouldn''t dare otherwise! But if it was not you, then who sent me the message?" Xiao Liu looked at me, waiting for me to answer.


    My mind was a mess, I didn''t know what had happened. Suddenly I was reminded of Wu Zui, whom I saw when I was unconscious. Until now, I couldn''t tell if that was my imagination or he was real.


    "We need to head up to the surface," I told Xiao Liu. "There might be a bigger force behind this case. This case is not that simple."

 Chapter 232: Where

    Chapter 232: Where


    Xiao Liu led me outside, my footsteps echoing in the empty underground. This appeared to be an abandoned underground warehouse, but I couldn''t care less at the moment. I just wanted to get out. Being disconnected fully from the world was very great pressure. After moving through the winding path, we finally exited the underground space, and a ray of sunlight shot in from the entrance. The dawning sun shone weakly. The chilling winds blew, and I shivered.


    A paddy field greeted me. The field was still empty, and no farmer was working. Further down the distance was the street I passed that morning. I could see the bridge. I wondered if the bicycles were still there. The police cruisers were outside, and Xiao Liu opened the door for me. I saw my clothes folded neatly on the backseat. I crawled into the car and put my clothes back on. I pulled out my phone from my shirt pocket. Since I didn''t have many friends and didn''t talk to others, the only few numbers I had were of the people in the special task force.


    I looked into my messages tab. Other than the spam, there were only messages from Mary. I scrolled down, and I couldn''t find the message that I'' had sent to Xiao Liu. This meant that someone had deleted that message or someone used the same number as I had to message Xiao Liu.


    Using a pseudo base station, one could mimic any number, but the station had a limited range. It was around 1000 meters. If the message was sent using a base, others couldn''t call the number back. My clothes were folded neatly, so it was only logical to assume someone had gone through my phone. If I'' had sent a message to Xiao Liu, then I'' could have sent messages to others, or that person could have used my phone to gather info on the other members of the team. If that was the case, who could the culprit be? Zhao Mingkun?


    As I thought about it, I called Gu Chen.


    "Wu Meng? How is your situation over there?" Gu Chen asked immediately.


    "I''m fine." I replied, "Did you find the underground space at Xing Dong Vige? Is Guan Zhenglin okay?"


    Then, there was a momentary silence before Gu Chen said, "Wu Meng, you were the one who messaged me to tell me that Guan Zhenglin is safe and to pull back all the people. Why are you asking me that now?" Hearing that, my heart chilled. The uncle persona wanted to start a new life, so if he knew where Guan Zhenglin was, he would have told me. So who sent the messages? And where was Guan Zhenglin?


    "Where are you now?" I asked.


    Gu Chen answered, "We''re halfway back to the city." I said, "Turn back to Xing Dong Vige. We need to go back there. Guan Zhenglin is not with me. Someone has used my phone to message you and Xiao Liu, but I don''t know who that is."


    On the phone, I heard Gu Chen say, "Everyone, go to the gas station to fill up on fuel. We need to go back to Xing Dong Vige. Sorry for the trouble, we''ll take turns driving. We need to be fast." Then Gu Chen spoke to me. "What about you?"


    I said, "I will head Xing Dong Vige now. I''ll meet you there. I''ll fill you inter."


    "Understood." Gu Chen said.


    After hanging up, I got down from the cruiser. "Where''s the killer?"


    An officer said, "Here."


    The killer had a mask over his head. The public assumed this was to protect the killer''s privacy, but in reality, it was to prevent the killer from recognizing the officers who arrested him. I yanked off the mask. The killer looked at me with confusion. I said, "Even though you don''t know where Ze has kidnapped Guan Zhenglin, you must know about that underground location."


    The killer said, "But I really don''t."


    I frowned. "Vigers of Xing Dong Vige said that they would hear a woman crying on the mountain at night, and that should be Ze."


    The killer didn''t deny it.


    I continued, "You dress in ck because you don''t want people to notice you in the dark. ck clothes moving in the ck background, from a distance, it would look like a floating human head. Someone saw that and took Ze as a female ghost. So the entrance must be on the mountain!"


    The killer looked at me. "I really don''t know. This is why I have to take over the body. I don''t like not knowing things. I don''t like having lost hours and having no idea what I have done in those hours." The killer was apprehended by two officers, but he tried his best to look at me. His eyes were red. "If I didn''t appear, they couldn''t even do anything. But even so, there are still hours in the day when I have no idea who has controlled the body. I know each one has their own privacy, but we share this body!" His voice was coarse. "They had no right to hide that from me."


    Every human had curiosity even when they were sharing the same body. Even though the killer knew most of the time what he was doing, there were hours that were lost to him. This was why he needed to eliminate all the other personas.


    So what was this persona who didn''t want the other personas to know what they were doing? Was it the little girl, Ze or Yama?


    Based on the vigers'' description, this persona should be female, and she cried at the tombstone, so she must be rted to the people mourned by the tombstone. "You can''t sense any other persona?" I asked, "Is it possible that there are other personas who have hidden away from you?"


    The killer was startled before he said, "That''s impossible. I''m the first persona to realize the existence of other personas, and I am the first to make sure that we can meet. There are no other personas, and now I am the only one that remains!"


    I tapped my forehead. If this uncle persona didn''t know where the underground space was, how could we find it? What was Ze doing alone underground? The uncle said he was not the one who wrote the stories, then which persona did?


    I paced around and got nothing. I turned to Xiao Liu, "Xiao Liu, I need to bring the killer to Xing Dong Vige. Even though he was not the one who controlled the body, he must have had the impression. After all, five years ago, he was the one who came to find Wu Xiufen, the mother of this body. Assign us a cruiser, and I need to look into who had entered the yard after I had left it."


    Xiao Liu looked at me withplicated emotions.


    I said, "I know. The team to catch the killer will stay at Dong Xing City, you caught the killer, and you even saved my life. I owe you one."


    Xiao Liu shook his head. "It''s not that. Guan Zhenglin is still in danger. Why would I fight you now? But there''s one thing, you Never mind, I''ll do what you ask. The few of you drive Team Leader Wu to Xing Dong Vige. Contact me if there''s anything that happens on the road."


    "Understood."


    Xiao Liu nodded and patted my shoulders. "Don''t be so nervous, and don''t push yourself too much. Sinking into anxiety and fear is the first step to failure. Do you understand? After this case is over, buy me a lottery ticket." I looked at Xiao Liu, and it felt like the old Xiao Liu was back. However, he seemed to have hidden meaning in his words. Nevertheless, I didn''t have time to ponder his words.


    I hopped into the car. An officer sat at the back with me, and we squeezed the killer between us. Two officers sat at the front. We moved towards Xing Dong Vige.


    I saw Yama''s notebook on the headboard. It looked like Xiao Liu had already read the notebook. I wanted to know what happened 15 years ago, but the killer was sitting beside me. Furthermore, worrying about Guan Zhenglin had upied most of my mind.


    From yesterday 9 pm to 8 am, it had been almost 12 hours. In these 12 hours, Guan Zhenglin hadn''t eaten or drank. She didn''t even have clothes. I couldn''t imagine the state she was in if she was still alive. Was she alone, despaired, or afraid?


    Guan Zhenglin was afraid of the dark, but she had stayed alone in the dark for 12 hours already. Could the person who sent the messages using my phone have done something to Guan Zhenglin? I had no idea.


    But I knew that as long as there was a shred of hope, I couldn''t give up. I had to get her back.

 Chapter 233: Threats

    Chapter 233: Threats


    We just came back from Xing Dong Vige, but we were heading back there again. I was not familiar with the officers in the car. They joined the forces after we left, so they were Xiao Liu''s people. Xiao Liu purposely had them follow me, so I knew his intention. Along the way, we didn''t say anything. The killer looked out the window and said nothing either.


    I pondered the issue of Guan Zhenglin''s safety; who used my name to message everyone; where was Guan Zhenglin? I felt like there was a bigger conspiracy behind this and the target was me. In the years I had worked with the police, I hadnded quite a few people into prison, but none of them should know about me joining the special task force and Guan Zhenglin. Someone who could do something like this, there was only one candidate in my mind, Wu Zui. And from the start, Wu Zui had been targeting me, from the case that caused me paranoia, to the case with Liu Yinyan, and now the maybe imaginary conversation I had with him.


    The killer who sat behind me must still have something he had hidden from me. Furthermore, I had no idea which of the persona was responsible for the deceit. ording to the uncle persona, he had managed to mediate between all the personas but he didn''t achieve that overnight. Therefore, there was a period of time when the separate personas were doing their own thing without the knowledge of the other personas, so could that mysterious persona be rted to Wu Zui?


    I closed my eyes and thought about it. Suddenly I was reminded of something. I asked the killer, "Tell me. How many people you''ve killed?"


    The killer was still looking out the window when he heard my question. He turned over to ask, "Why do you ask? I''ve already told you everything." I looked at the killer seriously. Realizing I was not joking, he admitted, "8 people."


    "8 people?" I widened my eyes and repeated my question, "8? You''re sure."


    The killer chuckled and added, "Yes, but I didn''t kill them, Yama did. There were 8 of them. From the start of the case, there were the 2 first OLs." He lifted his fingers. I looked at him and frowned. He continued, "Then the little girl''s family of 3." He raised a whole palm. "That''s 5. Thest 3 are the noisy boy, the widow, and Ol'' Wang." The killer concluded slowly, "8 people and 3 stories. After Wu Xiufang died, Wu Xiufen carried everything away with her, including the bowls of the 12 Zodiacs. The bowls weren''t worth much so I had no idea why she would take them."


    Hearing that, I started to sweat. I took a few deep breaths before I said, "But 9 people have died."


    "9?" The killer said, "I only remember 8." It looked like the killer really didn''t know that. Since he had already admitted to the murder of 8 people, there was no reason for him to hide about the 9th if he did do that. So who killed the boss of the sex store?


    When Imunicated with this uncle persona, he also said that he only killed 8 people. The time of death of the female boss was longer than the other victims. When we found her, she was already a pile of bones. ording to the witness, the male CEO who was friends with the female boss, he saw a young woman saunter out from the sex store, so that should be the killer. Among the killer''s personas, there was only 1 normal female person. It was Ze.


    However, Ze wasn''t the killing kind. Guan Zhenglin said that the female boss was bitten to death, and that didn''t sound like something Ze would do.


    I looked at the killer, and the killer looked at me. From his expression, I saw confusion. The killer admitted that there was a period of time in the day when he didn''t know what his body was doing. During this lost hour, some other persona must have surfaced. Things were getting confusing. There were other personas inside the killer. I demanded, "Are there any more persona inside you?"


    Hearing me, the killer was silent. Several minutester, he said, "No, I am sure that there is no other persona inside me. I am the only one controlling this body now." I pulled on my hair. The moment the killer slumbered, who was controlling his body; who killed the female boss and why?


    At that moment, my phone rang. I looked at my phone and felt it turning sinister. Someone had tampered with my phone, so they could still be listening in. However, I had no choice but to ept.


    "Gu Chen?" I asked, "What is it?" Gu Chen said, "I''m at Xing Dong Vige already. What should I do next?"


    I turned to the killer. "This is the chance for you to lighten your sentence. I know you have recorded many videos about your dissociative personality disorder, but there were only the 2 of us back there. Do you understand what I mean?" I looked into the killer''s eyes. "So I''m asking you do you know where that underground space is?"


    The killer looked at the other officers and me. "You are openly threatening me. Is this eptable protocol?" Everyone in the car and even Gu Chen heard him. I knew I was not following protocol, but I was never one for rules anyway. I continued slowly, "Yes, everyone heard it. There were only the 2 of us underground. If I say you are the killer, then you are the killer and vice versa. I could have said you wanted to kill me when we were alone, but you were stopped by the police in time." After I said that, everyone in the car was silent. I continued, "Maybe Ze did this, but you have to know where this ce is, so you better tell me, or I''ll make sure you''ll be taken down for everything."


    The killer sat up and pleaded, "I don''t know. Ze did everything on her own. She said that we shouldn''t kill the girl, and we cannot see a girl''s naked body. She never allowed us to surface when she went underground! After the integration of the personas, we knew about these things! We havee to an agreement that we would never hide anything from the other personas!"


    "I''ll only count to 10!" I looked at him. "10, 9, 8"


    The killer''s face was red, "You are threatening me! Everyone, you heard him. He''s threatening me!"


    "7, 6, 5"


    No one spoke.


    The killer was silent before he said, "I have waited for this day for 5 years. You can''t do this to me! I beg you. You know the truth, I didn''t kidnap your girlfriend!" Before death, no one could be that cavalier. The killer was the same, and I was the same. But the killer cared about his own life, and I cared about Guan Zhenglin''s life.


    "4, 3, 2"


    Then he blurted out, "All I know is that I would wake up in front of the tombstone. So I have to guess, it should be under the tombstone."


    I nodded and told Gu Chen, "That''s the ce. Gu Chen, did you hear that?"


    Gu Chen answered, "The tombstone? That''s likely. This morning, we''ve turned the vige upside down and we found nothing so the entrance could be up the mountain. We''ll head up the mountain now. If I find the ce, I''ll call you."


    I said, "Move quickly. It has been 12 hours since she was kidnapped. Guan Zhenglin is afraid of the dark, and we need to find her to ensure her safety."


    After a moment''s silence, Gu Chen said, "Wu Meng, you need to understand that Guan Zhenglin is a coroner and a police officer. As a police officer, she has prepared to take the risk thates with the job."


    I didn''t say anything.


    Gu Chen continued, "Calm down, I can feel your anxiety. Anxiety and rationality are opposite. I''m hanging up now. I will move as fast as I can, don''t worry. Guan Zhenglin won''t die that easily. Be calm."

 Chapter 234: Underground Maze

    Chapter 234: Underground Maze


    Not long after that, Gu Chen''s phone call came again. I was d when I saw that, but then my heart sank again. The call meant that Gu Chen had found something, but whether it was a good or bad discovery, I couldn''t tell. There were only two possibilities, Guan Zhenglin was fine; Guan Zhenglin was dead.


    The phone kept ringing. I looked at the green button but feared to press it. Humans would eventually die. That was nature at work. Life was saying goodbyes. We said goodbyes to our childhood friends, our first love, our university friends, our parents until we were alone. Then we die alone and say goodbye to this temporarily and lonely life. But on the road of life, you would run into friends, families, and lovers with who you couldn''t part. I didn''t know what Guan Zhenglin was to me. Did I feel love, friendship, or familial concern towards her?


    I was a loner, but without knowing it, Guan Zhenglin had be an instrumental part of my life. Finally, someone walked into my life, and they were leaving already?


    After taking a few deep breaths, I pressed the button and ced the phone beside my ear. Other than the car moving, it was silent. The other side of the line was silent before Gu Chen said, "Wu Meng, the tombstone can be moved. After moving it, we found adder that leads downwards. We are going down now, and there will be no signal underground. So don''t worry if you can''t reach me. When you arrive,e here immediately. If we find something and get out first, we''ll call you."


    Gu Chen''s people were going underground, and we needed two hours to get to Xing Dong Vige.


    "Got it, be careful," I said seriously.


    "Understood." Gu Chen replied. Then the call ended. I closed my eyes. Since yesterday night, my nerves were pulled taut. At that moment, I felt so tired, and I just wanted to sleep. Were two hours long or short, that was a philosophical question. When we y games, 2 hours seem short; when we are sitting for an exam, 2 hours seem long. When I was woken up, we had already arrived at Xing Dong Vige. I looked at my phone. There was no call from Gu Chen, so he was still underground.


    I called the vige head. This morning, the old man just witnessed something horrifying. When he received my call, the first thing he said was, "Wu Meng, have you captured the killer?"


    I said, "Yes, we did, but we need your help to look after the killer."


    "Me?" The vige head was shocked.


    I added, "Get a few young men from the vige. They should be up now. Come to the foot of the mountain." Then I turned to tell the officer. "Wait here for the vige head. The rest of youe with me." Then I turned to leave and led the two officers away. We hiked up the trail and saw the moved tombstone. We shone our shlight down and saw the longdder. We looked at each other before getting down. This was a longdder. There were around 20 plus rungs. The lower we got, the warmer it was. I sighed in relief. If this were the temperature, at least Guan Zhenglin wouldn''t freeze to death. Thedder wasn''t even, but at least it was sturdy.


    We reached the bottom. I waved my shlight around and realized this was a veryrge space. It was enough to fit more than several trucks. The wall and ground were covered in cement. I had no idea what this space was for. I shone my light down the distance and saw the branching paths. They had no clear markers. No wonder Gu Chen hadn''t gotten out of this ce after 2 hours. Then the uncle persona was probably right. He had no idea which persona came up with this ce and why?


    I looked at the four branches, and there were only 3 of us.


    "Let''s go." I said, "We''ll split up and be careful. If you run into other forks, thene back out. Don''t get lost yourself too."


    The two officers looked at me, wondering whether to listen to my orders or not. I saw watchfulness in their eyes. When we were at Dong Xing City, Xiao Liu probably saw my movement. But he didn''t expose me and had people watch over me. Did Xiao Liu suspect me? I suddenly realized that Xiao Liu came back after me when I met Zhao Mingkun at the hospital. Did Xiao Liu know something?


    All the different forces were mixed together, be it within the system or without the system. We were like fishes in a pond. We could feel each other, but we couldn''t see each other. Some of the fishes swam without worry, not knowing the storm wasing. Some of the fishes suspected something was wrong and had gone into hiding. Other fishes were prepared to wait for the storm to arrive. A few fishes were the kings and queens of the ponds. But most fishes were just innocent bystanders. And what kind of fish was I?


    I knew they were monitoring me, so I said, "Now is not the time for internal strife, people''s lives are on the line." Then I walked into one of the forks. I turned back and saw the other two enter different forks.


    I shone my shlight down the road. There was no end in sight. The dark and oppressive tunnel made me feel fearful. I touched my waist and realized I had no weapon. My gun had been taken away so it should be sitting at the station now.


    I continued to walk down the path when suddenly the space opened up. This was anotherrge space, but when I entered this space, I could feel a cold presence. It reminded me of winter. The chill here contained water vapour. This ce was clearly damper than outside.


    I closed my eyes as I recalled the map of Xing Dong Vige. Beside the vige there was a Xing Dong River. This was not arge river, it was not suitable for water transport. The river was only 10 meters deep and it was very muddy.


    I made some calction. The path nted downwards so it meant that I was moving deeper underground. Combine that with thedder, I was around several 10 meters underground. The tombstone was at the waist of the mountain so I should be deep inside the mountain by now. The water vapour I felt came from Xing Dong River''s underground passage. In other words, if I knocked down the wall, the water would flood in. The river wasn''t that strong but it wasn''t to be trifled with. I touched the wall and it was cold. I leaned my ear against it and I could hear the water rumbling.


    I frowned. Why was the underground space so big and had so many branching paths? I was reminded of Chu Ye''s tomb at Lin Fen. The branching paths there were to confuse the tomb-raiders, and only one path was the correct one. At that moment, I had no idea if I was on the right path. I shone my shlight around and noticed there were more branching paths. I thought about it and used a stone on the ground to mark one of the paths before entering it. But not too longter, I heard people running ahead of me. "Who is it?" I asked. But there was no answer, just more running sound. "This is the police! Who are you?" I shouted but the runner still didn''t answer me. If the person was with the police, they would stop, but this person ran faster after they heard me. So this was not a police officer, but who would be down here if not one of the officers?


    I chased after the runner. But at that moment, I heard a gunshot. The gunshot travelled very far in this underground space. I heard that the gunshot came from before me. What is happening?''

 Chapter 235: Arrested

    Chapter 235: Arrested


    The gunshot felt like a punch hadnded on my heart. It stopped before it started to palpitate again. I ran madly ahead, not knowing what had happened. The runner had disappeared, and I had no idea who opened fire.


    The light shuddered up and down as I ran. A person lying quietly on the ground slowly entered my gaze. Cast in my light, the person didn''t move at all. There was no one else around, but I could feel the lingering heat in the air and smelled the gunshot sulfur. As I approached the person, I slowed down because I saw this person was in a police uniform. Instantly, my thought was an officer had been shot. I became alert and shone my shlight around. Still, there was no one there. I looked up, and this was a dead-end. Since there was no danger, I rushed forward. I turned the person who was lying on his front over. When the person was turned over, I saw that his face was filled with blood. There was a bloody hole on his temple, and blood was still pouring out. On the opposite end, there was a bigger exit wound. The brain matter and blood matted the hair together. This was a typical gunshot wound, and based on the wound, it was fresh. So the gunshot I heard earlier killed this man. However, this was a dead end. I looked around, and there was no space to hide a person. The only exit was the path I came from. So who killed this man? Was it suicide?


    I looked through the body''s clothes and discovered his police id in his pocket. He was an officer at Dong Xing City. Dong Xing City was arge city, and the detective group was split into many teams. This man was from team 3, and I hadn''t seen him before. I shouted, and there was no answer. I had to find a way to drag this body out.


    As I carried the body on my back, I heard something fall to the ground. I lowered my head and saw a gun. I touched the dead body''s waist. The officer''s gun was in his holster. If this gun on the ground was not the dead officer''s gun, whose gun was it?


    My rationality told me that this was the killer''s gun. I took out a glove from my pocket and slowly eased the body back to the ground. I reached to grab the gun. But when I held it up, I was startled. Isn''t this''


    Suddenly several rays of light blinded me. Then it was a clicking sound. I was familiar with this sound. It was the gun being loaded.


    "Don''t move! Put down your gun!" Someone shouted.


    I frowned. "I''m with the police." However, the person still aimed the shlight at my eyes. It made it impossible for me to tell who was on the other side. The voice repeated, "Onest time, put the gun down, or we will shoot! Put the gun down!"


    The determination in the voice told me that if I didn''t follow the order, they would shoot me. I raised my arms, bent down, and ced the gun down. The shlights were aimed at me. One of the officers moved over with the gun pointed at me. He said, "Sir, officer down, officer down."


    I remembered that Gu Chen had asked the military for help. I asked, "I am Leader Wu from Dong Xing City''s special crime unit. Did Captain Zhao send you here?"


    The man didn''t answer. He kicked the pistol I just put down to the side, ced his own gun behind him, and then grabbed my shoulder. The powerful force turned me around, and I heard the cuffs click.


    "I am an officer from Dong Xing City." I shouted, "My id is in my pocket!" After I was cuffed, the lights moved from my face. I finally saw the man and the uniform they wore. They were from the military.


    "There was a gunshot." The soldier didn''t waste time on me. "We followed the sound here and saw you and that dead guy on the ground. We are very familiar with the power of a bullet. He is dead, and you have the gun." The man was so strong that I could barely struggle. "Are you suspecting me of killing him? We are from the same department. Why would I kill him?"


    The man shrugged. "Who knows. Bring the man away and carry the body out. Remember to use gloves so that you won''t leave behind any trace as this officer did." His implication was clear, I was the murderer in his eyes.


    "It''s not me." I sighed.


    He smiled. "We''ll know when wepare the bullet and the body. I don''t know you, and you don''t know me. I''m only responsible for arresting criminals, so stop wasting my time." Then two soldiers picked up the dead officer and carried him out. Thest soldier pushed me out like a criminal. My heart sunk. There had to be a conspiracy behind this because I was very familiar with that gun. We had just exited the path when we ran into another group of people.


    "Gu Chen? Ever since you left the military, I haven''t seen you for a year already." The leading soldier said.


    "Duan Jingliang?" Gu Chen said. Then he asked, "Wu Meng, you''re here too? Duan Jingliang, what''s happening? Why is he cuffed?"


    Duan Jingliang turned to look at me and then at Gu Chen. "You probably came here hearing the gunshot. My team arrived at the scene. We didn''t see anyone on the way, and we found this man holding the gun with gloves standing beside the body."


    I saw Gu Chen frown. Clearly, he didn''t believe I was the killer. Duan Jingliang continued, "Plus, you can go look yourself. We just came out from a dead end. If he''s not the killer, then the officer must have killed himself. Of course, that is possible, but to borrow your words, this man would still be the main suspect, no?"


    "You are tasked to capture the killer, not to capture our people." Gu Chen''s voice was strong and powerful.


    Duan Jingliang shrugged. "You''ve been with the military for three years. How long you''ve been transferred to the police, and you''re no longer our people? My superior tasked me to search and arrest the killer, not to listen to your orders. In fact, I am of the same rank with the captain above you, so you have no right to order me around."


    "I am not going to waste time with you." Gu Chen said, "The police will settle the police affair. Give me the man."


    Duan Zhenglin said, "I believe you understand that when the crime involves your lover, family, friend, or neighbor, you should remove yourself from the case. So move, and don''t stand in our way."


    Gu Chen didn''t budge. "But it''s not the military''s job to investigate an officer''s death."


    The real killer was gone, and there was only a dead body and me. Anyone would have suspected me, plus the soldiers were not familiar with me. This thing was not that simple. There were other forces behind this. I took a deep breath and said, "Can I say something? First, Gu Chen, have you found Guan Zhenglin?"


    Gu Chen shook his head. "But we did find the iron bed in the picture. She was not there. I found her clothes and phone. The phone is useable, but we''ve no signal since we''re underground."


    I asked, "Was there blood?"


    Gu Chen shook her head. "There was no blood, be it on the bed or on the ground. From the crime scene, there was no sign of struggle. The iron chain in the picture is not really made from iron. They were stic which looks like iron. If using the small dagger, one could cut through it in about ten minutes."


    I pulled on my hair and said. If that''s the case, Guan Zhenglin should be safe now."


    "But where is she?" Gu Chen asked, "We''ve looked this whole ce, and we couldn''t find her."


    I concluded, "She must have been kidnapped. If she escaped on her own, she would put on her clothes and grab her phone."


    "Kidnapped" Gu Chen repeated.

 Chapter 236: Interrogation

    Chapter 236: Interrogation


    I nodded and said, "Some other forces are mixed up in this. If I''m not mistaken, peace won''tst in Dong Xing City for long. However, since these people kidnapped Guan Zhenglin, they must want something from her, so temporarily she should be safe." But that was only temporary. What did these people want? I guess we would know soon enough.


    Guan Zhenglin was kidnapped, and I was arrested. I had no idea if anyone at the station could prove my innocence. Regardless, I was the biggest suspect. The victim was a cop, I didn''t need to stress how serious this was. Gu Chen seemed to know Duan Jingliang when he was in the military. Perhaps to give Gu Chen face, Duan Jingliang didn''t stop us from talking.


    I continued, "The second thing, I need a favor."


    Gu Chen looked at me and nodded. "What is it?"


    I was silent and then said, "Tell Sister Mao about this. You''ve seen her before. You know her, right?" Gu Chen nodded. Things had developed beyond my expectation. I felt like a pawn being yed, but if this pawn could hop out of the chessboard, then it would confuse the yers.


    I walked forward. The soldier behind me wanted to stop me but was halted by Duan Jingliang. Duan Jingliang said, "Just get this over with. During the final investigation, the suspect will be handed over to the police, so you two will meet again. Don''t make it like this is some life or death situation. Stop wasting time."


    I walked to Gu Chen''s side andy my head on his shoulder. I uttered, "Gu Chen, no matter what happens, trust me." Then I took two steps back to smile at Gu Chen. Gu Chen looked into my eyes, and he frowned slightly. We looked at each other, and Gu Chen patted my shoulder. "Remember your identity, and don''t worry."


    "See you at the station."


    Then Gu Chen turned to tell the other officers, "Let''s pack up. This is over now."


    11.40 pm, inside an unknown small ck room.


    A person sat across from me. I couldn''t tell the person''s identity because the lights were aimed right at me. But I could hear this was an experienced man. "Wu Meng, we might meet again. Remember what I tell you today. You will hear my voice, we are kindred spirits."


    The lights blinded my eyes. I asked, "Who are you? What do you want? Are you with the military?"


    The man opposite me didn''t answer. He said, "It doesn''t matter who I am, but it matters who you are. Things areing to an end. There is a reason he has chosen you. Remember your identity."


    "Remember my identity? But what is my identity?" I shouted, "I am not even an official police officer!"


    The man was silent and said, "You are, but you are not. You will understand it eventually. Since I can get out, then someone can get in. Don''t you feel like there is an invisible force controlling certain operation?"


    In the end, I still had no idea who this person was. But I did understand why Duan Jingliang brought me here. It was more than just a procedure. The real reason was for this man to converse with me. But what was the goal? I would meet him again, but where and when?


    12 midnight. Dong Xing City Station''s interrogation Room.


    "I used to sit over there. I never thought I would be sitting over here one day." I looked at the unfamiliar faces before me. "ording to normal procedure, when an officer is a suspect, the officer will not be interrogated by the officers from his same district. I have not seen any of you before, so where are you guys from?"


    An officer tapped on my file. "Wu Meng, an orphan, a loner, has no friend and unknown parents. You are raised by the prison master of Qing Cheng Prison. You grew up with criminals. You are familiar with various criminal methods. That''s you, right?"


    I didn''t speak.


    The officer continued, "An IQ test shows that your IQ is 120. You are smarter than normal but not the smartest. You have paranoia and joined the special task force one year ago even though you hadn''t recovered. You have not eaten your medicine for a year already and show minor signs of rpse." I was more experienced than these people when it came to interrogation. I had read many psychology books when I was at the mental hospital. To understand a person, to read their thought, one had to find an opening, and this officer was doing that.


    "Just cut to the point." I said, "Let''s not walk around in circles. What you said is all true. And I will cooperate fully."


    The officer nodded, closed the file, ced his arms on the table, held his chin, and looked at me. "Okay, so you agree with our premise, you haven''t recovered from paranoia, and under certain circumstances, you might rpse. With that premise, let us talk about what happened underground."


    I began calmly, "At the time, I heard a gunshot and went searching for it. When I arrived, I saw a man lying on the ground. I looked around, and there was no one else. Then I checked the man. I realized he was already dead. When I examined the body, a gun fell to the ground. When I picked up the gun to check it, Duan Jingliang arrived with his people. And you know what happened next."


    The officer stared at me, trying to read the problem from my face. His one finger kept rubbing his other finger. After a pause, he said, "You mean, inside an enclosed space with no other path, you are not the killer, and the killer had miraculously disappeared?"


    I nodded and shrugged. "So there are two possibilities. 1, the killer has disappeared using a method we are not familiar with; 2, the manmitted suicide."


    The officer smiled and mmed on the table. "I knew you would say that, but do you think an officer who just got married and would go on a honeymoon wouldmit suicide?" His tone was stern and loud, "If a person wanted tomit suicide, the gun would be pressed against the temple. If that were the case, the entry point would have clear burnt skin, but we didn''t spot that during the autopsy. And this means that." The officer''s tone was hostile. "The gun was not pressed against his temple. Based on ballistics, the gun was at least 50 cm away from his forehead." The officer used his finger to make a gun. He pointed at his temple and slowly moved his hand away until it was about 50 cm away. We looked at him, and he said, "See, this is about 50 cm. But don''t you think it''s strange? If a person wanted tomit suicide, why use such a strange posture?"


    I didn''t speak.


    The officer continued, "So the two possibilities you gave make no sense. The killer will not miraculously disappear, and the officer wouldn''tmit suicide. So you were the only one present, do you think anyone will believe your argument?"


    I shook my head and stressed, "It''s not an argument. It''s the truth."


    "Fine." He mmed the table again. "You might be able to exin that, but there is a detail that you might not be able to exin. Do you mind if I ask you a question?"


    I frowned. I knew that the man was finally getting to the point.


    I nodded and said, "Go ahead."


    He shrugged. "Where is your gun?"


    I knew this wasing. Honestly, I wanted to know the answer too. I said, "Probably at the station."


    "The station?" Heughed. "Do you really think we''re that easily fooled? If your gun is at the station, whose gun was the one found beside the dead body? 9283, that is the number of your gun. The gun and the bullet inside the gun all came from you. And you''re telling me you''re not the killer."


    The gun was indeed mine, but I had no idea why it was there. And why it was used to kill that man. I was reminded of the thing that mysterious man said. Sometimes, there was indeed a mysterious force controlling the various missions. But what was this force, and what did they want with me?


    Since I didn''t answer, the officer pressed, "Don''t tell me, you didn''t sign this gun out."


    I said seriously, "Based on procedure, an officer has to write a request before every operation to carry a firearm. After the operation is over, the station will check the ammo and the gun. So why can''t other people use this to frame me? Why don''t you ask the gun manager? Do you think I''ll be that dumb?"


    I added, "Plus, this system is very harsh on me. Normally I don''t even carry a gun!"


    "Do you think I''ll be here if I don''t know all that?" The man scoffed derisively.

 Chapter 237: Court

    Chapter 237: Court


    I looked at the officers who were as young as I was. I saw his brows slowly rx like he had the leg on me. He looked at me. "Fine, since you like to y with logic so much, then I''ll entertain you." He raised two fingers. "1, you''re lying; 2, the gun manager is lying. You agree, yes?"


    Clearly, the man was trying to lead me into a trap. Even though I knew that I could only follow his lead. "Yes, but I am not lying. Because of my mental history, if I need to carry a gun, I need to put in a request. Everyone in the special task force knows that."


    "Special task force?" The officerughed. "Based on my knowledge, this unit is not even official. Other than Zhao Silin, no one is official withw enforcement. Of the three members, you''ve killed someone, Guan Zhenglin is missing, and Zhao Silin is facing his superior''s wrath. Who do you think can save you?"


    He scratched his head. "Oh wait, there''s one more. Gu Chen, but he has been moved back."


    "To the military?" I asked.


    "Yes." The man answered.


    When I heard that, I was agitated. At this crucial moment, Guan Zhenglin disappeared, I was treated as a murder suspect, Captain Zhao was gone, Gu Chen was moved back. At that moment, everyone I knew was gone. The special unit crumbled just like that. Who was so powerful to know about the movements inside the station? And who released the info on the members?


    My rationality told me that the killer wouldn''t have framed me without absolute confidence. No matter what I said, they had already found evidence to convict me. But I still didn''t get why the killer did this. I was silent as I thought about this.


    Then the officer took out an A4 paper. I looked over, and it was a gun application form. My signature was on it. To my surprise, the handwriting was indeed mine. If I were sure I didn''t write this, I would be convinced too. I pulled on my hair. This was getting stranger and stranger. I never wrote this, but the handwriting was mine. I said, "Someone could have mimicked my handwriting. This can''t prove anything."


    The officer knocked on the table. "You still won''t admit it. The gun manager has agreed to testify against you. He said he had indeed handed you the gun, and you gave him this form.


    "The gun''s number, the bullet''s number, and witness'' statement all match." The man smiled. "If someone was at the crime scene and could verify your statement, then you might be spared imprisonment, but do you have that?"


    I shook my head and said slowly, "No, I have no witness."


    The officer sat back down. "Then it''s over for you. There are no fingerprints on your gun. When Duan Jingliang caught you, you were wearing gloves. You are a cop. You should know what that means. I am not the judge, so I can''t convict you. That''s all my question." He closed the file and said, "Even though you are not an official officer, we belong under the same system. I need to remind you, no matter what happens, you are in great danger." I knew that.


    The officers stood up. He walked out and said, "My name is Wen Ruozi. Actually, I''m a consultant like you. If you really didn''t do this, perhaps, we can cooperate in the future." Then he left without turning back.


    Wen Ruozi, I believed I heard that before, but I couldn''t remember where. In the next three days, no friend came to see me. Sister Mary and Captain Zhao would know about this, and so would Gu Chen. And the police would inform my stepfather, but no one came to see me. It was like I had been forgotten.


    Four dayster, I was sent to court. The prosecutor was charging me with premeditated murder. Standing in the defendant''s booth, the police had assigned me awyer, but my attention was in the room. I looked around. Other than Sister Mao, there was not one familiar face. When the court was called to order, everyone stood up and became quiet. I didn''t expect that one day I''d be standing here. "The court is starting for Wu Meng''s murder case"


    My head was buzzing like there were thousands of flies in my ears. I said nothing and allowed the persecutor to present all the evidence.


    "Attorney general, this is the gun, gun number, and bullet number the suspect Wu Meng used to kill the innocent officer. It was Zhao Silin who permitted Wu Meng to own a gun. The documents are all here."


    If I was convicted, as the person who permitted me to use a gun, Captain Zhao would be fired. Suddenly I realized perhaps the killer wasn''t gunning for me but the whole special task unit. Guan Zhenglin was kidnapped, Gu Chen was moved out, Captain Zhao and I were caught in this case, the team was over.


    "Defendant, do you have anything to say?" The judge asked. I shook my head. "Persecutor, please continue," The judge said.


    "For the detective team, every member has their own gun. And they have to apply for the gun before each operation and after each operation, every member has to write down a report on the times they have fired the gun and where. This is Wu Meng''s gun application form. We havepared it to Wu Meng''s normal handwriting. It is confirmed that the suspect has written this form."


    I said, "I haven''t written this."


    The persecutor stood up, "Your honor, please allow me to summon my first witness."


    "Go ahead."


    The first witness was the gun manager at Dong Xing City Police Department. I had met him several times, but since I didn''t use a gun, I didn''t know him that well. But when he saw me, he said confidently, "That''s right, he was the one who handed me the form. Wu Meng, he doesn''t know me, but I know him."


    I looked at the fat officer and said, "Nonsense, when I have made this request? I have no history with you. Why are you framing me."


    The fat officer shrugged. "That''s right. I have no reason to frame you. I am a member of thew, and we pursue the truth. I swear under the book that the suspect Wu Meng has indeed handed me the application form. The form has the city''s insignia, so it can''t be fake."


    "That is correct." The judge confirmed.


    The persecutor continued, "Based on the witness testimony from Duan Jingliang, at the crime scene, there was only the suspect and Fang Tong''s body. The crime scene was enclosed, so the killer had no chance of escaping. When Duan Zhengling arrived, the suspect was holding the gun that killed Fang Tong. This is the evidence statement." The persecutor said.


    "Defendant, do you have anything to say?" The judge asked.


    I took a few deep breaths. No matter what I said, it was pointless. The persecutor was right. This was the reality they saw but was seeing believing?


    Since I didn''t say anything, the persecutor continued, "We have both material and human witnesses. And based on our investigation, Wu Meng has paranoia. When he acts up, he will see himself as a criminal. When Wu Meng is in this state, he might kill."


    "But I''ve been cured after 1 year of treatment," I said.


    "That''s not true." The persecutor countered. "We''ve looked into the Second People''s Hospital and found your patient''s records. Zhao Silin hauled you out of the mental hospital even though you hadn''t recovered fully."


    I wanted to say something, but he was right.


    "But now I am normal and have no intention to kill," I said.


    The persecutor shook his head. "But we have a witness that says otherwise. Your honor, I wish to summon my second witness."


    "I''ll allow it."


    I recognized this second witness, and he was Xiao Liu''s righthand man. When we were hurrying to Xing Dong Vige, he sat on the other side of the uncle persona. At the time, I did threaten the killer, but it was for a very good reason.


    "He did threaten the killer." The witness said, "There were two other officers in the car, and we both heard Wu Meng say it. He used his police identity to threaten the killer and said that he could change the testimony if he wanted to. He openly misused his power, and we both heard it."


    "I only did that because I was desperate to save my friend!" I countered, "You were there. Didn''t you realize how dangerous it was back then?"

 Chapter 238: Right and Wrong

    Chapter 238: Right and Wrong


    It felt awful to be wronged because I really hadn''t done these things. But hearing this officer speak, the discussion in the crowd grew louder. Words like animals, stain to the badge, deserve to die entered my ears. My head pained and spun. One split second, I even felt I was the killer. I pulled on my hair until my scalp numbed. I had never exined this habit to others before. I did this to use surface pain to counter the pain in my mind. Whenever there was a headache, I would do this. But now, it was useless.


    Was it possible that I had murdered the officer when I wasn''t myself? Was it possible that there was another Wu Meng living inside me like the killer? I resisted that possibility. I couldn''t face it. Am I a sinner? Have I killed?


    "Silence!" The judge banged on the gavel. "Persecutor, you may continue." The witness left, and the persecutor said, "Even though you said that it was to save someone, we also understand that your paranoia will be triggered under certain circumstances. When you are anxious, the best solution is to kill the person who gave you that anxiety, right?"


    "Right!" I said, but it was already toote. "No! In that situation, I was merely trying to make the killer speak. And the killer did speak, didn''t he?"


    The persecutor challenged, "He did, but if he chose not to speak, would you kill him?"


    I answered, "I couldn''t let anything happen to Guan Zhenglin. She is my team member. Do you understand?"


    "Answer me!" The persecutor pressed. "Will you kill?"


    "We are like family!" I shouted.


    "Would you have killed him?" The persecutor asked again.


    "I" Before I could say anything, thewyer beside him stood up, "Objection, the persecutor is badgering my client with hypothetical. We are in court. We talk with evidence, not with hypotheticals."


    "Sustained. Persecutor, please refrain from doing that again." The judge warned.


    "Okay. My premise stands. The suspect, Wu Meng, will act crazily when he is pressed." The persecutor looked at his file. "I have another key witness who will prove that."


    "Summon him then." The judge said.


    I frowned. I had no idea who could prove that. But when I heard the familiar name, I couldn''t believe my ears. When this man walked to the witness box, I was finally sure my eyes weren''t lying to me. The key witness was Xiao Liu. I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. I felt my whole body shaking. I was not expecting Xiao Liu to testify against me. Xiao Liu did see everything that day.


    "What have you seen." The persecutor asked, "You can tell the court now."


    Xiao Liu looked at me expressionlessly, but there were plenty of emotions in his eyes. He touched the bar before him and looked around. Everyone was quiet, waiting for him to speak. Time froze, and it felt suffocating. Xiao Liu coughed and lowered his head. "When we went to arrest the killer, the killer had already surrendered. But I saw the suspect pick up a ss sharp to try to plunge it into the killer''s neck. If I didn''t move fast, the killer would be dead already."


    The court was silent.


    "Is the witness telling the truth?" The judge asked


    I looked at Xiao Liu, but he refused to look at me. I had no idea what he felt, but I felt deeply betrayed. My heart was cold.


    "You want me dead, don''t you?!" I looked at Xiao Liu. My voice was small, but I was sure he heard me.


    Xiao Liu lifted his head,and there were tears in his eyes. "I want you dead? If I don''t say something, then you''d die! Wu Meng, I''ve been watching you for a long time already. Your paranoia ising back. You need to go back to the hospital for treatment. I really fear for you. One day, you will kill someone or be killed by someone. Inparison, I''d rather you go back to the hospital!" Xiao Liu''s tears fell, but I had no idea why.


    I said, "You want me dead. Do you know that Guan Zhenglin is still missing? I''ve been following this case, and if this is moved to another person, the case will restart. Then who can find Guan Zhenglin? You not only want me dead, but you also want the rest of us to die!"


    "I will take over the case!" Xiao Liu shouted, "I''ve been following the case. I know all the clues you know. I will save Guan Zhenglin." There was chaos everywhere as they started to discuss this drama in court. Every mature people understood that empathy was a lie. You could scream, cry, weep; people could be silent or rowdy, but in the end, people would say, what an interesting person. After all, they were not affected.


    "Silence!" The judge banged on his gavel repeatedly.


    However, I was heated. "When you left Captain Zhao, I knew you view your status more important than anything, but I didn''t expect it would be to this extent. We''ve all left, so no one will stand the way of your promotion anymore, right? Do you think I want to fight that position with you? As if!"


    Xiao Liu pointed at me and growled, "Wu Meng, I knew you look down on me. I know I don''t have your talent, and I can only rely on hard work. But have I ever stopped in my work? Have you seen me rest for a second? Since I don''t have enough talent, Ipensate for it with extra work. Is that wrong?" Xiao Liu''s body was shaking. I could see the veins on his arm. "Wu Meng." Xiao Liu pointed at me. He demanded, "Is that wrong? I ask you, is that wrong? Is it wrong for me to work hard for what I want? But I never thought you would see me like that. In your mind, am I someone who would give up everything for a fucking better promotion and status?"


    I wanted to counter, but my words couldn''te out. Indeed, was Xiao Liu wrong? He wanted to get a better life for himself. Was that wrong? Xiao Liu never stopped my investigation, but he used his own method to get what he wanted. He didn''t steal or scam. Xiao Liu was definitely the most hardworking person I know. But as we age, we would realize hard work is not everything in this world. Hard work could get you ahead of 80 percent of people but not thest 20 percent. It was impressive that Xiao Liu was a team captain at his age, but Xiao Liu was not satisfied with that. That was not wrong.


    "You look down on me. All of you look down on me!" Xiao Liu was still shouting. "I treated you as my real friends, but you all never saw me as one of you! Go to hell then. I don''t need friends anyway! From now on, we are unrted!"


    My heart was pained. I wanted to cry, but there was no tear.


    "The court will rest!" The judge shouted, "Bring them all away!"


    The officers came to pull me away. Xiao Liu was also escorted out. When I joined the Special Task Unit 1 year ago, I didn''t expect this to happen. Yes, that was only 1 year ago.


    Because of me, Captain Zhao was in trouble; I didn''t hear from Sister Mary, so the only person I could rely on was myself. I made a decision, but I had no idea if it was the right decision or not and how many people it would affect.


    I was locked inside an interrogation room. Mywyer walked in. We sat down, and he said. "Wu Meng, Boss Mao sent me."


    "Sister Mao?" I asked.


    He nodded. "That''s right. Someone called Gu Chen came to find her. Boss Mao ironed out many things for you, but it''s not enough. You are with the police. You know how serious it is when a cop is murdered. The killer will be shot."


    I didn''t speak.


    He continued, "There are both physical evidence and witness. Your timing, motive, and method are all there. I don''t know how you get into this trouble, but it''s toote now. The public is already talking. I''d advise you to admit it."


    "I didn''t do it." I looked into his eyes.


    "But everyone believes you did!" He said, "It''s impossible for you to go free, but at least I can argue for your life! If you confess, you''ll get life imprisonment. But considering your mental history and good behavior, you will be out within 10 years. You are only 20 now. You are still young."


    I shook my head. "When I am still conscious, I will tell you clearly that I didn''t kill that man. I didn''t know when my mental illness will act up. I don''t have much time. The court will resume in the afternoon. I need you to do this"

 Chapter 239: Escape Plan

    Chapter 239: Escape n


    For a case like mine, the court proceeding would take long. The jurisdiction would be made after all the evidence had been taken into ount. Normally, we would use two factors to decide whether the suspect was a criminal. They were external and internal factors.


    External factors included witness and physical evidence. But evidence held more weight because human witnesses had issues of authenticity. What you see might not be the truth. Plus, humans were creatures of emotions. They were subjective. However, physical evidence was objective. Of course, there was the case of framing, but they were more reliable than human witnesses.


    Internal factors refer to the suspect''s personal factors, like whether the suspect had the time, capability, and motive tomit the crime. These three were the mostmon internal factors.


    After both internal and external factors matched, the suspect would be sent to court, and the judge would decide the severity of the punishment.


    The suspect''s testimony didn''t really y a part because they were the most untrustworthy personnel in the whole incident.


    In my case, all the external and internal factors pointed at me. The gun and the bullet came from my assigned firearm and ammo case. The witnesses came from different departments, and they didn''t know each other, so they couldn''t collude. I had the time tomit the crime, and I was caught red-handed. I was capable ofmitting the crime, and I knew how to fire a gun. I had the motive because they said I had paranoia.


    I closed my eyes to pull on my hair. I knew the person who framed me had to know thew process very well. He had prepared everything for my downfall, and there was no loophole. This was not something amon person could have done.


    All the evidence pointed towards me. I believed if I were convicted, as thatwyer said, I would be locked up for life if I wasn''t shot. However, I refused to take the fall for the things I didn''t do. Thankfully, I had told everything I needed to do to thewyer. But until now, I wasn''t sure if Sister Mao would help me. Honestly, the rtionship between Sister Mao and me was strictly transactional. When I was still a member of the Special Task Group, she would help me, but what about now? I had no idea, but Sister Mao was my only hope.


    As I expected, the judge couldn''te to my judgment immediately but called for another court meeting three dayster, and I knew these three days were all that I had. By then, I would be sent to a bigger prison, and I wouldn''t be able to do anything there.


    "The court is adjourned, and the second court meeting will be held three dayster."


    After that, I was brought back to Dong Xing Station''s detention center. In the afternoon, Sister Mao''swyer came to find me. I looked at him and said, "Have you ryed everything I told you to Sister Mao?"


    Thewyer nodded. Even though he was deeply concerned, his movements were calm not to attract the suspicion of the officers. His brows were locked. His hand pressed on the table. "Have you considered the consequence? If you don''t do this, there is still a chance for things to turn around." He leaned forward and nced towards the door. "But once you do this, you''ll be turned into a fugitive."


    I nodded. He shook his head like I didn''t understand him. "Boss Mao wanted me to preserve your life as much as possible. If you proceed with this, they can shoot you, do you understand? They can fire you down on the street without warning."


    I smiled. "There''s no need to scare me. I was once a part of a Special Task Force. I know the consequence. It''s not as serious as you said."


    "But it''s not as easy as you think!" He said, "Plus, you''re the main suspect now. Even if everything is arranged, how do you n to escape?"


    I sighed and said, "Do you have a cigarette?"


    Thewyer nodded and took one out. "Why do you need it?"


    "What are you doing?" The officer outside shouted, "You can''t smoke in here. Put that away!" I looked at thewyer and the officer. I leaned my body forward and said, "Light it."


    "Huh?" Thewyer looked at me.


    "Quick!" I urged. The officer was unlocking the door. Thewyer looked at me and finally lit the cigarette. The police charged in. The cigarette fell on the table. The officer pinned thewyer to the side and tried to grab at the cigarette. I was handcuffed, but it didn''t affect my movement. I grabbed the cigarette and sent it into my mouth.


    Instantly, the heat of the cigarette spread on my tongue. I could feel my mouth blistering. I wanted to open my mouth to spit the cigarette out, but I knew if I did it, the n would fail. I closed my mouth with my hands so that I wouldn''t cough out the cigarette. I tossed and turned the cigarette with my tongue. After making sure the cigarette fire had died, with a swallow, I ingested the cigarette. I started to struggle on the chair. The officer clearly hadn''t seen this before. He was flustered. He screamed, "The suspect has ingested a cigarette!"


    The struggle and the scream attracted the attention of many officers. A senior officer walked over. When he saw me rolling on the ground, he asked, "What''s wrong?"


    The officer said, "He swallowed a cigarette."


    "What?" The senior officer gasped, "A burning one?"


    "Yes!" The officer said, "He lit it and swallowed it. His insides must be burning up."


    The senior officer took out his shlight. "The two of you pin him down. I''ve seen this before. They''re hiding the cigarette under their tongues and pretend to be injured. But they''re totally fine."


    The two officers looked at each other before moving to apprehend me. The senior officer uncuffed me and grabbed my hands. He tried to pry my mouth open. I sucked in all the pus from the burnt marks. I felt the blood pooling in my mouth. When the senior officer got my mouth open, I spat him full of spit and blood. The blood sttered on the senior officer''s face before it trickled down. The senior officer was annoyed and worried. He ordered. "What are you people standing there for? Send him to the hospital. He has vomited half a liter of blood already!"


    The two officers picked me up and hauled me out.


    I was still in great pain, but internally, I sighed in relief. I knew the police station wouldn''t have the equipment to check for internal burns, so they had to send me to the nearest hospital. With that, I had the chance to leave. I was led outside. One officer went to drive the cruiser. Then I was pushed into the car.


    As I got in the car, someone walked over. He was Zhang Qinrui, Captain Lee''s people. He was a coroner. If he checked my injury, he''d know what happened. He ran over and said, "What''s wrong? I heard a suspect is injured."


    Zhang Qinrui got into the car, and the engine started. I knew that if he saw my injury, he would notice the problem. I quickly closed my mouth with my hands and acted to be in great pain.


    "It''s you?" Zhang Qinrui asked, "What''s wrong?"


    Naturally, I couldn''t speak.


    The officer answered, "He swallowed a burning cigarette. I saw it clearly. His throat and mouth are blistered, and he vomited blood on the ground."


    The officer didn''t see the blisters on my throat because I only swallowed the cigarette after the fire died off. But in his panic, the officer assumed things in his mind.


    I worked my injury and felt my mouth fill up with blood again. Even though the injury wasn''t serious, it was incredibly painful. This reminded me of scientific research. Humans couldn''t actively bite their tongues off because no one could sustain the pain.


    This time I didn''t hack the blood out but allowed it to leak through my fingers.


    The cruiser drove faster.

 Chapter 240: Changing Path

    Chapter 240: Changing Path


    The siren wailed. The other vehicles parted for us. In less than ten minutes, we came to the nearest hospital. The cruiser had five people, including me. When we arrived, one officer went to register for me while the rest watched over me. I pulled on the arm of one officer, "I need to use the toilet."


    The officer looked at me and said coldly, "Hold it in."


    Iughed. Ignoring him, I pulled down my pants. I should mention that this was a normal hospital and not a mental hospital. In less than a second, screams erupted around me. Some ran away, and others screamed. A surprising number of people stayed to watch. The officers around me didn''t expect my behavior. They were stunned. People started to cheer, take pictures and call security. None of them realized that they were in thepany of the police.


    Resisting the pain from my tongue, I shouted, "Dear friends, you better stand back. I''m going to walk towards the toilet like this. Watch me." I held my pants and walked towards the staircase. With each step, my heart quivered. The staircase was right before me. Once I turned the corner, I would have seeded.


    Humans were creatures of curiosity. No one would expect me to disappear from the corner of the staircase. The other officers were surrounded by the crowd. They couldn''t get to me.


    "Wu Meng." Zhang Qinrui''s voice drifted through the crowd. I saw the man squeezed into the crowd. I nced at him onest time and disappeared around the corner. At the corner of thending, there was a window with a grille. If there was no problem, I could walk over to remove the grille. But would Sister Mao do that for me? After all, I was a suspect. I walked over and pulled. The grille didn''t move.


    My heart chilled. I understood why Sister Mao didn''t help me. I couldn''t expect her to help me without benefits. I was ready to ept the consequence.


    I pulled one more time for luck. But this time, the grille loosened. I was overjoyed. I pulled harder, and one corner of the grille was removed. I understood then Sister Mao didn''t loosen the entire grille but only a corner big enough for me to escape. I studied the grille. A few iron rods were broken at the base, and they didn''t look sawed off. Something must have corroded them. Sister Mao did something to them so I could yank them off by force. I jumped down the window and removed the suspect''s vest.


    I ran towards the hospital''s backdoor, and sweat poured all over me. My throat was dry. The wounds in my mouth were breaking open, and it was extremely painful. This time, I didn''t need to do anything, and blood was already trickling down my chin.


    There was a normal car idling at the backdoor. A person walked out. It was none other than Sister Mao. I grabbed her by her neck and pushed her into the car. "Drive," I said.


    "You''re hurting me."


    I didn''t release my hold. I said, "Without some injury, how are you going to exin yourself to the police? Have you done everything I asked?"


    Sister Mao started the car and allowed me to strangle her. I saw my nails pierce into her skin and her blood leak. The blood flowed down her neck and dripped onto the car. She had no expression. She didn''t look in pain.


    She said, "I''ve done everything you asked. The things are in the box at your feet."


    "Don''t lower your head." I said, "Your expressions are too unprofessional. Act in pain and fear. There are cameras everywhere, and the technology is good enough to capture your expression. Now please drive to the outskirt of the city. You know the way."


    Sister Mao acted weak immediately. "Outskirts? You''re not leaving Dong Xing City?"


    I shook my head. "There''s no time. Drive to the outskirts. Stop the car in an hour. I will find my way to leave."


    "How?" Sister Mao asked.


    I exined, "People will know I''ve kidnapped you in less than five minutes; they will track your car in less than thirty minutes; the nearby police wille in less than an hour. After you stop the car, you need to call the police! That will clear up your suspicion."


    "Understood." Sister Mao said, "But I can''t find the person you want me to."


    I nodded. "That''s expected. She is not that easily found. But since you''ve released the words, she''ll know soon enough."


    "Who is the girl?" Sister Mao looked at me and asked after some hesitation. "Why do you think she can help you?"


    I looked at Sister Mao and smiled. "Sometimes, the more you know, the more dangerous it is." The smile caused my muscles to pain. "There''s one more thing I need to do. I hope you''ll forgive me."


    "What is it?"


    Before she finished, I pushed a finger down my throat. Then I vomited. Even though I had no idea if there was any danger from swallowing a cigarette, I didn''t want the cigarette to stay in my body. After a long vomiting session, I saw the cigarette corroded by stomach acid. I felt better. My vomit and blood sttered all over the car.


    I bent over to grab the box near my feet. The box was filled with snacks but among them hid a small case. The case contained a roll of money and a phone card. The case was small. With a shake, it disappeared down my sleeve. When I raised my hand, the case was gone.


    The smell of blood and vomit wafted in the car. Sister Mao frowned. "I must be mad to help you."


    I smiled. "See the alley in front? Stop there."


    Sister Mao nodded and parked. There was no camera here. I said, "Sister Mao, thank you. Honestly, I really didn''t expect you to help me."


    Sister Mao suddenlyughed, "I was a prostitute. I''ve seen more men than I care to admit. They say prostitutes have no heart, but if there''s a choice, I didn''t want that life either. Plus, you can''t be that bad if you''re friends with Brother Huang Er." Sister Mao added, "Once you leave, don''te back."


    "I wille back. This is not yet over. Remember. Once I leave, call the police."


    Sister Mao wanted to say something, but I had already opened the car door.


    As I walked away, I pulled up a map in my mind. Earlier, Sister Mary had shown us a 3D map to capture the multiple personality killer. The map was now in my mind, showing both aboveground and belowground buildings.


    I shook my head and sighed. I knew this map to capture the killer, but now it became a tool for my escape. If my memory served me right, there was a sewer entrance near the alley. Once I was down there, my escape would beplete.


    As I predicted, I soon came upon the sewer entrance. When the police arrived, I could have appeared at any other exit. The police wouldn''t find me.


    I pulled the cap back on, and the light disappeared. My eyes were still adjusting. I stood there and waited until my eyes were used to the darkness. But even so, I could see at most half a meter before me. I didn''t expect I''d one day spend my days in darkness.


    I thought of the killer and Zhao Mingkun. No one liked the dark, but certain people couldn''t stand in the light. If one could walk in the light, who would give that up? But some roads were destined to be dark.


    I had no choice but to make my way into darkness.

 Chapter 241: Challenges

    Chapter 241: Challenges


    I had been moving for ten minutes in the sewer already. If Sister Mao had followed my instructions, then the police would have arrived already.


    The alley where Sister Mao parked her car didn''t have any cameras in the alley, but there were cameras at the front and end. Through the cameras, the police would find out my escape path. That meant they would investigate the sewers soon. In thirty minutes, the sewer exits would be guarded. In other words, if I didn''t want to be captured, I had to make my escape in these thirty minutes.


    I slowly moved in the dark, following the map in my mind. The surrounding was dark and quiet, except for the asional chattering of critters. Every sound was amplified down there. Based on my map, there was an exit that would lead to an alley after I walked for another ten meters. From the alley, I could pick my way to go. However, I couldn''t return to Dong Xing City. The roads would be blocked. Thankfully, the city wasrge, and it was not that hard for it to hide a single person.


    What I needed to do then was to move from the light to the dark and filter out the people who wanted to harm me. This would take some time without the resource of the Special Task Force. I turned a corner, and to my surprise, I was greeted by a steel. I pulled on the and realized the was encased in the cement. Without professional tools, I wouldn''t have it removed. I tapped my head. I had considered everything but this. During rainy seasons, thunderstorms challenged a city''s drainage system.


    There was news of people being swept away in the sewer. This was to provide some assistance. However, the now quarantined me underground. I didn''t dare to stay and quickly turned around. This unexpected hurdle caused my heart to pound. It would take time toe up with a new escape route. But in any case, I needed to leave as soon as possible.


    However, I had greatly underestimated the police''s efficiency. I had only turned back for a few minutes when I heard voices from a distance, "You guys go that way, and the rest follow me." I was extremely familiar with this voice. It was none other than Xiao Liu. Xiao Liu had spent half a year in the Special Task Force, so he was familiar with my mindset. He also learned during thetest case that the underground sewer was heaven for criminals. My way forward was Xiao Liu, and my way back was a dead end. I had no hope of escaping.


    I could hear them talking down the distance. I was about to surrender when a hand fell on my back. In that circumstance, I almost screamed. A tiny voice said, "It''s me." This was Zhao Mingkun''s voice. I turned around, and she appeared before me. I was pleasantly surprised and then sad. Surprised because I got to see her again and sad because we were about to get arrested. However, she clearly didn''t think that way. She dragged me down the path. I said, "Why are you here?"


    Zhao Mingkun said, "Your Sister Mao has released words that she''s looking for a woman called Zhao Mingkun. I put my ears to the wall and found out your n."


    "But there are not that many people who knew my n." I frowned, "And Sister Mao said she didn''t meet you."


    Zhao Mingkun smiled. "There will be traces. Even Sister Mao doesn''t say anything, thewyer will reveal everything. Even though he doesn''t know your n, from the things you told Sister Mao, it was not hard to guess. Why else do you think the police can get here so soon?"


    "Thewyer?" I frowned deeper.


    Zhao Mingkun nodded. "I found some clues about your parents and have been trying to find an opportunity to tell you. But this is perfect. It looks like you''ll have to hide in the shadows like me from now on." Zhao Mingkun chuckled. "No one can fight fate. After so many years, eventually, the plot follows the predetermined script. What I don''t understand is, if we didn''t have a choice, why you too would end up on this path?"


    "What is it that you know?" I paused. Every time Zhao Mingkun would confuse me with her words. I had a feeling Zhao Mingkun knew something about me that I didn''t. I have had that feeling since I first met her. And, now the feeling only grew stronger.


    Zhao Mingkun stopped and turned back to look at me, "With knowledgees pain. You should know that. I didn''t wish pain on you. Come, they''re about to catch up to us."


    I didn''t nudge my feet. "Zhao Mingkun, if it is about me, then I have the right to know. No matter how I''ll react after knowing the truth, that is my problem. Do you understand? I''d rather be in pain than be ignorant." Then we were both silent.


    I didn''t turn back to look even though I knew Xiao Liu would appear with his people after a few minutes. We looked at each other, and none wanted to back down. We saw stubbornness in each other''s eyes. I didn''t understand why Zhao Mingkun refused to tell me what she knew about me. It didn''t have anything to do with her.


    We stood there silently for about a minute. It was Zhao Mingkun who broke the silence. She lowered her voice so that only I could hear it. "I know your n. If it failed now, wouldn''t everything be for nothing? Or do you think the same n can work twice?"


    But I still hadn''t moved. I said lightly, "Zhao Mingkun, you have been on the run for seven years. You were not once captured because I believe you have something you still have yet to do. So I know you wouldn''t want to be caught now. So, are you sure you''re not telling me?"


    Another silence. We both knew Xiao Liu coulde at any moment. We couldn''t waste more time. Zhao Mingkun looked at me and said, "Wu Meng, I had no idea you''re so shameless."


    I smiled and said, "I could say the same about you. So does that mean you agree?"


    Zhao Mingkun didn''t say anything but turned to walk ahead. I took that as a yes. I quickly followed. I added, "The problem is this path leads to a dead end. Based on Xiao Liu''s personality, he''de to check even knowing it''s a dead end. It''s dark in here, but they have shlights. Where can we hide?"


    Zhao Mingkunughed and said, "When you came down here, did you see me?"


    I shook my head.


    Zhao Mingkun replied, "There you go. Since you didn''t discover me, neither would they."


    By then, we had reached the steel. Zhao Mingkun looked at me and then inserted her fingers into the gaps of the. She climbed up. There were holes on the walls, and they were perfect for purchases. I saw Zhao Mingkun eventuallytch herself onto the roof. The roof wasn''t low and normal people would not look up. Zhao Mingkun crawled on the ceiling like a silent lizard. She whispered, "I arrived here earlier than you did. When I saw the, I knew your n wouldn''t work. But since you didn''t see me, it means my method could work. Get up then. Remember to hold on. If you fall, it''s over for both of us."


    I nodded and then followed Zhao Mingkun''s lead. She made it look so easy. But when I tried it myself, I realized this was not something easily done. I had to use every ounce of my energy before I managed to climb on the wall. I grabbed the holes with my fingers and held on tight. If Zhao Mingkun was an agile lizard, I was a clumsy panda.


    Zhao Mingkun and I climbed away from the because it would have been too obvious. A few people walked underneath us, and the rays from the shlight swung about. Zhao Mingkun and I halted. We didn''t even dare to breathe too loudly.


    "There''s no one here, Leader Liu." An officer said, "He should have gone the other way. Our people there might find some clues." I heard someone knock on the. "No one can break this without a tool." The same officer said.


    "Okay, we''ll go that way then." Xiao Liu said.


    I sighed in relief, but Xiao Liu suddenly stopped right underneath me.

 Chapter 242: Alertness

    Chapter 242: Alertness


    Xiao Liu suddenly stood right under me, motionless, as if she was listening to something. The rest of the police also followed Xiao Liu to a stop. Xiao Liu shed the shlight left and right for a while before saying, "Did you hear anything?"


    Several policemen also took pictures and said, "A sound? Maybe it''s just the mice moving. "


    But I knew what the sound Xiao Liu was referring to was, and it certainly wasn''t the sound of a mouse. It was the sound of finger bones contracting and rubbing together. The sound was very soft, but I could hear it clearly. Because not everyone possessed this kind of physical strength, I felt my muscles bing tight and sore, and I knew that if I loosened my fingers at any time, the soles of my feet might slip.


    If I fell now, I wouldnd directly in front of Xiao Liu. Not only would I be caught, even Zhao Mingkun would be in danger.


    I used all my strength to hold on, and the wound in my mouth began to squeeze out blood again under the strength i was exerting. A bloody smell came out of my mouth.If it weren''t for the strong smell of sewers everywhere, the smell of blood would be easy for the police, especially the special forces to notice.


    I felt like I was running out of energy.


    At this moment, Xiao Liu finally said, "Well, go over there and have a look. Remember, you must catch them alive. You can''t shoot, understand?"


    A policeman whispered, "But it was said that you can shoot if necessary."


    Xiao Liu smiled and sneered, looking at officer he said solemnly, "Can you tell when it''s necessary and when it''s not?" Without my permission, the pursuers are not allowed to shoot, understand? "


    "Understood," the policeman said.


    Immediately afterwards, several people gradually left.


    Zhao Mingkun loosened her body and fell to the ground without saying a word, as graceful as a noble cat.I also understood how Zhao Mingkun appeared behind mest time. But I couldn''t fall to the ground like Zhao Mingkun. If I was the one who tried that, I might''ve smashed a hole in the ground.


    Zhao Mingkun whispered: "Come down, they have left. When they find that there is no one there, they will definitely turn back."


    I was sweating profusely at the moment, and there was a mouthful of blood in my mouth.As soon as he opened his mouth, blood dripped from the corner of his mouth: "Wait a minute. Although they''re gone, I can''t be like you."


    Zhao Mingkun said, "I can catch you. Juste down."


    Even if Zhao Mingkun didn''t speak, it was absolutely impossible for me to go back the same way. Soon my fingers softened and I fell down directly. However, I didn''t fall straight to the ground. Zhao Mingkun actually caught me firmly. I broke out in a cold sweat. Unexpectedly, Zhao Mingkun''s seemingly weak body contained so much strength.


    Thinking of this, I said, "Amazing, sister."


    Zhao Mingkun put me down, walked out quickly, and said, "With your little body of less than 120 pounds, it''s not a problem to hold you."


    Saying that, she raised her eyebrows and asked, "What''s wrong with your mouth? You didn''t bite your tongue, did you? "


    I said, "You know, it takes a little effort to get out of the detention center."


    We all go the same way.


    We had to go back. We don''t know if anyone is watching above.


    We looked at each other. I opened my mouth and said, "If Xiao Liues to me, it means that everything has been deployed."


    "I think there is no need to watch the surrounding police stations, they should be watching the remaining sewer exits and trying to box us in."


    I had already climbed up and said to Zhao Mingkun, "There are two options now. The first is to go up, and the second is to wait in the sewer."


    Zhao Mingkun didn''t seem to think much, and said, "This policeman is here after you. He is sure that you will escape through the sewer. And now he didn''t realise that, if he watched the surveince and saw that no one came out of the alley, then he would be more certain that we were in the sewer. At that time, there will definitely be a carpet search of the entire area.


    Zhao Mingkun also got up and said, "And if that happens, we really wouldn''t be able to run anymore."


    "So you agree to go up too."


    I pushed open the manhole cover. The sun shone, but no one spoke, and I also understood that there was no one guarding this area. Maybe this was the truth. In the so-called darkness under the lights, the most dangerous ce might also be the safest ce.


    Zhao Mingkun and I looked at each other and put the manhole cover back on.


    I whispered, "My deployment was disrupted. Where should we go?"


    Zhao Mingkun said, "Come with me, we will be monitored when we go out. Someone is watching the surveince outside. Within five minutes, the police wille. As soon as we go out, we must act quickly, understand? "


    I gave a nod.


    Zhao Mingkun continued: "Then, when I take action in a while, you can just watch from the side. Don''t talk too much. "


    I vaguely felt something was wrong, but I didn''t speak.


    Zhao Mingkun walked out, and I followed behind.


    Looking at the back of the alley, Sister Mao''s car was no longer there, and it should have been towed back.


    Zhao Mingkun rushed directly to the side of the road.


    This road was not particrly remote, otherwise Xiao Liu would not have found it so quickly. Zhao Mingkun rushed out like this and stopped the car behind her. Zhao Mingkun''s speed was very fast, and her actions were without hesitation. And the car was not slow on the road. If the car didn''t brake in time, Zhao Mingkun may be knocked down directly.


    The car stopped a few centimetres beside Zhao Mingkun.The driver may not have been able to see clearly, but I could see clearly from the side.If it was toote, Zhao Mingkun would have been crushed under the wheels of the car.


    Zhao Mingkun fell to the ground, and the driver of the first car stopped to check.But when the driver got out of the car, Zhao Mingkun took a pistol from her waist.


    A pistol was ced on the driver''s head, and the driver raised his hands subconsciously.


    Naturally, I knew what Zhao Mingkun meant, so I quickly got in the car and sat in the driver''s seat.


    Zhao Mingkun pointed the gun at the driver and slowly got into the car.


    "Come on." Zhao Mingkun said.


    I nodded. The car itself was yet to turn off. A few secondster, we started to drive away.


    "You want to die?" I cursed: "It was too dangerous just now. If the driver had been a novice, you would have been crushed to death! "


    Zhao Mingkun smiled and then said, "When we live, we are all gambling. If you think about life, you may live. If you think about it death, you may die. You can do your own thing, but you can live and die... but this is all in God''s control."


    We nned to go all the way to the west and, after five minutes, take a taxi.


    Finally, I saw Zhao Mingkun''s crazy side. I don''t know if this was normal in Zhao Mingkun''s life. It''s just that life like this was wonderful, fun, and definitely short-lived. While we don''t know what ident will happen tomorrow , if we didn''t kill ourselves, the chances of surviving were pretty high.


    But some people like to gamble. It''s just that some people gamble with money, and others gamble with their lives.


    Five minutester, the car was now parked on the side of the road, Zhao Mingkun hailed a taxi. Because of the presence of outsiders, we didn''t say anything. However, we spent the next hour in a taxi. Zhao Mingkun''s route was chaotic and had no direction. We also changed seven or eight taxis throughout the journey.


    When we finally got out of the car at one ce, Zhao Mingkun said to me: "After running so manyps, I almost fainted. Even if they want to watch the surveince, they have to watch it for a while. "


    "What?" I asked


    Zhao Mingkun, pointed to the ground, and said, "Let''s go, go around the sewers a few times, and you won''t know where you are when youe out."


    I pointed to my head: "Not necessarily, the map above and below Dongxing City is already in my mind."


    "Then you are not too bad." Zhao Mingkun said.


    I shrugged. "If you''re not good, you won''t be able to join the special forces.


    The two of us were speechless, wandering in the sewer for more than an hour before finally returning aboveground. At this moment, we were already in the west of the city. Even if there was surveince nearby, the police wouldn''t expect us to be here, and naturally, they wouldn''t take the time to look into the surveince here either. It''s just that the longer we live at one ce, the more exposed we were.


    Zhao Mingkun gave me the address of amunity, and then said, "I rented a house here before, you go first, I have something to do. l''lle back in ten minutes. "


    "What''s wrong?" I asked.


    Zhao Mingkun left without answering.


    I shook my head and went upstairs with the key. As soon as I opened the door, I heard the sound of ss falling. I walked in frowning and saw a bottle of wine on the ground. I have seen Zhao Mingkun''s vignce a lot. It''s her style to have such a small device to tell herself if someone wasing in.


    More importantly, as soon as the door opened, a hair slowly fell. Naturally, this was also Zhao Mingkun''s masterpiece. If anyone came here, their hair would definitely fall out. Even if the visitor notices, there must be no way to ce the hair in exactly the same way as before.


    I walked into the house and found the location of the wine bottles unique and equally difficult to replicate.


    As expected of the woman who had lived on the run for so long...the woman who had made Team Leader Shao overwhelmed,


    After thinking about it, I walked into the house.


    There was nothing in the living room, no TV, noputer, no books.


    It was empty.


    (end of chapter)<hr>


    Trantor''s note : I''m a pretty novice trantor, so if you find any errors, typos, or better alternatives for any specific word or phrase, please let me know?

 Chapter 243: My life experience doubts

    Chapter 243: My life experience doubts


    Looking at this room, for some reason, a sad feeling suddenly crept into my heart. The room was so empty, I wanted to cry. There wasn''t even a bed in the bedroom. It was like an abandoned house. I didn''t even have a ce to sit.


    I don''t know what Zhao Mingkun is thinking. At this moment, it is already dark, the street lights outside the house are on, and the kitchens of every household have lit up. It is time for dinner. I turned on the kitchen light and started gargling with cold water. The cold water touched the wound, and I grinned miserably in pain.


    It seems that until my wound heals, I can only eat liquid food. Fortunately, there is a refrigerator in the kitchen. He opened the refrigerator and found only a few tomatoes and cucumbers in it. Then, a few buns, frozen hard.


    Looking at the cab, there is no oil, salt, sauce, or vinegar. It appears that this kitchen is furnished. But thinking about it, can a woman like Zhao Mingkun really know how to cook? I have reservations about this.


    Just as he was thinking about how to fill his stomach, he heard movement outside the door, and Zhao Mingkun came back.


    Going out, just as I wanted to say hello to Zhao Mingkun, I saw Zhao Mingkun''s face full of anger. For some unknown reason, Zhao Mingkun first said, "Turn off the lights."


    "Huh?" I didn''t respond for a while.


    Zhao Mingkun repeated: "Turn off the lights."


    Although he looked at Zhao Mingkun''s serious look, although he didn''t understand, he still turned off the light. Suddenly, the whole room became pitch ck. Only the faint cold light from the refrigerator entered the room, casting a pale blue light curtain on the walls. Zhao Mingkun and I just stood awkwardly, very quiet.


    I scratched my head and said, "What''s with the light?"


    Only then did Zhao Mingkun put the stic bags in her hands on the ground, and then said to me, "Your escape career has just begun. If you want to be taken away in handcuffs without sleeping, you will have to learn to adapt in the future. There''s a lot more. Remember the first rule and never leave your mark. "


    Having said that, Zhao Mingkun took out a cloth from the inner lining pocket, wiped the switch and the refrigerator door for a while, and then put the cloth back in his pocket: "Second point, never turn on the light. The light will show where we are. Do you understand? "


    I shrugged and said, "No need to fuss, we just arrived."


    Zhao Mingkun took out the contents of the bag and said, "Seven years have passed, and I''m still outside. You probably know how many people want to arrest me. But you also know that they can''t even catch a glimpse of my shadow. "


    I frowned and looked at Zhao Mingkun. At the same time, I also understood why there was nothing in this house. Whenever you want to buy something, it is inevitable that you will have to have a rtionship with the seller. Especially in a store with a small daily transaction volume, such as furniture, the seller must have a record. In order not to leave a record, you can only not buy.


    But such a life is too cautious and too restrictive.


    Zhao Mingkun was still busy, so I asked, "Isn''t this kind of life tiring?"


    Hearing my words, Zhao Mingkun stopped her movements without turning her head said, "I''m tired, but if l don''t live like this, will I still be alive?


    To live is to suffer. I have heard people say that there is a certain amount of suffering and blessings in human life. But when will the suffering we have to suffer end? "


    She looked back at me as if she was looking for an answer. It''s just that I''m seven or eight years younger than her, so I really can''t answer her question. I can only sigh and say, "Maybe some people are here to atone for their sins. To live is to suffer. "


    "To live is to suffer, but I don''t have the courage to die." Zhao Mingkun took out a bottle and said to me, "Tell me how pitiful we are. Come on, open your mouth. "


    I didn''t know what to say, so I opened my mouth consciously.


    A cool liquid sprayed into my mouth with a medicinal smell.


    I warmed my heart and said, "I didn''t expect you to buy medicine for me, so be careful."


    Zhao Mingkun took out two cups of porridge from another bag, handed me one, and said, "No, dinner."


    "Do you eat this at night?" I stated.


    Zhao Mingkun was silent, suddenly smiled, and said to me: "Yes, as a woman, maintaining good health is our top priority at any time. However, sometimes it''s ridiculous to think about it. You say, "Do I still have any chance in my life to fall in love and be a bride?"


    I waved my hand and shrugged: "Let''s face it, sister, you still have time to think about this."


    Zhao Mingkun stretched out a finger, hooked it, and her tongue slowly licked her upper lip, grabbed her neckline with one hand, and slowly pulled it down. The lights in the room were turned off, and only the street lights outside the window were on. A little light came in, making Zhao Mingkun look a little hazy, but it also perfectly outlined her figure.


    I took a mouthful of porridge and it was cold. I know that this is the cold porridge that Zhao Mingkun specially bought, and it will not irritate the wound.


    I said, "Don''t use a set. I was beatenst time. I have to ask my parents what to say this time. "


    Hearing my words, Zhao Mingkun pulled up her cor, sat on the ground casually, and said slowly, "Have you gotten smarter?"


    I also sat down and said, "Tell me how much you know about my parents."


    Zhao Mingkun said, "Since you''ve made up your mind, I''m not someone who inks anything. Actually, I don''t know much about you. Do you know about your parents? Can you tell me what you know first?


    I put the porridge on the ground and said, as I recalled, "When I was very young, I was thrown at the gate of Qingcheng Prison. There was only one note with me. My mother wrote it, "she said." My father was a prisoner in Qingcheng, and she couldn''t wait for my father to go out, so she threw me at the door. "


    Zhao Mingkun didn''t speak, just drank cold porridge.


    I continued: "It''s ridiculous. The warden checks the DNA of all male criminals, and my father was not among them. They all said my mother was an idiot who couldn''t even remember which prison her husband was imprisoned in. You know our DNA too. The library is not perfect; how can you find one person among so many people in our country..."


    Speaking of which, I suddenly feel helpless.


    When it came to my mind, after a pause, I continued: "My mother said that if I couldn''t wait for my father, my father must havemitted some serious crime. Most likely, he is dead. I know that I was actually abandoned, but that''s how people are. I also want to ask my mother what I did wrong to be abandoned. "


    I felt my body trembling slightly, trying to suppress the anger, helplessness, and sadness in my heart, and said, "I really want to ask them, if they can''t fulfil their parental responsibilities, why would they give birth to me?"..if you decide to have a baby, why not?


    For a moment, the feelings that had umted in my heart for many years finally burst out. Although I repressed my feelings, my tears were like a flood. Suddenly, my nose and tears came down. There are a lot of them.Like a helpless child, unable to control himself.


    I have never said these words in front of others, but in front of Zhao Mingkun, it seems that there are no more secrets to speak of.


    Zhao Mingkun took out a few tissues from her pocket and handed them to me. She said, "What if I say your parents are not criminals at all?"


    I wiped my tears and said, "What do you mean?"


    Zhao Mingkun watched me wipe my nose and tears, then put the tissue in a stic bag, and said, "Have you ever thought about it? It''s so weird. What kind of confused mother is she? to forget the name of the prison where her husband and the father of her children is. Family will be notified even if the prisoner is to be moved. You grew up in prison, you know that. "


    I nodded, pulled my hair with my hand, and said, "Yes, when the prisoner is transferred, the family will definitely be notified. Unless, this person has no family. You mean, it''s not that my mother remembered it wrong. "


    Zhao Mingkun took a mouthful of porridge and said, "I don''t know what happened at the time. Through my investigation, I found out that your parents were not criminals at all. Although I don''t know the reason, if the identities of your parents were found out, they would definitely investigate, but I''m afraid the truth is not so simple. "


    My curiosity made me wonder about my background and what happened in the first ce.


    I said, "Ignorance is good sometimes, the truth is dark, but it is also true. Who are my parents? If they are not criminals, where have they been for twenty years and why have they nevere to see me? Why twenty yearster, they haven''t found me yet? "


    Zhao Mingkun was silent for a moment, then stood up: "You know, there are two kinds of people in this world who live in darkness, one is a criminal, and the other is after a criminal."


    After listening to Zhao Mingkun''s words, my mind became clearer, and then I said, "You mean, my parents are..."


    Zhao Mingkun nodded and said, "Yes, if my investigation is correct, your parents should be police officers."


    "Policemen?"


    When I heard the answer that I had already thought of in my heart, I didn''t know what to say for a while, so I said, "Undercover?"


    (end of chapter)

 Chapter 244: Twenty-seven years ago

    Chapter 244: Twenty-seven years ago


    There are really two kinds of people living in the dark, criminals and undercover agents. The only difference between the two is that one enjoys the darkness and the other pretends to enjoy it. And anyone who has ever been a police officer knows that once they go undercover, everything they had before has to be thrown away.


    Identity, friends, and even one''s own family must be abandoned. Also, once you choose to go undercover, even if you are killed, you won''t be able to contact your family. These are themands and rules. Where there is a weakness, there is a hold on you. With this, there is no way to continue to be an undercover agent. After the undercover sacrifice, his name will not appear, and no one will ever know his exploits.


    Even if the policeman is dead, his family is still alive. In order to prevent the remaining police officers from going undercover, criminals will do everything possible to deal with the families of the deceased police officers. Up to eighty-year-old mothers, down to a few-year-old children, will not let go. This way, the remaining undercover agents can be deterred and given up early.


    If my parents were really undercover cops and dumped me at the jail door, to fake a criminal father in order to confuse the criminals, so as not to implicate me, it would not be out of the question. And this can also exin why my father was not in Qincheng Prison.


    But if that''s the case, where are my parents now? It''s been twenty years now. My heart sank thinking of this. As an undercover agent, five years undercover is verymon, ten years undercover is umon, and twenty years is even more rare. If my parents reinstated their police status, they would definitelye to me.


    But 20 yearster, I still have no news from my parents.


    I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. What I didn''t expect was the news that my parents may have passed away. But if they did die, there would be no memorial service to protect their families, and most people wouldn''t even know that these two were police officers.


    When I was thrown into jail in an emergency, no one knew I was the child of the police. Then, the ins and outs of this matter could be asked of the superior leaders to understand. It''s just good luck. If I was still a member of the special team at this moment, I could ask Team Leader Shao to ask the department head for me, but now...


    "Then do you know what happened to my parents? Don''t you have a clue about what happened back then? " I looked at Zhao Mingkun, hoping that Zhao Mingkun could tell me more.


    Zhao Mingkun shook her head and said softly: "No matter how many things, I don''t know. It''s just that we are still alive, aren''t we? Maybe we can always find out. You also know what I do, from a person who has been arrested. The criminals learned that your parents were supposed to be undercover agents of a drug-trafficking organisation. This organisation has grown to the present, and with the efforts of the police, it has be smaller and smaller, but it has also berger. It has be more hidden. "


    "But!" Zhao Mingkun changed his words and said, "But they are bing more and more cautious and cunning. You should know these people too. "


    My eyes lit up and I said, "What do you mean, Lei San?"


    Zhao Mingkun looked out the window and paced around the room, as if thinking about something. After a long while, she said, "Yes, twenty years ago, Lei San began to be exposed to drugs, and in the following years, he followed others to learn a series of


    the processes of making and selling drugs, during which he became addicted."


    I nodded. The first case that Team Leader Shao brought me was the third case of leprosy. I didn''t expect him to be rted to what happened 20 years ago. I don''t know if he knows my parents. "


    Drug addicts are easy to control, and then Lei San began to help sell drugs. This is also an important part of proving that he is not an undercover agent. " Zhao Mingkun said slowly: "At this point, Lei San and I had be members of this organisation. These people eat, eat and drink as a matter of routine. After the drug lord was overthrown, the leprosy disappeared for a long time."


    At this moment, Zhao Mingkun''s words, and what Lin Shu said at the beginning, gradually became a whole. I said, "This operation didn''t catch all the drug dealers all at once, and a few fish slipped through the. When they found out that my parents were undercover, they chased and killed them. The situation was critical, and they left me at the gate of Qincheng Prison. "


    I scratched my hair with my hand, and the stinging pain made me more awake: "Afterwards, Lei San took the initiative to enter the drug rehab centre and escaped the pursuit in the most dangerous and safest way. In the drug rehab centre, Lei San relied on his superhuman will. After quitting the addiction, he came out, but the people above him had fallen down, so Lei San took over the drugwork and started to do it himself. "


    "Until! We discovered this drug-traffickingwork again! " I said, "The leprosy, Lao Zhangtou, and others are all part of it." Then if you find the leper, you will know what happened back then! Going around, I didn''t expect it to fall on his head! "


    Zhao Mingkun nced at me and said, "It''s just that after you found out, Lei San and the others turned to Wu Zui."


    I frowned and said, "Just who is Wu Zui, who always wears a mask and never sees people with his true face?" And seeing that he is not old, why can so many people listen to him? What do you know about Wu Zui? "


    Zhao Mingkun turned to look at me and said, "About Wu Zui, you''d better not get mixed up with this. Don''t you think that Wu Zui has been targeting you so many times? Obviously, you can leave this circle and be a normal person. People, do small businesses. Do some small business. I have a lot of money. I can give it to you. As long as you go to a city that no one will know, don''t get mixed up with these things. "


    Zhao Mingkun''s words were even more urgent.


    I don''t understand why Zhao Mingkun is so special to me. She seems to be protecting me, protecting me everywhere. And I don''t know why Zhao Mingkun would do this. It''s like she has a special feeling for me, but not between men and women. Zhao Mingkun, there must be something else she is hiding from me.


    I looked at Zhao Mingkun suspiciously and said, "But, why? Why don''t you want to go into this muddy water? "


    "You can die at any time, understand?" Zhao Mingkun lowered her voice, but she was very imposing: "I don''t want you to die in your twenties."


    "Really?" I retorted: "You are thirty years old this year. Seven years ago, you were the same age as me. Seven years ago, didn''t youe here too? "


    Zhao Mingkun snorted coldly and said,"We are different, I did kill people, and my hands are covered with blood. Many people, you know, are innocent people! They have never done anything bad. They do their duty. But they were killed by me, and they were killed by me like that. There is no room for mercy!


    "What about you? " Zhao Mingkun almost shouted, "You are different. You have never killed anyone. Although you are wanted, once Shao Shilin gets serious, you will soon be able to prove your innocence. Since Yang Xiaojuan turned into a vegetative state, he is no longer the same as he was, and he bes drowsy. If not, he will not choose someone else to investigate this matter. Do you understand? You are his only hope, so he will prove your innocence. "


    I was speechless and looked at Zhao Mingkun, who was trembling with excitement.


    After a long time, I opened my mouth and said, "The reason why the special action team was established is to arrest you." Do you understand? "


    Zhao Mingkun said: "I know better than you what happened back then. Shi Huacheng shot Yang Xiaojuan, and Shao Shilin stabbed Shi Huacheng''s neck with a knife. Fortunately, neither of them died. Unfortunately, one person turned into a vegetable forever, and the other person can no longer speak normally. " After a pause,


    Zhao Mingkun said, "If all the people in the organisation are not arrested, Shi Huacheng will not be shot. Do you understand? The reason why Shao Shilin wants to catch me is to shoot Shi Huacheng as soon as possible. Shoot him. My former master shot my adoptive father. ""


    But Shi Huacheng shot Yang Xiaojuan. " I said, "Is this how the master treats his apprentice?"


    Zhao Mingkun shook his head and said: "Shi Huacheng is bad, bad to the core." Shi Huacheng is good, but good to the core. Shi Huacheng''s marksmanship was one of the best in the police station back then, and that shot was aimed at Shao Shilin''s shoulder. But Yang Xiaojuan suddenly appeared, and this shot hit Yang Xiaojuan in the chest. Do you think he is not sad? Do you think he is hard-hearted? "


    "If it wasn''t for saving his daughter, Xiao Shi, how could he do this!" Zhao Mingkun had tears in his eyes: "And if it weren''t for saving Xiao Shi, how could I do this? I bet my life on going down a road that can never be turned back. Yes, from the moment we decide, the ending of the story is all written. What else can we do but go to the dark side? "


    Zhao Mingkun knelt on the ground, crying silently.


    "You know, before the age of 20, my adoptive father, Shi Huacheng, told me that he would definitely make me a police officer." Zhao Mingkun''s voice was a little low, and I could hear her holding back her emotions: "I waited. Twenty years, but when I woke up one day, everything had changed. The daughter of a criminal will always be a criminal, and her destiny cannot be changed. "


    Zhao Mingkun looked at me: "But you are different, you know, the son of a policeman. Even if you can''t be a policeman, don''t be like me. I have no choice, but you still have a choice. Don''t block your life, don''t go to the dark one day. "


    I don''t know when, silence and darkness became the norm in my life. I''m used to this kind of environment and this kind of life. Like a woman sitting on her knees and crying in a dark room, I always felt like I had seen this scene somewhere, and in the depths of my memory, it seemed that something vaguely echoed her.


    Insipid people are looking for madness, and crazy people are looking for tness.


    None of them can get what they want.


    (end of chapter)

 Chapter 245:

    Chapter 245:


    Thousands of lights, only this room is pitch ck. It''s like living in a different world, and the hustle and bustle outside have nothing to do with us. The reason why a person will tell another person about their unbearableness is not because this person is trustworthy, but because the other person is also unbearable.


    The same unbearable, equally riddled people will always see the unbearableness in each other''s bodies that they have never had before. It turns out that there are people in this world who are worse than you. You watch her helplessly and satisfy your little vanity and self-esteem that is about to dry up.


    People with low self-esteem are conceited, and we are all the same.


    After being in a daze for five minutes, we put on another face, as if we could forget how embarrassed the two of us were just now. I pretended to be rxed and said: "If you want to find my parents, if you want to know their life and death, you must first find the third man, and if you want to find the third man, you must find Wu Zui. I think the disappearance of Guan Zengbin and Wu Zui should also be a connection. "


    "First, to find Guan Zengbin." I looked at Zhao Mingkun.


    "Your little girlfriend?" Zhao Mingkun asked.


    I didn''t speak, and suddenly it urred to me that Guan Zengbin, like Team Leader Shao, wanted to arrest Zhao Mingkun as soon as possible, so that the incident seven years ago could bepletely ended. And now I actually want to find Guan Zengbin and Guan Zengbin''s enemy. Sometimes the world can be really unpredictable.


    I said, "There must be someone else behind this case. When confronting the murderer before, the murderer was hesitant about some things. Especially when the Yama wanted to kill me, another uncle persona stopped the Yama. From their dialogue at that time, I figured out the existence of another force. "


    Frowning, I dragged my chin with my hand: "It must be like this, including the Wu Zui I saw underground. It may be the real Wu Zui. He told me that the real game has only started now, but, in the end, what kind of game is it? What else do you know about Wu Zui? "


    Zhao Mingkun was silent for a moment, finally sighed, and then said, "ording to my investigation, Wu Zui grew up with criminals."


    I waved my hand and said, "If l didn''t know, I would have thought you were talking about me."


    My words seemed to remind Zhao Mingkun of something. She put the two cups of porridge on the ground that she had almost drunk into a stic bag, and then put the stic bag into another bag, and then said to me, "Yes, Wu Zui is very simr to you." Like you, he grew up with criminals. Butpared to him, you have one more father to teach you, and he has no one to teach him. "


    "What is good and what is evil, what is right and what is wrong? Zhao Mingkun said: "Different people naturally have different ideas in their minds, and Wu Zui was taught by those criminals to be a criminal since he was a child, seven years old. At that time, in order to grab the so-called girlfriend from his ssmates, he pushed the child down from the sixth floor. "


    "In order not to make people suspicious, he also jumped down." Zhao Mingkun said word by word: "It''s just that his ssmate died on the spot, and he fell on his ssmate, only breaking a leg and one arm. After an investigation, the police concluded that the two people, unfortunately, fell while chasing and fighting on the roof. No one would have thought that a seven-year-old child could be so evil inside."


    My heart went up and down with Zhao Mingkun''s words. Evil has been bred into a person''s heart.


    In my heart, after 20 years of thriving growth, what kind of sinful tree must it be?


    Zhao Mingkun continued: "When he was a teenager, Wu Zui thought he had little pocket money, so he nned to earn some pocket money by himself. If it were you, what would you do? "


    "Working?" I said, but then shook my head: "But no one will use childbor."


    Zhao Mingkun stretched out a finger and shook it: "Although you all grew up with criminals and are proficient in countless criminal techniques, one person uses it to catch criminals, and the other person uses it tomit a crime. Even if some people use childbor, Wu Zui won''t go, even if he''s drunk. It''s too slow to get the money that way. "


    "In junior high school, Wu Zui discovered through observation that a ssmate was wearing brand-name clothes, and determined that this ssmate''s family must be rich. So Wu Zui used various means, such as helping this ssmate get ahead and finding girlfriends to approach him and be best friends with him."


    "Then what?" I asked.


    Zhao Mingkun said: "As a friend, the other party would often invite Wu Zui to his house as a guest, and often bought things for Wu Zui, but Wu Zui was not satisfied, the money was still too low. After several months of observation, Wu Zui discovered a pattern. Every Friday afternoon, the ssmate''s father would definitelye home drunk. "


    "So, Wu Zui made a n." Zhao Mingkun said: "At that time, Wu Zui had a little girlfriend. At noon, Wu Zui took his little girlfriend to dinner and got her drunk. After that, he took a taxi to his friend''s house. There are many rooms in my ssmate''s house, and he put his little girlfriend in one room to sleep, and the two of them yedputer games. "


    When Zhao Mingkun said this, I vaguely guessed the next development in the matter.


    She continued: "Sure enough, his ssmate''s father drank too much that afternoon and went back to his room to sleep. Wu Zui excused himself to go to the toilet and put his girlfriend on his ssmate''s father''s bed. Under the influence of alcohol, two people did everything that shouldn''t have happened. "


    I said, "So, Wu Zui used this to get hold of his ssmate''s father?" So he threatened the father for money?"


    "So you are not Wu Zui." Zhao Mingkun said.


    "Is there something else?" I asked suspiciously.


    Zhao Mingkun nodded, and then said: "Yes, just relying on this alone, he cannot make his ssmate''s father obedient. So Wu Zui used the towel he brought from home to suffocate his girlfriend. Then, Wu Zui put his ssmate''s father on top of his girlfriend. "


    Hearing this, I couldn''t help but feel horrified. If an adult can do it, it''s understandable. But for a teenage boy to be so thoughtful, this was really frightening.


    Zhao Mingkun smiled and continued: "After doing all this, he put away everything. In order to prove that he was not there, he deliberately put shit in his pants. When his ssmates felt that he was taking too long, and went to find him. He was washing his pants in the toilet. "


    "The ssmatesughed at him for a long time, and Wu Zui also begged the ssmates not to speak out. After that, the two continued ying games until it was dark, and Wu Zui didn''t take the initiative to mention his girlfriend and ssmate''s father. It was the ssmate who felt that something was wrong. because the two of them slept for a whole afternoon without waking up, so they went upstairs to check."


    Zhao Mingkun shrugged: "Everything was logical after that. The ssmate''s father also thought that he had killed the girl, so Wu Zui got arge amount of hush money. After hiding the money, Wu Zui immediately called the police."


    I was silent for a moment before I asked, "Wu Zui took the initiative to call the police?"


    Zhao Mingkun nodded: "The police investigation found that there were only traces of two people at the scene. Wu Zui did a good job. After moving his girlfriend in, he did not forget to clear his trace, making it seem that the girl had walked in by herself. A false appearance. After reporting the case, Wu Zui voluntarily testified that his ssmate''s father was drunk and his mind was unclear. "


    "In this way, a case of unintentional homicide was established." Zhao Mingkun said: "Because the person involved inadvertently caused death, it was not sentenced as a serious crime. But if the police had not been called at that time, but had hidden the body, then it would not have been easy to clear it in the future. "


    "Later, the ssmate''s father even thanked Wu Zui in person, saying that if it wasn''t for Wu Zui, he might have been sentenced to death. "


    The image of a criminal teenager appeared in my mind. A teenage boy, so full of scheming, in order to get what he wants, he can do whatever he can. Even the little girlfriend who was in love with him could be abandoned just like that. And there is no remorse after that, he would even enjoy it.


    Such people are really terrible. And after seven or eight years have passed, what kind of person will Wu Zui be?


    "Later, Wu Zui burned all the money he got. " Zhao Mingkun looked at me.


    "Burn the money?" I couldn''t understand: "


    Didn''t he kill people for money? Why burn the money after getting it? "


    Zhao Mingkun sighed and repeated the sentence: "So you are not Wu Zui, and there is no second person who can be Wu Zui. He did it for money at first, but changed his mind in the process. Wu Zui discovered that the original result was not the most important thing. What he enjoys more is the process ofmitting the crime. " "


    That kind of meticulousness in killing people, that kind of relief from a sessful murder, that kind of pleasure from ying with the police, and that kind of chess to sessfully escape from suspicion, are the reasons that make his blood boil. The process is the most exciting. excited. "


    Zhao Mingkun''s face was gloomy, and he said: "The reason why he burned the money is because he wants to continuemitting crimes. Money is just an essory tomitting crimes. What he is obsessed with ismitting crimes itself. Your Shao Shilin calls such people... "


    "Criminal genius."


    I almost said it in unison with Zhao Mingkun.


    "But, how did you know such details? It''s as if you were there at the time. " I frowned, looking at Zhao Mingkun, waiting for Zhao Mingkun''s answer.


    Zhao Mingkun said: "Because he told me personally."


    "I told you personally?" I was full of doubts and immediately asked, "So, what''s your rtionship with Wu Zui?"


    Zhao Mingkun stood on the spot and said, word by word: "Because I am his sister, and he is also the adopted son of Shi Huacheng. However, when my adoptive father adopted him, he was already ten years old. At that time, Shi Huacheng was busy doing human experiments. He didn''t have time to control him, l was always in charge of him. "


    It''s just that I didn''t expect him to be like this.<hr>

 Chapter 246: Guan Zengbins whereabouts

    Chapter 246: Guan Zengbin''s whereabouts


    "After Shi Huacheng was imprisoned, I knew that he always wanted to get Shi Huacheng out, but he was unable to do anything." Zhao Mingkun looked at me seriously: "Over the years, he has been recruiting fugitives all over the country. I don''t know. What is he going to do? I only know that Dongxing City will soon be disturbed by these people."


    "So you''re going to find him?" I asked.


    Zhao Mingkun nodded: "For ten years, I have been teaching him what kind of person to be, but it backfired and he became the type of person I least wanted to see. You are all like this. Obviously, you have worked hard. I pushed you out of this circle, but you still came in, life."


    "But what are you going to do when you find him?" I said, "Do you still hope that Wu Zui will be able to turn back now?"


    "I can''t look back, I can''t look back."


    A heavy sigh.


    Forget it, Zhao Mingkun asked me: "Forget it, tell me about your little girlfriend. Where did she disappear from, and how are we going to track her down? "


    I frowned, sat on the ground, and said slowly: "Thest time I saw Guan Zengbin, she was still on the back mountain of Xingdong Vige. The murderer tied her to a bed, but ording to the murderer, Ze''s persona would not kill her. When we checkedter, we determined that Guan Zengbin should be fine. But from the folded clothes, Guan Zengbin must not have left by herself. "


    Zhao Mingkun said: "In Xingdong Vige, in addition to therge road, there are many small roads. The small roads are narrow, and cars can''t pass through them, but motorcycles can. But if it is a motorcycle, and you want to transport such arge person, it is also difficult to transport such arge person. Not an easy task. Also, why not dress her? What was she wearing? "


    I closed my eyes and said, "It''s the kind of fleece you wear inte winter and early spring. What''s wrong?"


    "That''s quite thick." Zhao Mingkun said, "Wearing such thick clothes makes it inconvenient to move around. Where is it difficult to pass? "


    "Where is that?" I asked.


    Zhao Mingkun shook his head: "It''s not clear yet, but to find out about this matter, you must find someone who knows about it. Do you think you can go back to that cave? "


    After pondering for a moment, I said, "I can''t go back. Now Xiao Liu is in charge of this matter. With Xiao Liu''s meticulous character, there must be someone guarding the underground space, and we can''t get in at all. And we know this. The person who built this underground space, Wu Xiufen, is dead. There are too many roads in the underground space, and people who are not familiar with the structure may not be able to get out. "


    "What do you think this is for?" In the darkness, I couldn''t see Zhao Mingkun''s face, so I heard Zhao Mingkun say: "Do you think, if it is just to build an underground space, it is necessary to build abyrinth?" And what is this underground space built for? If you want to give the murderer a ce to live, then this ce is really too big. "


    I nodded and said seriously, "Yes, this is definitely not built by Wu Xiufen''s heart, but I don''t know what it was built for."


    "Structure diagram." Zhao Mingkun said: "To build such aplex undergroundbyrinth, it is definitely not something that can be built by oneself.


    There are design drawings and structural drawings, so where is this structural drawing, and is there any chance to see it? "


    I snapped my fingers and said, "I remember Wu Xiufen has a bad habit of putting everything in her drawer. She has everything in her drawer, I think, if the structural drawing is still there, it must be in Wu Xiufen''s drawer. Perhaps then we will know how Guan Zengbin was taken away. "


    Zhao Mingkun smiled, and then said, "Then, we have to go to Xingdong Vige, I hope the structure diagram is still there."


    "Just." I said, "How do we get there? There must be policemen on the road. "


    "We need a motorcycle," Zhao Mingkun said, "Tomorrow I will find a motorcycle and we will take a small road. I just don''t know if there will be police at Wu Xiufen''s home. "


    I said firmly, "No! The murderer has been arrested, and the rtionship between Wu Xiufen and this case has been investigated. Now people are needed everywhere to arrest me, and there will be no police there. However, we can''t stay too long. Yes. The vigers should have been notified to pay attention to us. "


    Zhao Mingkun nodded, looked out the window, and said, "Go to sleep, it''s gettingte."


    I looked at the empty surroundings and said, "Do you just sleep like this?"


    Zhao Mingkun stood up and set the bottle up again. After making sure to be alert, Zhao Mingkun said, "How can we sleep? We can''t take the quilt away, it''s too obvious. I''ve been here for seven years, and you hope that someone can prove your innocence as soon as possible, right? Otherwise, you will suffer. "


    Before I contacted her, I only thought that Zhao Mingkun was a fugitive who was elusive, even a bit like the ancient Snitch. But after actually getting in touch, I realised that such a day is really not something that ordinary people can bear. There is no entertainment, no enjoyment, just endless loneliness.


    It''s only nine o''clock, and oftentimes, young people''s lives are just beginning at this time.


    "I thought. " I looked at Zhao Mingkun, who was curled up in a corner, and said, "Your life should be full of fun. You can do whatever you want."


    Zhao Mingkun snorted coldly: "That''s how people are, they are always envious of each other. So I don''t want you to be like me. A fugitive is a fugitive. Dare not buy what you want, dare not do what you want. It''s like a cockroach hiding in the east. As soon as the light shines, it hides in the dark crevices. Waking up from a nightmare is the life of a fugitive. No amount of money can help you. "


    I believe her words, "empty."


    After a moment of silence, I asked in a low voice, "How''s the injury on your stomach? It''s only been less than a week. "


    Zhao Mingkun snorted, "It''s okay, the wound is not particrly deep, otherwise, I would have bled too much and died. It''s just that when I was in the sewer, I shed too much blood. I don''t know if the police have noticed it."


    I frowned. Xiao Liu couldn''t have missed the obvious traces, could he? I suddenly remembered what Xiao Liu once said to me after he came back. Xiao Liu, did you know about this?


    If you know that there is an entanglement between me and Zhao Mingkun, I am afraid that


    I will admit that I am a murderer. After all, someone who is with a murderer is definitely not a normal person. And I wanted to kill the murderer at the time, but I couldn''t because of this reason.


    I was silent all night, and when I was still sleeping, Zhao Mingkun had already woken up.


    When Zhao Mingkun woke me up, it was four in the morning. From the outside of the window, the sky is still pitch ck, and the darkness before dawn is always particrly dark. Only the street lights are on, and the lights in every household were turned off. Zhao Mingkun wiped the traces of our sleep with a cloth, and then hooked her fingers and let me go out.


    At this moment, every household is asleep, and the surroundings are silent.


    In such a quiet environment, I didn''t even dare speak aloud, for fear of disturbing the quiet atmosphere: "So early?"


    Zhao Mingkun nodded and said, "Four o''clock in the morning is the time when people are the most sleepy and when they sleep the most, especially for night owls like you, who may go to bed between three and four o''clock, and sleep like a pig. At this time, no one can disturb us."


    I retorted: "You''ve stepped into the life of an old man early."


    And when I walked out of the building door, a motorcycle was already parked downstairs, a very inconspicuous motorcycle.


    "When did you get it?" I asked suspiciously, "I didn''t even feel it."


    Zhao Mingkun stepped on the motorcycle and said, "So you are sleeping like a dead pig. With your vignce, you will be arrested in less than a week. Don''t be stunned. "


    "Get on the bike." Zhao Mingkun said with a smile.


    I saw that Zhao Mingkun still had a bag on her handlebar, and the bag was what we ate yesterday, as well as the bottle.


    Seeing me looking at the bag, Zhao Mingkun said, "Remember the first point of escape and never leave any traces. We will nevere back to this house. Let''s go to Xingdong Vige. "


    The sound of this motorcycle is not very loud, it is not disturbing, and it seems to be deliberately selected. The morning wind blew me a little cold, so I hugged Zhao Mingkun subconsciously. Zhao Mingkun was stunned for a moment, but didn''t say anything, and he just drove forward like this. I could feel the temperature on her body, it was warm, and it made me want to sleep.


    There is no one on the road. I never knew that a big city like Dongxing actually needs rest, and there are not so many people who can''t sleep at night. Zhao Mingkun''s hair brushed my cheeks, making me itch.


    Zhao Mingkun said, "Hold me tight and don''t fall asleep."


    I nodded and said nothing. I suddenly felt a burst of loneliness, as if on the speeding motorcycle, the world was gradually moving away from me. Feeling the temperature of Zhao Mingkun''s life, I suddenly remembered a question. For seven years, Zhao Mingkun had no one to apany her. How lonely such a life should be.


    Yes, a fugitive is a fugitive, and no amount of money can help you. No matter how much money you have, you will still wake up from a nightmare, or be alone in a daze.


    What a lonely seven years she must have had.


    I was confused, I don''t know how long it took, Zhao Mingkun patted me to wake me up: "Don''t sleep, so you can fall asleep. I will also serve you."


    My saliva wet her shoulders.


    "Xingdong Vige has arrived."

 Chapter 247:

    Chapter 247:


    "When did he fall asleep, he was just a little confused."


    At the moment, the sky was bright. Looking down on the hillside behind the vige, there were basically no people on the road between the viges. Just by the scent that permeates the air, you know that it''s time for breakfast. Zhao Mingkun knocked down the motorcycle and hid it behind a few trees, and then she said to me, "Let''s go. We won''t be able to go in by the time the vigers finish eating. "


    Who would have thought that yesterday he was the captain of the special action team leading the investigation of the case, and today he has be a wanted criminal in the city. When he came to the courtyard wall, Zhao Mingkun observed left and right, took a few steps back, then ran up and jumped, and she had already jumped on the wall. Lying on the wall she stretched out her hand. I quickly grabbed her hand and climbed over the wall as well.


    Looking around, several doors were locked. I don''t know if Wu Xiufen''s family came here or if the police helped to lock it up. Zhao Mingkun stood in the yard and observed for a while. She wrapped a small stone in her sleeve, and then stood by the window, trying to break the ss gently.


    I shook my head and whispered, "Girls shouldn''t be so violent."


    Putting on gloves, I searched in the yard and found a small piece of iron wire. I broke the piece of iron wire into a small ring, and then gently pushed the ring into the keyhole of the padlock. I only felt a slight contraction of the spring on my hand. I pulled the wire out, lightly pressed a groove on the small ring, then inserted it again, and lifted it up.


    The padlock clicked, and I opened it.


    The whole process didn''t take a minute, Zhao Mingkun said, "I forgot that you grew up with criminals and learned a lot, right?"


    I smiled, "This kind of padlock is so easy to open, even people who haven''t learned it can open it in half an hour."


    While we were talking, we pushed open the door and walked in.


    I pointed directly to the big drawer in the room and said, "If you want anything, it''s all in this drawer. Look for it."


    Zhao Mingkun and I started to rummage through the drawer and found ID cards, various medicine boxes, radio manuals, etc., all saying that a woman''s bag is like a bottomless pit, you can find everything, so the old woman''s bag, the drawer, is like a universe.


    We rummaged through the drawers, but couldn''t find any engineering diagrams. Something so important might have been hidden. Still, I found a business card in the drawer. This is an architect''s business card. It says Global Vige Creative Dream Factory. The address is 37, Datong Road. The architect''s name is Hu Pei.


    "People in the vige don''t need an architect to build a house, but building an activity centre doesn''t require a veryplicated design. Wu Xiufang definitely couldn''t build such a huge undergroundbyrinth on her own. Then, could it be designed by this designer? The blueprints, and the rest of the people who built this underground space? "


    I raised the business card in my hand and handed it to Zhao Mingkun.


    Zhao Mingkun was about to say something when he suddenly heard the door open. Zhao Mingkun and I looked at each other as if we could hear the sound of someone opening the door lock. The two of us tacitly retracted the drawer and ran out the door together.


    Zhao Mingkun pulled the two doors, and I immediately re-locked the padlock.


    It''s just that there was no ce for the two of us to hide in the yard, and now we had to climb over the wall. Obviously, it was already toote. And at that moment, Zhao Mingkun grabbed me directly and pulled me to the wall. At that moment, the door was opened.


    While walking inside, one person said to another, "The vige chief asked us to take all the things in the drawer at Wu Xiufen''s house, and I don''t know why."


    Another person said, "Wu Xiufen, this old man, is always talking about it. You don''t know it. I heard that a police officer asked him to do it."


    At this moment, Zhao Mingkun and I were sandwiched between the gate and the wall, and we could see the movements of the two people through the gap. Zhao Mingkun gave me a wink and motioned for me to follow her outside. But the big iron gate is very old, and the opening and closing are severely worn. Zhao Mingkun just pushed the big iron gate slightly and made a harsh "squeak" sound.


    When the two heard the voice, they turned their heads to look.


    When the two turned around, what they saw was a dark muzzle.


    Zhao Mingkun said coldly, "If you don''t want to die, don''t shout."


    A viger looked back at me and was a little surprised: "You, you are not that..."


    "Shut up." Zhao Mingkun growled, his pistol still pointed at the two.


    Zhao Mingkun put the business card in her pocket with one hand, and when she took out her hand, there was a de. It was almost an instant when her hand pulled out of her pocket, and then she caught the de between her fingertips. Immediately, I felt bad, and hurriedly pushed Zhao Mingkun''s arm. The de flew between the two and fell to the ground.


    "Go." I pulled Zhao Mingkun back.


    Zhao Mingkun slowly walked outside, I slowly closed the door with both hands, and just after I locked the padlock, I heard the voice calling out to the sky and the earth, "Come here, Wu Meng, Wu Meng!"


    "The two of them are no threat to us." I said, "Why did you kill people just now!"


    Zhao Mingkun and I frantically ran up the hillside.


    Zhao Mingkun said, "We must be faster, 37 Datong Road, Global Vige Creative Dream Factory."


    "What''s wrong?" I asked.


    Zhao Mingkun lifted the motorcycle and said: "Just now, one of the people''s eyes has been looking at this business card in my hand. If we don''t kill him, the police may find this ce before us. The police will control the person, and then our lead will be interrupted. "


    While we were talking, we had already straddled and gotten on the motorcycle, and I said, "You''re going to kill someone just because of this? Isn''t this life worthless? If it wasn''t for me, that person would be dead at the moment. He looked like he was in his twenties. He has a future to live."


    Zhao Mingkun started the motorcycle, and the vige was in chaos at the moment, but the motorcycle disappeared.


    But not long after driving, Zhao Mingkun suddenly stopped.


    She didn''t look back, but looked at me through the rearview mirror of the motorcycle, "Wu Meng, I told you a long time ago that we are not the same kind of people. I am a fugitive, a fugitive with countless bloodstains on my hands. I killed a lot of people. There are some damn people, but there are also innocent people. I am such a selfish and ruthless person, who only considers whether I am safe or not when encountering things."


    Her voice contained anger: "I am also a


    woman who can do anything to survive, and I am a person who will do anything to achieve my goals." And you are just a policeman who has been wronged! "


    "Even if you don''t want to admit it, you still have a way out."


    There were already vigers chasing after them, but Zhao Mingkun showed no sign of continuing to drive.


    "Your subconscious tells you that you have a way out, so you don''t want to see blood, you don''t want to see dead people. Even if you be a fugitive, you still have the blood of the police running through your veins! So, I''m telling you, don''t wait for me.After your innocence is restored, you better stay away from me as far as possible, otherwise, the olddy will fall into your hands sooner orter."


    I was silent.


    Zhao Mingkun just hit the gas pedal, and the motorcycle mmed forward.


    I always feel that I and Zhao Mingkun are the same person, but Zhao Mingkun''s remarks made me feel that she and I are actually different people. There are no two identical leaves in the world, and naturally, no two people are exactly the same. A lot of the time, is it just wishful thinking?


    We said nothing the whole way, and the motorcycle was advancing through the alley. It could be seen that Zhao Mingkun knew the structure of Dongxing City very well, and it was precisely because of this that she was able to escape for so many years.


    It''s just that when we came to see Hu Pei in the Global Vige Creative Dream Factory Co., Ltd., the person in charge told us that Hu Pei quit his job many years ago. This is also thanks to the special operations team police officer card issued to me by Team Leader Shao, which I still have on my body.


    Although it has been canceled at this moment, it can still y a role in bluffing people.


    The boss told us that after Hu Pei worked as an architect for a period of time, he saved some capital and went to sea to start a business. It has been more than a year since hest had any contact. But the boss gave us the address of Hu Pei''s house. After thanking me, Zhao Mingkun took me to Hu Pei''s house.


    We followed the address and came here, only to find that the door to Hu Pei''s house was open.


    I vaguely felt that something was wrong. When I opened the door, I found a person lying on the ground.


    Zhao Mingkun and I took two steps forward and looked back to see that this man had a distorted expression. The corners of the mouth and nose are nted, the eyes are wide open, and the pupils are dted. Zhao Mingkun had put on gloves, touched the man''s neck through the gloves, and said, "It''s no help."


    I frowned and said, "Dead?"


    Zhao Mingkun nodded, walked around the corpse, and said, "Judging from the appearance of the corpse, there is no trauma. Judging from the colour of the skin, it has not turned blue, and the lips are not vermilion, indicating that it is not cyanide poisoning. "


    Zhao Mingkun cut the wrist of the deceased with a de, but no blood came out.


    Zhao Mingkun frowned, "After death, the telets coagte and no blood will flow out, but from the wound, the blood appears ck and red, because the oxygen inside is exhausted." The time of death is more than six hours. And looking at the expression of the deceased, maybe, he was scared to death. "


    "Frightened to death?" I couldn''t believe it. "Would someone be so timid that they would be scared to death? I''ve only seen it in books. "


    Zhao Mingkun nodded, "I''m not sure. Have you seen his gesture? It''s a gesture of obvious protection for oneself. You are a psychology student, so you should know that, right? "

 Chapter 248:

    Chapter 248:


    Hearing Zhao Mingkun''s guess, I lowered my body and looked at the corpse carefully. Even if a person has received professional training, there is no way to train the micro-expressions at the moment of sudden emergency. When a person is scared, his first reaction is to widen his eyes. His pupils shrink, his mouth opens, and his facial expression stiffens.


    It''s a momentary expression of a person when fear urs. However, after this momentary expression, different individuals have different mechanisms to face their fears. For example, most people will run away to avoid danger. And some timid people will have stiff limbs and a nk brain. They will be motionless. Some bold people will make counterattacks.


    But no matter how the person reacts, at the moment when the emotion of fear is born, the brain will make its own adrenal nds produce a lot of adrenaline, which will elerate the blood cirction, provide arge amount of blood supply to the body, and cause the muscles to contract. to be able to react at any time.


    The deceased was obviously a coward.


    In psychology, putting your hands around yourself indicates a hint of fear and a desire to protect yourself, even refusing to ept unexpected situations. Due to the muscle contraction caused by adrenaline at the moment of death, the expression of the deceased is permanently frozen on his face.


    And Guan Zengbin told me many times that this phenomenon is called corpse spasm.


    I opened my mouth and said: "In a psychology book I read before, it was indeed mentioned that in a moment of high tension, when a strong stimulus is exerted by the outside world, the best stimulus effect is fright. At this moment, his own blood is like a flood breaking through a dam, tearing the myocardial fibers, and the heart begins to bleed."


    Looking at Zhao Mingkun, I continued: "This causes the heart to suddenly stop beating and die."


    "That is to say." Zhao Mingkun said, "In medicine, does this really happen?"


    I nodded, "Research shows that when people are constantly threatened, the adrenaline in their bodies will gradually umte, and when the umtion reaches a certain amount, it will damage the heart cells and cause rose erythema, and finally, quantitative changes to qualitative changes, resulting in death."


    "Slowly scared to death? " Zhao Mingkun crouched beside the corpse and began to search.


    I nodded and said slowly, "Of course it can be said like that."


    Zhao Mingkun found a wallet on the body. There was an ID card in it, "It''s certain, this is Hu Pei. It''s just that someone is ahead of us. Obviously, someone doesn''t want you to find the whereabouts of your girlfriend. "


    I frowned, watching Zhao Mingkun flip through Hu Pei''s clothes, and said, "Yes, from the moment Guan Zengbin was captured, the murderer should have already begun to calcte. Then, wouldn''t anyone who knew about this matter be silenced? "


    Zhao Mingkun first nodded, but then shook her head, "Think about it. If those people did this, why did they kill Hu Pei in this way? Wu Zui must be doing something big now. Conspiracy, I''m afraid he doesn''t have the mood to kill. "


    After being silent for a moment,


    I said again: "But isn''t Wu Zui such a person, someone who likes to see other people''s pain, likes to y around with other people''s minds, and doesn''t like to use conventional methods to kill people. He is a person who enjoys the process of killing, isn''t he? Isn''t that so? "


    Zhao Mingkun nodded and took out another mobile phone. She flipped through her phone and said, "Look here."


    I leaned down and looked at the phone. This is a 5.5-inch mobile phone, and the screen protector is a temple. Judging from this picture, the temple is glowing with yellow light, and it looks like the Buddha''s light is shining. For a while, the big golden Buddha in the middle of the temple has kind eyes, which looks reassuring.


    "You say." Zhao Mingkun said, "Why does a person use such a big Buddha as a screen protector?"


    I looked at this Buddha and said, "I''m a Buddhist, or I''m afraid of something."


    Zhao Mingkun snapped her fingers and said, "Yes, it''s exactly like what you said. Look back at the door frame and see what''s there. "


    I turned around and saw a yellow talisman on the door frame of the entrance. Unknown words were written in Cinnabar on the talisman paper, which seemed to have a sense of majesty at first nce. Isn''t this a Taoist talisman paper? It must be posted on the door to keep the house safe.


    Zhao Mingkun took out another cross from his pocket, and she said, "It''s made of silver."


    I shrugged and said, "It''s interesting. If a person has collected so many religious tools to ward off evil spirits and ghosts, think how scared this person should be in his heart. Then, why is he so afraid of ghosts? "


    "Don''t do bad things. Don''t be afraid of ghosts knocking on your door." Zhao Mingkun said, "Sometimes, these people are really interesting. These people believe in religion, never thinking about what they can do for the Lord, but thinking about what the Lord can do for them. What can the Creator do for them? When things go wrong, they pray to God, and when things go well, they put them aside. "


    I shrugged: "Since he is so scared, it means that something strange must have happened recently, otherwise, he would not have been scared to death like this."


    Zhao Mingkun shrugged like me, and said to me, "Come here, let me show you something fun."


    I followed Zhao Mingkun into the kitchen. Zhao Mingkun found some flour from the kitchen and sprinkled it evenly on the phone screen. Then, she blew hard, and the flour was blown away immediately, but some of the flour was left on the phone. These flours stuck to the mobile phone, and it could be seen that it showed an irregr polka dot trace.


    Zhao Mingkun opened the unlocking screen, and then said: "See, these four ces are often touched by him. It can be seen that this person is a mobile phone control, and even if there is nothing to do, he will habitually unlock it. There are four numbers in total. Do you know how many permutations there are? "


    I shook my head.


    Zhao Mingkun said, "What have you been doing in high school?"


    "Dating?" I said with a smile.


    Zhao Mingkun said: "The permutation andbination of four numbers, that is, the factorial of four, is a total of twenty-four kinds. I just looked at his ID card. If there are six numbers, the birthday may match, but the mobile phone may not. So the unlock code is four numbers, so it''s not a birthday. "


    (T/N: Perhaps I should have paid more attention in high school. Too bad I didn''t, so this is an aliennguage to me.)


    I frowned and said, "I don''t know if this kind of phone has unlock restrictions, but in general, it can be wrong up to two times. Otherwise, we''ll have to wait a long time to unlock it again. Don''t we take the phone away? ?"


    Zhao Mingkun shook her head and said, "You can''t keep mobile phone with you. It''s the easiest way to expose yourself. In Xingdong Vige, we have already attracted the attention of the police, and they will definitely increase their efforts to investigate us. "


    After that, Zhao Mingkun grabbed the phone with one hand and said, "Let''s assume this person is not left-handed and usually holds the phone with his right hand. Then, ording to people''sfortable habits, the first number should be on the left. You see, there''s only one number on the left. "


    After all, Zhao Mingkun pressed the number seven first.


    "There are still six kinds of permutations left, which are obviously much fewer." Zhao Mingkun tried one time after another, but found that both times were unsessful. At this time, the mobile phone also reminded us that we only had one chance.


    Zhao Mingkun looked at me and said, "It''s thest time, try it?"


    "Try it," I suggested.


    Zhao Mingkun nodded and made a final attempt.


    For a moment, the screen lights up.


    But when we saw this photo, we were all taken aback. It was a corpse, a corpse lying in the distance. Looking at the background of the picture, it looks like a construction site is under construction. The corpse was far away, and it could only be seen that it was a fragmented corpse. Her limbs seemed to be lumpy, and her head could not be clearly seen.


    Zhao Mingkun and I looked at the picture carefully, but at that moment, a woman''s head suddenly appeared on the screen at close range, apanied by a harsh scream.


    Zhao Mingkun and I were both taken aback. I saw her hand tremble and she almost dropped her phone on the ground. At that moment, my heart was thumping, and I only felt my scalp tingling and my whole body numb. You can imagine, when you are concentrating on looking at something, the sudden horror pictures and sounds make me feel like my heart stops beating.


    "I know how he died." Zhao Mingkun said, "I have some lingering fears when I look at the pictures."


    I took a few deep breaths and looked at the picture again. Judging from the picture, the woman''s face was covered in blood, and her eyes were even gouged out. The eye sockets of the two ck holes look extremely deep, and it seems that they will be unforgettable for a long time after seeing them. It can be seen that this is a real human head, not a synthetic PS specially used to scare people.


    "No, he wasn''t scared to death by the pictures on his phone," I said.


    "No?" Zhao Mingkun asked me suspiciously.


    I nodded, looked at the picture, and said, "His mobile phone was in his pocket at the time, and you took it out of his pocket. If he was frightened to death by the picture of the mobile phone, how could he put it in his pocket? Pocket. So, he wasn''t scared to death by this photo. The stuff that scared him, and something else. "


    I continued, "In other words, the murderer set up a lot of scary things, and even if he wasn''t scared to death by those things, he would be scared to death by this photo. Who the hell has such a big grudge against him? And who is this woman whose eyes were gouged out in the photo? "

 Chapter 249: Mad Woman

    Chapter 249: Mad Woman


    Zhao Mingkun looked at the phone again and said, "There is a line of words here."


    I looked, and sure enough, next to the woman''s head, I saw a few bloody Chinese characters slowly appearing: "I''m back."


    "Someone set up a programme on the phone?" Zhao Mingkun said, "Now that phone technology is getting smarter and more advanced, it shouldn''t be difficult to be able to do this."


    Zhao Mingkun''s words suddenly reminded me, and I said, "Although the screen of this mobile phone is veryrge, it is not a smart phone. In other words, even if it is a smart phone, it is already obsolete. "


    Hearing my words, Zhao Mingkun handed me the phone and said to me, "I don''t know much about this."


    I asked, "What phone do you use?"


    Zhao Mingkun took out a small Nokia mobile phone. When she took out this mobile phone, I instantly felt that I was back in the 2000s. At that time, the mobile phone market was still dominated by Nokia. It can be seen that this mobile phone is very old. The numbers on the dial pad have been worn away. I don''t know how many years it has been in use.


    To my surprise, Zhao Mingkun said, "I can''t use a mobile phone that has inte ess. I heard that there are various software that now enables GPS positioning in the background, which is too dangerous. Besides, this mobile phone is very dangerous for me."


    " It makes sense, but that''s another story. "


    "What?" Zhao Mingkun turned to me and asked, "What''s wrong with this phone?"


    I said, "What you just said reminds me that from the moment touch-screen mobile phones appeared, all mobile phone screens were resistive screens. In short, resistive screens need pressure. With the development of mobile phones, more touch Control has be a major demand for mobile phone users, so a higher-cost capacitive screen has been developed. Capacitive screens require current. "


    Feeling Zhao Mingkun''s doubts, I continued to exin: "If it is a capacitive screen, a human finger will form a coupling capacitor with the screen when touching the screen of a mobile phone. After all, there are maic fields and currents in the human body. With insting gloves on, it is impossible to operate. "


    (T/N: oh oh oooh?, I still don''t get it?)


    "How do you know this?" Zhao Mingkun asked, as if she couldn''t believe that a person who didn''t even know what factorial was, would know this kind of knowledge.


    I pointed to my brain and said, "Memory and observation. I have seen it in a certain book. "


    (T/N: Maybe you shouldn''t have asked)


    "What does this mean?" Zhao Mingkun looked at me.


    I said, "This shows that this mobile phone is not Hu Pei''s. Look at the home furnishings, Inte TV, tabletputers, and sports bracelets that are casually ced on the coffee table, and the sweeping robot by the wall. Pei is a person who understands electronic products. Besides, people who can buy a 120-square-meter house here, or even a householder who buys a sweeping robot, will definitely not be short of a thousand dors to buy a smart phone with a capacitive screen. I flipped


    through the correspondence on my phone, only to find that there was no one there. It''s not really a smartphone, though, and trying to install a scary programme on a non-smartphone seems a bit difficult.


    " If this mobile phone is not Hu Pei''s, then Hu Pei''s own mobile phone has no other possibility than being taken away by the murderer. "


    Zhao Mingkun continued my words and said, "From the perspective of the mobile phone screen protector, it seems like Hu Pei''s style. Then,there is only one possibility. This mobile phone is not for Hu Pei, but for people who will see the body. Obviously, the murderer must not have thought that we saw the mobile phone first. "


    Thinking of this, I locked the screen of my phone and opened it again. After a while, the scream came out again.


    I said, "It''s certain, this phone is not Hu Pei''s. If you want to design such a program,on such a non-smart phone, you must manipte the phone system program. Furthermore, from this phone,judging from the degree of screen wear, it has been a certain number of years. Even if it is not as old as your Nokia, it is estimated that it must be four or five years old. "


    " In addition, "I shook the phone and said slowly, "There is not a single person on the contact list, but we did not find the second phone. As you said, Hu Pei''s phone was taken away by the murderer."


    " So, is there anything in Hu Pei''s phone that the murderer cares about?" Zhao Mingkun asked.


    "There are four words on the screen: I''m back," I said. "There will be death."


    (T/N: four characters in original Chinese)


    "That''s right." Zhao Mingkun said, "We have to find her."


    I frowned. "Who?"


    Zhao Mingkun turned around and pointed. From the kitchen, I could just see a bedroom, on the wall of the bedroom, there was a family portrait hanging there. There were three members of the family, and the youngest daughter was about seven or eight years old.


    I suddenly thought of a very strange thing. When we found the body, the deceased had been dead for six hours.


    But during these six hours, the door was left open, and the corpse was still lying on the ground, which means that during these six hours, no one came. This is really not normal. And now it is around twelve noon. That is to say, the deceased died at least before six in the morning. At that time, it was abnormal to not have a mistress or children at home.


    So, where did the mistress and the child go?


    Zhao Mingkun wiped the screen of his mobile phone with the cloth he carried with him, then walked out of the room and put the mobile phone back into the pocket of the deceased, and then he said to me, "I think the first thing we need to do now is to find his wife and child."


    I said, "If you can find them, you might know what Hu Pei is afraid of."


    "Just." I looked at the corpse and said, "Where are we going to find them?"


    Zhao Mingkun pointed at her head and raised her eyebrows at me: "I saw his ID card just now, and it''s different from the address here. It''s just that the address is also in Dongxing City. Hu Pei''s daughter should still be there. In elementary school, it is impossible to hide in the countryside. Therefore, they are likely to be there, and Hu Pei should have sent them there. "


    I snapped my fingers and said, "That''s right!"


    Zhao Mingkun looked around the house again, and after confirming that there were no traces left, he said, "We have been dyed here for a long time. If your police colleague has any brains, the police are already here. We can''t stay long. Let''s go. "


    I nodded.


    Once again, I got on the motorcycle, and Zhao Mingkun took me to the address on Hu Pei''s ID card.


    "You say, Does this matter have anything to do with Wu Zui? " I hugged Zhao Mingkun and asked suspiciously.


    Zhao Mingkun sighed and said, "You are asking me now, I''m not sure. But from that picture, there must be some old grudge. "


    I agreed with Zhao Mingkun''s point of view, and said, "Well, the resolution of that picture is not high. It can be seen that it was taken a long time ago. It''s just that so many years have passed, and I don''t know what the picture is. Who is this woman? If I was still the leader of the special action team, I could ask Sister Mary to check it out. Now, we can only rely on ourselves. "


    Thinking of this, I asked, "Then tell me, whether we care about this matter or not."


    Zhao Mingkun was silent for a moment, before he said: "Don''t you already have the answer in your heart? Hu Pei is dead. Don''t you have to find the design drawings from that year? I think, such a big ce should be built by an engineering team, it cannot be built by one person."


    I hummed,"Yes, the vigers didn''t see any workers at all afterwards, which means that there must be other exits in the underground space. Check it out. Things havee to this stage anyway."


    "Check it, quickly prove your innocence, and get out." Zhao Mingkun said in a low voice.


    This ce belongs on the edge of Dongxing City.


    It seems that after Hu Pei made a lot of money as a designer, he bought a house in the centre of Dongxing City. When we got there, it was already two o''clock in the afternoon. Fromst night to now, I have only drank half a cup of porridge, and my stomach is already growling with hunger


    Zhao Mingkun put on a mask and went to a small shop to buy two breads and two bottles of mineral water: "Eat it. The police may not think of anything we can think of, so hurry up and ask after eating.Fortunately, you still have a police officer''s card that has been invalidated. Otherwise, we will be in even more trouble. "


    I opened my mouth and said, "The police investigation has a long set of procedures. I know this better than you. Their speed should not be as fast as ours. "


    Zhao Mingkun sneered and said, "One of the most important points of escape is to never consider yourself the smartest."


    While speaking, Zhao Mingkun had already stuffed the piece of bread in a few mouthfuls and said, "Let''s go."


    We came to thismunity, but it can''t be called amunity, because even the concierge doesn''t know where it is, and I don''t know if there is any property management here. And when we just walked downstairs and wanted to go upstairs, suddenly, a woman with dishevelled hair ran out of the building.


    The woman charged straight towards the two of us, running and shouting, "Red, red, ck, ck." Haha, red, ck, ghosts! That''s a ghost! Ghosts! Here! The ghost is here! Haha! "


    The woman who suddenly came out startled me, and I saw that she grabbed Zhao Mingkun''s wrist tightly, and shouted: "Eyes, no eyes, she is standing, she is dead. There are ghosts, and I''m not sure what to call them.


    Seeing that Zhao Mingkun was indifferent, the woman ran away while crying.


    Zhao Mingkun frowned and looked back at the back of the woman leaving.


    "Let''s go." I said, "What are you still doing?"


    Zhao Mingkun still looked at the woman''s back and stood for a moment before following me upstairs.

 Chapter 250: The little girl whose eyes were gouged out

    Chapter 250: The little girl whose eyes were gouged out


    Then, a few more people rushed out of the corridor, seemingly chasing after the woman who had run out just now.


    When we just walked into the corridor, we heard an old man shouting: "God damn it, it''s a sin! My poor little girl, how did it be like this? God is really a sinner! God has no eyes. "


    Then, there was a woman''s heart-wrenching cry.


    Zhao Mingkun and I looked at each other and walked upstairs.


    As soon as I reached the third floor, I saw a group of people gathered between the corridors.


    Zhao Mingkun tugged at me and whispered to me, "The address on Hu Pei''s ID card is the third floor here."


    There was a bad premonition in my heart, and when I heard this piercing cry, I understood that something must have happened. The two of us walked up quickly, and I took out my police officer ID and said, "Let me go, let me go, I''m a policeman. What happened? "


    The masses did not know why, but after seeing my documents, they consciously made way for me and Zhao Mingkun. But when Zhao Mingkun and I stood at the door, we were all stunned. I finally know why this old woman is crying so heartily.


    A little girl was standing upright against the wall. She was wearing a red dress, about 1.2 m tall. I saw a strip of blood on the floor tiles. The bright red blood was dazzling on the white tiles, and standing at the door, you could even smell the special smell of blood.


    On the white tiles, you can also see small bloody footprints. The little girl was not wearing shoes, and it was conceivable that the little girl once stood on the floor, walking on the blood. It''s just that the blood should have flowed out of the little girl.


    When we looked at the little girl''s face, we could see that both her eyes were gouged out. ck blood was slowly flowing out of her eye sockets, but the blood-stained nerves could be seen in the dark eye sockets. There are blood-red finger prints on her face. We can imagine a little girl whose eyes have been gouged out. She can''t see anything, and the blood is flowing all over the ce.


    The little girl shouted and walked up and down the blood-stained floor, trying to find her mother. Finally, she felt that she was getting weaker and weaker. She was scared, she was nervous. She touched a wall, and she leaned against it. She wanted to cry, but couldn''t cry. She lost her eyeballs, and she could feel the wind blowing in from her eye sockets.


    She leaned against the wall, and finally, the little girl died in fear.


    She died standing up.


    What makes people even more angry is that the little girl''s mouth was cut open with a knife to keep up with her ears. From a distance, it looks like a smiling face with the corners of her mouth tilted upwards and smiling.


    The little girl''s arched hands gripped the wall tightly, and it could be seen that her nails even pierced the wall.


    I have seen countless dead corpses, and I have seen corpses that are more terrifying than this corpse, and I have seen corpses that can cause more physical difort than this corpse. However, I have never been as angry as I am now. A child who was only seven or eight years old, a little girl who didn''t know anything, was brutally killed in her own home.


    "A sin." An old man slumped outside.


    The vegetables and fruits next to them fell to the ground, covered with dust, as if to tell us that this should have been a happy moment, but now, only blood and fear are left for everyone. And a huge question lingering in everyone''s heart is who killed the little girl, and why did she kill this little girl with such cruel means.


    I lowered my voice and said slowly, "Who knows, what happened?"


    The neighbours around me looked at me, I looked at them, and they all shook their heads. After a while, an older man said, "We didn''t see what happened, and we just got here. Just a few minutes ago, the child suddenly screamed. "


    No wonder Zhao Mingkun stared at the woman for a long time before. It seemed that Zhao Mingkun felt that this woman was a little familiar at that time. And the crazy woman who ran out seemed to be Hu Pei''s wife.


    The man''s face was pale, and he seemed frightened by this scene: "Just say there are ghosts. There are ghosts out to take revenge. Then I heard Aunt Zhao crying, and a few neighbours around here rushed over. Check it out. No, didn''t you just see this scene? No one dares to go over and watch it. This is too perverted. "


    Seeing the little girl''s appearance, it reminded me of the picture on the phone, in which the woman''s eyes were also gouged out. It seems that these two things must be rted. I just don''t know how much hatred can make the murderer do such a vicious thing to a seven or eight-year-old girl.


    I put on gloves, and Zhao Mingkun walked around the blood as much as possible to the little girl''s side.


    I gently touched the little girl''s body. At this moment, even the corpse did not appear, indicating that the little girl had not been dead for a long time. Preliminary estimates range from one hour to more than two hours. At my level, I can only know this. If Guan Zengbin is here, I will be able to see more things.


    Judging from the little girl''s body, only the wounds on her eyes and mouth can be seen, and no other wounds can be seen, and the cause of death is unknown.


    It''s just that the little girl''s mother must have known something, otherwise she would never have said what the devil was saying to take revenge. It seems that Hu Pei sent his wife and children here because he was afraid of ghosts'' revenge. However, Hu Pei was dead for about eight hours, and only eight hourster, his daughter also died.


    So, what about Hu Pei''s wife? Will it also be brutally murdered?


    Shaking my head, I asked, "Is this Hu Pei''s house?"


    The old man nodded and said, "Yes, this is Hu Pei''s house. This is Hu Pei''s mother. This child, this, s, this is Hu Pei''s daughter, Hu Xiaoxue. No, you guys, how did you know? "


    I sighed, looked at Hu Pei''s mother, who was crying on the ground, and said slowly, "Because of Hu Pei, Hu Pei is also dead. We are here to inform you about this. Unexpectedly, Hu Pei''s daughter died unexpectedly. "


    "My son?"


    The old man on the ground just said a word and passed out. Among the few people who rushed to pinch the old man, someone hurriedly rubbed the old man''s arms and legs. After a while, the old man woke up leisurely.


    As soon as he woke up, he burst into tears again. In just a few minutes, he received two pieces of bad news. How could an old man in his sixties ept it.


    I didn''t know what to say, so I could onlyfortably say: "Old man, when such a big thing happens, finding the murderer is the most important thing. You know, who has a grudge against your son? "


    The old man shook his head and shouted, "My son has been excellent since he was a child, and he has never had any conflicts with others." My son has always been kind and kind to others. How could anyone have such a big hatred against him? Daughter-inw is also ady, and after marriage, she does housework and takes care of children at home, how can she be at odd with others?


    "God has no eyes!" The old man roared: "God has no eyes! My granddaughter died, my son died, and God has no eyes! Why, why not let me die too."


    At this moment, the old man is heartbroken, and if he wants to get any more useful information from her, I am afraid there is no chance.


    Zhao Mingkun pulled my arm and said, "Someone must call the police. We can''t stay here for long. "


    I nodded and said, "Don''t move this corpse. Let''s check around and see that the little girl died not long ago. Let''s go and see what traces are around. Later, there must be others. The police are here. Remember, don''t destroy the scene, and take good care of this grandma. "


    The old man nodded and said, "It''s all from the neighbors. We can do this."


    We were just about to leave, and at that moment, someone suddenly said, "By the way, didn''t something happen eight years ago?"


    I frowned and found the talking man in the crowd. The man was about forty years old and wore a pair of sses.


    "Huh?" I looked at him: "What''s going on."


    He said, "About seven or eight years ago, Hu Pei was in his twenties. He had just be a designer and was still on the construction site at the time, so he could be considered as a young man getting experience. But because of one of Hu Pei''s mistakes, there was a safety problem, and a woman died at that time."


    When I heard these words, my eyes lit up. A person died, and it was a woman. Is it possible that it was that woman? And in that picture, the background is also the construction site. From this point of view, it seems to be very consistent. It''s just that Zhao Mingkun and I forgot to take that photo, otherwise let this person see. Maybe this person should know.


    "Do you know what a dead woman looks like?" I asked.


    Hu Pei''s olddy said: "That matter has nothing to do with my son at all. The woman died because of her own mistakes. Besides, maybe she is going tomit suicide to make money! How much did she lose at that time? 1.2 million, almost ten years ago. This matter has long passed, and it is not my son''s responsibility. If you don''t know anything, don''t talk, just shut up. "


    The man was also a little angry, and said: "What happened, the real thing, don''t let others tell? At that time, people came to the door to cause trouble. You forgot? I still remember. Who knows how that woman died? You said it was an ident. Maybe you were killed by your son! "


    Zhao Mingkun and I looked at each other, and felt that there seemed to be some kind of story in it.

 Chapter 251: Eyeballs in the Hand

    Chapter 251: Eyeballs in the Hand


    I asked, "What the hell is going on here?"


    The man seemed to be imposing and said, "I knew that Hu Pei was not a good thing since I was a child, and I still say this today. Wasn''t Hu Pei messing with other people''s girls at that time? Why did he die? You won''t admit it after that? They are all from the neighborhood. You can do these things, but you are afraid of others talking about them? "


    Madam Hu Pei, who was slumped on the ground, heard what the middle-aged man said and said, "Well, you little Zhang, don''t you just envy my son? How many times did you take the test back then? But you didn''t get into Dongxing University. Are you jealous? Twenty years have passed, and you are still ndering my son. I am going to fight with you. "


    While speaking, the old man didn''t even stand up straight and nted towards the middle-aged man. As soon as the middle-aged man ducked, the old man jumped into the air and mmed into someone else''s body. And then the scene was chaotic. You pushed me, you called me. It made it very lively. From time to time, people were affected and fell, and the narrow corridor became a "battlefield."


    Zhao Mingkun and I were in the house at the moment, and we immediately reached out to stop it, but it didn''t help.


    But at this moment, a "pop" sound was suddenly heard. The sound came from behind me. When I looked back, I happened to see two round things rolling on the floor. These things were very stic. They bounced a few times on the floor before finally stopping steadily. by the door.


    "Ah! This, isn''t this eyeball!" Someone among the onlookers suddenly shouted.


    Everything suddenly went silent. Some people were still holding others'' cors, and some people were raising their feet to kick others. But at this moment, time seemed to freeze, and everyone kept their original movements, but their eyes were fixed on the ball on the ground.


    Many pairs of eyes stared at the eyes, but the eyes doing the staring were in their sockets, but these two eyes rolled down by the door.


    Eyes wide open.


    And we only understood that in the process of pushing and shoving just now, the vibration of the ground was transmitted to the little girl''s body. The little girl''s body, leaning against the wall, was supported by a delicate bnce. But in the shock just now, the little girl''s body couldn''t support it any longer, and she fell down.


    As the little girl fell to the ground, the two eyeballs also rolled out.


    "That eye, that eye fell out of the girl''s hand." A young girl said, "I saw it, I saw it. That eyeball fell out of the little girl''s hand. When she fell, the eyes fell out of her hands..."


    The girl''s voice was trembling, and her voice was intermittent, which lifted our hearts to our throats.


    The eyeball stopped silently, the lens was covered with blood, the pupil dted greatly, and the brown pupil was cloudy and began to turn white. Behind the lens are nerves that gather together. But if you look closely at this eyeball, you will find that there are traces of damage in the pupil of the eyeball. It seems to have been corroded by something, and it seems to have been bitten by something. The oval sphere of a normal eyeball is not present, and the eyeball is slightly missing.


    Zhao Mingkun walked over to the little girl as if he had found something, and then gently raised the little girl''s hand. After observing for a while, Zhao Mingkun said to me, "I seem to have discovered something extraordinary."


    Zhao Mingkun looked at me, I saw that Zhao Mingkun''s face had changed a little. It was an indescribable expression, and he seemed to be holding back the fear in his heart. And Zhao Mingkun, a woman who has seen so many dead people and killed so many people, is even afraid.


    "What''s wrong?" I asked a question that everyone in the room wanted to ask.


    Zhao Mingkun took a few deep breaths and then said, "When the little girl was still standing, I carefully observed her eye sockets. Around the sockets, I found many small wounds. They were small, but not shallow, not even one centimetre in length. Just now, I carefully observed the little girl''s fingernails and found that there were a lot of meat scraps in them.


    "How big can a little girl''s fingers be?" Zhao Mingkun added another sentence, and then she kept her mouth shut.


    (T/N: Please don''t tell me this is what I''m thinking.)


    Although Zhao Mingkun didn''t say the following words, most of the people present were not stupid. I''m sure that almost everyone understood what Zhao Mingkun meant.


    What Zhao Mingkun wants to say is that the little girl pulled out her eyeballs by herself. Adults, on the other hand, are incapable of pulling their own eyeballs out of their sockets.How can a seven or eight-year-old girl be able to do this? Seeing my stern face, Zhao Mingkun knew that I understood what she wanted to say.


    Although I don''t want to admit it, it''s the truth. Zhao Mingkun walked to the door, gently picked up two eyeballs, and ced them beside the little girl. On the field, there was silence, and even the old man, who had been crying the entire time, was silent at that moment.This kind of truth is so frightening and shocking.


    But if the child''s eyes were pulled out by herself, then what about the cuts on her face? Did she do that too? The scratches on her mouth were uneven, and it could be seen that she was swiping very fast, but we didn''t find the murder weapon in the living room, so there''s no way to determine it yet.


    And at that moment, the cries of the crazy woman suddenly came from outside the door, and I knew at that moment that this should be Hu Xiaoxue''s mother.


    She cried piercingly, her voice hoarse and dry, like the sound of someone who hadn''t had a drink for several days. She was discovered. I took a step back and saw a woman sandwiched between several people.


    Her hair was disheveled, and the clothes on her body were torn left and right. One shoe was on her foot, and the other shoe had gone somewhere. And she seems to have no bones, and with the help of several people, she is still staggered.


    Yes, she lost my own daughter. No, she lost her support.


    This makes it hard for me to imagine that this woman is the one in the photo I saw at Hu Peixin''s house. The one in the photo is a beautiful and generous young woman, not this crazy woman who looks like she is in her twenties. Being supported, she hase to the third floor.


    When she came to the third floor, the woman''s strength suddenly increased. She broke free from the person who was supporting her and rushed in. When she entered the door, she pushed me away so strongly that she almost fell. At that moment, she rushed to the side of the little girl''s body and hugged it.


    Seeing this scene, Zhao Mingkun leaned back.


    But at this moment, the woman suddenly took out a fruit knife from the clothes on her chest. She turned her daughter''s body over,


    the girl''s face again facing the crowd. Before we could react, we saw the woman shing the little girl''s mouth with a knife.


    As she rowed, she said in a low voice and with some nervousness, "Xiao Nannan, don''t you like tough the most? Why don''t youugh? Smile, your mother is here, Xiao Nannan, why don''t youugh? Laugh. Mom likes your smile the most. Hey,ugh. "


    Seemingly seeing the corpse in her arms unresponsive, she suddenly became depressed and angry, and her hands moved faster. I saw that the little girl''s face was almost smashed by the knife. But she didn''t look like she wanted to stop at all, and I also understood, at this moment, who was pulling on the little girl''s mouth.


    "Laugh,ugh!" Her voice was high and hoarse, making people feel a little terrified.


    At that moment, the people around him reacted.


    The old man shouted, "My daughter-inw, my son, my grandchild! What kind of immortal did we offend? We are to suffer from this disaster. "


    The woman heard the old man''s words, and as if she was afraid of something, she immediately shrunk the knife to her chest, holding both hands firmly, but her whole body was trembling: "Ghost, ghost, he''s back. Come on, he''s back! Don''te, don''te, you are all ghosts, you are all ghosts. Don''te! "


    Zhao Mingkun nced at me and said, "Let''s go."


    I know we''ve been dyed here for too long.


    But Zhao Mingkun just moved his body, and at that moment, the woman rushed over with a knife, and the knife was about to stab Zhao Mingkun''s body. But Zhao Mingkun didn''t seem to take the woman to heart. She leaned back and grabbed the woman''s wrist with her left hand. Then she twisted it hard, the woman''s wrist loosened, and the knife fell to the ground.


    "She has gonepletely crazy." Zhao Mingkun looked at the crowd and said slowly, "Take her out of here, and another police officer wille to investigateter."


    Everyone hurriedly controlled the woman.


    Zhao Mingkun and I went downstairs.


    "Could this woman be pretending?" I asked, "Looking at the way she is talking, did she really meet a ghost?"


    Zhao Mingkun was silent for a moment, and then said, "When she stabbed me with a knife just now, I didn''t think she was pretending. Besides, she didn''t need to pretend. A mother must be really crazy to cut her daughter''s mouth with a knife. "


    I said, "If that''s the case, I''m afraid we won''t be able to ask anything about her. Besides, we might just happen to have a murder in progress. The little girl died not long ago. Judging from the scene, Hu Xiaoxue''s mother and grandmother may have gone out to buy things, and Hu Xiaoxue is at home alone. From the perspective of the things they bought, they should be vegetables for the next day, and it may not take long. "


    Zhao Mingkun pointed to the corridor and said, "The old-fashionedmunity has no cameras. Hu Pei must have never imagined that sending his wife and daughter here would create an opportunity for the murderer to not be discovered. "


    "One step at a time," I said.


    But when we just reached the second floor, a team of policemen came up the stairs.


    And we met at the corner of the stairs.

 Chapter 252: The girl who died at the construction site

    Chapter 252: The girl who died at the construction site


    I was shocked.


    Then Zhao Mingkun, next to me, suddenly took my hand. This made me feel a little relieved. I felt that with Zhao Mingkun there, there was nothing that could not be solved. The two of us leaned to one side and brushed past this police officer. At this moment, I just feel like my heart is about to jump out of my throat.


    Zhao Mingkun took me and walked down step by step. Neither of us looked back, but we didn''t dare walk too fast to cause suspicion from these policemen. It was less than ten steps away, but it seemed so long,there seemed to be fewer lights. We finally passed by these police officers, but at that moment, a police officer put his hand on my shoulder.


    Zhao Mingkun stopped, and I felt Zhao Mingkun''s hand suddenly tighten, and the other hand was already deep in the pocket.


    "What''s wrong?" I asked.


    "Did this building report the police?" A policeman asked, "Thismunity doesn''t have a unit number, so we''ve found two buildings."


    I nodded and said nervously, "Yes, I heard that it was a dead person, and my wife didn''t dare stay there. There is a circle of people around us. I don''t know what the situation is."


    "Thank you," the policeman said.


    I said, "It''s all about serving the people."


    The moment I walked out of the building, I realised that my back was soaking wet. And I can also feel the sweat in Zhao Mingkun''s palm. As Zhao Mingkun said, escaping is not such a chic thing at all. Running away is always scary.


    Just as I breathed a sigh of relief, suddenly a hand was ced on my shoulder again. When he turned around, he saw that it was the man in his 40s who had been confronting Mrs. Hu Pei before. I was suddenly very angry and said,


    "Please don''t touch my shoulder in the future, no matter how bad your tone is, please don''t touch my shoulder!"


    The middle-aged man ignored me and said, "Officer, I''ve been waiting for you downstairs for a long time. Sooner orter, this family will be punished. I already knew that Hu Pei was not a good person. I''ll tell you. Then....... "


    I looked back at the building and said, "This is not the ce to talk, so how about we find a quiet ce to talk?"


    Zhao Mingkun parked her motorcycle in the alley, and we walked into a cafe. And when the man opened his mouth, there seemed to be no sign of stopping. And from this, we also learned that this forty-year-old middle-aged man is called Zhang Denghui.


    Zhang Denghui and Hu Pei grew up together, but Zhang Denghui is three years older than Hu Pei. Since he was a child, Zhang Denghui has been called a child of other people''s families.


    He has excellent academic performance and is polite to others. Hu Pei has been naughty since he was a child, and his academic performance is not very good.


    From a young age, the neighbours thought that Zhang Denghui would definitely be admitted to Dongxing University and that Hu Pei was good enough to be admitted to high school. But what happened next was beyond everyone''s expectations. Zhang Denghui''s scores for three consecutive years are only a few points away from the admission score of Dongxing University. With Zhang Denghui''s grades, it''s not that he can''t go to other universities. However, as one of the top universities in the country, Dongxing University is everyone''s dream.


    In the fourth year, Zhang Denghui and Hu Pei took the college entrance examination together.


    Both of them applied to Dongxing.


    When everyone thought that Zhang Denghui would be admitted this time, it backfired and Zhang Denghui fell off the list again. On the contrary, Hu Pei entered the School of Architecture at Dongxing University with three points above the cutoff. This time, Hu Pei raised his eyebrows.


    It turned out that Hu Pei had a girlfriend when he was in his third year of high school. When others make girlfriends, their grades get worse and worse, but Hu Pei made this girlfriend, and his grades are getting better and better. Hu Pei''s girlfriend has good grades and looks good. The two are tired of being together, studying every day, and they have set a goal to be admitted to Dongxing University together.


    And the end result was as expected,the two went to college as they wished.


    This woman, Hu Pei''s girlfriend, is the woman who died on the construction site.


    Although Zhang Denghui''s words could tell the envy and jealousy of Hu Pei, I didn''t pierce thisyer of window paper.


    Zhang Denghui took a sip of coffee and said, "I really don''t know what Hu Pei has done for the past four years, but in the past four years, Hu Pei has been in a rtionship with this little girl." Probably seven years ago, he and his partner went to a construction site for an internship, as if they were in charge of a tower crane, but because of some safety issue, the woman fell off.


    Although I don''t know what happened, I heard that the woman who died was a miserable one. Zhang Denghui''s expression seemed awkward, as if he had eaten a fly, and he continued, "The hanging tower, that''s all 100 meters. "Gao, the woman fell directly from the top, the person fell on the barbed wire, and was directly cut into several pieces. I heard that the eyeballs were shaken off. "


    I frowned. Judging from the picture on my mobile phone, the corpse was indeed a broken corpse, but the angle of the photo was too far to see how many pieces the corpse was cut into, and the appearance of the corpse was not clear. appearance, we see clearly. However, judging from the head of the corpse, there is no obvious high-fall injury from falling from a high ce.


    "Have you seen that woman?" I asked, "Is it Hu Pei''s former girlfriend?"


    Zhang Denghui nodded and said, "I came here once during the winter vacation, and we were already talking about getting married. But if this incident happened, it would naturally be over. Hu Pei''s family seems to have never known that there was a marriage. Keep your mouth shut if you''re like such a person. You say, this should be the attitude of the man''s family? "


    Zhang Denghui took a sip of coffee angrily and continued, "The safety inspection, it seemed that Hu Pei and others were in charge at the time. They said it was an ident. What if they did something wrong? Isn''t it? Later, the construction site lost one hundred yuan. More than 10,000 yuan in insurance, and the insurance was apanied by another 1 million yuan, part of which was given to the woman''s family, and part of which fell into Hu Pei''s hands. "


    "You say!" Zhang Denghui frowned, "There''s nothing tricky about this matter. You said it''s fine topensate the family when the person dies, but how can theypensate the man? This is a bit strange. Later, the woman''s family was still making trouble at Hu Pei''s house; they were talking about asking for money or something, and I don''t think it''s easy. "


    Zhao Mingkun took a light sip of coffee and asked, "A person responsible for safety at a construction site cannot have just one architect; there must be a lot of people. Hu Pei was in his twenties at the time, and he was still an intern. He will be fully responsible, and there must be others who know about it."


    Zhang Denghui looked at Zhao Mingkun and shook his head,"I don''t know this very well. Anyway, I don''t think it can be separated from Hu Pei. " Hu Pei has been stealing chickens and dogs since he was a child.


    "There is definitely something wrong with him. If you don''t believe me, check it out for yourself. "


    I asked, "Then do you have any clues?" Do you know the woman''s name, appearance, and age? Do you know who knew about this at the beginning? "


    "I don''t know about that." Zhang Denghui shook his head, "But you can go to Dongxing University and ask?"


    " Okay, thank you for your cooperation."


    When he came out of the cafe, Zhao Mingkun looked at me and said, "I don''t believe the words of Zhang Denghui."


    I also nodded and said, "I can see that Zhang Denghui is indeed quite envious and hates Hu Pei. Most of what he said was his own subjective opinion. When he spoke, he couldn''t help looking down. The corner of his mouth was slightly turned downward. This all shows that Zhang Denghui is disdainful of mentioning Hu Pei. However, we abandon these subjective views, and we can still get some clues from the situation described by Zhang Denghui."


    "What clue?" Zhao Mingkun asked.


    " Naturally, Zhang Denghui couldn''t have been at the construction site at the time, so he couldn''t have known how the woman died. The safety issue may be true, but it may not be true that it fell from the tower crane. It is true that the body was broken into pieces. Yes, but it''s not necessarily true that it was cut by barbed wire. It''s true that the eyeballs fell out, but it may be a fake that they were shaken out. "


    I shook my head, "All in all, Zhang Denghui has at least provided a correct and useful clue."


    "You mean the deceased has an identity?" Zhao Mingkun said.


    I snapped my fingers,"At this point, Zhang Denghui has no way to lie. And from the previous reaction of Mrs. Hu Pei, Zhang Denghui is talking about Mrs. Hu Pei''s pain. From the official website of Dongxing University, you can check the students'' information. Information Let''s start with Hu Pei''s ssmates. If the two are a couple, someone must know about it. "


    Zhao Mingkun nodded, got on the motorcycle, and suddenly said, with a smile, "The two of us seem to be entangled in this matter. In other words, we are about to get entangled in this matter. I don''t know if we can find information about your little girlfriend from this case. How do I feel, we are going farther and farther away? "


    I sighed and said, "Check it out. Apart from investigation, what else do you think we can do?"


    Zhao Mingkun was stunned for a while, then said, "Yeah, I''m not being investigated, or I''m investigating others.If I leave this circle, I really don''t know what else I can do."


    Let''s go." Zhao Mingkun said, "Find a ck Inte cafe." "ck?"


    I was about to ask why I went to a ck Inte cafe, but I suddenly remembered something and couldn''t helpughing.


    A primary school student picked up an ID card from the ground and went to the Inte cafe to surf the Inte. As a result, within five minutes of being on the Inte, seven or eight policemen with guns and live ammunition appeared and surrounded the primary school students. The primary school students urinated their pants in fright on the spot, andter realised that this ID card was the ID card of a fugitive.


    No identity, hiding in Tibet, no one will know when he dies.

 Chapter 253: The identity of the female corpse

    Chapter 253: The identity of the female corpse


    It is not easy to find a ck Inte cafe in Dongxing area. Finally, we found one in a small alley.


    On the official website of Dongxing University, wepared the previous students ording to the year we guessed, and finally, ten years ago, we saw the photo of Hu Pei. In Hu Pei''s ss, girls are really rare, and boys ount for three-quarters of it. Fortunately, under the information of these people, we saw the information of the guide.


    We entered the information about the instructor, and the telephone number of the instructor appeared in front of our eyes.


    Zhao Mingkun looked at me and said, "Fake police officer, it''s your turn to appear again."


    I shrugged.


    When we made an appointment with the teacher, it was already evening. The guide is now retired, and the investigation is still being arranged at his home. It was already seven years ago when Hu Pei and others graduated, and the instructor didn''t remember these people very clearly. He flipped through it carefully, and found in the drawer the photo taken at the beginning of the school year.


    The guide said, "Just this kid, you know, college students are all grown up, we don''t care much, seven years have passed, I really don''t have any impression. But I also have students here. Why note and see me during the holidays? I have the phone numbers of these students. Why don''t you take a look? "


    I pondered for a moment, and then said, "How many sses are there in your major? Do you have any photos of the rest of the sses? "


    If the couple entered the same construction site at the same time, it means that the girl and Hu Pei should be in the same major and belong to the same school. Then, this girl can only be in a few sses of this major. The guide nodded and fiddled with therger picture.


    Judging from this photo, it is a professional photo of the whole thing.


    "Here!" Zhao Mingkun suddenly said, pointing at a woman.


    I looked carefully, and sure enough, I saw a woman in the photo. After careful identification, it was found that this woman was the corpse of the woman whose eyes had been gouged out on the construction site. And it can be seen that the women in the two photos are very young. Zhang Denghui said that the woman''s death happened seven years ago. At that time, the woman was about twenty-three years old.


    "Look at this." Suddenly, Zhao Mingkun pointed to another woman.


    I was taken aback when I saw this woman. This woman is none other than Hu Pei''s current wife, that is, Hu Xiaoxue''s mother, the woman who has gone mad. Sure enough, this matter is rted to these three people. It''s just that this woman died as early as seven years ago, and now Hu Pei is also dead, and Hu Pei''s wife is also crazy. Could the clues be interrupted here?


    The names of the students are on the back of the photo, corresponding to the formation in front.


    Zhao Mingkun looked at his name and said, "Hu Pei''s ex-girlfriend is called Lu Zhiqiu, and his current wife is called Jiang Xiaochun. One spring and one autumn, very interesting. "


    I frowned, tapped my chin lightly with my hand, and said, "Seven years ago, Lu Zhiqi died, but how old do you think Hu Xiaoxue is?"


    Hearing my words, Zhao Mingkun immediately said, "That''s seven or eight years old."


    I snapped my fingers and said, "That is to say, after Lu Zhiqiu''s death, Hu Pei was with Jiang Xiaochun almost immediately. If there are two lovers who love each other so much, and the woman dies not long after will the man find a new girlfriend so quickly, get married and have children immediately? "


    Zhao Mingkun still looked at the photo and replied, "Absolutely not, it''s too fast. It''s too fast. It means that the other party doesn''t love Lu Zhiqiu at all. But, what was the truth about that year? and Lu Zhiqiu''s death. Does it have anything to do with Jiang Xiaochun? "


    At this moment, the old guide on the side spoke up, "Comrade police, are you here to investigate the cause of this female student''s death?"


    I nodded and said, "That''s right. What''s wrong? "


    The old guide pped her big leg and said, "Wait, I don''t remember who Hu Pei was, but I will never forget this little girl in my life! Wait a minute, I''ll call a guide. Come here, wait a while, and I''lle back right away. "


    We both nodded.


    Zhao Mingkun continued looking at the picture and said, "There are twice as many boys in the major aspared to girls. You said that Hu Pei is not too handsome. How did he fascinate the two little girls? "


    I looked at the photo from left to right and passed almost all of them. At the beginning, these people were all twenty years old. Ten years have passed, and they are basically in their thirties. At this age, it is estimated that most of them are married and have children. Of course, for a man like Zhang Denghui, who is only thirty-three years old, he seems to be forty years old and has nothing to do, but he has not yet found a partner.


    I just don''t know if anyone still remembers what happened back then.


    "This, isn''t that the great architect?" Zhao Mingkun pointed at another man and said,


    I shrugged, "Don''t look at these useless people. Those who came out of Dongxing University at their current age are estimated to be in the mainstream of various industries. Sooner orter, you might see these people on TV every day. "


    Do people whoe out of Dongxing University, with such high-quality talents, also kill people?" Zhao Mingkun teased.


    I smiled and said, "Knowledge and quality are always two different things. Those whoe out of Dongxing University may not be able to defecate anywhere, and they may not be able to peek at other people''s baths. People who have never been to school may not be able to help the elderly cross the road, but not necessarily. They won''t act bravely in the face of justice. People with high IQs are probably more capable of disying the malice in their hearts through more concealed means. "


    "It is indeed." Zhao Mingkun said.


    At this time, the old guide rushed back, and the man behind him was also an old person in 50s or 60s, but it was an old grandmother. The old grandmother saw us and asked, "Are you the police? Are you here to investigate Lu Zhiqiu''s case? "


    I nodded.


    "But wait until you guys!" The olddy''s tears were about to flow out, "After so many years, you still haven''t forgotten this case."


    "Grandma, sit down, tell me in detail." I hurriedly helped the olddy sit down.


    She nodded, sat on the sofa, picked up the admission photo and said, "I am Lu Zhiqiu''s instructor." Seven years ago, to be precise, seven years and seventy-eight days ago, when I got to the construction site, I called and said that one of my students had an ident at the construction site. At that time, I didn''t think too much about it. I thought it was just an injury, so I rushed to the construction site."


    "Then what?" I asked.


    The grandmother said, "When I arrived at the construction site, I found them."


    They have already called the police, and the police have cordoned off all around us. Because I am her teacher, they let me in. After going in, I saw something I will never forget in my life. "


    Zhao Mingkun and I looked at each other, knowing that the grandmother must have seen the body.


    The old grandmother looked at me and Zhao Mingkun and said, "At that time, I saw a person lying on the ground from a distance. I panicked at the time. You said that if a person is lying on the ground and is not sent to the hospital, eight to nine times out of ten, there is no help. Ahh. I walked slowly and rushed over, and I saw that it was really my student. She was wearing clothes, but her limbs were cut off. Her head was also cut off. Every eyeball has been gouged out. "


    She wiped her tears with her hands and said, "It''s so cruel, it bleeds all over the ce." Later, the police said that Lu Zhiqiu died at night, but there was no surveince at that time, and no one knows why she died in the middle of the night. Why did she go there?. The police said she may have been invited out, but who invited her out, I don''t know.


    "Didn''t she fall to his death?" I asked.


    "Did you say fall to death?" The grandmother shook her head and said, "It''s definitely not someone who fell to death. How could someone who fell to death have their limbs and head cut off? I think she was killed. The police also said, It is estimated that an acquaintancemitted the crime, or else, in the middle of the night, a little girl came here to do something, but after checking around, no suspect was found.


    At that time, there were a lot of people studying this major. In the evening, because it was thest day of the internship, the rest were drinking and singing happily. When she died, the rest were in the room. Even the corpse, it was only discovered the next day! " The grandmother said, "Iter felt that it was not an acquaintance whomitted the crime, and I suspected the workers at the construction site, but there was no clue."


    We nodded and motioned for the grandmother to continue.


    The police looked for a lot of people, but they didn''t have any clues. I don''t know who came out that night. I don''t know who Lu Zhiqiu was looking for. I don''t know why the other party killed Lu Zhiqiu so cruelly. "


    The grandmother frowned. "This kind of thing happened in my ss; how can I be worthy of Zhiqiu''s parents? It''s been seven years, and there is still no clue. You must find this murderer and avenge Zhiqiu! She has been lonely and lonely for seven years. It''s time to rest in peace. "


    After hearing the grand mother''s words I felt some doubt


    Lu Zhiqiu''s boyfriend, Hu Pei, his girlfriend, disappeared all night. He didn''t find his girlfriend overnight, but only found the body the next day. There must be something wrong with this, but I just don''t know if Lu Zhiqiu was killed by Hu Pei.


    And this time, when Hu Pei was scared to death in his new house, Hu Xiaoxue, Hu Pei''s daughter, dug out her own eyeballs and died. Jiang Xiaochun couldn''t take such a blow and became crazy.


    From the picture on the phone, next to the close-up of Lu Zhiqiu''s eyeless head, there are four words,"I''m back."


    Who is back? Lu Zhiqiu is back? Is it really a ghost murder?


    At this time, the old grandmother took out a few old photos from her pocket and said, "These photos are the photos taken at the construction site at that time.


    " I have kept them for seven years. I''m not sure. Let''s take a look. "


    Several photos are shocking. All of them are photos of Lu Zhiqiu''s body.

 Chapter 254: Dismemberment

    Chapter 254: Dismemberment


    From the disassembled arm, the fracture is not at the shoulder but near the biceps. Looking at the legs again, the fracture is near the rectus femoris muscle, which is in the middle of the thigh. Although I am not a professional forensic doctor, I also understand that it is not easy to dismember a person, especially without sharp tools.


    Judging from the location where the murderer chose to amputate, it is very unprofessional. Whether it is an arm or a leg, these two ces are rtively muscr, and the bones are rtively thick and strong. This is equivalent to "drying" against human tissue, and experienced butchers will even tell you that in order to clean and cut beef and mutton deboning quickly, you must follow the bones.


    This shows that the murderer did not understand the structure of the human body. This person should not be a doctor, a butcher, etc. who often deals with bone structure.


    In the same way, if a person intends to dismember a corpse, he will definitely choose a sharper tool, which is human nature. It''s like if you''re going to y basketball, you can''t go to the basketball court with a football. Then, the murderer may not have nned to kill and dismember at the beginning.


    I tapped the table with my finger and said slowly, "Then have the police found the murderer''s weapon? And what was the cause of Lu Zhiqiu''s death? "


    The grandmother picked up my words almost instantly and seemed to have a fresh memory of what happened at that time,"I remember this very clearly, andter they did look for a murder tool, but they didn''t find it, and it should have been taken away by the murderer as well. However, the police said that looking at the body, it does not look like it was chopped by a kitchen knife or something."


    I nodded, pointed to a fracture, and said, "Yes, from the cross section, the de of this murder weapon is about three millimetres thick, which is too thick for a kitchen knife or a butcher''s knife.Well, it doesn''t look like this thing is cutting edge. "


    While speaking, I pointed to the picture again, "Look, on the ground next to you, you can even see small pieces of meat and meat foam that flew out. Especially looking at this bone, you can see the bone spurs on the edge of the bone and the surface of the bone. gouges. "


    The grandmother nodded and added, "The police said that Lu Zhiqiu died from a blow to the head. What did the murderer use to hit Lu Zhiqiu hard on the back of the head? "


    After all, the grandmother found one of these photos and turned it over to me.


    It can be seen from the picture that the back of Lu Zhiqiu''s head was smashed. The human skull is rtively solid. If it hadn''t suffered the most severe blow, it would have been absolutely impossible to smash the skull like this. From the perspective of the width and length of the wound, it is a rectangr wound.


    Looking inside the wound, you can see bone fragments and brains inside, as well as red, yellow, and white stains on the hair.It looks horrible and disgusting, and it really makes people feel ufortable. However, looking at this wound, it is easy to think of a thing that often appears on the construction site, and it is also the most basic thing-bricks.


    I opened my mouth and asked, "That is to say, the tool for killing is a brick, and the tool for dismembering the body has not yet been found?"


    The old grandmother nodded and said, "That''s it, but the brick was not found. If you beat it so hard, there must be blood stains and brains left on the brick, but nothing was found. So, this case is very difficult to solve. Although the police believe that an acquaintancemitted the crime, except for the dead body, there is no clue at all. "


    Having said that, in my mind, a picture even appeared.


    In the dead of night, the murderer invited Lu Zhiqiu to the construction site. The construction site has stopped, and all the people were resting. And Lu Zhiqiu and other professionals were singing and drinking in the dormitory far away from the construction site. It was quiet here, no one was there.


    And Lu Zhiqiu was waiting here, waiting for someone to appear. This person was an acquaintance of Lu Zhiqiu''s and the murderer who finally killed Lu Zhiqiu. After a short conversation, Lu Zhiqiu turned around and was about to leave.


    The murderer watched Lu Zhiqiu go farther and farther, and suddenly his anger turned from anger to courage. He picked up a square brick and pped it hard on the back of Lu Zhiqiu''s head.


    In this blow, the murderer used all his strength. As if to vent all the grievances and anger with this swinging brick, Lu Zhiqiu''s skull shattered into several pieces with a "touch". The bone fragments pierced the brain, and Lu Zhiqiu died on the spot. The speed of brain death was so fast that Lu Zhiqiu didn''t even have time to feel the pain or even think about it, so he fell into a deep sleep forever.


    The murderer was gasping for breath and stood on the construction site. The pale white light of the moon shone down, shone on the construction site, shone on the murderer''s body, shone on the square brick with blood and brains.


    But at the moment, the murderer didn''t seem relieved. He took out a blunt weapon and dug out Lu Zhiqiu''s eyes. After gouging out his eyes, the murderer cut off Lu Zhiqiu''s head with a murder weapon. At this moment, the murderer seems a little crazy.


    Now that the head of the deceased has been cut off, it is better to disassemble the body into eight pieces. Under the moonlight, he used a blunt weapon to chop the arms and legs of the deceased one by one. murder weapon


    It is not sharp, but it is not an easy thing to separate the corpses.


    In order to cut off his arms and legs, he raised his hands very high, and he used all his strength to chop them down. Due to the darkness of the sky and the weapon that had to be raised, the murderer could not cut the same wound every time. Therefore, we saw that the wounds on the corpse were uneven.


    He chopped it hard, and the pieces of meat and bones brought out by the murder weapon were smashed everywhere. Finally, when he chopped off all his limbs, he fell to the ground exhausted.


    The murderer looked at the corpse in front of him and smiled. He finally vented all the resentment in his heart.


    After resting for a few minutes, he looked at the body and took away the bricks, the dismembering tool, and the two eyeballs.


    The next day, the body was finally found.


    The story is well guessed, but it is missing a very important point, motivation. In addition to the perverted murderer, in 99% of the murders in the world, the reason why the murderer wants to kill a person is that he must have a motive formitting the crime, which naturally includes murder. Then the question arises, why did the murderer kill Lu Zhiqiu?


    I asked this question out.


    The old grandmother looked at me, then waved her hand, and said, "The police also thought the same way back then, and wanted to find someone who had a grudge against Lu Zhiqiu. However, Lu Zhiqiu was just a little girl who was usually nice to everyone and was a very nice person. Most of the ssmates in her ss like her. Moreover, she has never had an enemy; I don''t understand why someone would kill her."


    "Love kills?" Zhao Mingkun said, "I can''t deny that, from the photos, Lu Zhiqiu looks very good-looking."


    The old grandmother said, "I also mentioned that Lu Zhiqiu had a boyfriend at the time, but we didn''t ask too much about these things. I also doubt that a young girl might be controlled by the workers on the construction site at that time. It could be a rape and then murder. But the policerades didn''t tell me anything, and I don''t know. "


    I pointed to the photo and said slowly, "Look at the photo. From the photo, we can see that the clothes on Lu Zhiqiu''s body were not torn, but neat. Besides, there is no sign of being vited at all. "


    I picked up a photo, "Look at her trousers are well-dressed, then there are two possibilities. One, the murderer, raped Lu Zhiqiu and was afraid that Lu Zhiqiu would tell the story, so he got dressed and prepared for Lu Zhiqiu to leave.When she left, he attacked her and killed her. Second, the killer killed Lu Zhiqiu, raped the corpse, and then put on Lu Zhiqiu''s clothes and dismembered the body. "


    Zhao Mingkun shook his head and said, "I don''t think these two things are possible."


    I nodded and said, "Yes, this sounds a bit againstmon sense. So I don''t think the murderer raped Lu Zhiqiu. It would be great if we could find the autopsy report from that year."


    "That''s not love killing?" Zhao Mingkun said.


    I stretched out a finger and shook it, and said, "Not necessarily, no rape doesn''t mean you don''t like Lu Zhiqiu. Some people like the body, and some people like the soul. "


    "If you can''t get it, even if you destroy it, can you let others get it?" Zhao Mingkun asked.


    "Maybe, "I said.


    I changed the subject, "However, why do you think a person should dismember a body?"

 Chapter 255: Suspects

    Chapter 255: Suspects


    My words made several people ponder, and for a moment, the old guide said, "As an ordinary person, if I were to say, the dismemberment must be for the purpose of hiding the body and transporting it away. Otherwise, what would you do if you weren''t strong? "


    The old grandmother looked at the old guide and nodded, "But the murderer didn''t carry the body away."


    I opened my mouth and said, "Separating a corpse is also an insult to a corpse. The murderer must have had a great hatred towards Lu Zhiqiu, a hatred so great that he couldn''t solve it even after killing someone. The eyes were dug up and the limbs cut off to calm it down. Then do you know who has such a big hatred for Lu Zhiqiu? "


    "Or else." Zhao Mingkun added, "Do you like Lu Zhiqiu in particr?"


    "Love turned into hate?" I understood what Zhao Mingkun meant.


    Zhao Mingkun looked at me but shook her head and said, "People always like to think of love and hate as a pair of antonyms, but in fact, love and hate are kinds of extreme emotions. Love is hate. Hate is love. It is not because of love that hates, but because of love, people are killed. "


    The grandmother was silent, as if thinking about something. After a while, the old grandmother said, "I really don''t know what kind of enemies Lu Zhiqiu has. I said it before, but Lu Zhiqiu is very kind to others. There was a girl from a poor family before, and Lu Zhiqiu usually helped her. "


    After a pause, the grandmother said again, "However, there are really many people who like Lu Zhiqiu. The monitor in our ss, a guy named Wang Yikai, really liked this little girl, Lu Zhiqiu. He even made a candle confession, and it was quite romantic. It''s just that it''s not clear whether it was sessful or not. "


    "Did Wang Yikai also go to that construction site?" I asked.


    The grandmother nodded and said, "Yes, it was considered an internship at the beginning. There were many people in the three major sses; there were about a dozen or twenty in total. It is true that Wang Yikai went there at the beginning. But why? Now, do you suspect that Wang Yikai did it? Well, this is unlikely. "


    "I can''t tell." I picked up the professional admission photo and said, "Can you tell me where each of these students went? Tell me their addresses or information?"


    The old grandmother nodded, asked the old guide for a pen, and then began to circle the names on the back and said, "The police also found the names of those people and checked them one by one. But in the end, there was no news. I''m afraid one of these students did it. Oh, it''s difficult. I really can''t figure out who the murderer will be. "


    After speaking, the grandmother stopped talking and quietly drew a circle behind her back.


    Up to now, there have been two key points in this case. One focus is on what happened seven years ago and who killed Lu Zhiqiu. Another important point is who is the murderer now. As a staunch atheist, I don''t believe in the existence of ghost killings in this world. So, seven yearster, who came back and why? He killed Hu Pei and Hu Xiaoxue and sessfully drove Jiang Xiaochun crazy.


    Will he still kill, and if so, who will be the next to die?


    Who killed Lu Zhiqiu? Could it be Hu Pei? And the current murderer is to avenge Lu Zhiqiu''s return.


    Woolen cloth?


    Thinking of this, I asked, "Grandma, what about Lu Zhiqiu''s family? Seven yearster, do you still have contact with Lu Zhiqiu''s family? "


    Hearing that I mentioned Lu Zhiqiu''s family, the grandmother sighed even more. She said, "Actually, this is what makes me feel more chilled. Sometimes, when I think about it, I feel bad for Lu Zhiqiu. As an instructor, I have to approve and distribute stipends every year ording to the circumstances of other people''s families. Lu Zhiqiu is one of them. "


    Zhao Mingkun frowned and asked, "Isn''t it said that Lu Zhiqiu often helps other girls, but her family is not very good?"


    "Let''s not say that Lu Zhiqiu is a good person. She has stipends and schrships, and she often helps others. "


    The grandmother sighed heavily, and then said, "I know about Lu Zhiqiu''s family. Lu Zhiqiu''s family is from a small vige on the outskirts of Dongxing City. Although it is also under the jurisdiction of Dongxing City, how can the economypare to Dongxing City? "


    "I remember Lu Zhiqiu once told me that when she was in high school, her mother didn''t want her to go to school. If Lu Zhiqiu''s academic performance was not good, not only would the high school not charge tuition fees, but she would have to give her a thousand dors every month. Lu Zhiqiu beat home half of her living expenses; otherwise, Lu Zhiqiu would have gone to work early. "


    The old grandmother closed the pen, put it aside, and continued, "She told me at the time that she had a younger brother who was in his teens, and he is seventeen or eighteen now. When Lu Zhiqiu died, I naturally wanted to inform her family. The family members found dozens of people to hold banners and sat on the construction site to stop construction. A one-day work stoppage is a one-day loss.Later, the construction site negotiated with the school. One hundred thousand, her family just left. "


    Hearing this, I suddenly remembered what Zhang Denghui said before. [After Lu Zhiqiu died, I heard that the insurancepany also paid one million yuan. I don''t know if this is true or not. However, it should be true that Lu Zhiqiu''s family once came to disturb Hu Pei''s house; otherwise, Zhang Denghui would not have fabricated such a thing that could be found out.]


    I asked, "The insurancepany also paid a million?"


    The grandmother nodded and said, " I had to go to the construction site at that time. The school has already covered the insurance. The insurance should be paid out after the death of the insured person. But Lu Zhiqiu''s house was too noisy. Another million? For a developer with deep pockets, one million is nothing."


    "The insurance must be very detailed at that time." I asked again, "So, who is the beneficiary of the insurance? Do you know this? "


    The grandmother shook her head, and then said, "At that time, it was also the cooperation between the school and the insurancepany. I only know that the insurancepany is called Corning Insurance Company, but I don''t know who the beneficiary she filled in is. After all, whoever the beneficiary is , no one thought there was any danger at the time. "


    I repeated, "Corning Insurance, it seems that we need to go there and ask."


    The grandmother nodded.


    I asked again, "Grandma, do you have the cell phone numbers or addresses of these people?"


    The grandmother shook her head and said, "It''s been seven years, and many people have changed their mobile phone numbers. I will do one thing. You can leave a phone number, and I''ll contact those I can in my name. Have a party for your college ssmates. Then I can give you all the phone numbers and information of the rest. "


    The grandmother''s words are very reasonable. Compared with us looking for them one by one, it is also more practical.


    I was about to give out my cell phone number, then I realised that I was no longer the captain of the special operations team. I don''t know when it started, but I subconsciously regarded myself as a real policeman.


    And from this role, I can no longere out.


    However, Zhao Mingkun said, "It is stipted that we cannot use our own private phones to investigate the case. Therefore, you can leave a phone number for us, and we will contact you when the timees. "


    The grandmother nodded and did not seem to doubt Zhao Mingkun''s "sincere" words.


    Before leaving, the old grandmother took my hand and said, "Officer, it''s been seven years. I''m in my sixties. Lu Zhiqiu''s family doesn''t know anything other than to ask for money. They don''t care at all. What is the truth of the matter? I am afraid that I am the only one who is paying attention to this matter. I am afraid that in a few years, when I am gone, no one in this world will remember it anymore. "


    With tears in her eyes, she said, "Lu Zhiqiu was only 22 or 23 years old, and she died like this when she was in her prime. You must arrest the murderer and bring him to justice. "


    I nodded and said, "Several serial killers who have escaped for 20 years have been caught. It''s only been seven years, don''t worry. No matter how long it takes, no matter how many police officers you change, the killer will be caught in the end. Don''t worry. Well, we will definitely find him."


    "Thank you, thank you." The grandmother shook my hand vigorously.


    I heard that people die three times. The first time is when he dies, physically. The second time is at his funeral, socially. The third time is when everyone forgets about him. At this point, he really dies.


    Unexpectedly, seven years have passed, and it is not her parents who remember Lu Zhiqiu, but her university teacher.


    After walking out of the building, Zhao Mingkun asked me, "You asked about Lu Zhiqiu''s family just now. I heard that Lu Zhiqiu has a younger brother who is now seventeen or eighteen years old. Do you think it is possible that Lu Zhiqiu''s younger brother came to take revenge? Woolen cloth? "


    " Actually, I think so too, but the police haven''t found who killed Lu Zhiqiu in the first ce, and her younger brother can definitely not find anything. It''s just from the current situation. Hu Pei is the most suspicious person. Maybe this younger brother thinks the same way. "


    Zhao Mingkun rode on the motorcycle, "Since I don''t know who killed my sister, so I just killed all the suspects." Has the teenage child finally grown into a seventeen or eighteen-year-old boy? So, it''s really a bit of a brother and sister rtionship. Let''s go to Corning Insurance Company and ask? "


    I also got on the motorcycle and said, "It''s possible, but think about it carefully. The workers who went to the construction site and the ssmates who went to participate in the internship were all suspicious. In this way, the people who are going to die. But there are a lot of them. Maybe the murderer kills ording to the level of his suspicions. "


    Zhao Mingkun activated the motorcycle, saying, "However, her brother can really endure for seven years and thene back to kill? Can hemit murder with 1.5 million? "


    I said, "Before you investigate this matter, buy a mobile phone. In today''s society, you can''t really do anything without a mobile phone..."

 Chapter 256: The truth of the multiple-person case

    Chapter 256: The truth of the multiple-person case


    Whether Lu Zhiqiu''s younger brother came back for revenge is uncertain at this moment. If you can find Corning''s insurance policy, you can find out who the insurance beneficiary is. If it was Hu Pei, it might be a case of murder for money.


    After all, it''s one million. Although it can''t cause a big storm in Dongxing City or even buy a house, if it is used as apany''s start-up capital, it is almost enough. It is possible to kill Lu Zhiqiu in order to cheat insurance. Some people dare to kill a family for tens of thousands of dors, let alone one million.


    In order not to arouse suspicion, the deceased was dismembered to create the illusion of a great hatred for the deceased, which can be exined.


    Hu Pei, Hu Pei, if you didn''t do it yourself, why would you think there would be ghosts haunting you, or even scared to death by something? And how did the murderer frighten Hu Pei to death? Now the police must have been involved in the investigation. I don''t know which group of the Criminal Police Brigade is in charge of the investigation.


    However, judging from the traces we left before, the possibility of Xiao Liu taking over the investigation is the greatest.


    As soon as I mentioned Xiao Liu, I had a mixed feeling in my heart. Involuntarily, I thought of Guan Zengbin and Gu Chen again. At this moment, I don''t know what happened to Gu Chen and Guan Zengbin, especially Guan Zengbin, who was kidnapped. Her whereabouts are unknown at this moment. As for Gu Chen, he was transferred back at the most critical moment, and I don''t know if he coulde back.


    It is said that people are born free, but in this world, who can be free? We are all shackled in invisible cages, big or small, always thinking that we are a Sun Wukong who is fighting for thousands of miles, but in the end, we still can''t escape the palm of the Buddha.


    In the mobile phone market, I bought a smartphone that cost several thousand yuan, and finally installed the mobile phone card that Sister Mao gave me. I don''t know why my younger sister Mao asked me to do the mobile phone card. When I checked the bnce, I found that there was already 2,000 yuan in the phone bill, plus the stack of money that Sister Mao stuffed me in the box. It is estimated that there are four or five thousand.


    I remembered Sister Mao''s words again [ that bitch is also affectionate and righteous. But do the math, Huang Er Ge is estimated to be out of prison soon, a pimp and a prostitute, and finally they can be together again.]


    I first called Gu Chen, and after ten seconds, Gu Chen answered the phone, "Hello, hello, who are you?"


    I said, "I''m delivering the courier. Can you speak now? "


    "Express delivery?" Gu Chen said, "Wait a minute, I''m not at home now. I''ll go out and find someone to pick it up. "


    Then, there was no sound from the other side, and after a minute, the other side continued to say, "I ~ grass. Are you crazy? Why did you run away from the detention center? Did you know that you are now a wanted criminal? "


    I smiled and said, "Okay, my ears are not broken."


    "Fuck off." Gu Chen said, "I''ve been listening to your voice for so long, how can I forget what happened? Where did you go? Is there something wrong? "


    Although my fugitive life has onlysted a day and a night, Gu Chen and I have been without contact for almost a week. Hearing Gu Chen''s voice at this moment, he felt relieved.


    I said, "I haven''t seen you since I was detained in the detention centre. Then, until I got to court,What happened after that? Team Leader Shao, how are they, Sister Mary, any news about Guan Zengbin? "


    Gu Chen''s voice was very vicissitudes: "Leader Shao because of this incident.


    Qing, I''m still fighting against the Ministry of Public Security and the White Ministry. He doesn''t believe that you are the murderer, but in the current situation, there is no way to prove it, and even he himself has been dismissed. Sister Mary was transferred back to Yuzhou City. Yuzhou City is where their special case team came out. Director Li of Yuzhou Public Security Bureau can keep one and count as one. "


    "Where''s Guan Zengbin?" I asked.


    "There is still no news about Guan Zengbin. After you left, too many things happened. " Gu Chen''s tone was full of sorrow, "The murderer with multiple personalities, whose real name is Li Ai, ran away after half the investigation! He provides a clue about Wu Zui in order to reduce his sentence. Li Ai confessed to the crime and provided a video of his multiple personalities. Everyone thinks that he is genuinely subduing the Fa, so they don''t take it seriously.


    Gu Chen sighed and said, "Who would have thought that Li Ai would run away? There is still an unknown personality in his body. That personality is hidden deep and has never been discovered by others. It is a female personality, seen on the camera. Here, she killed a guard and ran away! "


    I had already guessed that the female owner of the adult supply store was killed by this hidden female personality. During the hour that the uncle''s personality disappears every day, I am afraid that this female personality is controlling the body. When this female personality controls the body, what agreement should she reach with Wu Zui?


    Li Ai was responsible for baiting us, and Wu Zui and others took Guan Zengbin away. And Wu Zui is responsible for helping Li Ai find twelve bowls, thereby eliminating the rest of the personality in the body.


    Gu Chen continued, "At the beginning, there were a lot of things recorded in the notebook of the Yama. Wu Xiufang didn''tmit suicide at all. Wu Jianguo and Wu Xiufen killed Wu Xiufang with their own hands. Their father actually knew that Wu Xiufang gave birth to a transgender person. Therefore, even if the factory was to be sold and the family''s assets were lost, he wanted Li Ai to be cured. "


    After a pause, Gu Chen said, "Wu Jianguo and Wu Xiufen saw that the factory was sold, and they could not get a penny, so they hung Wu Xiufang to death in the factory. And their father saw this scene, and he was angry to death. When Li Ai was five years old, he went to the factory to find his mother, but he saw this scene unexpectedly. The young mind couldn''t ept it, so the character of the King of Hell appeared. "


    "And at the same time, there is another personality!" Gu Chen said, "It is the personality that hides the deepest; this personality is darker and smarter than the king of hell, and more anti-human and anti-society. The king of hell knows everything and takes everything. It''s all written down in the notebook. That uncle''s personality could have known the truth, but he didn''t dare to look at it. He was afraid of seeing the truth. "


    "But Xiao Liu has seen it!" I suddenly remembered, "Xiao Liu has seen that diary, but he doesn''t mention it at all!"


    Gu Chen frowned, "Liu is now the captain of the Dongxing Criminal Police Brigade."


    Xiao Liu had long known that there was something tricky in it, but he didn''t say it. Maybe Xiao Liu had nned to use this murderer to get rid of me since then.Such a deep scheme, it seems to expose my weakness to me, but it is actually the deepest secret. If Xiao Liu has such deep scheming and a high IQ that he has deceived all of us, then he must want the rtionship between Li Ai and Wu Zui.


    So, who is Xiao Liu? Why did he guess the truth of the matter but didn''t say it, and during the trial, he said something unfavorable to me? Isn''t all this what Wu Zui wants to see?


    And the few times Xiao Liu and I had a heart-to-heart talk, all of them were acting. Were they all fake?


    I suddenly remembered that there was a mysterious person in the armed police station who told me that the police station


    There is a force that is reversing our investigation and direction. I have suspected many people, but I have not suspected Xiao Liu. Why can''t it be Xiao Liu, who doesn''t look smart but is actually the deepest, most hidden Xiao Liu?


    He lied to us all. What the hell is he going to do next?


    But now, even if I knew there was something wrong with Xiao Liu, no one would believe me. And Xiao Liu has sessfully taken the power into his own hands. So what will Xiao Liu do next? And will he have something to do with Wu Zui?


    "Liu has a problem." I said to Gu Chen, "You must be optimistic about him."


    But at this time, Gu Chen was silent. After a while, he said, "I may have no choice."


    "What''s wrong?" I asked.


    "I quit." "Gu Chen said.


    "Armed police?" I asked.


    Gu Chen said slowly, "Yes, as an armed policeman, my actions will be restricted everywhere. And I want to investigate what is going on, and I want to find Guan Zengbin quickly. But if I am an armed policeman, I have no way to investigate. I just came out of the office, and from this moment on, I am just amoner. "


    "Damn it!" I said, "Are you crazy? How many times have you told me that you want to be a just people''s policeman, to uphold justice, and to be like the policeman who saved your family. Why now? You don''t want to do it! Do you still think about being able to go back in the future? "


    However, Gu Chen, on the other end of the phone, smiled and said, "From the moment I walked out, I knew I couldn''t go back. You, his mother, became a fugitive, and Guan Zengbin was taken away. How could I just stand idly by? Look, but don''t do anything? I want to be a policeman, but I want to save you all. You make me believe in you. I believe in you, so you must also believe in me. I will find Guan Zengbin. I will prove your innocence. "


    I was silent. In just one and a half years, none of us could be separated from each other.


    It suddenly urred to me that I once asked Gu Chen, jokingly, if I really died, would he cry a few tears for me. At that time, Gu Chen gave me a positive answer.


    "Don''t carry everything on your body." Gu Chen said, "I said earlier, I''m your brother. If something goes wrong, we have to carry it together. Our special action team can''t do without anyone. You say, isn''t it, Captain? "


    My heart was hot, but my eyes were wet, and I said, "team member Gu, I will contact you at any time. Remember to keep confidentiality, understand? "


    "Understood." Gu Chen replied.


    As I was hanging up the phone, I couldn''t help but tug at my hair with my hands. I just had a headache.


    Li Ai really has a hidden personality, and this personality is rted to Wu Zui. It seems that he has no talent at all, but through hard work, Xiao Liu, who has actually deceived everyone, has an indescribable rtionship with Wu Zui. Guan Zengbin was kidnapped, and this was also rted to Wu Zui. And Zhao Mingkun, who escaped for seven years without being caught, is also rted to Wu Zui.


    It''s just that the special action team that has dealt with Wu Zui has fallen apart at this moment, and we have no way to mobilise our energy to track down Wu Zui.


    What does Wu Zui want to do? What big conspiracy does he have?


    And at this moment, the case that Zhao Mingkun and I are investigating will be rted to him.


    Everything points to the most mysterious criminal genius.


    Will I still lose in the next confrontation?<hr>


    (T/N : this is getting exciting)

 Chapter 257: Joint Murder Suspicions

    Chapter 257: Joint Murder Suspicions


    We found a small hotel and made do with it for the night. Early the following day, Zhao Mingkun cleaned up the traces we left and took me to Corning Insurance Company.


    Corning Insurance Company''s scale was not particrlyrge, but it did have a scale of hundreds of millions.As far as I know, insurancepanies have transaction records for each im, especially for such a huge amount of one million. Even after seven years, they can definitely be found in thepany''s transaction records.


    And when the person in charge of thepany fiddled with it for half an hour, he finally found this insurance im bill. Coincidentally, the person in charge of thispany also participated in the im settlement of Lu Zhiqiu seven years ago.


    The person in charge told us that when a im needs to be settled, the insurancepany will send an insurance ims adjuster to investigate. When the insurance ims adjuster determines that the insurance conditions are true and that there is no fraud, the ims will be settled in ordance with the insurance contract''s regtions.


    The person in charge said: "Seven years ago, the scale of Corning Insurance Company was not as big as it is now, and the insurance policies it usually handled were small policies of tens of thousands of yuan, but I didn''t expect that it would actually pay one million yuan inpensation. Think about the dangers of student internships. Dongxing University has a veryrge share of insurance, and the scope ofpensation is also wide. If there is an ident or even a homicide, it will be covered by the insurance policy. "


    I frowned and said, "Murder counts? I''ve never heard of it. "


    The person in charge nodded and said, "Actually, as long as it happens on the construction site, everything except suicide counts. Even if I die from a sudden heart attack on the construction site, it will be counted within the scope of the policy. As I said before, the school pays for it, and the insured share is alsorge, and the policy term is short, just one or two months for the internship. And that''s why the final insured amount is sorge.


    I nodded.


    The person in charge continued, "The investigator in charge of ims settlement was once another founder of ourpany, Liu Ruijie. Speaking of which, I really think this matter is a bit strange. Not long after that female ssmate died, Liu Ruijie passed away a few monthster. I left thepany. And I know that Liu Ruijie owed a lot of debts at that time.


    "A lot of debt?" My eyes lit up.


    The person in charge nodded and said, "Speaking of which, Corning Insurance Company was founded by Liu Ruijie and another boss. Seven years ago, when they were in their thirties, they invested all their money in thepany. Thepany started slowly and gradually gained scale, but Liu Ruijie became addicted to gambling. "


    At that time, Liu Ruijie exported all the shares he held in thepany. The person in charge shook his head and said, "Not to mention the house, the car, and the loss. Another boss saw him as the founder of thepany and reluctantly gave him a job as a ims adjuster, where he was able to make ends meet. But Liu Ruijie, apany boss, turned out to be a ims adjuster in the end. The gap was too big.


    So, Liu Ruijie left thepany a few months after the settlement of the Lu Zhiqiu policy seven years ago.


    The person in charge looked left and right and whispered to me, "I''m just guessing about these things, and I don''t have any evidence. If you want to listen, just listen to it as a story. If you don''t listen, it''s not a big deal. "


    "Tell me," I said.


    The person in charge cleared his throat, and then said again: "At that time, Liu Ruijie''s wife divorced him, and he owed a lot."


    A lot of foreign debt, he spent every day frowning. But when he went to investigate that day, he smiled brightly, as if he was no longer worried about those foreign debts. He also told me on the way that, after securing this order, I would say goodbye to my past life. "


    "What do you mean?" Zhao Mingkun looked at him.


    He licked his lips and said in a low voice, "I think there seems to be something unspeakable between him and this order; otherwise, this order shouldn''t be for him. I have a feeling that he actually knew this girl would die.


    Having said this, he went on to say: "Of course, this was how I felt at the time, and he seemed to have paid off all the foreign debtster. But this is what I assumed, after all. He didn''t say it clearly at the time, of course. Now, he won''t say it explicitly, but think about it "


    During the conversation, the person in charge gave us Liu Ruijie''s phone number and address, and he said, "This phone number and address are from seven years ago. I don''t know if they''re in use now. At that time, his house and car were sold, so he rented it. He lives alone in a small house. By the way, don''t tell anyone what I told you. You see, I''m not a person who likes to gossip. "


    After getting the address and phone number, we walked out of the insurancepany.


    Zhao Mingkun looked at the address and said to me, "This address is more than two hours away from here, but it''s not far. However, there is not much hope for him to still live there. Do you think there is such a possibility? Liu Ruijie owes a lot of money, and he urgently needs a lot of money to pay off his debts. But, ZhaoMingkun


    rode the motorcycle. At that time, everyone knew that he was addicted to gambling, and the money he lent was basically impossible to get back, so no one lent him money at all. So he thought about the huge insurance policy. So they joined hands with the beneficiary, Hu Pei, asked Lu Zhiqiu to go to the construction site, and then the two of them killed people. "


    I touched my chin and said slowly, "If two peoplemit a crime, in order to ensure that the other party will not speak out, both of them must do it. Then, the dismemberment may be soplete that the other party has no way of regretting it. Because there are two people. Once they have done it, even if they regret it in the future, they will not confess about the other person, or their prosperity will be damaged.


    "Yes, as grasshoppers on a rope, none of them can betray the other." Zhao Mingkun said, "Otherwise, both of them will face the fate of being caught."


    I snapped my fingers and said, "It''s not impossible. The motive is money."


    In the end, I raised a few doubts, "This is indeed exnatory, but I still have a few doubts. You say, why is the beneficiary of Lu Zhiqiu''s policy Hu Pei? If you want to fill in this insurance policy, under normal circumstances, the first thing thates to mind is not a boyfriend, right? "


    Zhao Mingkun was silent for a moment and said, "That''s not necessarily true. Lu Zhiqiu''s family is not good to her. It can be seen that Lu Zhiqiu''s family is more patriarchal. Moreover, it is estimated that when filling out this list, everyone was just joking around. Who would have thought that something would really happen? "


    After a pause, Zhao Mingkun continued, "When filling out the form, the students should fill it out together, maybe to prove that the two people are more in love and they love each other. So the beneficiary column filled in each other''s names. It''s not impossible."


    I shrugged, "Then Hu Pei killed her?"


    Zhao Mingkun formalised the paraphrase.


    She drove the motorcycle to Liu Ruijie''s address, heard my words, and said, "That is, when you fill out the form, you have premeditated murder, and when Lu Zhiqiu writes down Hu Pei''s name, Lu Zhiqiu''s fate is already decided. It is Liu Ruijie who colluded with Hu Pei, not Hu Pei who colluded with Liu Ruijie."


    "Who colluded with whom is not the point. The point is that both of them have a motive to kill." I hugged Zhao Mingkun and said, "Each one of them has a different idea, and they hit it off right away."


    Zhao Mingkun said, "Equally divide one million, and one person has 500,000. "


    " When do you think you can earn 500,000? "


    I was speechless, so I had no choice but to say, "Do you think I can still make money in my current capacity? I can''t make enough 500,000 in my life. "


    Zhao Mingkun smiled: "I have."


    "You have half a million?" I asked.


    Zhao Mingkun nodded. "Envy?"


    I snorted coldly and said, "I envy you. There are 500,000 people who are still alive, like homeless people. What''s there to envy? "


    Zhao Mingkunughed.


    However, if you say that Hu Pei and Liu Ruijie killed people, then they will not spread it everywhere. However, when we were in Hu Pei''s old home, we heard Jiang Xiaochun''s crazy words. From Jiang Xiaochun, From the words of the couple, we know that Jiang Xiaochun is also aware of this matter. Hu Pei will most emphatically not reveal this information.


    Hearing my words, Zhao Mingkun also seemed to feel that something was wrong, so he said, "It makes sense. I had looked at Jiang Xiaochun before, and she seemed frightened enough. And he kept saying that she came back, the ghost wasing, and so on. If she hadn''t been afraid of Lu Zhiqiu, she shouldn''t have reacted like that. "


    I snorted, "Then this is the problem." Lu Zhiqiu and Hu Pei have been in love for four or five years. After Lu Zhiqiu died, Hu Pei married Jiang Xiaochun and had children at a very fast pace. This shows that Jiang Xiaochun must have been thinking about Hu Pei for a long time. It''s time. You said, In Lu Zhiqiu''s case, do you think Jiang Xiaochun is involved?"


    Zhao Mingkun shook his head and said, "If Jiang Xiaochun was also involved , the situation would be moreplicated. And even if Hu Pei agreed, I don''t think Liu Ruijie would agree. The more people who know about this, the more likely they are exposed, the more likely they will be caught, so they shouldn''t join forces. "


    Hearing Zhao Mingkun''s words, I feel the same way. Moreover, from Hu Pei''s sending his wife and children back to their old home, it can be seen that Hu Pei felt that this matter should not affect his wife and daughter, so Hu Pei should feel that his wife did not know about Lu Zhiqiu.


    But judging from Jiang Xiaochun''s situation, she did know about Lu Zhiqiu''s death.


    Things got interesting. The husband knows it, the wife knows it, the husband thinks the wife doesn''t know it, and the wife knows it but pretends not to know it. And what I can be sure of is that Hu Xiaoxue must not know about this matter. The child is innocent, but the murderer also did not let her go.


    I''ve been thinking about this all day. Who the hell killed Lu Zhiqiu, Hu Pei, Liu Ruijie, maybe even Jiang Xiaochun? They all had motives to let Lu Zhiqiu die, and they may have conspired to do this. And now, the person who avenged Lu Zhiqiu has returned.


    Everyone has their own ghosts.

 Chapter 258: Death Insurance Investigator

    Chapter 258: Death Insurance Investigator


    Zhao Mingkun''s motorcycle still roams the streets and alleys, flying around like a homeless bird. However, looking at the oil gauge of the motorcycle with a probe, it''s still full. Thinking about it carefully, I knew that Zhao Mingkun must have cheered me on when I fell asleep again.


    It''s just that Zhao Mingkun is always by my side during the day, and I don''t know what she does at night, but she can always wake me up early the next morning. Sometimes I even wonder if this woman is human and needs sleep.


    We came to thismunity and followed the address to find Liu Ruijie''s unit. The house Liu Ruijie rented was a three-unit 901, and when we got there, we found that the door was locked. Whether we knocked on the door or rang the doorbell, there was no response from the inside.


    "Has he moved?" Zhao Mingkun nced at me.


    I stood back and looked carefully at the door of 901.


    After a while, I opened my mouth and said to Zhao Mingkun, "Look at the insole changing at the door. You can clearly see that there is a lot of dust on both sides, but not much dust in the middle. This shows that people often step on the middle of the insole to enter. There is a lot of dust on both sides, which means that the people who live here are not paying attention to hygiene. Look at the wall. There are no other ces, but this wall is covered with small advertisements, and no one cleans it up. "


    I pointed to the door frame and said, "Do you see anything missing?"


    "What''s missing? " Zhao Mingkun looked at it and didn''t give an answer.


    I turned my head and pointed to the door frame of the opposite door and said, "Couplets! There are no couplets on the door frame of his house. Look at his door frame. There is no trace of tape or paste, which means that he has not pasted it at all. Couplets for the Spring Festival. It''s not long since the Spring Festival. You can see that other couplets are still the same as new. "


    "What does this indicate?" Zhao Mingkun asked suspiciously.


    I put my chin on my hand and said, "This shows that there is a person living in this house who is not careful and pays no attention to hygiene. If I had to guess, this would be a man. He has lost his sense of life, so even if it''s Chinese New Year, he doesn''t post couplets. This must not be a young guy. "


    I tapped my chin lightly and said, "From theprehensive analysis of these points, there lives a man here, and he is a middle-aged man in his forties. He lives here alone, and his wife and children are not by his side. " He''s fat, doesn''t have much hair, and has a habit of drinking. "


    Zhao Mingkun nodded and said, "What do you mean, Liu Ruijie still lives here? Seven years ago, Liu Ruijie was in his thirties. Now, it fits your description. "


    "That''s right," I said. "That''s what I meant."


    Zhao Mingkun was silent for a moment, then said, "What if not?"


    I shook my head and said, "It''s impossible. I wasn''t born a policeman. If it was a policeman here, they wouldn''t dare to guess when they hadn''t collected enough evidence. What they want to do is to have a lot of evidence. To specte and solve the case under the premise. For me, it is different. "


    I pointed to my head and said, "I guess first, and then look for evidence. If I can''t find evidence, I''ll make another guess. And this is the big difference between my thinking and the police''s thinking. Perhaps this is why Team Leader Shao fished me out. If guess and evidence corroborate each other, Liu Ruijie definitely still lives here. "


    "It''s just." I shook my head, "It seems that Liu Ruijie did not remarry his wife. What do you think is the reason for this? "


    While knocking on the door, Zhao Mingkun said, "His wife didn''t forgive him. Or, did he take the money but didn''t repay the debt, but went to gamble again? "


    "Unlikely," I said, "if he still had a gambling addiction, he couldn''t have lived here for so long. During his gambling addiction, he probablymitted domestic violence on his wife, so his wife did not forgive him. It''s a possibility. But there''s another possibility. "


    "What?" Zhao Mingkun said.


    I said slowly: "Liu Ruijie killed someone seven years ago in order not to involve his wife and children, so Liu Ruijie himself is unwilling to go back. Based on the possibility that Liu Ruijie killed someone, this is also a possibility. But what is the reason? Liu Ruijie does still live here. At seven o''clock now, Liu Ruijie may not have woken up yet. "


    "Boom!" I knocked on the door a few more times, but there was still no response.


    Zhao Mingkun nced at me and said, "Look for a property. The longer we stay in one ce, the more dangerous it will be. "


    Half an hourter, someone from the property came. I still showed my police ID card, and the property owner didn''t say anything. After knocking on the door several times without sess, he took out the spare key. But after twisting the key for a moment, there was no way to open the wooden door.


    "Changed the lock?" I asked, frowning.


    "No!" said the person from the property, "Look, the security door has been opened, but the door inside can''t be opened. If the key can''t be turned, it means that he has locked the door. Open the door, police! "Hey, don''t sleep, the door is open.


    But no matter how much they shouted, there was no response from the people inside. A bad premonition rose in my heart. I was afraid that the mming and shouting of the door might be heard by the residents in other buildings, but the people inside were indifferent. But since the door is locked, it proves that there must be someone in the house.


    Someone, but there is no way to open the door. I don''t want to think about it any more at this moment.


    "Come on!" Zhao Mingkun looked at the two of us and said, "There must be someone inside, and it''s more bad luck than good luck."


    A few of us looked at each other, shouted "one, two, three," and then started to bang on the door. When I felt my shoulders burning, I heard a "click", and we finally closed the wooden door. Bumped away. I must thank the fact that this is a standardtch rather than a more advanced one.


    As soon as the door was knocked open, there was a foul smelling up. It was so vorful that it nearly smoked a few of us out. At the same time, my heart sank. This blend of smells I often smelled when I was a non-staff cop, and it really wasn''t a good smell.


    This is a kind ofrge and small stoolbined with the smell of a corpse, which is the mostmon smell of a corpse.


    We looked around and saw a man lying on his back on the ground.


    Judging from this person''s body shape, he is of medium stature, and his belly is bulging and bloated. It can be almost concluded that this person is Liu Ruijie. But what I didn''t expect was that Liu Ruijie had already died.


    "Stand here and don''t move." I said to the person at the property, "Let''s go over and see the situation."


    The person from the property nodded, and Zhao Mingkun and I walked forward.


    As I approached the corpse, I could smell one stench after another. Zhao Mingkun took it out of his pocket and handed me a disposable mask and gloves.


    "You have a lot of stuff in your pocket," I said.


    Zhao Mingkun shrugged and joked, "Did I mention I''m in this line of work?"


    The two of us crouched down and finally found the source of the stench. On the crotch of the corpse, you can clearly see a yellow solidified ** mark on the trousers, and at the position of his trousers, there is a piece of dried excrement.


    I pointed to the piece of shit and said, "The fact that shit can fall from the crotch to this position means it is definitely not caused after death. That is to say, this is not caused by incontinence after death due to the rotting gas in the abdomen. He had already excremented and urinated on his pants before he died, but a middle-aged man at a young age would not suffer from the incontinence symptoms that only the elderly have. "


    Zhao Mingkun frowned and blocked her nose with her wrist, which made her voice "buzz" , "A big man, in the absence of illness, you say, what is the situation that makes him incontinent?"


    I looked at the marks on the ground; a slipper near the door, and a slipper on my feet. From this point of view, Liu Ruijie should have walked backwards, causing the first slipper to stay near the entrance.


    And at this moment, Liu Ruijie suddenly became incontinent for some reason. Liu Ruijie was unfortunately slipped by his own urine and faeces during the process, and he fell to the ground.


    "Frightened." I said decisively, "If there is anything else that can make a middle-aged man incontinent, the only thing I can think of is fright. Looking at the clothes Liu Ruijie is wearing, they are ordinary pyjamas. His shoes are slippers. This means that he heard someone knocking on the door when he woke up in the morning or was going to sleep at night. "


    Zhao Mingkun nodded.


    I continued, "When he opened the door, someone walked in, and this person should have been the murderer. When Liu Ruijie saw the murderer, he suddenly felt extremely frightened. He stepped back, and at that moment, he became incontinent, and then fell to the ground. You see him covering his eyes with his hands. Psychologically, this is an escape action. "


    "That is to say." I continued, "Liu Ruijie is very afraid of seeing this person who came in, and he is very afraid of this person who came in."


    Zhao Mingkun stood up, looked at me and said, "You mean, this person was also scared to death? But I have a question to ask you, " Do you think the murderer is human? " "


    Of course it is." I said, almost without thinking, "Of course the murderer is a human being, otherwise, could it be a ghost that killed the murderer?"


    Zhao Mingkun nodded and said, "I''m not a staunch atheist like you, but if someone kills, how did the murderer escape? This is the ninth floor, and the murderer can''t escape through the window after killing someone. This is not a secret room at all, and you can see that the door is locked. "


    Zhao Mingkun pointed to the lock on the door, and I could see that it was indeed locked.


    "If it was done by a human." Zhao Mingkun said word by word, "How did the murderer leave the room after locking the door? If he was a human, how did he do this? Or, Liu Ruijie was the only person in the room all the time. The thing that scared him out of his crotch was not a person, but something else. "


    It was clear that it was broad daylight, but when I heard Zhao Mingkun''s words, I still felt a little chill on my back.

 Chapter 259

    Chapter 259


    "See if the windows in the house are closed" I pointed to the person at the property.


    The man was pale, and I called him three times before he finally walked into the house. After a while, he went through each room.


    The person from the property said, " Officer, the windows are all closed and locked. Besides, this is the ninth floor, and the windows are designed to be small. Unless the murderer is a child of a few years old, how could it be possible to escape through the window? "


    "No, is it really a ghost?" The property owner looked left and right. It seemed that in this room, apart from the three of us living and the one dead, there was something else.


    I was stunned by his behavior. Although you know that there are no ghosts in this world, sometimes people just love themselves enough to frighten themselves.


    I quickly said, "Don''t spook yourself. Even if there are ghosts, how can theye out during the day? Stand aside. "


    The property man nodded.


    I looked at the corpse, then looked at Zhao Mingkun again, and said, "Continue to look at the corpse, I haven''t finished reading the corpse."


    From the torso of the corpse, nothing could be seen anymore, and now I was more concerned with the corpse''s face. The corpse''s hands were covering his face at the moment, and the two big fat hands blocked his face tightly, so that Zhao Mingkun and I could not see the corpse''s face.


    I looked at Zhao Mingkun and said, "Let''s get one hand per person."


    Zhao Mingkun nodded, and I moved one of Liu Ruijie''s hands, and then pulled back. The rigidity of the corpse in my imagination did not appear; on the contrary, the corpse was soft. I just pulled Liu Ruijie''s hand away lightly and put it on the side of my body obediently.


    But when I looked back again, I almost didn''t sit on the ground in fright. No, to be precise, this feeling of mine cannot be called "fear." It should be called ''abination of shock and disgust.'' This is definitely one of the most disgusting corpses I have ever seen.


    When Zhao Mingkun and I pulled the corpse''s hand off his face, we saw something with white flowers rolling in his eyes. And this kind of thing, we generally call it "maggots." It took a while before I could look directly at the body again.


    Although this thing looks disgusting, maggots have many different functions in various fields.


    For example, maggots are rich in protein, which can be eaten and used as medicine.


    In medicine, maggot therapy can be used to remove dead carrion from the human body. One of the characteristics of flies is that theyy their eggs only on broken or rotting skin. One of the characteristics of maggots is that they only eat carrion, not fresh meat. This is because maggots are saprophytic organisms, and there is no way to digest organic matter in the body, and the organic matter in carrion has been dposed, so maggots can only eat carrion.


    During World War I and World War II, soldiers on the battlefield often used this method to remove dead tissue and avoid infection and death.


    Speaking of which, soldiers often use leeches to suck out the congestion in their skin for treatment. It can be seen that everything in the world has its own role.


    For us, maggots can tell us when the dead person died. It is a pity that if I could consult Guan Zengbin, I would have been able to see how long Liu Ruijie had been dead.


    Zhao Mingkun shrank her body back, and it could be seen that she was holding back the nausea in her heart.


    Zhao Mingkun said, "I have been dealing with the corpse for so many years. Although I don''t know the cause of his death, I probably know


    when he died."


    "When?" I asked. "Before Hu Pei, after Hu Pei?"


    Zhao Mingkun frowned, and said quickly, "He died before Hu Pei. In the spring, within thirty minutes to two hours after the body dies, the body will undergo rigor mortis, and within nine to twelve hours, the body will bepletely rigid. At that time, only physical means could destroy corpses. "


    Listening to Zhao Mingkun''s remarks, I was a little dazed, as if the person squatting next to me was not Zhao Mingkun, but Guan Zengbin. And Guan Zengbin also appeared in my mind. I must admit, I miss her very much.


    It seems that people are such cheap animals. When I am with Guan Zengbin, I often think of Zhao Mingkun. And when I was with Zhao Mingkun, I thought of Guan Zengbin again.


    Zhao Mingkun obviously didn''t notice that something was wrong with me, but continued, "After 30 hours, the corpse will soften. After 12 hours of death, parchment-like corpse spots will form."


    I looked, and sure enough, I could see that the skin on his face wasyer byyer, like the pages of a book. It seems that when you open it, you can directly tear off human skin.


    Zhao Mingkun continued, "Look at his neck; there are obvious green spots. In this season, it should only appear 24 hours after a person dies."


    After a pause, Zhao Mingkun continued, "The breeding of maggots will cause the eleration of corruption. To sum up, the time of death is probably more than 24 hours."


    "That is to say!" I snapped my fingers and said, "It''s almost the same time as Hu Pei''s death? Is a personmitting crimes in two ces at the same time? "


    Zhao Mingkun shook his head and whispered to me, "I''m not your little girlfriend, I''m not a professional forensic doctor. The maximum error in this should be three or four hours, and if it is three or four hours, it is enough. The killer went to the next location to kill. But if it''s a ghost, that''s not certain. "


    I nodded and continued to look at the corpse.


    I said, "I don''t know if you noticed, when we pulled the corpse''s hand away from his face, his index and middle fingers were in the eye sockets, and his thumb was propped up on the cheekbones below the eye sockets. Don''t you feel familiar with this technique? "


    Zhao Mingkun looked at the corpse and said, "Hu Xiaoxue, like Hu Xiaoxue, he had his own eyeballs pulled out by himself. However, he just put his hands into his own eyes, but he did not pull out the eyeballs. when he was dead. "


    Resisting the nausea in my heart, I lifted the deceased''s head with my hands, and looked back at the back of the head. I could see a slight dent on the back of his head, but it was not obvious. There is a small amount of bleeding in the subcutaneous tissue, but it is not a fatal injury. It was preliminarily inferred that when Liu Ruijie stepped back, he must have fallen directly to the ground, and the back of his head had close contact with the floor tiles, causing Liu Ruijie to fall into aa.


    While in aa, Liu Ruijie''s hands had been pierced into his eyes, thus causing Liu Ruijie''s death.


    However, what means can the murderer use to make the deceased pull out his own eyeballs? This is so weird. Moreover, what method did the murderer use to escape from a secret room with doors and windows locked?


    Could it be that Lu Zhiqiu''s ghost really came to kill?


    But if the original murder was only done by Liu Ruijie and Hu Pei, why would the ghost still be there?


    Is killing Hu Xiaoxue and driving Jiang Xiaochun crazy? Could it be that Lu Zhiqiu''s ghost has been haunted for seven years and has forgotten who killed her in the first ce? Do ghosts have times when their memory is wrong?


    I''m afraid the killer escaped in a way we can''t think of yet.


    The case will never be won by ghosts.


    Zhao Mingkun rummaged through the clothes of the deceased and found his ID card and mobile phone. The ID card proved that the deceased was indeed Liu Ruijie. The mobile phone does not have a password to open the screen, it is a smart phone, and it belongs to Liu Ruijie himself. It''s just that the murderer took Hu Pei''s mobile phone, but not Liu Ruijie''s. Why?


    I turned around and asked, "Do you know who the head of the household is? Is he renting a house or buying a house?"


    The person from the property shook his head and said, "This, I have to call and ask. You wait for me."


    At this moment, there are only me and Zhao Mingkun in the room.


    We looked at each other. She said first, "It seems that the murderer didn''t take anything from Liu Ruijie this time. Moreover, Liu Ruijie doesn''t seem to be as superstitious as Hu Pei. It''s just that I was still scared by what I saw and pulled up my pants."


    "Back then." Zhao Mingkun said seriously, "Lu Zhiqiu also had her eyes gouged out, but Hu Pei didn''t have his eyes gouged out. Is there any difference?"


    Seeing Zhao Mingkun''s serious look, I suddenly wanted tough, so I asked, "Zhao Mingkun, you look like a policeman now. How about it? It''s fun to pretend to be a policeman to investigate a case, right? "


    Zhao Mingkun smiled and nodded.


    But soon, Zhao Mingkun had a lonely expression again.


    After a moment, Zhao Mingkun said, "But I can only pretend to be a policeman in my life, and it is impossible to be a real policeman."


    " However, it is not bad to be a fake policeman once. At least I understand the taste of it. If my parents had not been criminals and I had not been adopted by Shi Huacheng, I might have had a chance to be a police officer.Like, your little girlfriend? "


    Hearing Zhao Mingkun''s words, I couldn''t help but feel mncholy. My parents may be police officers, but now they have fallen into this field.


    Zhao Mingkun asked me, "Why do you want to be a policeman?"


    A lot of people have asked me this question. Guan Zengbin asked me, Team Leader Shao asked me, Sister Mary asked me, Gu Chen also asked me, and I also asked myself this question. But after asking so many times, I still can''t answer.


    Why do I want to be a police officer?


    Both of us were silent.


    Zhao Mingkun said, "This may be the only time we have cooperated to investigate a case. I always feel that something big will happen soon."


    "Wu Meng." Zhao Mingkun suddenly hugged me.


    Her gloves had touched the corpse, so when Zhao Mingkun hugged me, he put his hands out to prevent the gloves from touching my back.


    "Thank you." Zhao Mingkun said lightly, "This may be one of the few happy days in my 30 years of life."


    I never thought in my life that I would be hugged tightly in such a situation. Next to a rotting corpse of maggots, in a room that stinks. Being held like this by a female fugitive in an extremely awkward and ufortable way.


    For a moment, I even thought,'' this life will be like this. Time stopped. Just hold it like that.''

 Chapter 260: Alumni Association

    Chapter 260: Alumni Association


    Trantor - AKB


    Editor -


    Half an hourter, the property owner came back and told us that this house was bought by Liu Ruijie, Seven years ago, the transaction price of this 70-square-meter house was about 500,000 yuan. But since then, the price of this house has at least doubled.


    But if this house was bought by Liu Ruijie with all the money, then where did a gambler with countless foreign debts get such arge sum of money? If Liu Ruijie used 500,000 yuan to buy real estate, how did he repay the gambling debts he owed?


    "Did anyonee to Liu Ruijie''s house to cause trouble in the past seven years?" I asked again.


    The property staff thought for a moment and said to me, "No, if someone made trouble, then we would have known. But this resident has lived here for so long, and we have only seen him a few times. So things like that never happened, and the security of ourmunity, is actually quite good. "


    "There''s no surveince in the corridors." I said, "What a bum. Would people have died if the security had been good enough? "


    The property staff said, embarrassedly, "These buildings were built decades ago. How can there be surveince in such an old building? "


    But this is the problem. If Liu Ruijie owes a lot of foreign debts, it is impossible to live here for seven years without incident. It''s not like the people in the casino were so kind that they never came to ask for debts for seven years. If so, then this society would really be very harmonious.


    It is absolutely impossible for casinos or loan sharks to let Liu Ruijie livefortably in this big house. This shows that Liu Ruijie must have cleared all foreign debts before buying a house. The foreign debt plus the full amount of the house is almost one million.


    If this is the case, did Liu Ruijie get the one million yuan on the policy by himself?


    Hu Pei may have hooked up with Jiang Xiaochun at that time, but Lu Zhiqiu did not agree to break up with Hu Pei. Hu Pei was a little irritable at the time, and at that time, Liu Ruijie found Hu Pei and said that he could make Lu Zhiqiu disappear, and the reward was one million in the insurance policy.


    In order to get rid of Lu Zhiqiu as soon as possible, Hu Pei agreed to Liu Ruijie''s proposal. At first, Hu Pei might not have realised the seriousness of the matter. When Lu Zhiqiu died, Hu Pei panicked. In order to hide his fear, he quickly married Jiang Xiaochun and had children.


    But no matter how many years pass, Hu Pei will never forget this incident. Hu Pei always thought that Lu Zhiqiu''s death had something to do with him, so when the murderer came back to take revenge, he thought it was Lu Zhiqiu who was back to take revenge. The murderer used some small tricks to frighten Hu Pei to death.


    If that''s the case, it doesn''t make sense. I shook my head and stopped thinking about it. In the absence of any evidence, it seems that, no matter from which angle, it would not make sense to specte on Lu Zhiqiu''s case from seven years ago.


    But now we have only found a few suspects. In fact, whether it''s the workers who participated in the internship or that construction site, they were actually suspected ofmitting crimes. In the end, there is no way to know what happened back then; we have to find out more about the situation.


    For the next few days, we can only wait for the news that Grandma will be holding a ss reunion. In fact, there should be some other news from Jiang Xiaochun. But as Zhao Mingkun and I, if we go back again, we might end up in the pocket designed by Xiao Liu.


    Zhao Mingkun told me before,


    ''Never think of yourself as the smartest.''


    Thinking about Xiao Liu, I really think Zhao Mingkun''s words are a prophecy.


    Every day, Zhao Mingkun would travel to different locations to call their grandmother to inquire about the reunion of Hu Pei and other graduating ss ssmates. And today, Zhao Mingkun finally got the exact date of the ss reunion: two dayster. Since it was organised by the mentor of the year, there are a few people who are sure to go.


    There are three professional sses of about 120 people, and it is estimated that half of them can participate.


    The grandmother told Zhao Mingkun over the phone that five people who were interning at the construction site could not participate. These people left Dongxing City after graduation. Seven yearster, they don''t know where they are, and their mobile phone numbers and home numbers are not correct. There is basically no way to get in touch.


    But this is also a normal thing. After all, time has passed too long. However, in addition to Hu Pei and Jiang Xiaochun, as well as five other people, there were thirteen people who were interns at the construction site that year. And these thirteen people all said that they would be able to be present that day, and among the thirteen people, seven were girls and four were boys.


    The grandmother told Zhao Mingkun that seven yearster, many of these thirteen people are married, and not a few have children. Only three people are still single, and one of them is Wang Yikai, who was crazy about Lu Zhiqiu. It''s just that it is still unclear what the reason for Wang Yikai''s singleness is.


    However, everything will be clear when the ss reunion takes ce.


    Two days passed in the blink of an eye, and in the blink of an eye, it was time for the civil engineering students to get together. The venue for the party was the Royal Garden Hotel, one of the best hotels in Dongxing City. This is a five-star hotel. With so many people, one night''s consumption is probably in the hundreds of thousands.


    It was the first time I came to such a hotel, and I couldn''t help feeling a little nervous and a little excited.


    When we saw the grandmother outside the hotel, she told us that seven years had passed, and many of these students had wealth in the tens of millions, or even hundreds of millions. Today, a few ssmates took the top floor of the Royal Garden Hotel. The top floor has a swimming pool, an indoor gym, a basketball court, and a ce to sing, dance, eat, and go to bed.


    I may not be able to attend such a reception once in my life. After being led in by grandmother, I ate until I was stuffed. Even though I was ten years younger than these people, they didn''t express any opinion on me, and they probably thought that someone had brought their younger brother.


    Not half of the meal was eaten. In the open-air venue on the top floor, the old grandmother stood on the central tform. On the left stood a few men who looked like suits and leather shoes, and on the right stood a few dignified and beautiful women. It seems that these people should be the ss cadre in that year.


    Zhao Mingkun patted my shoulder and pulled out the little leg that I was about to put in my mouth.


    "The thirteen people at the time were among these fifty people." Zhao Mingkun handed me a napkin and said, "You have eaten enough, and you will blow your stomach if you eat any more. Well, those thirteen people. "


    The grandmother and several ss cadres on the stage seemed to be still reminiscing about the long years of the past, and the ssmates under the stage also listened very carefully. Some of them have be rich, while others can barely make a living. There


    are several suites in Dongxing City. Some of them can''t even afford a house, some have a car, and some walk.


    But no matter what their identities are, at this moment, they are all the students of the grandmother and the other''s college ssmates.


    Zhao Mingkun took me up to the second floor of the top floor. This is a protruding tform for people to drink coffee and watch the night view. At that moment, Zhao Mingkun and I were watching the crowd. From above, we were in a position to see the profiles of these people.


    Zhao Mingkun showed me the thirteen people one by one, and I remembered the positions of the thirteen people.


    After remembering the locations of these people, Zhao Mingkun actually found a professional camera in a room on the second floor, just like a camera used for filming.


    I frowned and asked suspiciously, "What''s going on? Why do you have all this stuff? "


    Zhao Mingkun smiled and said, "When I was on the phone before, I thought of a good method. When that timees, you should pay attention to it. "


    Seeing Zhao Mingkun''s mysterious appearance, I don''t know what Zhao Mingkun discussed with the grandmother.


    Zhao Mingkun adjusted the position of the camera to ensure that everyone could be included in the camera frame. Zhao Mingkun didn''t know what button to press, and the camera shot sometimes became longer and shorter. After a while, Zhao Mingkun said, "No problem, we can see it clearly."


    At this moment, listening to the words of the old grandmother, I really feel that I am back in ss; I can fall asleep while sitting. Just when I was groggy, Zhao Mingkun pped me on the head and said, "Look carefully at these people."


    Then, the grandmother''s voice suddenly became clear, and the sound of chanting a scripture disappeared.


    The old grandmother said sternly, "Dongxing University is one of the best schools in the country, and the students who go out from Dongxing University are not the mainstay of various industries. Some of you have be rich, and some of you have entered officialdom. With the skin of Dongxing University, it''s not that they can''t even get enough food and clothing."


    The crowd listened quietly.


    The grandmother continued, "People say that if youe out of Dongxing University, you won''t have to worry about finding a job or earning money in your life. I know that many of you came in with this mentality back then. But in the four years of going in and out, you can always see the eight characters outside the school gate: the highest kindness is like water, and the great virtues carry things. "


    "No matter what the time." The grandmother said, "Quality is always more important than ability. Some of today''s students know, some don''t, that seven years ago, a girl in our major was brutally murdered. It''s been seven years since it made headlines, and almost everyone has forgotten about it.I''m afraid that the murderer who is still atrge has also forgotten. Seven years ago,


    after a pause, the grandmother finally said the person''s name: "How on earth did Lu Zhiqiu die!"


    Lu Zhiqiu''s name was spoken, and with a gust of cold wind, everyone shuddered. Zhao Mingkun was slowly panning the camera, recording everyone in the lens, out of the corner of my eye.


    After a while, I heard the grandmother continue, "In a while, I will ask some ssmates who may have known about it to stay. Of course, this is not to suspect that you are the murderer. It''s just that seven years have passed, and some things should be settled. We can''t let ssmate Lu Zhiqiu die like this, it''s not clear. "


    <hr>


    T/N : Hello everyone,


    Today we areunching a challenge for you guys


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 Chapter 261.1

    Chapter 261.1


    "Wang Yikai, Sun Shouwang..." The old grandmother slowly said the names of one person after another, as if she were calling names in a college ss. When the grandmother said the person''s name, Zhao Mingkun, she quickly fixed the camera on the person''s face.


    And now I understand why Zhao Mingkun asked me to remember the positions of those thirteen people. The human eye is capable of seeing more colours and details than cameras. But from farther away, the camera can see significantly better than my eyes.


    Before, we only asked to find those ssmates who had interned at the construction site together, but I heard that the grandmother deliberately pointed to some people who were not at the original construction site. I smiled. It seems that Zhao Mingkun and this old grandma yed a good hand.


    Doing this would break the unique rtionship between these thirteen people, making it impossible to guess what kind ofw the grandmother used to point people. And if they only read the names of those thirteen people, the more they go on, the easier it is for them to guess who the grandma will pronounce and who will not.


    And if someone else guesses the pattern, then the person can act out the reaction that he wants others to see in advance when Grandma pronounces his name. What we want is a reaction to the moment when a person does not know if they will pronounce their own name. This momentary reaction is the most real reaction in the human heart.


    When an innocent person hears that he has to stay, his instant reaction must be shock or doubt, and when people are shocked by something, the uniform expression is wide-eyed, The mouth is slightly open, apanied by the action of spreading out his hands or pointing at himself. The movements of the gestures mayst longer, but the momentary shocked expression will neverst too long.


    And when a person thinks that he should be called, he will not be surprised. But in order to disguise themselves, some people will also pretend to be innocent. But this way, in front of people who have studied psychology, it is as obvious as a child whose lips are covered with chocte but who says that he has never eaten chocte.


    Among these thirteen people, there are not a few who have made such a performance.


    Others, obviously, know what their name will be called. When they heard their name, some people didn''t respond, while others nodded slightly. This kind of reaction is the expression after being sure that something will happen, and it does happen.


    Among the thirteen people, some have such expressions.


    And there is another kind of person who, when they hear their name, will lean back subconsciously, or wrap their hands around their shoulders, or cover their mouths with their hands. From a psychological point of view, this is subconscious avoidance psychology. It means that, after hearing their names, these people are afraid that this matter will have something to do with them.


    So who is the most suspicious person?


    Some people may think it is the third type, but in fact, the most suspicious person is the second type. It is a human instinct to subconsciously avoid something that sounds troublesome. This is something that has been left in the genes since the formation of human beings. So we can understand that when they heard about a ssmate who died seven years ago, these people instinctively avoided him.


    But the second kind of person, when he knew he would call his name, pretended he didn''t know anything. There must be some hidden secret behind this.


    At this point, the grandmother has already called the names of more than 20 people. And thirteen of those twenty people had worked.


    There are students who are doing internships here. The rest of the people didn''t understand what happened, and some chose to leave early to avoid getting involved with this matter, while others felt that it didn''t matter and continued to eat and drink.


    The twenty people followed the old grandmother to arge room.


    Zhao Mingkun looked at me, took another shot of the camera on the second floor, and said, "The expressions of those thirteen people in a moment were all recorded by this camera."


    For the next hour, I was responsible for watching the recorded records up close and keeping everyone''s expressions in my heart. At this time, I said to Zhao Mingkun, who was next to me, "Let''s go. Everyone there had been waiting for an hour. I think they are already waiting. "


    Zhao Mingkun nodded, looked at the window in the big house from the second floor, and said, "Yes, but who do you think is suspicious?"


    I gently closed the camera and said, "Judging from the expressions I captured at that moment and the expressions left in the camera, many people have doubts. However, psychology is only a way of analysing, but we can''t take this as the most important basis. You know, people''s hearts are veryplicated. If you can really see everything from people''s expressions, there will be no police profession in this world. "


    With the effort of a cigarette, Zhao Mingkun and I arrived at the door of this room.


    I turned my head and said to Zhao Mingkun: "For a while, remember to look at their expressions. If these people did have the murderer at the time, and after hearing the news that Lv Zhiqiu hade back for revenge and learning that someone had died because of this, I thought, "The murderer back then must have behaved abnormally, and you should also observe carefully at that time to see who has the strongest reaction. Don''t do anything wrong. Don''t be afraid of ghosts knocking on your door. Sometimes the words of the ancestors are really true.


    Zhao Mingkun winked at me, then pushed the door open.<hr>T/N : Hello everyone,


    Today we areunching a challenge for you guys


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 Chapter 262: Messy accusations

    Chapter 262: Messy usations


    Hearing my words, I suddenly saw a man sitting in the far corner, shaking. He tried his best to pretend to be calm, but he couldn''t control the physiological reaction caused by the fear in his heart. He tried his best to squeeze a smile on his face, like a child who was trying not to cry, but everyone could see that he was about to cry.


    Zhao Mingkun obviously saw this person and stared at him at the same time.


    This person is called Luo Ding, and he is a very inconspicuous person. He is in his thirties, with a slightly fatty body and oily hair that seems to have not been washed for a long time. On such asions, jeans and a T-shirt are worn, along with a pair of ck-rimmed sses. Seeing me staring at him, he kept holding his sses in his hands. These actions all show that he is afraid of something.


    Although the rest of the people frowned and didn''t say a word, they were not as anxious and uneasy as Luo Ding. And what I just asked was if anyone had experienced anything weird recently, even the kind that could kill them at any moment.


    Then, something must have happened to this Luo Ding.


    Could it be that the murderer will kill him next?


    Judging from the clues and information that Zhao Mingkun and I have obtained before, the murderer who came back to avenge Lv Zhiqiu may not know who killed Lv Zhiqiu seven years ago. All the trainees were killed, and all those who might have colluded with the trainees were killed.


    I slowly tapped my big legs with my fingers, and in my slow and rhythmic rhythm, I knew that the hearts of these people must have be a mess at this moment.


    After thinking for a while, I asked directly, "Luo Ding, what are you afraid of? Did you encounter something strange? "


    Luo Ding looked at me and said, after a moment, "Yes, Officer Wu, I always feel that my house is a little weirdtely. I used to sleep until noon, but recently, every day I would wake up in the middle of the night. And every time I woke up, I felt like I was in the dark, like something was looking at me.


    I didn''t even dare turn on the light. I could feel that there was a pair of eyes staring at me right next to the bed. " Luo Ding was still trembling: "But it''s too dark, I can''t see anything beside the bed. I dare not turn on the light. I am afraid that as soon as I turn on the light, I will see something standing beside the bed. I am afraid that when I see it clearly, I will die. "


    When Luo Ding took a deep breath, his body trembled violently, and his hands kept rubbing against each other, like a person who was frozen to death in an ice cer: "When I woke up several times, it felt very cold in the room. It''s kind of gloomy. Once, I even saw a figure walking out of my toilet. I''m definitely not lying. Really. "


    I also saw the Taoist priest many times, and the Taoist priest said that I have too little yang, and I am easily haunted by ghosts. " Luo Ding''s voice trembled, "The Taoist priest also said that this ghost is a serious ghost and must have died tragically. She''s the one. When she tragically died, I was nearby. So, the ghosts followed me. The Taoist priest said that I must have no friends, because the ghosts were haunted, so others avoided me. "


    "You guys, can''t you feel the cold in this room?" Luo Ding almost curled himself into a ball: "Yes, but I didn''t kill anyone at all. Seven years ago, I didn''t kill Lu Zhiqiu, seven years ago. Why? Why doesn''t Lu Zhiqiu follow others? He must follow me.


    Woolen cloth? "


    Luo Ding''s fear was not fake; he was indeed so frightened that there was nothing to add.


    Listening to his words and watching his actions, I couldn''t help but feel that the surrounding air seemed cold. What was the ghost at home that Luo Ding saw?


    "Ghost, there really is a ghost!" Luo Ding suddenly shouted.


    Luo Ding made a few people feel a little faint. This alumni meeting was only held at nine o''clock. It took two hours to eat and drink, and another hour to sit in the room. At this moment, it is already twelve o''clock in the evening. Looking out from the hotel, the lights are indeed on outside, but is there something lurking in the dark ce that we can''t see?


    Luo Ding seemed to be smitten with evil and frantically shouted that the ghost wasing.


    I now know why Luo Ding is dressed in jeans and a T-shirt this time. A person who is about to be tortured by so-called "ghosts" who are going crazy cannot care what clothes they should wear for a ss reunion. I''m afraid Luo Ding just wanted to find a reason to escape from his home.


    Luo Ding didn''t want to stay in that house where there were ghosts.


    "Lu Zhiqiu, Lu Zhiqiu''s ghost, has been following us all the time." Luo Ding said with tears on his face, "Really, we all saw Lu Zhiqiu''s body back then. Her eyeballs were gouged out, so she didn''t know who it was that killed her. She waited too long; she couldn''t wait any longer, and anyone who saw her body would die. "


    "One by one, they will be brutally killed."


    I frowned and looked at Luo Ding. The surroundings were silent, and there was only Luo Ding''s voice in the room.


    "Enough!" Suddenly, a girl said, "Don''t talk nonsense there! There are no ghosts in this world. You don''t have to pretend to be a ghost to scare others. I remember, you wretched and perverted otaku, sneaked into our girls'' dormitory and stole underwear and pants, and it was Lu Zhiqiu who discovered you at the beginning! "


    This girl''s name is Xing Yafang. She looks thin and weak, and she is polite. Unexpectedly, she was the one who refuted Luo Ding first.


    Xing Yafang pointed at Luo Ding and shouted, "That''s the end of the internship." Back then, Lv Zhiqiu said that you had been begging her on your knees for a long time, so she hesitated to tell her about it. That day, you must have asked Lu Zhiqiu about it. Go out. Lu Zhiqiu still decided to tell the truth, so you killed Lu Zhiqiu in pain, didn''t you? "


    "Lu Zhiqiu only told me about this matter." Xing Yafang pointed at Luo Ding''s nose and said, "But the next day, Lu Zhiqiu died." You didn''t do this. Who else could have done it? "


    While speaking, Xing Yafang''s tears flowed out.


    Luo Ding seemed to be stepping on his tail, and retorted: "Xing Yafang, you should not talk nonsense. Do you have any evidence that I killed Lu Zhiqiu? You killed Lu Zhiqiu, if you want me to say so. There is a position after the internship. With a monthly sry of 20,000 yuan, you and Lu Zhiqiu are the strongestpetitors. But you know, you are not as beautiful as Lu Zhiqiu, and your personality is not as good as Lu Zhiqiu. "


    Luo Ding panted heavily, as if he had run 800 meters: "So, why can''t you kill Lu Zhiqiu? If you kill Lu Zhiqiu, no one will be able topete with you, right? You hate Lu Zhiqiu everywhere. She''s better than you, so you''re going to kill her! "


    Xing Yafang waved his hand. Seeing that our eyes were all fixed on her, Xing Yafang said, "Yes,


    after Lu Zhiqiu''s death, Ipeted for the job, but does this prove that I am a murderer? If you have to say that, why can''t it be Yang Licheng and Zhou Moli who killed it? "


    Xing Yafang added, "Because of the tutor''s preference, Lu Zhiqiu received a bursary for two people, and there is also a schrship, which can be about 3,000 yuan a month, but Yang Licheng and Zhou Moli are also poor children. Why don''t they have a penny? They inevitably harbour resentment, so they kill people! "


    "Fart!" When Yang Licheng stood up, he was a full 1.8 metres tall, with an inch on his head, dark skin, and a lot of calluses on his hands.


    Yang Licheng said, "How could Zhou Moli and I kill people for one thousand yuan a month?" I think it might be Wang Yikai who did it. Back then, Wang Yikai pursued Lu Zhiqiu frantically, but Lu Zhiqiu didn''t agree. That day, in their dormitory, Zhang Yifa, Cheng Lu, Sun Shouwang, and Wang Yikai were drinking in the dormitory, but I heard a few of them say they wanted to force Lu Zhiqiu. "


    After a pause, Yang Licheng continued, "Do you dare admit that you have said such a thing? Wang Yikai also said that what he can''t get, even if it is destroyed, he can''t let others get it. Several of you have also liked Lu Zhiqiu. I also nodded and said yes. I see, none of the people in your dormitory can catch up with Lu Zhiqiu, so you are going to kill Lu Zhiqiu. "


    "How can the words at the wine table be taken seriously?" Zhang Yifa immediately retorted: "If you say that, Liang Mei, Zhang Xue, Zhao Pingjuan, and the others did not have a dispute with Lu Zhiqiu because of joining the party, saying that if there is a chance, they must Is Lu Zhiqiu smashed into pieces? Why don''t you say that they are the murderers? In the middle of the night, it''s better for girls to ask girls out, right? "


    Not to be outdone, Liang Mei said, "Okay, since you all said so, then Wang Xin and Wang Xiduo are also suspected, and they are more suspected than us." At the beginning, Lu Zhiqiu mistrusted others and dragged many people to be deceived. several tens of thousands of dors. Aren''t Wang Xin and Wang Xiduo two of them? Neither Wang Xin nor Wang Xiduo''s family is rich, and tens of thousands of dors is a lot for them! "


    "That''s right!" Zhang Xue also joined in: "Lu Zhiqiuter said that he wanted to pay back the money, but in the end, he didn''t know if he had paid it back. Wang Xin and Wang Xiduo hated Lu Zhiqiu and even wanted to kill Lu Zhiqiu to vent their anger. "It is impossible to aplish the impossible."


    Thirteen people, thirteen mouths, all of a sudden shouted. I never expected such a thing to happen. I originally wanted to exclude people who are not suspected ofmitting crimes after entering the house and focus on those who have the motive and the time of the crime. But now, in the mouths of different people, all of them have suspicions and motives to kill Lu Zhiqiu.


    And, from the point of view of these motives, it all makes sense.


    More importantly, I can see worry and fear in the expressions of these people. If they are really innocent and have never done any harm to Lu Zhiqiu, why are they so afraid? I can''t even tell at the moment who among these thirteen people is innocent. Who, after all, has no motive at all?


    Thirteen people may have thirteen different mentalities. It can be said that it is nothing more than a means of profit, nothing more.


    If thirteen people are motivated, who should we start with?


    Xing Yafang patted the table and shouted, "Enough, I''m leaving! Here, I can''t stay here! "


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 Chapter 263: The Dead Xing Yafang

    Chapter 263: The Dead Xing Yafang


    Xing Yafang mmed the table heavily and shouted loudly. And when we came back to our senses, Xing Yafang had already walked out. The sound of a heavy door mming shut came out, and Xing Yafang had disappeared from the door. The rest of the room finally quieted down. They looked at me, I looked at them, but we were no longer arguing.


    Wang Yikai looked at everyone, then looked at me, and said, "Officer, Lu Zhiqiu was brutally killed on the construction site seven years ago. You can''t just use us of being the murderers because we were present, especially since you all have our contact information, right?"


    The grandmother did give us the contact information and address of these people.


    I nodded.


    When Wang Yikai heard the words, he raised his voice and said to everyone, "I was the monitor of the first ss, and you all know it. You all work and live in Dongxing City. You can contact us at any time if you have any questions. But here, I don''t want to stay any longer. "


    "I''m leaving first." Wang Yikai looked at me and said, "A lot of things have passed away, so why bring them up?" We all have a normal life, so let''s end this matter as soon as possible! "


    Having said that, Wang Yikai also walked out the door.


    The rest of the people also spoke the same words. After briefly exining it to us one by one, they left silently. Only Luo Ding was still curled up in a corner of the room, refusing to leave. It could be seen that no one else wanted to stay here any longer, but Luo Ding was unwilling to leave. Luo Ding was so afraid of going home that something strange might really happen at home.


    But a good alumni reunion turned out to be like this. Before the start, everyone held the mentality of recalling their youth, but when they left, they had to form a shadow over a murder case seven years ago. If I knew that things would turn out like this, I think these thirteen people would not have participated in this ss reunion, even if they were killed.


    Zhao Mingkun and I looked at each other. Zhao Mingkun looked at Luo Ding, who was curled up in the corner, and asked, "What about him?"


    I was silent for a moment, and whispered to Zhao Mingkun, "Where do you say we two will stay tonight?" I think Luo Ding''s house is a good ce to live. Luo Ding, you must be able to tell us something useful. What do you think? sample? "


    Zhao Mingkun nodded.


    I walked to Luo Ding''s side and slowly said to Luo Ding, "Luo Ding, since you said that your house has unclean things, how about we go to your house tonight to see?"


    "Yes, there are ghosts. No, it''s not my home. " Luo Ding said, in shock, "Ghosts are everywhere. No matter where we go, Lu Zhiqiu''s ghost follows us. Anyone who has seen Lu Zhiqiu''s body will be cruelly tortured. Not only me, but also my ssmates, and even you, have been haunted by ghosts. We will all die. "


    As he said that, Luo Ding trembled violently.


    I frowned. From Luo Ding''s words, we can actually analyse some problems. For example, seven years have passed. When Luo Ding encountered a supernatural event, how could he be sure that it was Lu Zhiqiu''s ghost and not some other lonely ghost?


    In seven years, if it had been someone else, I am afraid that even Lu Zhiqiu would have forgotten who he was, but Luo Ding never forgot. There must be something Luo Ding didn''t say.


    Thinking of this, I asked, "Luo Ding, did you see it seven years ago?


    What? Why are you so sure that the ghost is Lu Zhiqiu? Why do you think that Lu Zhiqiu will kill everyone who has seen her body? "


    Luo Ding hugged his knees and buried his head in his crotch. He squinted at me and Zhao Mingkun and said, "I just know, I just know."


    Did you ask Lu Zhiqiu out seven years ago? "Did you kill someone; otherwise, why are you so afraid of Lu Zhiqiu?" I inquired.If it wasn''t for you, why would Lu Zhiqiue back and kill you? "


    "Because..."


    Luo Ding just shouted out two words, but was suppressed by the louder shout. The sound came from outside the door; the screams of men and women. The three of us looked in the direction of the door at the same time, and at that moment, the door was suddenly pushed open, and several women rushed in while screaming.


    Looking at the expressions on these people''s faces, they are all in shock, and they don''t know what happened outside.


    "What''s wrong?"


    I quickly grabbed a woman and asked.


    Zhang Xue was still quite flustered at the moment. After I asked several times, Zhang Xue said, "Outside, in the elevator, there are dead people in the elevator. Xing Yafang, Xing Yafang is dead, Xing Yafang is dead in the elevator! "


    Zhao Mingkun and I looked at each other and hurriedly ran outside. On one side of the corridor, several people were surrounding the door of an elevator, looking at the inside of the elevator.


    "What the hell happened to her?"


    Call a doctor, call a doctor!


    For a while, everything was said. Zhao Mingkun and I pushed everyone away, and only then did we see what happened. I saw a woman lying on the ground at the door of the elevator. Her upper body is outside the elevator, and her lower body is inside the elevator. Because the body was blocking the elevator door, the elevator door kept closing, but there was no way to close it.


    And near the woman''s head, a pool of blood flowed out.


    Judging from the clothes this woman was wearing, this person was none other than Xing Yafang.


    Zhao Mingkun put on gloves at that moment and turned Xing Yafang over. And when Xing Yafang was turned over, there were exmations all around. Because we saw that there was no eyeball in Xing Yafang''s eye socket. Zhao Mingkun quickly put his hand on her neck to see if she could be saved.


    "Send it to the hospital, hurry up!" Wang Yikai responded first and shouted.


    Zhao Mingkun waved his hand and then said, "No need, people are helpless."


    The surrounding clutter gradually subsided, and everyone watched Zhao Mingkun kneeling on the ground, holding a corpse without eyes in both hands. No one would have thought that such a thing would happen within a few minutes of Xing Yafang''s departure. And I never imagined that the murderer would be so tant in killing in the presence of us all.


    Xing Yafang was the first to go out, and the others left one after another after Xing Yafang went out. And if the murderer is one of the remaining twelve people, it should be impossible.


    I stood up and walked into the elevator.


    I can''t see anythinging from this wall of my machine. But when I turned around, I found bloody handprints on the inside of the elevator door. At this moment, with the elevator door that keeps closing and closing, it sometimes appears and sometimes hides. And looking at the button on the side of the elevator, it is also full of blood marks.


    I closed my eyes, and after a little thought, I was able to imagine a picture.


    At that time, there may have been Xing Yafang and the murderer in the elevator. When Xing Yafang entered the elevator, she did not have any doubts about this person. And this person has always been standing behind Xing Yafang, waiting for the opportunity to make a move. The moment the elevator door closed, Xing Yafang''s fate was also doomed.


    The elevator ran for a while, and the murderer controlled Xing Yafang from behind, and stabbed a dagger into Xing Yafang''s two eye sockets, respectively. Xing Yafang was unprepared, and the murderer started quickly. Almost instantly, Xing Yafang''s two eyes were gouged out by the murderer. Xing Yafang covered her bloody eyes with her hands, and the blood stained her hands red.


    She couldn''t see anything. She was very scared. She frantically pressed the elevator button in a panic, hoping to open the elevator door, while the other hand kept patting on the elevator door. At that moment, her bloody handprints were left on the elevator door and on the buttons.


    The murderer grabbed Xing Yafang from behind. At the moment the elevator opened, the murderer walked out, but Xing Yafang was still trapped in the elevator.


    Then, the elevator ran to the top floor again, and at that moment, Xing Yafang had lost consciousness. The moment the elevator door opened, Xing Yafang fell forward and fell to the ground. Therefore, half of Xing Yafang''s body is inside the elevator, and half of her body is outside the elevator. This is also the reason why the corpse is lying on the ground.


    When I opened my eyes, this scene almost came to my mind the moment I entered the elevator, but if you think about it carefully, you will find that this is not a very feasible way to go about it. The Royal Garden Hotel has a lot of customers every day. Although the top floor is covered by us, the floor below may not be empty.


    If the murderer happened to meet someone who was going to take the elevator when he was leaving, then the murderer would be caught on the spot. If so, the murderer''s courage is too great. And if that''s the case, there''s a big loophole. The murderer didn''t know who woulde out first, nor did he know that Xing Yafang woulde out alone.


    And if it was a man who came out first, he might have the ability to resist.


    Besides, the most important thing is that there is surveince in the elevator, so the murderer should not choose to do this. However, if the murderer did not kill the animal in this way, then how did the murderer kill it?


    At this moment, everyone has moved the body out of the elevator.


    I stood at the door of the elevator and prevented the elevator from working properly. At this time, Zhao Mingkun raised the hand of the female corpse. Through the fingers, I could see that the female corpse''s hand was tightly clenched, and through the fingers, I could see the t object in the female corpse''s hand. Zhao Mingkun finally used some strength to break the female corpse''s hand apart.


    We looked, and a pinched eyeball appeared on the hand. No, it shouldn''t be called an eyeball at all. The eyeball is already t, and the pupil lens and other objects have be **** stuck to her hand. And this shows that this eyeball was crushed alive by Xing Yafang.


    A person who wants his eyeballs to return to their eye sockets will never crush their eyeballs. Just like Hu Xiaoxue''s seven or eight-year-old child, he knows how to protect his eyeballs.


    While I was thinking, the door of another elevator suddenly opened.


    A few security guards came out, and the leader said, "We''ve arrived at the ce. The elevator stopped first. It seems that something happened."


    <strong>Goal - have 1/5ments on LCD


    </strong>


    <strong>Reward - 1 bonus chapter in the week the goal is reached</strong>


    Hope everyone participate in this challenge ??


    Here is the link for LCD


    ??


    <a ss="chakra-link css-f4h6uy" /threads/case-files-013.145091/" index="2" siblingcount="3" node="[object /threads/case-files-013.145091/</a>

 Chapter 264: Ghost Killing

    Chapter 264: Ghost Killing


    "What the hell is going on?" The security guard asked


    I stepped out of the elevator and preemptively said, "I''m a policeman, and I came here to handle a case, but suddenly a murder happened."


    Saying that, I took out my police officer ID, and the security guard looked at it and seemed a little puzzled. I didn''t give him a chance to ask, and I said quickly, "In this way, the elevator on the right will be shut down first. At the same time, a cordon will be drawn around the area so that the rest of the people will note to the top floor. Finally, put the elevator on the right. Remember to save this segment of the surveince video. "


    When the security captain was still in a daze, I had already taken back my police officer ID and patted him on the shoulder and said, "I want to see the security footage, from the time she exits that door to the time she finally dies, understand? You leave a few people behind and take me to the monitoring roomter. "


    Seeing my serious words, the security captain hurriedly said, "I know, but what the hell is going on with this person?"


    I pointed to Zhao Mingkun and said, "She is a professional forensic doctor. After the autopsy ispleted, she will contact the city bureau to transport the body back. Don''t worry about that. "


    The security guard nodded, said something on the walkie-talkie, and controlled the elevator on the left to run while the elevator on the right stopped.


    Zhao Mingkun has also opened the other hand of the female corpse, and inside was another eyeball. This eyeball is also t and looks badly damaged, with a small part of the eyeball missing. In the same way, the tissue fluid in her eyes also stained her hands. It was as if there were two eyes in her hand.


    The corpse is slowly turning cold, which means that she has not been dead for a long time. This can also be seen from the brief operation of the elevator. Moreover, it is estimated that Xing Yafang walked for only ten minutes at most.


    But how did the murderer gouge out Xing Yafang''s eyes in just ten minutes? From the analysis of the scene, it seems that the deceased dug out her own eyes. I really don''t understand how the murderer did this.


    Is it really a ghost murder?


    Zhao Mingkun pointed to the bag outside the elevator and said, "This bag belongs to Xing Yafang, right?"


    Cheng Lu nodded and said, "Yes, this is Xing Yafang''s bag."


    Zhao Mingkun walked towards the handbag. Some of the things in the bag have already fallen out at the moment; eyebrow pencils, lipsticks, etc. have all fallen to the ground. Zhao Mingkun, wearing gloves, slowly took these things in his hands and looked at them.


    After a while, Zhao Mingkun looked at the contents of the bag again, shook his head, and said, "There is nothing, just jewellery boxes, contact lens cases, and cosmetics, nothing of value."


    Zhao Mingkun waved his hand and said, "It seems that there are no more clues."


    I nodded and looked at the corpse on the ground again. Like the previous corpse, there are also no other scars, only the eyeballs that were cut out alive by him.


    Suddenly, a voice came out, "Haha, she''s dead, she''s dead! We''ll die. We''ll all die. Seeing no, the ghost pulled out her eyeballs. How did Lu Zhiqiu die in the first ce? Yes, you all know. Lu Zhiqiu''s eyes were gouged out, so her ghost couldn''t find who killed her! So, everyone in the beginning will die! We will all have our eyes gouged out and die! "


    With that said, Luo Ding didn''t seem to want to stay here for a moment. He pushed open the door of the safe passage and ran down the stairs. Some women were also afraid of


    Luo Ding''s disappearance. The woman who was arguing with everyone not long ago became a woman without eyes in the next moment.


    The corpse said this change came too quickly. They also didn''t want to stay here, and begged several men to send them home.


    Although I still have many questions to ask these people, there is no way I can keep all of them here. It seems that I can only ask one question at a time in the future. After a while, all of these people were gone. At the scene, only me, Zhao Mingkun, a few security guards, and a corpse on the ground were left.


    But none of these security guards dared toe up and touch the corpse. But this is also human nature. Although the corridors are brightly lit, at this point in time, touching a corpse of such a bizarre death would be a frightening experience for anyone. However, the number of corpses that Zhao Mingkun and I have seen is not 100 or 80, so this job naturally falls on the two of us.


    By radio, Zhao Mingkun and I took the elevator that the deceased had taken before, while the security guards took another elevator.


    The elevator door was closed, and I could still see the bloody handprints on the door.


    Standing in the elevator, I simted the murderer from time to time, how to kill and leave quickly.


    But when I watched this video in the surveince room, I was also inexplicably frightened. The pictures left on the monitor reminded me of a famous case---the Lan Keer incident.


    Everyone who watched the video opened their mouths wide, unable to say a word.


    Fear swept through everyone present.


    "This, is this ghost murder?" a security guard said.


    "y it again." I said slowly, tugging at my hair with my hands.


    The video ys again,


    ording to what I said, the security captain fixed the beginning of the video at the moment Xing Yafang walked out of the room on the top floor. From the video, we can see that Xing Yafang mmed the door and left in a huff.


    She walked straight to the door of an elevator and pressed the down button. But at that moment, the elevator was still on the first floor. Xing Yafang frowned and waited for a while, looked at the floor, turned and went deep into the corridor.


    Deep down the hallway is the bathroom. Xing Yafang walked into the bathroom. About two minutester, Xing Yafang came out of the bathroom. Although there is no camera in the bathroom, in just two minutes, you can probably guess what Xing Yafang was doing inside.


    When Xing Yafang came out, the elevator had not arrived yet. She stood at the elevator door, close to the elevator door, as if using the elevator door as a mirror. The elevator door opened, but there was no one inside. Xing Yafang rubbed her eyes with her hands and walked into the elevator.


    Xing Yafang pressed the number on the first floor, and the elevator began to run down.


    At the same time, the rest of the people could be seening out of the room one after another. Several of them got on another elevator, but others did not go in, but waited for Xing Yafang''s elevator toe up. This is also understandable. It was too embarrassing to be in the same elevator after using each other of being the murderer in the room just now.


    While these people were waiting for the elevator, Xing Yafang''s behaviour became strange.


    She leaned close to the elevator door and used the smooth wall of the elevator to look in the mirror. She was close enough to seem to be observing a certain part of her face. And then, we saw that Xing Yafang gradually became fearful. It was as if she had seen a terrifying sight on the elevator door.


    And in the next second, she suddenly pressed her hand to her eye socket


    The most shocking scene appeared. Through the monitor, we could clearly see that her hands were stabbed into her eyes. At the same time, she shouted. In 5 stars the hotel''s elevator, the sound instion effect is very good, and people outside can''t hear it at all.


    There was no sound on the monitor, but we could all tell that Xing Yafang was roaring in pain from her open mouth and twisted expression.But even so, she didn''t stop picking her eyes with her hands.


    After a while, her face was covered in blood.


    Although I had watched it once, I still felt horrified when I watched it again.


    In less than a few minutes, Xing Yafang actually pulled his eyeballs out of his sockets. At that moment, she was mming the elevator door desperately, while the other hand kept groping for the elevator buttons. She pressed several numbers several times, but there was no sign of the elevator door opening or closing.


    "Why can''t this door be opened?" I asked.


    The captain of the security said, "Except for the two elevators on the first floor and the top floor, this elevator stops on double floors, and the other elevator stops on single floors." So she pressed many buttons, all of which were ineffective. The one that took effect is still on the top floor. This can be exined, but who can exin why she would do this? Well, who would dare toe to this hotel in the future? "


    There was no way I could answer his question, and I continued to look at the screen.


    Xing Yafang pressed a lot of buttons, but there was no sign of the elevator opening. At this time, Xing Yafang was trembling all over, and the expression on her face was extremely distorted. It can be seen that Xing Yafang is very scared. She stopped pressing the buttons indiscriminately, but still pped the elevator door.


    But the action is lighter every time.


    The two eye sockets are like two small waterfalls, and blood keeps flowing out of the eye sockets. At that moment, both of her hands were already clenched into fists. It was at this time that she crushed her eyeballs. She didn''t have the strength to continue pping the elevator door. She just leaned against the elevator door with her fist, and at the same time, her head was on it.


    No one seemed to press the elevator outside, and the elevator button to the first floor was reset. Ever since someone on the top floor pressed the down button, the elevator began to slowly rise. At this moment, Xing Yafang in the elevator has stopped moving. But due to the delicate bnce, she still leaned forward against the elevator door.


    Finally, the elevator door opened on the top floor.


    Without support, Xing Yafang''s body jumped straight forward, startling everyone who was about to get on the elevator. At this time, the bag on Xing Yafang''s arm flew out.


    When those women saw Xing Yafang''s body, they ran to the previous house.


    Thest picture in the video is of me and Zhao Mingkun rushing out of the house.


    Thest picture in the video is of me and Zhao Mingkun rushing out of the house.


    The entire video is not long, only a short seven minutes. But what happened in these seven minutes left me, a person who has lived for more than 20 years, unable to answer.


    In the previous cases, because the crime sites were all in old-fashioned buildings, there was no surveince in the buildings, and we didn''t know how the murderermitted the crime. But this time, the surveince screen clearly showed that there was only Xing Yafang in the elevator. And we also clearly saw that it was Xing Yafang who pulled out his own eyes.


    There was silence in the monitoring room, and everyone seemed to have recovered from this bizarre video.


    After a long time, Zhao Mingkun looked at me and said, "This time, we have seen it clearly. There is no murderer at all."


    A security guard replied, "Before, didn''t a man say that a ghost wasing, and the ghost had gouged her eyes?" From the video, from the video, no, it can''t be really done by a ghost, right? This is really weird. "


    Ghost murder?

 Chapter 265: A Night Visit to Luo Ding

    Chapter 265: A Night Visit to Luo Ding


    A weird video of a few people who pulled out their own eyeballs. Is it really like what Luo Ding said, that everything is a ghost? Will anyone who has seen Lu Zhiqiu''s body be killed by ghosts? So, is it possible that Zhao Mingkun and I are also in danger?


    Although I am a staunch atheist, I think there are no ghosts in this world, but seeing this video makes people doubt it. But if it wasn''t for the ghost, what would have been the reason for Xing Yafang to do such a terrible and weird thing in an empty elevator?


    But whether I believe it or not, it is the truth.


    Zhao Mingkun said, "Is it possible that it is hypnosis? Under certain circumstances, when the conditions of hypnosis are stimted, these people will take their own actions to pull out their own eyeballs. "


    Zhao Mingkun''s words reminded me of the old man who was locked up with a mental illness in Dongxing City. That old man can hypnotise others without knowing it. But the old man was still in the mental hospital. Could it be that the person who came back for revenge would be the old man''s apprentice, Wu Zui?


    People who can do this are either locked up in mental hospitals or used by the state. How many do you think there are such talented people in Dongxing City? " I turned to look at Zhao Mingkun.


    For a moment, the two of us said at the same time, "Wu Zui."


    I shook my head again and said, "But Wu Zui, would you do this?"


    Zhao Mingkun also shook his head and said, "I don''t know. But if it''s not hypnosis, it''s not a ghost. I can''t think of what means the murderer used to kill. There are so many of us, so many eyes watching, we can''t all see. Did you read it wrong? Like Liu Ruijie before, the elevator is also a secret room.


    I frowned and said, "If you were asked to pluck out your eyeballs, under what circumstances would you do this?"


    Zhao Mingkun waved his hand and said, "Unless someone puts a gun to my head and tells me that I can only survive by plucking out my eyeballs." If that''s the case, my survival instinct might make me pull out my own eyeballs. things. Otherwise, this is really not something a normal person can do. "


    I watched the video that looped but had no sound, and said slowly, "Can the person who cut out the eyeball still live?"


    Zhao Mingkun also put his eyes on the screen, and said lightly: "Actually, where is the eyeball so easy to pull out? There are many muscles and nerves around the eye socket, which will definitely hurt the nerves in the process." The blood volume should be quiterge. But haven''t I heard of a crime team before that specifically gouged out the eyes of children and then sold the corneas? "


    "These people are too cruel." The security captain couldn''t help but say


    Zhao Mingkun looked at the security captain and said, "Yes, but they seem to have professional tools." Those children whose eyeballs were gouged out were thrown on the street, and they all survived in the end. "


    I "tsk tsk" twice and said, "But these people, without exception, died, and they died almost in a very short time."


    Zhao Mingkun said, "This needs to be verified."


    Zhao Mingkun said to the security captain, "We will take away all the surveince videos today, and clear your video records so as not to spread this thing out and cause panic, you know?"


    The security captain nodded and asked again, "Wouldn''t it be better to just take the video of the dead person away?"


    Zhao Mingkun shook his head and said, "We have to go back and investigate every suspicious person carefully. Do you understand? "


    The security captain nodded: "Then you need to turn off all monitoring first. It will take a while."


    Almost an hourter, the security captain sent dozens of G-sized surveince videos to my phone.


    Zhao Mingkun asked, seemingly unintentionally, "How long does it take to restart monitoring?"


    "About five minutes." The security captain said


    Zhao Mingkun nodded and said, "Thank you for your cooperation."


    After saying that, he took me out and walked outside.


    Seeing Zhao Mingkun walking in such a hurry, I couldn''t help but ask, "What''s the matter, walking in such a hurry?"


    Zhao Mingkun pointed to the monitor on his head and said, "This thing will start in five minutes." If you don''t want us to be seen, you''d better leave early. I want these videos. Do you think it''s true? Is it to see if there are suspicious people? The two of us are probably the most suspicious people tonight. "


    I suddenly understood.


    Seeing my expression, Zhao Mingkun shook her head and said, "Do you still think of yourself as a policeman?" It''s really fun to pretend to be a policeman, but at least I know clearly that this is only temporary. I''m just a fugitive, not what kind of policeman. People always have to recognise their own identity so as not to suffer losses, don''t they? "


    Thinking about it, what Zhao Mingkun said did make sense, but he felt that it was such a sad thing.


    I took out my phone and deleted most of the useless video files during the day, leaving only the time period from when we entered the scene to when the camera restarted. Zhao Mingkun was driving a motorcycle, and I was sitting on the back of the motorcycle watching the video.


    To be honest, I''m really not suitable for this job. Looking at the monitoring to find clues is the most basic step, just likeying the foundation on a construction site. All subsequent


    investigations will bepleted on this basis. And what to do in a case without surveince? You can only rely on visits and inquiries, and then check the surveince on the street to see if there are any suspects.


    But for someone like me, who is most afraid of a boring life, this is driving me crazy. But I might find some clues from here, so I still watched patiently.


    As can be seen from the video, the traffic around Huangjia Garden Hotel is still veryrge, and there are many peopleing in and out. And I managed to find Xing Yafang in the crowd.


    But you must know that there are so many cameras in the hotel, and each camera has its own video file. Fortunately, the position of each camera is disyed on these files, which allows me to follow the many videos all the way. The figure of Xing Yafang This made me suddenly feel like I was like the perverted "idiot" Han who stalked others in the movie.


    What is certain is that Xing Yafang came to the hotel alone. Xing Yafang onlymunicated with her former college ssmates. During this period, she did not see any suspicious people, except for some staff on the top floor, such as cleaning security and on-site bartenders. The chef waits, and the rest is for the party.


    In the entire video surveince, from the moment Xing Yafang entered the hotel to the moment Xing Yafang''s body fell out of the elevator, I never saw any suspicious person appear. From the video, after the grandmother brought thirteen people into that room, I couldn''t see a single person outside, not even a cleaner.


    From this point of view, Xing Yafang walked into the hotel and left angrily, and there was no suspicious person in contact with her during this period. Judging from the video, Xing Yafang''s state has always been normal. I really can''t figure out why a good-natured person would do such a weird thing without any stimtion.


    The only time we can''t see Xing Yafang is when Xing Yafang is on the toilet for just two minutes. In this short period of time, it is estimated that Xing Yafang just washed his hands and face. Could it be that Xing Yafang was entangled by a ghost in the toilet?


    After thinking for a moment, he put the phone back in his pocket.


    Weird, so weird.


    Seemingly sensing my movement, Zhao Mingkun turned his head and asked me, "Why, do you see why?"


    I shook my head and said, "No, Xing Yafang has never had contact with any suspicious person. This case is really evil. I have never encountered such a situation before. What tactics did the murderer use? "


    Zhao Mingkun asked, "Do you still think it was done by humans?"


    Without thinking, I said, "There is no doubt about this, although I sometimes make myself a little terrified, I still believe that all this is done by humans. If there were really ghosts in this world, if it was about revenge, then the murderers in the world would have died long ago. "


    My words seemed to hit Zhao Mingkun''s pain point. She concentrated on driving and stopped talking.


    I realised that there was something wrong with my words, but I couldn''t take them back, so I had to watch the road with peace of mind.


    After a while, I felt that Zhao Mingkun had never seen this road before, so I couldn''t help but ask, "Where are we going?"


    Zhao Mingkun said: "Of course I''m looking for Luo Ding. When he was in the room today, Luo Ding still had some things to say to us. And we don''t know when Luo Ding was scared to death. It''s better to ask about it as soon as possible. Otherwise, Luo Ding will be the second Jiang Xiaochun again. "


    When I mentioned this, I suddenly realised one thing and asked: "I think it''s very interesting that Hu Pei was scared to death, Liu Ruijie died from gouging his eyes, Hu Xiaoxue, and Xing Yafang were also dug up." The eyes are dead, and this Luo Ding is too frightened now. Looking at the current state, it is not impossible to be frightened to death. "


    "Tell me!" I looked at the vehicles passing by and asked, "How did the murderer choose? Why does the murderer have different methods for different people? "


    Hearing this, Zhao Mingkun was silent for a moment, and then he said, "This means that the murderer knows the characters of these people? It''s like some people believe in ghosts and gods, while some people don''t believe in ghosts and gods. But if I guess this, it means that the murderer must know these people, and the murderer also has motives and reasons to avenge Lu Zhiqiu! "


    "Lu Zhiqiu''s younger brother?" I said.


    Zhao Mingkun twisted the elerator to elerate and said, while driving the motorcycle, "When every new student enters the school, the tutor will have the student''s information." I know Lu Zhiqiu''s home address, but it has been seven years since the original address, and it may have changed.


    Furthermore, Lu Zhiqiu''s family waspensated one million yuan.Seven years ago, one million could buy two houses. "


    "Tomorrow, I think we need to go there." I said to Zhao Mingkun.


    Have you seen the neighbourhood in front? Zhao Mingkun pointed to a neighborhood, "That''s the neighbourhood where Luo Ding is." Most


    of the residents in themunity have turned off the lights, and Luo Ding''s house is not lit.


    Zhao Mingkun turned off the motorcycle and asked, "Could it be that Luo Ding didn''t go home after running away from the hotel?"


    I shook my head, "Looking at his appearance, I''m afraid there''s nowhere to go if he doesn''t go home. Judging from his previous clothes and state, he doesn''t seem to have slept for a long time. I think he''s going to be overwhelmed. "


    <a ss="chakra-link css-f4h6uy" /threads/case-files-013.145091/" index="0" siblingcount="1" node="[object Object]">LCD LINK</a>

 Chapter 266: Grimace

    Chapter 266: Grimace


    The gate of themunity was closed. Zhao Mingkun looked back at me, but she was still sitting on the motorcycle. She turned off the motorcycle, pointed to the fence, and patted the back seat of the motorcycle.


    I understood what Zhao Mingkun meant; she was asking me to stand on the motorcycle and turn over the fence.


    It is much easier to just stand on the motorcycle and climb over the fence. I was still thinking about whether Zhao Mingkun would be unstable when there was no one to support the motorcycle, and in the blink of an eye, I saw that Zhao Mingkun hade to the fence.


    Patting my shoulder, Zhao Mingkun said, "When Imunicated with that old grandma before, the old grandma told me where these people live and work, except for those who can no longer be contacted." Thirteen people work and live in Dongxing City, and I am afraid they will not leave Dongxing City in the short term.


    Zhao Mingkun led me to a unit building, and seeing this architectural style, I understood that there must be no surveince in this building. In this way, it is naturally impossible to see from the monitoring whether anyone has sneaked into Luo Ding''s home and pretended to be a ghost. There are only six floors in this building, and Luo Ding lives on 601.


    As she walked upstairs, Zhao Mingkun had already dialled Luo Ding''s mobile number.


    The ce where Luo Ding lived was even more dpidated than Liu Ruize''s or even Hu Pei''s old home. The voice-activated lights in the entire corridor had basically all failed. The whole corridor was pitch-dark, and I had to take out my cell phone to illuminate it. Zhao Mingkun kept calling Luo Ding''s mobile number, but there was no response at all.


    Zhao Mingkun shook her head, looked at her cell phone, and said, "Could it be that Luo Ding really didn''t go home, but didn''t know where he went?"


    At this moment, I was a little hesitant, "I really don''t know, but Luo Ding himself said that Lu Zhiqiu''s ghost follows everyone. He said that no matter where he goes, Lu Zhiqiu''s ghost follows everyone. From this point of view, if Luo Ding is the same no matter where he goes, I am afraid he will stille back to his own home.


    All the way up to the sixth floor, Zhao Mingkun did not call Luo Ding''s mobile number.


    In this old-fashioned building, there are no security doors outside; only a wooden door is in front of us. I knocked on the door hard, and there was a "bang" sound, but there was no movement inside.


    I shrugged and said, "I don''t know where Luo Ding has gone, and depending on Luo Ding''s state, whether he can answer the phone is also a problem. He''s not married yet, and he doesn''t have many friends, so he probably doesn''t have many friends. Somewhere will take him. "


    Let''s go." I looked at Zhao Mingkun and said


    But Zhao Mingkun stood there with her eyes closed, as if he was feeling something.


    "Don''t talk, listen carefully." Zhao Mingkun said.


    Looking at Zhao Mingkun''s appearance, I also closed my eyes and listened to the surrounding movements like Zhao Mingkun. Sure enough, in the darkness, I could hear a soft and soft voice. It was like the sound of a tune. I yed quietly in the dark space for a long time.


    I held my breath, trying to hear where the voice wasing from.


    Suddenly, Zhao Mingkun said, "The voice came from Luo Ding''s house."


    I pressed my ear to the wooden door tightly, and sure enough, I could hear a gentle melodying from the room.


    Luoding''s ringtone! I said.


    Zhao


    Ming Kun looked at me and said, "Then that means Luo Ding is inside, if..."


    But before Zhao Mingkun''s words were finished, I heard a cry that broke my throat. Since I was close to the wooden door, the sound reached my ears so firmly that it almost didn''t blow my ears. Deafened I hurriedly moved my head away, but at the same time, I heard the shouting master.


    Ah! Ah!..." There were a few more voices.


    From this voice, we can hear that it is the voice of extreme fear, which was shouted by Luo Ding at the top of his voice. His voice was trembling, even with a cry. Luo Ding must have encountered something terrifying again. Zhao Mingkun and I looked at each other and crashed into the wooden door at the same time.


    Zhao Mingkun and I had already dodged into the house when the wooden door gave way.


    When we opened the door, Luo Ding''s voice disappeared. I flipped a few switches on the wall, and the room suddenly became brighter. At that moment, a white shadow shed through the living room window and disappeared from the window.


    Jinghong nced, which startled me a lot. This white thing looks like a pale human face. The facial features of this human face are not clearly seen, but the eyes are dark, as if there were no eyeballs. This face is much bigger than a normal face, and the moment I turned on the light, the face disappeared in a sh.


    I hurriedly looked out the window, only to find that nothing was there. I looked around and everything around me was so peaceful. It was as if the face I saw just now did not exist at all.


    What''s even weirder is that the window is closed. Then, the face is passed through the window.


    This was so weird, I quickly opened the window and stuck my head out to look, but there was still nothing.


    I was stunned. If I didn''t see this with my own eyes, how could I believe that such a strange thing really happened in the world?


    Zhao Mingkun is standing beside me at the moment, looking out the window with me.


    "I don''t have hallucinations in my eyes, right?" I looked at Zhao Mingkun.


    Zhao Mingkun''s face was also gloomy. From her face, I could clearly see that Zhao Mingkun also saw the face by the window just now.


    "No." Zhao Mingkun looked at me and said, "I also saw that face, and it disappeared outside the window in an instant."


    I looked back, as if remembering something, and hurriedly said, "Where''s Luo Ding?"


    At the moment, the living room was in chaos. The coffee table fell to the ground, the cups and tes were broken, and in the corner on one side, there were all the beer cans. There were also cushions and toilet paper all over the floor. It could be seen that Luo Ding''s life was already very chaotic.


    Zhao Mingkun and I hurriedly searched for Luo Ding in various rooms, but we turned around and saw no sign of him.


    "Where''s Luo Ding?" Zhao Mingkun asked, "A big living person just disappeared?"


    We had clearly heard Luo Ding''s terrified cry before, but when we pushed the room away, Luo Ding disappeared. Could it be that Luo Ding disappeared in an instant like that face?


    Thinking of this, I can''t help but feel a little scared. Because the things that happened one after another were really weird. First, Xing Yafang was in the elevator and inexplicably put his own


    The eyeballs were pulled out, and now a huge human face that was apparently several timesrger than a human face had disappeared from the room.


    Could it be that Liu Ruijie was also in such a closed space that his eyes were gouged out by ghosts?


    "Mobile phone! Luo Ding''s mobile phone! " I hurriedly said, "I don''t see Luo Ding''s mobile phone in the room. Can you call it?"


    Zhao Mingkun nodded and called Luo Ding''s cell phone again.


    No sound.


    Zhao Mingkun and I frowned.


    Could it be that, like Hu Pei, the phone was taken away? I said.


    Zhao Mingkun shook his head and didn''t answer, but he stretched out a finger and put it in his mouth. I closed my mouth, and in the quiet environment, I could hear some "humming" sound. If you distinguish it carefully, you can hear it. This is the sound of the phone vibrating.


    Zhao Mingkun pointed to a ce and said, "The sound came from that ce."


    With that said, Zhao Mingkun walked into the bedroom.


    In the bedroom, arge wardrobe appeared in front of us, and the vibrating sound came from this wardrobe. Zhao Mingkun and I looked at each other, and Zhao Mingkun said, "It''s here."


    From the perspective of Luo Ding''s entire home, if there is any ce where arge living person can be stored, it is only in this wardrobe. I took a few deep breaths, for fear that when I opened the cab door, I would find no one inside. If Luo Ding really disappeared in this room, I''m afraid there is nothing more terrifying than this.


    When I opened the closet door, I found that Luo Ding was curled up in the closet at the moment.


    As the wardrobe door was opened, Luo Ding rolled out of the wardrobe. But he fell out of the closet, still curled up tightly around his body. Like a crouched pangolin, motionless.


    Seeing this, Zhao Mingkun immediately put on gloves to feel his heartbeat and pulse.


    After a moment, Zhao Mingkun shook his head, indicating that Luo Ding was dead.


    The mobile phone was still vibrating in the cab at that moment.


    The two of us finally pulled Luo Ding apart from the curled state, and then looked at Luo Ding''s face, only to see that his facial expression was distorted and his sses were wide. His hands were curled up like chicken paws, and we could even see the tendons in his hands tense.


    All his face was covered with sweat, and it had not evaporated at the moment. It could be seen that on the eve of his death, Luo Ding was frightened out of his cold sweat.


    Zhao Mingkun looked at Luo Ding for a moment and said, "I didn''t expect that we woulde a stepte."


    I frowned and said to Zhao Mingkun, "Luo Ding was also scared to death."


    Zhao Mingkun nodded.


    Another one was scared to death. Hu Pei was scared to death. Luo Ding was scared to death. And who would be the next person to be scared to death? What was that face that disappeared in an instant? Is there really something in this world that people can''t exin? Is there really a ghost in this world?


    But if it was done by humans, how could it be done?


    It is impossible for Zhao Mingkun and I to have such hallucinations at the same time. That human face is real. And the eyes of that face were also gouged out. If that is Lu Zhiqiu''s ghost, who will die next among these thirteen people?

 Chapter 267: Lu Zhiqius younger brother

    Chapter 267: Lu Zhiqiu''s younger brother


    I looked at Luo Ding''s body again, but was speechless for a long time. The shock that brought me here today is one after another. First, Xing Yafang seemed to see something in the elevator, and he pulled out his eyeballs. Then, Luo Ding was scared to death by a human face in his home.


    From Luo Ding''s actions of hiding in the cab, we can imagine a scene. When we made the call, Luo Ding should not have encountered any supernatural phenomenon. When we made a call, Luo Ding came out of the bedroom to look for his mobile phone, but saw a white face dangling in the living room.


    This face that was three or four times bigger than a normal human face appeared in the living room out of thin air, but the two eyes were pitch-ck, like a human face whose eyes had been gouged out. This made Luo Ding frightened. He picked up the mobile phone in the living room, hid in the bedroom, and hid in the closet.


    He turned his phone to vibrate, afraid of ghosts chasing him all the way. However, many days of fear and a prolonged absence of rest have made Luo Ding''s body very fragile. Luo Ding, whose nerves are always tense, has already overloaded his heart. Under this premise, when encountering today''s events, Luo Ding''s adrenaline secreted too much and his heart beat too fast. He hugged himself tightly, and then his heart stopped beating.


    Luo Ding did not have any scars on his body. From the traces on the scene and my previous inferences about Luo Ding, the most likely inference is that he suffered from excessive panic and cardiac arrest.Obviously


    we still have many questions to ask Luo Ding, but Luo Ding just died in front of us. Luo Ding must know something, otherwise how can he be sure that Lu Zhiqiu''s ghost muste back for revenge? While in the hotel, Luo Ding had something to say, but Xing Yafang''s death had just happened.


    Zhao Mingkun said, "We can''t stay here for a long time. We originally climbed over the wall toe in, and now people are being killed. No matter whether you have a police card or not, the security of themunity will not let us leave easily. The real police wille. Now, you and I can''t leave. "


    I nodded and said, "Look! Look for the things in Luo Ding''s house! I think Luo Ding is an introverted person, and I think there must be something written. Look for a diary? "


    Zhao Mingkun nodded and began to turn over the whole room.


    I started to flip through Luo Ding''s clothes. I remembered that Luo Ding was wearing a T-shirt before, but now he is wearing a coat. But it''s not cold at home; why would he wear a dress? I rummaged through his lined pocket and pulled out a small notebook.


    The book is a little bigger than a cell phone and fits in the lined pocket.


    I flipped it casually, and found that the densely crooked and crooked were all handwriting.


    "Go, I found it."


    Zhao Mingkun and I came out of the room; the door lock was broken and there was no way to close it. But there was still no one outside the building, and the surroundings were quiet. In fact, there is no sound instion here, and you should be able to hear it up and down the stairs. But no one came out to see what was going on upstairs, which surprised me.


    As if seeing my thoughts, Zhao Mingkun said, "This matter is too normal. No family has the mentality that it is better to have more things than less. Although people didn''te out, they may have heard this. We called the police, so let''s leave quickly. "


    It was three o''clock in the morning when he turned over the wall again.


    This is a small road, and there are no people nearby.


    "Where are you going this time?" I asked, I originally nned to stay at Luo Ding''s house for a night to ask about the situation, but now I don''t have the chance. You said that this ghost is also a bit powerful. Even so, tonight If you want toe to Luo Ding, you will know. "


    Zhao Mingkun shrugged and said, "I don''t think there are only a few people who have died. It''s possible that Luo Ding said that those who saw her body would eventually die.


    I scoffed at this and said, "It''s unlikely. If that''s the case, then the police will be the first to die. After all, those police officers were the ones who arrived first. From what Wang Yikai meant, they were police officers. Arrived after arriving. "


    Zhao Mingkun asked a question: "If that''s the case, who was the one who reported the case?" When I was chatting with the grandmother before, she didn''t say it. And the rest of the people never said this. The first one to see Who is the person who came to Lu Zhiqiu''s body? "


    I frowned and thought for a moment: "If you say that, the first person who found the body is very suspicious. It''s just that it''s been seven years. Who can know this? If we are still the police, we can look at the archives at that time, but now, it can''t be done. "


    Zhao Mingkun sighed and said, "Don''t worry, sooner orter, you will be able to prove your innocence."


    I waved my hand: "It''s useless; everyone knows that I''m hanging out with you now, and you are a fugitive. Even if that matter is clear, can we figure out the rtionship between us?"


    After all, both of them were silent.


    After a long time, Zhao Mingkun said, "Don''t worry, in the end, your innocence will be proven."


    "How to prove it?" I was a little puzzled.


    Zhao Mingkun did not answer my question, but said, "Do you know where we are going now?"


    I shook my head.


    It''s a shame that you still dare to remember the map of Dongxing City in your mind. Zhao Mingkun said with contempt, "I will add another secret to you for escape; that is, you must always let yourself have a way out. And the premise of this is that you need to know the fastest escape route. Now, we are going to Lu Zhiqiu''s parents'' house.


    "Home?" I asked.


    Zhao Mingkun nodded and said, "Yes, but in terms of time, it will take longer."


    Lv Zhiqiu''s home is in the surrounding countryside of Dongxing City. The journey takes three hours. It is a ce called Damen Vige.


    When we got there, the sky was already bright. And early in the morning, along the road, you can see the vigers who got up early to do farm work. When we asked someone to inquire about Lu Zhiqiu''s house, someone finally pointed us to the ce.


    We knocked on the door of Lu''s house, and a woman who appeared to be in her fifties appeared in front of us.


    "Is this the Lu family?" I asked while taking out my police officer ID.


    The peasant woman said, with a strong dialect: "Yes, yes, but I''ve been waiting for you. Come in quickly,e in quickly."


    Zhao Mingkun and I looked at each other, wondering what the peasant woman meant. Coming to the Lu family today was just a sudden decision, and I hadn''t discussed it with her. But judging from the enthusiastic behaviour of the peasant woman, it seemed that she was waiting for us toe in early.


    I was a little confused by this enthusiasm.


    Zhao Mingkun asked cautiously, "Is this the Lu family? Is it Lu Xiangyang, Lu Zhiqiu''s parents? "


    The peasant woman nodded, let us sit down in the main house, and asked, "That''s right, I''m Lu Xiangyang''s mother." My wife hasn''t had breakfast yet, so early


    While we were talking, we had already prepared bowls and chopsticks for us and brought a few stacks of side dishes and a few steamed buns.


    Although I don''t know what happened, I can''t poison us all at once. A thousand words, it is better to fill your stomach first. I''m not polite, but Zhao Mingkun asked, "This time we''re here to find Lu Xiangyang."


    While speaking, a man also came out and sat beside the table.


    Zhao Mingkun continued, "We are here to find Lu Xiangyang."


    Looking for Lu Xiangyang? "," said the man, who was also in his fifties.


    "Yes." Zhao Mingkun nodded.


    The man was a little puzzled: "Didn''t we entrust you to find Lu Xiangyang?"


    "What?" Zhao Mingkun asked.


    The peasant woman said: "My son has been missing for a long time, and he said he was looking for his ssmates, but he never came back. It''s been almost two weeks since he disappeared. You said, "Can we not be in a hurry?" He said, "Try to help me find my son." What about my son? "


    Zhao Mingkun and I looked at each other; Lu Zhiqiu''s younger brother, Lu Xiangyang, had disappeared.


    "How long have you been missing?" I asked.


    "For more than two weeks, haven''t I told you all this?" The peasant woman became a little annoyed: "Why do you still ask, Has anyone found it?"


    Lu Xiangyang has disappeared, and he has been missing for a long time. Lu Xiangyang has the time and motive formitting the crime from the time of the crime. Lu Xiangyang is about seventeen years old this year, and he is considered an adult. If Lu Xiangyang hides the truth from his parents and goes out to take revenge, this is not impossible.


    I said, "Did he say nothing when he left?"


    It''s just that I want to go to the city to find a ssmate, a ssmate named Wang Kun. Didn''t I tell you all? The man said: "We have a house in Dongxing City, so my son sometimes goes to live by himself. It''s nothing. However, I haven''te back for two weeks this time, and I can''t get in touch now. Do you think this makes people anxious? "


    The house that the Lu family bought in Dongxing City may have been purchased seven years ago aspensation for Lu Zhiqiu''s death.


    I asked again, "The rtionship between Lu Xiangyang and Lu Zhiqiu..."


    But before I finished thest "how about", I saw that the expressions of the peasant woman and the man had changed, and immediately pulled their faces down. With a gloomy face, the peasant woman took down the vegetables and steamed buns in front of us and said, "I''m talking about Lu Xiangyang. What does it have to do with Lu Zhiqiu?" How did you guys work? If no one was found, why did you mention Lu Zhiqiu? "


    Saying that, she chased us out with her hands: "Who is Lu Zhiqiu? Why don''t I know? Go out! Find my son and talk about it. "


    I was helpless. This peasant woman''s face was turning faster than a book, and I just mentioned Lu Xiangyang and Lu Zhiqiu, and she started to drive us outside. I don''t know if the two of them are Lu Zhiqiu''s biological parents. As Zhao Mingkun stated, this family may not consider Lu Zhiqiu to be their daughter at all.


    While we were talking, the peasant woman had already kicked us out. She stood at the door and scolded: "It''s so bad when it''s time to eat idle meals. It''s so troublesome to find someone."


    When I looked at the steamed bun in my hand, I really wanted to cry without tears. "bump."


    The big iron gate was closed.


    And we were surrounded by vigers who were watching the action.

 Chapter 268: A kind little girl

    Chapter 268: A kind little girl


    When the surrounding vigers saw us being kicked out, they all smirked, but they didn''t dareugh on the spot. He saw a big brother. His face turned purple, and he was not afraid of being suffocated to death. Even though I was enraged, I couldn''t help but take a few bites of the steamed buns in my hand.


    Zhao Mingkun was a little angry and a little funny: "When it is this, you can eat it too."


    I shrugged: "You can''t bully your stomach with someone else''s rudeness, right?"


    At this time, a grandmother who looked very old came out of the onlookers. She was seventy or eighty years old, with white hair and wrinkles on her face. Leaning on a cane, she slowly walked in front of us. Her voice was slow and dry: "The two are the police." I''m Mrs. Huang. If you don''t dislike it,e to my house to eat something, and see if this young man is hungry. "


    It was another night of running around, and in the morning, my stomach was really hungry, so I agreed.


    Back at Mrs. Huang''s house, Mrs. Huang slowly prepared breakfast for us while sitting on the kang head and chatting with us. During the chat, I learned that Mrs. Huang''s wife passed away decades ago. Mrs. Huang has never had a son or daughter and usually lives alone. And her body and bones are also very tough. She usually takes care of herself by herself. She is the oldest old man in Dafen Vige.


    The rice soup was roaring on the fire, and Mrs. Huang took out the meat sauce she made and brought a lot of steamed buns.


    The olddy Huang said: "My family has a subsistence allowance. I am dying, and I don''t need much. I have more money every month. You guys, eat more. "


    Compared with Lu Zhiqiu''s mother before, what Mrs. Huang said was like the sky and the ground. Now I also believe it. Lu Zhiqiu''s parents can really do something so that they can get back a million dors by scrambling around on the construction site. And they would have to pay a lot of insurance money for Hu Pei''s ce. What Zhang Denghui said before may be true.


    I couldn''t help but sighed: "Grandma, the old couple in the Lu family look really good. They kicked me out before I ate anything. I didn''t say anything, I just mentioned Lu Zhiqiu''s name. "


    Mentioning Lu Zhiqiu, the olddy, Huang shook her head and sighed.


    "That little girl, it can be said that I grew up watching it." Mrs. Huang said.


    I don''t think you and their family are neighbors. They are quite far away. I was a little puzzled.


    Mrs. Huang handed me the rice soup and slowly drank a bowl herself: "Lu Zhiqiu''s father is called Lu Fengwei, and his mother is called Guo Gaimei. The two of them don''t look younger than me, but deep down, that''s a tradition. very good. Their family has always prioritised sons over daughters. The first child gave birth to a daughter, Lu Zhiqiu, who almost threw the child away. "


    It seems to be recalling the past, and Mrs. Huang told us vividly.


    The olddy Huang said: "At the beginning, everyone in Damen Vige knew about this incident, and you can see that neither of those two people are easy to mess with. In particr, that Guo Gaimei''s mouth ispletely broken. If you said that the man is a light girl, then Guo Gaimei is even more powerful, as if she herself is not a woman. Later, it was said that it was illegal to throw a child, and the two of them gave up. "


    I nodded. "Then how could the two brothers be in their teens?"


    Mrs. Huang snorted coldly: "At the beginning, Lu Fengwei didn''t know what remedies to guarantee the birth of a son, but they had to insist on it for ten years." Then Lu Fengwei and Guo Gaimei would eat what they would eat every day and use some earthly methods.


    It''s been like this for ten years. At that time, Lu Zhiqiu was in high school, and their son Lu Xiangyang was born.


    "As soon as Lu Xiangyang was born, the pet waswless." The olddy Huang continued: "The family always prioritised sons over daughters, but now it''s better, and even more so when you have a son. Guo Gaimei didn''t want her daughter to go to school, but underage people can''t go out to work, and Lu Zhiqiu is also in good spirits. Not only does he not pay for school, but he can also take money from home, so Guo Gaimei gave up. "


    I drank a big mouthful of rice soup and asked, "How about Lu Zhiqiu?"


    "Good! Good! Good!" Madam Huang picked up her thumb and said three good words in a row: "Lu Zhiqiu, this baby, has had a kind heart since he was a child. Every time he is bullied, he doesn''t hold any resentment. And when he sees others, If you are bullied, you have to go up and persuade them. It turns out that there are mischievous children in the vige who love to bully others. Lu Zhiqiu is not annoyed every time, and often helps the children. "


    I nodded. I heard Lu Zhiqiu''s previous counselor, the old grandmother, also said that Lv Zhiqiu also sponsored a female student from a difficult family. It seems that Lv Zhiqiu has been so kind since he was a child.


    My wife went early, I have no children, and I feel lonely. Sometimes, I like to invite those children toe in and sit with me. I feed them, and they will chat with me. Mrs. Huang There was a smile on her wrinkled face: "At that time, Lu Zhiqiu often came to my house to y. The little girl was cute, cute and beautiful! She is also very sensible and often helps me to press my legs and helps me clean the house. "


    The grandmother''s smile seemed to bloom into a flower: "When she didn''t have her brother, she was not wee at home, and she often came to me. Sometimes I can''t stand her parents'' actions, but Lu Zhiqiu is always It doesn''t matter if you say that you are the child of your parents, you should understand how to be filial to your parents. "


    The old grandmother shook her head and sighed, "When I heard this, I felt ashamed for Lu Fengwei."


    From what I could hear, Lu Zhiqiu had a kind heart, and he never seemed to hold grudges when others hurt him, and he could speak for these people. Thinking about it this way, Lu Zhiqiu''s heart was really good.


    The grandmother''s smile disappeared from her face. She said slowly, "I had quick legs and feet, and I was alone, so I raised some puppies and kittens. Every time Lu Zhiqiu came, he would help me feed the dogs. Hey, cat. I remember, Lu Zhiqiu likes dogs the most, and every time he hugs him, he is reluctant to let go. "


    "I like dogs, too," I said.


    The grandmother smiled and continued: "Later, a dog fell ill, and Lu Zhiqiu took care of him day and night. But the dog was the same age as me, and it was an old dog. In the end, he died of illness. Lu Zhiqiu was crying. Her eyes were swollen from crying. She said she just couldn''t see life and death. "


    While talking, the old grandma''s tears had already fallen: "But good people are short-lived, and the people who are the most incapable of life and death die early." I remember when she was in high school, she could onlye back one day every Sunday, and she had to take her time to see it. I''m sorry. Later, I was admitted to a famous university, and the vige gave me 10,000 yuan. But such a good person, how can they disappear. "


    After listening to Mrs. Huang''s words, I was also very emotional, and I didn''t know what to say for a long time. When Lu Zhiqiu''s guide told us about Lu Zhiqiu, he said he was simr to Mrs. Huang. They all said that Lv Zhiqiu was kind-hearted, good at learning, and beautiful. If he changed his family, he would be a proper Bai Fumei.


    Zhao Mingkun was also a little embarrassed, and said after a while, "Then Lu Zhi, what


    ''s the rtionship between Qiulu Xiangyang''s sister and brother?"


    Mrs. Huang said, "When Lu Zhiqiu was on summer vacation, he often brought his younger brother out to y. The age difference between the two of them was rtivelyrge, so it must have been Lu Zhiqiu who took care of his younger brother. When he went to college, Lu Zhiqiu took care of his younger brother every month. I send money to my family, and when Ie back, I also buy new clothes and toys for my brother. "


    Having said this, the grandmother began to wipe her tears again: "Sometimes, she also buys me some food. But every time Ie back to see if Lv Zhiqiu is wearing a piece of clothing, it seems to have been worn for a long time. She is willing to give it to her brother. Buying things, even willing to buy something for me, why are you not willing to add a piece of clothing to yourself? ""


    Later. The olddy Huang continued, "I heard that Lu Zhiqiu died, and I don''t know how. Anyway, Lu Fengwei took arge group of rtives to the city andter came back in a car. I heard from the vigers who knew that they were going for money, but when the money came back, they didn''t even bring back Lu Zhiqiu''s body. "


    "It''s a sin!" Mrs. Huang sighed, "I didn''t even meet Lu Zhiqiu in the end. But I sawter that Lu Xiangyang cried and said that he wanted his sister toe back and that she wanted him to take him out to y. But at that time, Lu Xiangyang was only ten years old. I don''t know what happened, but I can see that he liked his sister quite a bit.


    Mrs. Huang drank all the rice soup in her bowl and said, "Looking now, Lu Zhiqiu has been dead for seven or eight years." Lu Fengwei bought a house and a car for his son in Dongxing City. That son also goes to school in the city, and I haven''t spoken to him seriously in a few years. He''s not like her sister. "


    It seems that, unlike the rest of the family, Lu Xiangyang has a good rtionship with his sister, and Lu Zhiqiu also loves his younger brother very much. Did the younger brother know the truth about Lu Zhiqiu''s death that year, so he began to take revenge for the murder? However, can a high school studentmit such a strange murder without leaving any traces at the scene?


    This remains to be investigated by us.


    After a pause, Mrs. Huang asked us, "I heard that Lu Xiangyang has been lost recently." Are you here to ask about this? "


    I nodded and added, "I also asked about Lu Zhiqiu seven years ago. At that time, there was something strange about Lu Zhiqiu''s death. We have to find out. "


    "Yes!" Mrs. Huang stood up excitedly, "I have to find out. I heard that Lu Zhiqiu died inexplicably back then. People died. If they did not understand, then the person could not be reincarnated, you know. People have to be reassured even when they are dead. Comrade police, you must find out."


    "Don''t worry, grandma," I assured her. "We''ll definitely find out."


    "By the way!" I asked, "Grandma, I heard that Lu Xiangyang was looking for one of their ssmates named Wang Ang. Do you know anything about this? "


    The grandmother shook her head and said, "I don''t know, but I know that they are all students in the third year of Dongxing City No. 1 Middle School. If you want to find Wang Ang, go to the school and ask. I really don''t know this. "


    I looked at Zhao Mingkun, then at Mrs. Huang, and said, "Okay, let''s go first. We''ll investigate the matter of Lu Zhiqiu, and when we finally have the answer, we''ll definitelye back and tell you. "


    "That''s great!" Mrs. Huang clung to my hand tightly and said, "There are still many kind people in the world, and I don''t have any wishes in my life. In this life, I just want to know about this... "

 Chapter 269: Lu Xiangyangs Revenge

    Chapter 269: Lu Xiangyang''s Revenge


    It was almost noon when we arrived at the school. It doesn''t happen to be the weekend today, and the students are having theirst ss at the moment. I showed my identity, and the director of age seemed to be used to our identity and asked, "What is this time?"


    I said, "Lu Xiangyang should be a student at your school, right?"


    The grade director gave us a seat, and then said, "What about Lu Xiangyang?" Didn''t you send someone to ask? "


    I sat down and said slowly: "Thest person has other tasks. Let''s take over this matter." Find out about Wang Ang; we have a lot of things to ask him.


    The grade director looked at us and said, "It seems that our two systems are simr, and there are always unexpected situations."


    During the conversation, the grade director called a teacher, and after a while, a teacher walked in with a tall and thin student. This student should be around seventeen years old, and seeing us is a little restrained.


    The teacher said, "This is Wang Ang. In just one week, many people havee, and this child is about to be depressed. "


    Wang Ang also sat down and looked at us, waiting for our questions.


    I cleared my throat and started to say, "Wang Ang, just say whatever I ask you. You don''t have to be nervous or afraid. Does it have nothing to do with you? Do you understand? "


    Wang Ang crossed his hands in front of him and said slowly, "You guys are here to ask about Lu Xiangyang again. Lu Xiangyang did go to my house before, but he just stayed at my house for a day." Between us The rtionship is good, and he used toe to y games with me often, and he also came to my house to y games with me that day. "


    I nodded and said, "When was he looking for you? When was he missing? "


    Wang Ang''s eyes flicked to one side. This is the mostmon reaction of a person when he is thinking, which shows that he is really thinking, rather than organising some lies in his heart. After a while, Wang Ang said, "Two weeks ago, exactly twelve days ago, it happened to be Friday. He was a resident student. He didn''t go home on Friday, but went to my house with me. "


    Seeing that we all had gloomy faces, Wang Ang quickly said, "He used toe to my house often, and his parents knew it." I could tell that his parents dote on him, so they usually don''t say anything. After he stayed at my house for the night, he told me to go out for revenge. "


    "Vengeance?" I looked at Wang Ang and asked excitedly, "Did he tell you the details carefully? Who is he looking for for revenge? "


    Wang Ang looked at me but shook his head: "I really don''t know this. He didn''t borate." At that time, I interjected and asked this question, and he told me that it was for women. What to say? It all looks very mysterious anyway. The next day, he left. I didn''t expect him to disappear now. His mother asked me many times, but I couldn''t get in touch with him. "


    I frowned and asked, "Does Lu Xiangyang have a girlfriend? Is it possible that he is looking for a girlfriend? "


    Wang Ang shook his head and looked at the grade director, hesitating and hesitating, as if he was worried about something.


    I said, "Don''t be nervous. If you have something to say, just say it. Don


    ''t hesitate."


    Wang Ang seemed to have made up his mind, and then he said, "He has a girlfriend, also from our school." But when he left, he didn''t mention his girlfriend. "


    When the grade director heard this, his face suddenly turned red, a little annoyed: "Wang Ang, you young man, why didn''t you tell me this information earlier? This Lu Xiangyang doesn''t know where he went. Why is this child still in love? "


    Wang Ang submissively looked at the grade director.


    I waved my hand and said, "What is her girlfriend''s name? Do you know about it?"


    Wang Ang shook his head gently, looked at us and said, "I don''t know about this. Why don''t you ask her? She and we are also in the same ss, called Li Xiaojuan. Otherwise, you can ask. "


    I looked at the grade director and said, "You heard it all."


    The grade director shrugged and called the former teacher again.


    After a while, a girl also walked into the office.


    Looking at this girl''s appearance, it is also quite trendy. She drew an alternative pattern on the school uniform, which looks very strange. Seeing this, the grade director couldn''t help it: "I said, Li Xiaojuan, what''s wrong with your school uniform? Did the school give you a school uniform that asked you to draw patterns on it? "


    Li Xiaojuan''s personality is much hotter than Wang Ani''s, and she retorted: "Why can''t I draw things on my school uniform?"


    The grade director wanted to say something. I immediately waved my hand to stop it, but asked, "Li Xiaojuan, don''t you know that your partner is missing?"


    "I know." Li Xiaojuan sat next to Wang Ang and said slowly, "How can I not know as her girlfriend, but if you ask me about this, I don''t know." When Lu Xiangyang left, she said, "He told me to go to the south to do things, but he didn''t tell me what to do."


    Zhao Mingkun looked at Li Xiaojuan and asked deliberately, "Aren''t you afraid that he is going out to find a little girl?"


    Li Xiaojuan snorted coldly and said, "How dare he? Besides, how are our daughters involved in the matter of the gentlemen? If he dares to go out and mess around, I can''t spare him. "


    Li Xiaojuan''s remarks were full of anger, and the angry grade director''s face turned green. He pointed at Li Xiaojuan for a long time and was speechless. For this kind of girl who dares to love and hate, it is much easier to ask than Wang Ani, who can''t kick a fart with three legs.


    I continued, "Then I didn''t reveal anything to you at all."


    Li Xiaojuan thought for a moment and said, "I didn''t say anything. Anyway, I said that I wanted revenge. As for what it was, I didn''t ask. But he also said that it might take a long time toe back. I thought he had told his family. It was over, but looking at it now, he didn''t say it. "


    "However," Li Xiaojuan said slowly, "I think he has something very important."


    Revenge is the word used in Lu Xiangyang''s body. If it wasn''t for his sister''s revenge, I really don''t know what else Lu Xiangyang would have done. And Lu Xiangyang''s tone seemed to be very tight, neither with his best friend nor with his girlfriend. He didn''t say what he was going to do.


    "What kind of character does Lu Xiangyang usually have?" I looked at Li Xiaojuan and asked, "Do you usually like to talk?"


    Li Xiaojuan shook her head: "He belongs to yes."


    The kind of person who usually doesn''t like to talk, the gentleman should be like this: don''t talk about the little things, and make the decisions for the big things. This is the gentleman. Unlike some people who chat every day, like sparrows outside the window, talking on the poles.


    This is obviously aimed at the grade director. Li Xiaojuan''s character is really unforgiving.


    The grade director''s hair was almost standing up, and he said, "Li Xiaojuan, call your parents tomorrow!"


    Li Xiaojuan shrugged and said that it didn''t matter. Suddenly, Li Xiaojuan seemed to remember something and said, "By the way, more than a month ago, he seemed to have booked the tickets on his mobile phone. If you want to go to the south, it should be the ticket you bought at that time. "


    Having said that, Li Xiaojuan took out her mobile phone.


    The grade director pointed at Li Xiaojuan: "You still bring your mobile phone to school. Don''t you know that our school doesn''t allow you to bring mobile phones?"


    Li Xiaojuan ignored it and opened the ticket purchase app. In a moment, after entering Lu Xiangyang''s ID card, the ticket purchase record was disyed in a moment. It was indeed a train ticket for Nanfang Station. It''s just that I don''t know if Lu Xiangyang took this train. If we were really police, we could go to the Ministry of Railways to investigate the records, but now, this is definitely impossible.


    ording to the murderer''s elusive method and his rigorous method, it is not impossible to use a fake ticket as a cover. However, is Lu Xiangyang really doing these things?


    Can a seventeen-year-old boy do something we have never heard of before? Moreover, who killed Lu Zhiqiu seven years ago? Those thirteen people definitely couldn''t have all participated in the killing of Lu Zhiqiu. If the murderer could find the murderer seven years ago before the murderer killed thirteen people, Then, the murderer who came back for revenge may also give up.


    However, Zhao Mingkun and I have no way to go outside of Dongxing City to investigate this matter. If it can be proved that Lu Xiangyang has indeed gone to the southern city, it at least shows that Lu Xiangyang is not the murderer. Sometimes, truth-seeking is as important as trial and error.


    But where to go?


    Gu Chen! I immediately thought of Gu Chen. Gu Chen is now an unemployed vagabond. It would be more appropriate to leave this matter to Gu Chen to investigate.


    "That''s it." I looked at Li Xiaojuan and said, "If your little boyfriend contacts you, remember to tell us."


    After thinking for a while, I said, "I''ll leave you a QQ number."


    Saying that, I told her Gu Chen''s QQ number.


    "Understood, I''ll go back if I have nothing to do." Li Xiaojuan nodded.


    But when Li Xiaojuan turned her head, I finally saw the pattern on the back of her school uniform. The patterns on the front and back were finally connected into a whole. From the front of the school uniform, it was the head of a beautiful woman, but when you looked at the back of her uniform, it was the upper body of a woman. Between the upper body and the head, there is a long neck that goes around one side of her waist.


    This suddenly reminded me of the huge human face I saw in Luo Ding''s house, which seemed to be simr to this pattern.


    "What is this pattern painted on your clothes?" I asked.


    Li Xiaojuan wrinkled and said casually, "This is what Lu Xiangyang drew for me." He usually likes to study these strange things. "

 Chapter 270: The Dead Xing Yafang

    Chapter 270: The Dead Xing Yafang


    After hearing my words, everyone''s attention was focused on the pattern of Li Xiaojuan''s school uniform. Before, I only thought that the pattern on Li Xiaojuan''s body was very strange, but I didn''t see what it was. But when Li Xiaojuan turned her back to me, I suddenly felt that this thing was very simr to the shadow we saw in Luo Ding''s house before.


    The face in front isrger than that of a normal person, but the body is very small, and it looks like a big head is growing on the torso of a small person.


    Out of curiosity, I asked, "Really? But what is this? "


    Li Xiaojuan shook her head and said, "I don''t know. I just thought this thing looked very powerful, so I asked my boyfriend to draw it."


    At this time, Wang Ang, who had always seemed to be somewhat submissive, said: "This is called Feitouman, and it is a monster in the legend of ghosts and gods in our country. The monster like Feitouman is an ordinary human during the day, and all that''s a woman. At night, the flying headman''s head will fly away from the body and go around scaring people. "


    Seeing us looking at him with great interest, Wang Ang seemed to have finally found confidence in a field he was familiar with, and he continued: "A flying headman is a thing with low mana, and its head is attached to the neck when it flies out. Those with high mana can get out of the neck, go out every night, ande back at dawn the next day."


    I asked, "Can this kind of thing pass through ss?"


    Wang Ang shook his head and said, "If it reaches this point, it''s amazing! Even if you see the general flying headman is not very powerful, even if you see it at night, don''t panic. After all, she only has one head, and you still have hands and feet. Ah, just kick it away. But if she reaches the stage of transformation, no one can stop her if she wants to kill anyone and go wherever she goes. " I don''t know if it''


    s true or false. It''s so mysterious. Howe no one has seen it?" Li Xiaojuan was stunned by this.


    To be honest, if I hadn''t seen that huge human face that shed by at Luo Ding''s house, Then, when confronted with this bizarre conversation, I may regard it as a conversation after dinner. But until the matter is investigated clearly, I dare not make certain inferences about the murderer''s killing methods.


    Seeing that Li Xiaojuan didn''t believe in himself, Wang Ang was a little anxious: "Why no one saw it? It''s just that people said they saw it, but you don''t believe it." If you have time to see the unidentified creatures, there are many such posts in there to prove the flying head Barbarians do exist. In some parts of Southeast Asia, there are still people who use the method of raising ghosts to raise flying-headed barbarians. "


    It seems that Wang Ang has done a lot of research on these things. He has already talked about his enthusiasm at this moment, and he is eloquent. It seems that there are no people with low self-esteem in this world. In a specific field, everyone can always find their own self-confidence.


    Wang Ang gently wiped the saliva from his mouth, and then said again: "Actually, in the earliest days, Feitouman was not a kind of monster. It was recorded in Sou Shen Ji that during the Three Kingdoms period, Wu Tau Man was not a kind of monster. At that time, Zhu Huan, the general of the country, epted a maid. This maid was no different from ordinary people during the day, but one night, Zhu Huan discovered the abnormality of this maid. Zhu Huan woke up that night and found that the maid beside him did not head. "


    The next morning, Zhu Huan thought he was dreaming, but he also had a new mind. One day


    , the head of the maid flew out again, and Zhu Huan understood it this time. But Zhu Huan found that the body of his maid still had breath, and she did not die because of the departure of the head. But no matter how you moved the body, it didn''t respond. "


    "At that time, some people thought that this woman was unknown and wanted to kill her. But Zhu Huan stopped him. After all, the maid had only been with him for a short time, and she never meant to harm her, so she did not kill her. The next morning, At that time, the head of the handmaiden really flew back from the skylight. "


    At this time, Zhu Huan suddenly had an idea and covered the maid''s body with a quilt. The head couldn''t fly to his neck, and he spun around the bed in a hurry. Seeing that the sky was getting brighter and brighter, the woman''s head seemed to be I lost my strength and fell to the ground. "


    "This head on the ground is sighing and crying again, and it looks like he will die soon. Zhu Huan quickly pulled the quilt away, the head saw his neck, and flew up with all his strength, and it didn''t take long. connected to the body. In a moment, the maid returned to normal. ""


    The maid then told the whole story. It turns out that she is a member of the Baiyue Luotou n. People of the Luotou n have a characteristic; that is, at night, their heads will fly out by themselves, but they have no intention of harming others. Although the people of the Luotou n do not harm others, they are different from normal people, so Zhu Huan still gave the maid some trouble and told her to go elsewhere. "


    I shrugged and said, "That is to say, the people of the Fallen n are conscious, and they are not ghosts."


    Wang Ang continued, "I haven''t finished speaking yet. After listening to thetter, you will understand. "


    "Wu State had been expanding for a long time, and Zhu Huan had also begun to lead his army south. At this time, Zhu Huan encountered a tribe. The people of this tribe called themselves Luotou people. They were brave and good at fighting, and Zhu Huan could not attack for a long time. Later, Zhu Huan suddenly thought of his former maid, who said she was from the Luotou n. At this time, Zhu Huan had an idea in his mind. "


    In the middle of the night, Zhu Huan ordered his sergeants to take a copper basin in their hands. The soldiers were very strange. They didn''t know if they were alive or dead when they were attacked in the middle of the night. Why do they still have a copper basin in their hands? At that time, it was inconvenient to bring a copper basin. But Zhu Huan told the sergeants to rx, so the team entered the tribe in a big way."


    The Luotou people who are brave and good at fighting in the daytime are quiet at night. The sergeants are afraid of an ambush, but Zhu Huan is smiling. When they entered the military vige, everyone found that all the men and women in the n were sleeping, and there was no one. He got up. Even in the middle of the night, Zhu Huan led the crowd to buckle the copper basin in their hands around the necks of the Luotou people. "


    "The rest of the advisors suggested that Zhu Huan kill these Luotou nsmen before they woke up, but Zhu Huan waved his hand, saying that this time he would return in triumph and let all the soldiers rest on the spot. Others have the audacity to dare. He slept, but Zhu Huan slept peacefully. When it was bright that day, thousands of heads flew in from outside the stockade. At that time, the frightened sergeants threw their helmets off their armour and slept. But Zhu Huan remained calm and told everyone not to panic.


    Sure enough, those heads hovered in and out of the house, unable to fly to their necks. The sky gradually became brighter, those heads lost their strength, and fell to the ground like a hailstorm, closing their eyes and dying. In this way, Zhu Huan defeated the Luotou n without bloodshed, and the Luotou n would be


    the legend in the story.


    After hearing this story, everyone couldn''t help but sigh. But whether the story is true or false, it still sounds strange. I looked at Wang Ang and said, "You mean that Feitouman''s previous life was a member of this Luotou n?" Didn''t the Luotou n get exterminated? "


    Wang Ang nodded, shook his head again, and said, "The n was exterminated, but there were always a few fish that slipped through the. These people escaped and kept their names incognito. They hated us Han people so much that they wanted to kill us. The Han people were all ughtered. From the point of view of these Luotou people, Zhu Huan at that time was the invading army. "


    Later, some of these Luotou people fled to Southeast Asia. After learning the local witchcraft and raising ghosts, Luotou is no longer a unique ability of the Luotou people. "


    Wang Ang finally took a deep breath and told us the story.


    I said, "Is Feitouman raised by humans?"


    Wang Ang snorted and said, "As far as I know, the current flying headman is a kind of ghost raising technique. It seems that there are some conditions required to raise this kind of ghost. That is to say, when this person dies, there must be a lot of power. great resentment. And when a person dies, the head and body must be separated. Only such a ghost can be cultivated to be a flying-headed savage. " When Lu


    Zhiqiu was killed, she must have been very angry when she died. Lu Zhiqiu''s head is indeed separated from his body. Could it be that Lu Zhiqiu was made into a flying headman by Lu Xiangyang? But when Lu Zhiqiu died, Lu Xiangyang was only ten years old, and Lu Xiangyang''s parents obviously did not tell Lu Xiangyang that Lu Zhiqiu was killed. Then, how could Lu Zhiqiu be turned into a flying headman?


    I asked: "I have a question if this dead man meets all your conditions but has been dead for seven years." Then, is it still possible to be a flying headman now? "


    Wang Ang nodded and said, "That''s for sure. People who die in vain can''t be reincarnated." These ghosts linger in the world and are found by people who know how to raise ghosts. Flying head savagery. And the more serious the ghost, the more powerful the ability, and the greater the harm! "


    Although I don''t believe many of the things Wang Ang told, this incident is also a bit too coincidental. Could it be that Lu Xiangyang really mastered the secret techniques of Nanyang, and could make a flying headman by himself, and then let his sister kill the thirteen people from that year by herself?


    I looked at Wang Ang and asked, "Where do these thingse from?"


    Wang Ang smiled and said, "I''ve seen it all since I was a child." The reason why I have a good rtionship with Lu Xiangyang is that we havemon hobbies. Usually, Lu Xiangyang likes to study these things with me. A lot of spiritual magazines have covered it, but I don''t know exactly how to raise a ghost and how to be a flying-headed savage. "


    Having said this, Wang Ang sighed and said, "If only Lu Xiangyang was here. He is more daring than me, and he dares to y some psychic games by himself at normal times, and he also tries to raise little ghosts by himself." If it was him, he would definitely give you more ways. But now, he doesn''t know what to do.


    I shrugged. I didn''te here to find Lu Xiangyang. If he knew where Lu Xiangyang was, he probably wouldn''t have needed him.


    Lu Xiangyang, where did you go?

 Chapter 271: Luo Ding Notebook

    Chapter 271: Luo Ding Notebook


    Wang Ang and Li Xiaojuan have no new information to share with us. Zhao Mingkun and I didn''t dare stay in one ce for too long. All we left for Li Xiaojuan and Wang Ang was Gu Chen''s QQ ount. Even if we had been here, Xiao Liu would only find Gu Chen in the end. There, and there is no evidence, Xiao Liu naturally can''t do anything to Gu Chen.


    But since that''s the case, it''s not bad for Gu Chen to be one of us who can normallymunicate with the outside world. However, you must set a set of passwords, otherwise, if there are special circumstances, they will still be easily exposed.


    Thinking of this, I quickly called Gu Chen. On the phone, Gu Chen and I discussed the password. I told Gu Chen to let him take the time to check Lu Xiangyang''s movements and see if he went to that southern city two weeks ago.


    At the same time, Gu Chen told me that the line about Guan Zengbin is already a bit of a mystery, but it is still uncertain and it will take time. After Guan Zengbin left, someone once bought a few old clothes for others for a few hundred yuan from a family in Xingdong Vige. At that time, the aunt was still wondering if there were such good things in the world.


    When we went to the underground space before, the weather was warm and cold at that time, and the cotton wool coat, long clothes, long pants, etc. that Guan Zengbin was wearing were neatly folded and ced in the corner of the room. If you buy someone else''s old clothes at a price of a few hundred and they are not from Xingdong Vige, then there are only multiple personalities like Li Ai, the Wu Zui gang, and our police.


    And Li Ai was still imprisoned by us, so the people who bought the clothes could only be Wu Zui''s gang. But how did Wu Zui and the others leave Xingdong Vige with Guan Zengbin when they set up multiple cards and no one found out? What did they do after leaving Xingdong Vige?


    However, in the current situation, since Wu Zui has not revealed his ns, it means that Guan Zengbin is still safe at the moment. It''s just that our speed has to speed up. If Wu Zui doesn''t make a move, he has definitely figured out the way out. If you don''t know Wu Zui''s n before that, I''m afraid it will be difficult to stop him.


    After chatting briefly with Gu Chen, I hung up the phone.


    Zhao Mingkun said, "Did you see that the murderer is killing people at a very fast rate? Almost as soon as he has a kung fu, he starts killing people." In just one day, the murderer has already killed two people. If at this speed, these thirteen people are not enough to kill in a week. "


    I nodded and said, "But the problem now is, you know that the murderer will kill, and it is in these thirteen people, but what can we do now? I think if there are smart people here, I will leave Dongxing City and live in other cities. "


    Zhao Mingkun suddenly looked at me with deep eyes. From her eyes, I seemed to see a lot of things.


    After a while, Zhao Mingkun burst outughing and said, "Do you remember that in the Royal Garden Hotel, thirteen of them suspected each other of being a murderer?"


    "Remember? How could I forget?" I nodded.


    Zhao Mingkun smiled at me and said, "These people have their own jobs in Dongxing City. I looked carefully. Although some people became rich, they were also professional managers, often in their own industries. They work and live in Dongxing City. For money or for power, they won''t leave. "


    I did not speak.


    Zhao Mingkun continued, "Dongxing City is a bright and beautiful city on the outside, but in fact, there are e scars on the inside. How many people flock to this city like locusts, believing it to be thergest and best city in China, only to discover that the morous lives of those at the top are piled up drop by drop of their blood.


    "So." Zhao Mingkun said, "I quite like it here. Just like these thirteen people, it''s impossible for them to start over elsewhere. As long as you are ruthless, you can always win in Dongxing City.


    I shrugged, but I couldn''t agree with Zhao Mingkun''s words.


    "Then." Zhao Mingkun asked me again, "Who shall we go to next?"


    "Look for that silk stocking queen, Chando." I thought for a moment, and then said, "When she was in the Royal Garden Hotel, her outfit clearly wanted to find a lover. And from what she said, From the perspective of the method, there must be no tricks in Dongxing City, and the minimum rent in Dongxing City is probably 3,000 yuan. "


    Zhao Mingkun said, "Well, that''s right. As a person who came out of Dongxing University, Wang Xiduo is the worst. She is basically unemployed now. I think she must be in urgent need of a sum of money. dressed like that in the Royal Garden Hotel. Otherwise, a woman wouldn''t be able to do it. "


    I didn''t understand this point, so I hurriedly asked Zhao Mingkun and said, "What do you say?"


    Zhao Mingkun smiled, looked at me with a puzzled look, and joked: "I guess you have never even talked about love."


    When Zhao Mingkun exposed my secret, I frowned and said, "Isn''t it about Wang Xiduo? Why does it have nothing to do with me being in love or not?"


    Zhao Mingkun said, "I mean, you don''t know women. As a ssmate at the university, it is estimated that we haven''t seen each other for five years. This time, under the organisation of their guide, a lot of people finally gathered. Women are all animals who love topare, and after five years, theparison is nothing more than who has what bag, who''s husband is like, and whose son''s grades are good. "


    "Isn''t that normal?" I said.


    Zhao Mingkun said, "But what does Wang Xiduo wear? If I say something ugly, it''s no different from thedy in the nightclub. If it''s a little girl who doesn''t understand, it''s excusable, but Wang Xiduo In her thirties, no matter how well-maintained she is, she is still at this age. With a person like Wang Xiduo, do you think she will not understand this? "


    What do you mean, Wang Xiduo would rather be treated as a chicken by others and dress like this, and she always speaks with a sulky energy because she needs a sum of money? I asked.


    Zhao Mingkun nodded and said, "Yes, I''ve read the information, and she hasn''t gone to work for a long time. But what kinds of food, drink, shelter, and transportation are free of charge? She can definitely eat and drink. I guess she has no money. The rent has been paid. As long as you give her a sum of money, let alone ask her about things seven years ago, I''m afraid you can call her father. "


    When I heard this, I didn''t know why I suddenly got goosebumps, and I hurriedly said, "This is not necessarily. You have also heard that all of these thirteen people are suspected of murder. I invested with Lu Zhiqiu at that time. I heard that I was defrauded of tens of thousands of yuan. Wang Xiduo asked Lu Zhiqiu to pay back the money, but Lu Zhiqiu had no money.


    So Wang Xiduo killed Lu Zhiqiu in anger for a while to vent his anger. "


    Zhao Mingkun was silent for a while, and then said, "After listening to the words of the two old men, what kind of person do you think Lu Zhiqiu is?" Whether it is her guide or Mrs. Huang, they all say that Lu Zhiqiu is a kind-hearted child. I think Lu Zhiqiu will definitely pay it back, but it will be slower. "


    I got on the motorcycle and said to Zhao Mingkun: "This is not necessarily true. Knowing the person and the face is not knowing the heart. And many times, when people change roles, they often adopt another character. For example, children are in In front of the teacher, he is very good, but once he returns home, he is spoiled andwless. As for whether Lu Zhiqiu has another side, and what the truth is, we still don''t know. "


    "Let''s go then!" Zhao Mingkun said, "Look at that Wang Xiduo."


    I nodded, but sighed again: "People always say the truth is simple, but the truth is definitely not simple. The lies wrapped around the outside are simple, and the truth is often the mostplicated and bizarre. Yes. What do you say? "


    Zhao Mingkun did not answer me.


    Shaking my head, I took out Luo Ding''s notebook from my body. Fromst night to noon, Zhao Mingkun and I were not idle at all, and I never had a chance to look at Luo Ding''s notebook. Well, now I can finally spare a little time on the road to see what Luo Ding has recorded.


    When I carefully read the contents of Luo Ding''s notebook, the more I looked down, the more I felt that this matter had be moreplicated. All of Lu Zhiqiu''s affairs were densely recorded in Luo Ding''s notebook. Judging from the earliest time, it was two weeks ago.


    Two weeks ago, Luo Ding began to encounter supernatural phenomena. He had almost no doubt that it was Lu Zhiqiu''s ghost who came back for revenge. Because of one thing recorded in Luo Ding''s notebook, Luo Ding felt that he had seen the murderer.


    Luo Ding recorded the original situation in detail in his notebook. When he was in the hotel, Luo Ding had actually determined that the original murderer was there, but he had no actual evidence and was afraid that the murderer would kill him if he spoke out.


    Luo Ding thought that the most suspicious person was not Xing Yafang, whom he used, but another person, Wang Yikai.


    Luo Ding invited Lu Zhiqiu to the construction site behind, and Lu Zhiqiu agreed. Luo Ding was going to return Lu Zhiqiu''s underwear and hoped that Lu Zhiqiu would forgive him. Moreover, Luo Ding had one of the most important secrets to tell Lu Zhiqiu.


    Seeing Luo Ding''s sincere confession, Lu Zhiqiu forgave Luo Ding. Just as Luo Ding was about to reveal the secret, he saw someone from a distance. This person is none other than Wang Yikai.


    Luo Ding was startled; he never thought that Wang Yikai woulde. Because Luo Ding''s secret is about Wang Yikai, Seeing Wang Yikaiing, Luo Ding felt that the matter seemed exposed, so he left quickly. Then, Lu Zhiqiu didn''te back overnight, and the next day, someone found Lu Zhiqiu''s body.


    Luo Ding naturally believed that Wang Yikai was the one who killed Lu Zhiqiu.


    He clearly knew the truth, but he was afraid to say it and be destroyed. So for seven years, Luo Ding has been living under this dual pressure of guilt and fear.


    Back then, the reason Luo Ding wanted to sneak into the girls'' dormitory to steal Lu Zhiqiu''s underwear was because Wang Yikai gave him 1,000 yuan to do so.

 Chapter 272: Circle Clues

    Chapter 272: Circle Clues


    From Luo Ding''s notes, it can be seen that when Luo Ding wrote these words, he wrote them in a random manner. And the fonts are dazzling. I have to read each word ording to the context, so that I can understand the word. And as a college student at Dongxing University, not a doctor, this word is a bit sorry for the name of Dongxing University.


    However, it can be seen from Luo Ding''s notes that Luo Ding was under great pressure when he wrote these words. Fearing that he would die soon, he hastily recorded what he knew.


    Luo Ding is a good otaku, but not a perverted dead otaku. Luo Ding knew that it was impossible for Lu Zhiqiu to take a fancy to him. From Luo Ding''s character, it can be seen that Luo Ding is a very timid person, and he would not dare let him steal underwear by himself.


    When he was in college, Luo Ding was addicted to yingputer games. At that time, he had to charge the card. Luo Ding took half of the tuition fee he paid. Seeing that the deadline was approaching, Luo Ding borrowed from left to right to pay back half of it. five hundred. At this time, Wang Yikai found out about this and reached a deal with Luo Ding.


    At that time, it happened to be the second half of the senior year, and the school organised an internship, so Wang Yikai, as the monitor, took Luo Ding too. That''s what happened when Luo Ding went to the girls'' dormitory and stole Lu Zhiqiu''s underwear. It was a coincidence that Xing Yafang saw it on the spot. Luo Ding was frightened and ran away with his underwear.


    Wang Yikai saw that Luo Ding''s sess was not enough and his failure was more than failure, so he scolded Luo Ding fiercely, but he still gave him one thousand as a hush money for this matter, and asked Luo Ding to return it quickly.


    Luo Ding made an appointment with Lu Zhiqiu that night, and Lu Zhiqiu was also considering this matter, so he went to the appointment. After thinking about it, Luo Ding felt that he should tell Lu Zhiqiu the truth about this matter. After all, Wang Yikai was madly pursuing Lu Zhiqiu at the beginning, but if he seeded, he didn''t know what Wang Yikai would do.


    But Luo Ding was about to speak when he saw Yingyingchaochuo walking over alone. Luo Ding looked from a distance, and it turned out to be Wang Yikai. Luo Ding felt a little embarrassed and left quickly.


    Luo Ding didn''t know when Wang Yikai came back, but the next day, Lu Zhiqiu died.


    This made Luo Ding think that Wang Yikai must have done it, but the police didn''t have any evidence, so Luo Ding didn''t dare to talk nonsense. He was afraid that before the police could find out, Wang Yikai would kill him too. After all, Lu Zhiqiu died so tragically at that time, but Luo Ding saw the body with his own eyes.


    Luo Ding said in his notes that Wang Yikai looked normal on the surface, but he was aplete pervert on the inside. Before Wang Yikai asked Luo Ding to return the underwear to Lu Zhiqiu, he did not forget to smell the smell on it, and then looked satisfied. It was this move that made Luo Ding feel that Wang Yikai would definitely kill him.


    "If you can''t get it, you will destroy her." I shook my head and said slowly.


    "What?" Zhao Mingkun asked after hearing my words.


    I put my head close to Zhao Mingkun''s ear and said, "In Luo Ding''s notes, I think Wang Yikai is the real murderer. It turned out that Luo Ding stole underwear and pants, all of which were ordered by Wang Yikai. Later, Luo Ding asked Lu Zhiqiu to meet him halfway through. When Wang Yikai went, Luo Ding went. The next day, Lu Zhiqiu died.


    "Wang Yikai will kill if he can''t pursue it." Zhao Mingkun said.


    I noddedand


    said: "Luo Ding''s guess in his notes was that Wang Yikai should have confessed to Lu Zhiqiu by drinking alcohol that night. But Lu Zhiqiu was still in love with Hu Pei at the time, so he didn''t agree. As a result, the more Wang Yikai thought about it, the more angry he became. When Lu Zhiqiu turned to leave, he picked up a brick and killed Lu Zhiqiu. "


    "What about the murder weapon that split the corpse?" Zhao Mingkun asked again.


    I was silent for a moment and said, "I thought the murderer had premeditated murder, but from the traces, the murderer should havemitted murder. The tool used for dismembering the body was probably a trowel, which can be seen everywhere on the construction site. There were no fingerprints. The murderer may have been wearing gloves, and that kind of stuff can be found everywhere on construction sites. "


    I patted Zhao Mingkun on the shoulder and said, "It seems very likely that these three things can be seen everywhere on the construction site." If you n to murder someone, you must have a n in advance. "


    "That''s natural." Zhao Mingkun said.


    I nodded. "But from our analysis, we haven''t prepared. If that''s the case, then Hu Pei and Liu Ruijie probably didn''t kill anyone. If they wanted to kill someone, they should have had a n, and they wouldn''t just follow suit. Find the murder weapon on the construction site. "


    "If it weren''t for the two of them." Zhao Mingkun looked at me from the rearview mirror: "I need to find out where Liu Ruijie''s half a million came from." Who took the one million insurance amount? "


    Having said this, I felt something was wrong: "But you said, if it wasn''t for Hu Pei, why would Hu Pei be so scared? How could Hu Pei be frightened to death? From this point of view, I feel that it is really a little bit. suspicious. And from Jiang Xiaochun''s performance, there are also problems. "


    After all, I shook my head secretly.


    The current clue is like a circle. No matter which point we go from and analyze, we will eventually return to the original point, or it can make sense at which point we stop. In this way, Hu Pei and Liu Ruijie''s suspicions have not been dispelled, but there is another suspect, Wang Yikai.


    People who are about to die are also good at their words, and Luo Ding has absolutely no need to nder a ssmate who has not been in contact with him for seven years when he feels that he is about to die. If what Luo Ding said is true, will Wang Yikai be the murderer?


    When we were at the Royal Garden Hotel, Wang Yikai always looked at us unpleasantly. This kind of hate, will it be mixed with blood?


    Zhao Mingkun was silent for a long time, and then said, "But among these thirteen people, although there are all suspects, there are always some who are more suspicious and some who are less suspicious." You can list them in order, and we will find people in this order to understand the situation. What do you think? "


    "You have a good idea." I snapped my fingers.


    Luo Ding is definitely not suspected, but unfortunately, if the murderer saw this notebook in advance, Luo Ding might not be frightened to death. Now the most suspect is Wang Yikai, and the dead Liu Ruijiees down. Like Hu Pei, the rest are simr, but the three people in Wang Yikai''s dormitory are the least suspects: Zhang Yifa, Cheng Lu, and Sun Shouwang. "


    After a pause, I continued: "Wang Yikai was chasing Lv Zhiqiu, and his roommates probably wouldn''t go after Lv Zhiqiu again. At that time, Wang Yikai drank too much, and said something about raping Lu Zhiqiu, killing Lu Zhiqiu, etc. I think the other three people are just agreeing; there is no other meaning, and it is unlikely that they really want to do this. "


    This time, Zhao Mingkun used my words to refute me: "This is not necessarily the case. Knowing the person and knowing the face, but not the heart. Although Wang Yikai is pursuing Lv Zhiqiu, it is difficult to guarantee that the other three people will not be moved when they see Lv Zhiqiu. If even Wang Yikai is chasing after him, If they don''t, the three of them won''t be able to catch up, so if they don''t do it, they''ll just shoot to death. "


    "But Lu Zhiqiu''s clothes haven''t been torn." I said, "It means that Lu Zhiqiu was not raped." If you really want to get Lu Zhiqiu, wouldn''t you rape her before killing her? "


    Zhao Mingkun shook his head and said, "I''ll tell you a story about Wu Zui''s childhood. When Wu Zui was seven or eight years old, he liked other people''s remote-controlled racing cars. So he wanted children to lend him money to y, but the children wouldn''t. So, once after the children left, Wu Zui smashed the racing car and threw it into the backyard. "


    I didn''t realise that Wu Zui''s character was already distorted at this time. I asked him if he didn''t take the opportunity to y race. " Zhao Mingkun said slowly, "Wu Zui said that if he wants to y, he will definitely send out a motor." The sound was so obvious that it would definitely expose him. So he just smashed the car secretly and threw it away. In the end, no one knew who smashed the car. "


    "If you want to rape Lu Zhiqiu, strong resistance may attract others." Zhao Mingkun said, "So it''s better to be quiet and smash her in one fell swoop." From now on, no one can y. "


    After listening to Zhao Mingkun''s words, I was silent for a long time. If you can''t get it, others don''t want to get it either, so how dark a person''s heart must be! I''m afraid this is the worst part of human nature.


    I said helplessly: "Then what is the order? In other words, apart from Luo Ding''s suspicion, the others are quite suspicious. Apart from Luo Ding, plus Liu Ruijie and Hu Pei, there are 14 people in total. There is suspicion. And now that we don''t have any physical evidence, we can only rely on witnesses to investigate. The only clues that can be determined are a few photos of the corpse. I don''t know, after the murderer killed the remaining eleven people, could we find out the truth about seven years ago. "


    Hearing my tone, Zhao Mingkun was a little pessimistic and said, "If the truth is so easy to find, then it won''t be called the truth." At least it proves that Luo Ding didn''t kill the person. It can be ruled out that one is the other. Let''s hurry up. At Wang Xiduo''s house, you are going to ask if Wang Xiduo killed someone seven years ago.


    "It doesn''t look like it." I said, "Looking at Wang Xiduo''s appearance, she doesn''t seem to believe that the murderer will kill her at all, which shows that she should not be very afraid. However, we also know the character of the murderer. Now, I''d rather kill a hundred by mistake than let go of one. "


    Now we are attacking from both ends. Zhao Mingkun and I are going to investigate the matter seven years ago, and Gu Chen is going to investigate the matter of Lu Xiangyang. And no matter which side gets the result, it can prevent the murderer from killing fewer people. Although these dozen or so people may all feel that Lu Zhiqiu''s death is good for them, they may even hope that Lu Zhiqiu can die sooner.


    But the murderer can''t be the whole thirteen people after all. Just because one person wants others to die, doesn''t mean he can''t kill this person, right? Before the crime ismitted, just thinking about it, these people are innocent. They are immoral, but they are not illegal.


    I don''t know what kind of story this Wang Xiduo will tell us. Who is the real murderer in her story?

 Chapter 273:

    Chapter 273:


    Although Wang Xiduo has no money, she lives in a high-end residential area in the centre of Dongxing City. The security guards in themunity were very alert. When they saw using in, they stepped forward to ask about the purpose of our visit. The security guard is a young man, about eighteen to nine years old. I showed him my police officer ID and told him I was on a secret mission, and thed believed it without a doubt.


    Fortunately, when we came to Wang Xiduo''s house, the previous two situations did not ur. Wang Xiduo stood in front of us well. The murderer did not kill Wang Xiduo one step earlier this time. But when she saw us, Wang Xiduo''s smiling face was obviously gloomy.


    Obviously, Wang Xiduo did not wee our arrival, and her smiling cheeks also told us that Wang Xiduo seemed to be waiting for someone toe.


    Wang Xiduo rolled her eyes at me and said, "It''s you. What''s the matter today? You''ve all been summoned?"


    I looked at Wang Xiduo. She was wearing only one pair of pyjamas at the moment, but she had makeup on her face. After thinking for a moment, I was afraid that I might think that Wang Xiduo seemed to be waiting for someone to pick her up. I don''t know if it was the gold owner who hooked up with the Royal Garden Hotel.


    I walked into the house and found that both the furniture and decorations were rtively high-end. Judging from the pyjamas worn by Wang Xiduo, they are also rtively high-end. And this shows that Wang Xiduo''s expenses are still quiterge. It seems that she is the kind of woman who enjoys life more.


    Seeing me walking in, Wang Xiduo had an irritated expression on her face. She sat on the sofa, picked up a carton of milk, and said while unpacking, "I said two, and she even ran to me on purpose. I''m here. Didn''t make it clear in the hotel, Do you think I would kill for tens of thousands of yuan? Seven years ago, my family was poor. Just thinking about it, I could not get the money to kill Lu Zhiqiu. Why should I do this? Besides, it was in my junior year. If I really wanted to kill people, I''m afraid I would have done it already. "


    Zhao Mingkun seemed to dislike this Wang Xiduo very much, and retorted: "Some people dare to kill for a few tens of dors, and it''s tens of thousands of dors seven or eight years ago." Those tens of thousands are probably the ie of a family for several years. And I heard that you don''t seem to have a good rtionship with Lu Zhiqiu, don''t you? "


    While speaking, I looked at the expression on Wang Xiduo''s face, hoping to see something from Wang Xiduo''s micro-expression.


    Wang Xiduo frowned and said quickly, "Yes, I don''t have a good rtionship with her. She is like a white lotus, surrounded by many stinky men. But in fact, she is a green tea bitch. Deliberately pretending to be like that, who are you deceiving? "


    "Then you dare to invest in her?" I said, with a smile, "You are also clear about public and private."


    Wang Xiduo snorted coldly and said, "It''s not as good as she said at the beginning, but in the end, I lost all my money that I was cheated on. She said she could pay it back, and she did pay it back every month. Some! But in the blink of an eye, she appeared to be dying every day, which made those men care. Who knows, maybe she took the money and pretended to be on purpose? What''s more angry is that Yang Licheng, who didn''t want her! It really pissed me off. "


    Yang Licheng also invested with Lu Zhiqiu at the beginning and was also deceived. And if Yang Licheng didn''t want Lu Zhiqiu to pay back the money, then Yang Licheng probably wouldn''t have killed anyone. However, it is difficult to guarantee that Yang Licheng will not make any illegal demands because of this, but Lu Zhiqiu refused.


    Looking at Wang Xiduo''s appearance, there was no fear or worry at all, as if she was not afraid that Lu Zhiqiu woulde back for revenge. Then, in the hotel, he was afraid to cry, so he probably pretended to let the man take him home.


    I said, "You were also an intern at that construction site, so do you know what happened that night?"


    When I asked this, it was obvious that she was dodging a little, which meant that she was avoiding this question subconsciously.


    You''d better tell the truth. I said, seriously: "To tell you the truth, Luo Ding is dead. You are a smart woman and know what it means. The murderer will not sit down and talk to you as politely as we are. As long as the incident seven years ago is not found out, the murderer will not let it go. Do you think your rhetoric is useful to the murderer?"


    Hearing my words, Wang Xiduo raised her voice and said meanly: "Yo, what did you say? Didn''t you mean that I would die soon? I also told you that I didn''t kill anyone. Even if Lu Zhiqiu''s ghostes back, I''m not afraid.


    When a person suddenly raises the volume of their speech, many people will be intimidated by this posture. But in fact, when a person''s volume is raised and she is aggressive or even angry, this proves that she is not confident in what she says, so she wants to overwhelm others in momentum.


    "What do you know?" I said, "Why don''t you tell me? Although you didn''t do it yourself, it''s not that you didn''t do it, and you''re not the murderer. You are also from Dongxing University. Do you know the crime of covering up? "


    Just as I was about to say something, I saw a bright red glow in front of my eyes. After a closer look, I realised that there was a stack of Grandpa Mao in front of me.


    Immediately afterwards, Zhao Mingkun said, "We don''t talk nonsense with you anymore. What did you know seven years ago? Tell me everything you know, and this is yours. We are all women. I can see that you recently Are you short on money to spend? How about it? "


    Wang Xiduo''s face changed, and she said angrily, "Are you insulting me?"


    Zhao Mingkun stretched out his other hand and took out a hundred yuan: "Why don''t you say it? Since it''s not the one you killed, what are you afraid of? "


    Wang Xiduo stopped talking at this time. She looked at Zhao Mingkun, and then looked at the more than 1,000 yuan in Zhao Mingkun''s hand.


    Zhao Mingkun didn''t give Wang Qianduo any time to think about it. He withdrew the two hundred yuan from his hand and said, "Do you think I will slowly withdraw them one by one?" If you want to say it, say it. If you don''t say it, I have to wish you never to be targeted by a murderer. "


    Zhao Mingkun was about to take back all the money, but at that moment, Wang Xiduo grabbed Zhao Mingkun''s hand, took all the money, and said: "Seven years ago, At night, when I went out to vomit, I saw Liang Mei had gone to the back of the construction site. "


    "Liang Mei?" I asked.


    Wang Xiduo nodded and said, "Yes, it''s Liang Mei." We both drank a lot that night. When I went out to vomit, I saw Liang Mei sneaking to the construction site by herself. That At that time, I didn''t know that Lu Zhiqiu was also on the construction site behind.


    Zhao Mingkun and I looked at each other and felt that this matter wasplicated again. In the middle of the night, Liang Mei was awake. What was she doing behind the construction site? Did Liang Mei also go see Lu Zhiqiu? Did Wang Yikai and Liang Mei meet on the road?


    Whoes first?


    Thinking of this, I said, "Do you remember what time it was? What time? "


    Wang Xiduo thought for a moment and said, "I forgot the exact time, but it should have beente at night. It''s been so long that I really can''t remember it. But I remember that I identally talked to Liang Meiter. After that night, I asked her if she was out, and she suddenly looked at me with a very cold look. "


    Wang Xiduo''s expression became a little unnatural. She touched her arm and said, "Liang Mei, she usually has the character of a little girl. She doesn''t like to talk much, and she is very gentle." But that day''s eyes were cold and cold. It''s cold, and her eyes are full of resentment. But I just asked this casually, and she became like this.


    "Tell me, is there something wrong with Liang Mei?" At that time, Wang Xiduo put the milk box on the coffee table: "At that time, there were only three ces to join the party in a ss: Liang Mei, Zhang Xue, Zhao Pingjuan, and Lu Zhiqiu." There are four in total. The four are divided into three, and one of them will definitely be wiped out. Anyway, after Lu Zhiqiu died, all three joined the party.


    After Wang Xiduo finished speaking, she looked at her watch and said, "Whether you believe it or not, that''s all I know. Although I don''t like Lu Zhiqiu, I don''t dare kill anyone. But even if Liang Mei kills, it has nothing to do with me either. I am not familiar with Liang Mei, and we are not in the same way, so she wille to kill me? "


    I shook my head and said, "It seems that you still don''t understand the current situation. It''s not that the murderer of the year is going to kill someone, but someone is going to avenge Lu Zhiqiu! He doesn''t know who the murderer is, so he simply takes all the internships from that year. Everyone is killed. The security in yourmunity is good; remember not to open the door to others casually in the future. "


    Wang Xiduo looked at her mobile phone and suddenly eximed, "It''s all this time?"


    As she said, she walked into the bedroom and said, "Okay, it''s gettingte. You can leave quickly. I have something to do in a while. I''ve said everything I could, and the reason why I didn''t say it before is that I didn''t want to cause trouble. And I don''t want this thing to get out of your mouth. You guys are trading with money, and you don''t want to spread it out, right? "


    I shrugged, looked at Zhao Mingkun, and left with Zhao Mingkun.


    On the way, I said to Zhao Mingkun: "One thing is very strange. You say, why didn''t the murderer ask someone to ask what happened back then? Who can be so ruthless? Killing thirteen chickens one after another is probably not something normal people can do. "


    Zhao Mingkun said, "I guess it''s because of convenience."


    "Because of convenience?" I asked.


    Zhao Mingkun nodded and said, "That''s right. Judging by the murderer''s method, killing people is much faster than investigating. In this way, before these people can realise what serious things have happened, they can all be killed. Investigate too slowly. "


    Although what Zhao Mingkun said makes sense, if he wants revenge, he must at least understand the object of revenge. Such an inexplicable murder is a little too urgent. In other words, does the murderer have any reason to kill as soon as possible? Is it possible that it was Lu Xiangyang who wanted to kill people as soon as possible because he was afraid that he would be suspicious after leaving for too long?


    I got on Zhao Mingkun''s motorcycle, and Zhao Mingkun said, "Let''s go. Wang Yikai is next, but so, is Wang Xiduo not suspected?"

 Chapter 274: Crazy Wang Qianduo

    Chapter 274: Crazy Wang Qianduo


    Zhao Mingkun started the motorcycle and was about to go to Wang Yikai''s house. But at that moment, Zhao Mingkun and I both heard a tragic cry. After careful identification, the cry turned out to be Wang Xiduo''s voice. Zhao Mingkun and I followed the voice, looked up, and saw Wang Xiduo in the corridor on the seventh floor, as if being chased by something, dancing and shouting.


    I quickly got off the motorcycle and looked up from a distance. It was just after one o''clock at the moment, and many people had just returned from eating out, and they all heard the continuous shouting and looked up.


    At this time, Wang Xiduo seemed to have gone crazy. She kept hitting her head against the ss between the corridors. After a while, all the ss was cracked. ording to this smashing, I am afraid that Wang Xiduo will smash the thick ss. And with every hard impact of Wang Xiduo, we can see blood stains sttered on the ss. Blood flowed down the ss, like red cracks.


    This is really crazy. I really don''t understand why Wang Xiduo would do such a crazy thing. We can see that there is no one behind Wang Xiduo, and no one is chasing her at all. Why did she do this?


    Moreover, it has not been a few minutes since we came out of her house. Why did she have nothing to do when we were at her house, but she became like this just after we came downstairs?


    I saw that Wang Xiduo was wearing clothes that were no longer pajamas. This shows that in just a few minutes after we went downstairs, Wang Xiduo had already changed into her clothes. Judging from the clothes, it is still abination of tight skirts and stockings, just like what I worest night at the Royal Garden Hotel.


    But Wang Xiduo can''t suddenly be crazy when she is wearing clothes, right?


    This was an idea that came to me almost instantly. Just when we were still stunned, the previous security guard had already arrived here. He looked at me, followed a few security guards, and rushed into the unit building. In this high-endmunity, the speed of security is already the fastest.


    But my eyes can''t leave Wang Xiduo''s action at this moment. From a distance, I could not see the expression on her face, but I could only see that she was still mming against the ss violently. At the same time as the collision, there was a scream that sounded like killing a pig, which formed a sharp contrast with Wang Xiduo''s babbling voice.


    Shards of ss have already begun to fall. The shards of ss that fell from the seventh floor suddenly burst on the ground, and the scattered small shards sputtered, causing the people around me to retreat subconsciously.


    At that moment, Wang Xiduo was leaning against the ss with both hands, mming her head violently against it. Large pieces of debris began to fall down, followed byrge drops of blood.


    At this point, someone eximed,


    With the screams of the crowd, we saw a whole piece of ss fall.


    The crackling sound of ss breaking is as loud as firecrackers set off during the Chinese New Year, and it has not dissipated in our ears for a long time. Wang Xiduo was holding the ss in her hands before, and the ss fell, and Wang Xiduo''s body also leaned forward. Her head was no longer blocked this time, and she overturned her entire body with too much force.


    At this moment, Wang Xiduo''s head rushed down, and her whole body was already sticking out of the window; only her high heels were hooked on the window sill. This is really too dangerous. With the slightest movement, Wang Xiduo will rush down like this and fall straight.


    on hard marble pavement.


    All the onlookers took a deep breath at the moment. This may be the most thrilling scene they have ever seen in their life.


    But Wang Xiduo closed her eyes and was still struggling, and it seemed that she might fall off at any time.


    Everyone held their breath, and the atmosphere did not dare toe out.


    High-heeled shoes originally have big openings, and we can all see Wang Xiduo''s feet sliding out of high-heeled shoes little by little. And at the next moment, Wang Xiduo''s feet slipped out of the high heels, and the whole person fell down.


    "Ah!" Some people in the audience screamed; some had closed their eyes, and they seemed to be able to predict Wang Xiduo''s fate.


    But at this critical moment, a hand grabbed Wang Xiduo''s foot. We saw that it was the young security guard who was there. This hand firmly grasped Wang Xiduo''s ankle, and the veins in her arm swelled up. Relying on a person''s arm alone, I want to grab and hold a person. I have experienced this feeling.


    It was a feeling that my own blood vessels were about to burst, a feeling that my arms were so numb that it didn''t seem like I was myself.


    Fortunately, the rest of the security guards also gathered around and began to reach out to pull Wang Xiduo in.


    Everyone put their hearts into their stomachs again. This time, Wang Xiduo was saved.


    But just when a security guard was about to reach out to pull Wang Xiduo, his shoulder identally touched a piece of ss still on the window. This piece of ss was on the upper frame of the window, and it was already crumbling. When it was touched by the security guard, it fell as fast as a sharp knife.


    This piece of ss smashed right into the young security guard''s wrist. The young security guard was stabbed by the sudden ss and let go of his hand subconsciously. But suddenly, he realised something, and hurried to catch Wang Xiduo again. Where is Ke Ren''s speed faster than the eleration of gravity? His hand scratched in the void, but he didn''t catch anything.


    Like a bomb dropped from the sky, Wang Xiduo fell head down. In almost the blink of an eye, Wang Xiduo fell heavily to the ground.


    A loud "click" sound followed.


    For a split second, I felt a pungent, bloody smell in the air, and then I felt my face and hands warm. I closed my eyes subconsciously, and when I opened them, I was stunned by the scene in front of me. I even forgot to reach out to wipe the stuff on my face, even though I knew it was blood.


    For a long time, the surroundings were silent, and no one could speak. The crowd is like a sculpture in the park; no one moves, no one speaks. After a minute or so, someone finally shouted loudly, terrified and hurried.


    It''s dead! It''s dead!" The aunt, with a high voice, shouted with great prating power.


    There was also a girl in her twenties who saw this situation and was so frightened that she copsed to the ground and burst into tears.


    And everyone''s body is covered with Wang Qianduo.


    Wang Xiduo''s blood, Wang Xiduo''s minced meat, and even Wang Xiduo''s internal organs.


    I couldn''t take my eyes off Wang Xiduo. No, this can no longer be called Wang Xiduo. Even so, how can this be seen as a person? This is a puddle of minced meat, not a puddle of mud.


    Wang Xiduo fell head down on the hard marble floor. Looking at it now, I can''t find where Wang Xiduo''s head is. Where it used to be the head, it''s just a t puddle of meat


    . asionally, in this bright red rotten meat, small amounts of yellow adipose tissue and white broken bones can be seen.


    Look at Wang Xiduo''s limbs. Her two arms are on both sides of her "head" at the moment, and the skin is torn apart. The bones are like giant steel needles, sticking out from the muscle and skin, standing. A palm was even directly broken and flew into the distance. Her two legs are rtively intact. At the moment, they are stuck upside down in the rotten flesh, standing upright, and the ck silk stockings on their legs even wrap around her small legs.


    Due to the voluntary reaction of the nerves, her toes were even slowly clenching, and it seemed as if Wang Xiduo was still alive.


    Her internal organs are slowly flowing out from the side of her clothes at this moment. The intestine was like a fast-moving red snake, constantly moving out along the ground. As the blood lubricated, her internal organs seemed to have life, constantly extending outward.


    The rest of the internal organs were piled on one side of her body at this moment, and they all fell into minced flesh.


    I have seen a lot of people falling from the sky. Some people fell from the seventh floor and nothing happened. Some fell from the seventh floor and broke their arms and legs. Some fell from the seventh floor and lost their lives. But no matter which one it is,pared to Wang Xiduo''s corpse, it is nothing.


    Due to human instinct, when falling, he would stretch out his arms and legs to protect himself, but Wang Xiduo closed his eyes when he fell. She had no way of estimating how far she was from the ground, and she didn''t realise that she had to stretch out her hand to block and buffer it.


    She dashed down like a bomb with a pointed tip, and it exploded on the ground.


    I don''t know what words to use to describe this tragic situation. Her head shattered directly, rib spurs protruded from her belly, and her internal organs fell heavily to the ground. These were all done at the moment Wang Xiduo fell, and at the same moment, Wang Xiduo died. Fortunately, she doesn''t have to suffer.


    But why did Wang Xiduo do this?


    Weird, really weird.


    "110,e on,e on! There is a girl whose head fell directly into her cavity! It''s too miserable,e on. " An aunt shouted with all her strength, her hands Li is holding a phone at the moment.


    I was still looking at Wang Xiduo''s body, but Zhao Mingkun, who was beside me, was pulling me violently.


    When I turned around, I saw that Zhao Mingkun had blood all over her face and even some minced meat on her head. I wiped my face and looked at Zhao Mingkun nkly.


    While pulling me out, Zhao Mingkun said, "Still standing there, don''t you die? This is the city center, and it''s almost half an hour''s drive away from the city bureau. When this happened, it must have been sent by the city bureau. Come. And the people in the city bureau, I am afraid, they all know who you and I are. Still standing here, aren''t you waiting to be caught? "


    Zhao Mingkun''s voice was very small, but I heard it all in my ears. Suddenly, I also woke up. I didn''t realise it when I came, but now I understand it too. But there are bloodstains all over our bodies, and no matter where we go, I am afraid there will be amotion. The two of us now look like we just came out of the blood pool.


    "Come on, the farther we are away, the better," Zhao Mingkun said. When the timees, we will see how to change the clothes on my body. If it is toote, it will be toote. I must not be caught. "

 Chapter 276: This is hell and this is heaven

    Chapter 276: This is hell and this is heaven


    When he came to the ground again, he found that there were no guards on it. Zhao Mingkun dragged me and hurried out a distance, then found another manhole cover and came to the sewer. The most dangerous ce is also the safest ce. They must not have thought that we went underground again. And the dark underground space is really an excellent way to escape.


    The only thing I don''t understand is that if Xiao Liu brought two more police officers, we would definitely not be able to escape, but Xiao Liu didn''t do that. He was there waiting for us, just sure that we woulde out of there. Judging from Xiao Liu''s very cautious character, this is definitely not a mistake that Xiao Liu made unintentionally.


    In other words, Xiao Liu did it on purpose. Furthermore,


    we have been confronting Xiao Liu for so long, but the police behind him did not catch up. In Zhao Mingkun''s words, this is really a bit abnormal. Thinking about it carefully, there is only one inference: it is not that these policemen can''t catch up, but that they have no intention of catching up at all.


    Then, this can only be the meaning of Xiao Liu, who has be the captain.


    What is Xiao Liu going to do? At the critical moment at the time, I couldn''t think calmly, but looking at it now, it was Xiao Liu who wanted to let us go on purpose. Otherwise, Xiao Liu could have killed Zhao Mingkun with one shot. Is it because Xiao Liu and Wu Zui colluded, so it is still useful to leave me and Zhao Mingkun?


    Because Zhao Mingkun is also the elder sister who raised Wu Zuichengren, Wu Zui makes Xiao Liu not be able to kill Zhao Mingkun, which is excusable. But what about me? If Xiao Liu was really controlled by Wu Zui, then why did Wu Zui have the opportunity to kill me over and over again but never did it?


    A great mystery hangs over all of us. And I feel that Dongxing City is already on the eve of precariousness.


    I looked at Zhao Mingkun, who was moving silently and fast beside me. At that moment, I was even a little dazed. People who were once considered enemies are now partners, and people who were once considered partners are now enemies. In the end, who else is trustworthy by my side, who has lied, and who has not lied?


    We walked around in the sewers for a long time. Zhao Mingkun can be called a living map. Although I have seen the sewer lines of Dongxing City before, I also keep it in my heart. But in the chaos, I just wanted to run away, and the sewers were so dark that I couldn''t tell the difference between east, west, north, and west, and naturally, there was no way to navigate the map to where I was.


    After several hours, Zhao Mingkun finally pointed to the manhole cover and said, "Go up, it''s absolutely safe here."


    While talking, the two of us climbed up one by one.


    I looked around, only to realise that this was actually a yard.


    Zhao Mingkun said slowly, "Have you heard of the Three Caves of the Crafty Rabbit? The owner of this bungalow has gone out of town and won''te back. I bought the house at a high price. There are clean clothes in it, but it seems that there are no men''s clothes, so you can go by yourself. Look in the closet. "


    When I came to the main room, I opened the closet and found a few pieces of clothing. They were all dusty, but at the moment I can''t be picky anymore. It would be nice to find men''s clothes. Putting on my clothes, I sat on the small steps in the yard and looked up at the sky. As the sun went down, the clouds were roasted red, which was beautiful. The cool wind blows, and the ears of those who blow are itchy.


    After experiencing such exciting things, I found that sitting and doing nothing is really afortable and convenient thing.


    Zhao Mingkun sat beside me and looked up at the sky.


    "How do you choose?" After a moment, Zhao Mingkun asked slowly.


    "What to choose?" I looked at Zhao Mingkun.


    Zhao Mingkun didn''t look at me: "If one day we rescued your little girlfriend, and she wanted you to kill me, how would you choose?" I heard from the policeman before that the reason Guan Zengbin became a policeman was to be arrested. I''m sorry. And there is no difference between arresting me and killing me, isn''t there? Once I am arrested, the death penalty is certain.


    Zhao Mingkun simplyy down, holding the back of his head with both hands as a pillow: "I killed so many people. I really couldn''t do it at the beginning. It was life, a living life. But you know, when you kill a person, the rest is nothing. Later, you think, "What is the difference between killing and chopping vegetables?"


    I have never killed anything other than children. I have killed both men and women. " Zhao Mingkun looked at me: "So Guan Zengbin wants my life to kill the people."


    I resisted saying these things: "But during the time I''ve been with you, you haven''t killed a single person. Didn''t Shi Huacheng ask you to do all those things before? If you could have a normal life, why not? Will you kill me?"


    I tried to defend Zhao Mingkun.


    Zhao Mingkun looked at me and suddenly "giggled."


    After a long while, Zhao Mingkun said, "Wu Meng, why are you so cute? I am a murderer, a real murderer. What can you do to defend me? Aren''t you the most proficient in psychology? Do you think he did not? I made up my mind. Even if Shi Huacheng asked me to kill people like this, would I really kill people?


    I have nothing to say.


    Zhao Mingkun went on to say: "Wu Meng, after living for thirty years, I have seen myself clearly, and I know who I am." I can be kind to others, but I can also be cruel to others. I donate money to poor girls, but I don''t allow others to interfere with my interests. "


    "Do you know that human beings are such contradictory things?" Zhao Mingkun closed his eyes. Both goodness and evil can be gathered in one person''s body. One thought is good, and one thought is evil. How can anyone be a good person? Who is the great viin? Human nature is always a mixture of good and evil; human nature is always like this, and it cannot be changed. "


    I agree with this point. I think I am not a good person, but not a bad person. I am just an ordinary person.


    "You''re aware," I also sighed: "At least when you are with me, you are kind."


    Hearing this, Zhao Mingkun curled his lips slightly and continued, "Between the age of 20 and 22, in order to help Shi Huacheng, I killed too many people and did too many bad things. One day, when I was five years old, I suddenly hated this kind of life. But for the sake of the little stone, I could only persevere. But now, everything is gone.


    "Little Stone?" I said, "Shi Huacheng''s daughter? What happened to herter? "


    It''s toote. Zhao Mingkun said, in an understatement that did not seem to contain the slightest emotion: "Little Stone got a rare blood cancer at a very young age, and the doctor said that she has only a few years to live. In order to treat the small stone well, Shi Huacheng got in touch with a son on the dark web about Shi Shi''s illness. The son paid the money, and Shi Huacheng established a huge criminal organization. "


    I heard Guan Zengbin tell this story once, so I said, "Tianyu Organization?"


    Zhao Mingkun nodded and said, "In the establishment of this organization, Shi Huacheng, on the one hand, in order to satisfy the desire of the sponsor, trafficked people, tortured girls, murdered, set fires, and did all kinds of evil. On the other hand, he used the money given by the sponsor to conduct human research. Shihua Chengdu method


    Check it out. And those methods are not mature. But Shi Huacheng couldn''t wait and didn''t have time, so he experimented with living people. "


    But it has failed many times. Zhao Mingkun shook his head: "At that time, the most advanced technology in the world could notpletely cure the small stone. At most, it only extended the life of the small stone for a few years. "


    I nodded.


    Zhao Mingkun recalled what happened seven years ago and said: "Since Shi Huacheng was caught by Shao Shilin himself, Xiao Shilin lived with Shao Shilin." Although Shao Shilin was also actively looking for a way to treat Xiao Shilin, Xiao Shilin''s blood cancers were still getting worse.


    A year ago, Little Stone died.


    Zhao Mingkun shed tears as she turned her head and looked at me: "After seven years, Xiao Shi still left because of leukemia." At that time, I saw Xiao Shi''s body far away, and his body was rotten. Look. You can see how painful it was for her when she died. "


    Hearing Zhao Mingkun''s words at that moment, I was also a little sad and asked, "Does Shi Huacheng know about this?"


    "I think he should know." Zhao Mingkun said, "Even if Shao Shilin hates Shi Huacheng, Xiao Shitou is still Shi Huacheng''s daughter." But it''s okay. Xiao Shishi has lived a normal life for seven years. If you follow us, I don''t know if he will be able to. Be the second Wu Zui. That''s fine; seven happy years. It''s better than following me in the east and west. "


    I looked up at the sky, not knowing what to say.


    "The criminal genius I thought was someone like Wu Zui." I said, "Shi Huacheng, it''s just for Little Stone." That''s why he changed from a policeman to a criminal. "


    Zhao Mingkun sneered at this: Don''t say those words. The people he killed also have rtives, and they all dare to grieve for their dead rtives. If you don''t want to experience life and death, let others. If you experience a life and death parting, no matter what it is, it is ultimately because of selfishness, and it is because of yourself. No matter what criminals, no matter how good and no matter how many excuses, they are criminals. "


    I heard this sentence from Team Leader Shao. But I never imagined that I would hear this from a criminal.


    "So." Zhao Mingkun looked at me seriously and said, "You have to understand that you are a policeman. If you all sympathise with criminals, who else will catch them? Love or hate can''t be a person who kills. The reason, you know, "


    Hearing these words from the mouth of a criminal, I didn''t even know how to speak.


    "It took me thirty years to figure it out." Zhao Mingkun''s voice seemed to bezy: "It''s a pity I''m afraid of death. Sometimes I think I''m just getting caught. Isn''t it just a matter of a shot? Isn''t it just a moment? What happened? But I''m still afraid, and sometimes I can''t even fall asleep. So I keep running away, running away. "


    "I am such a selfish person."


    Zhao Mingkun grabbed my neck and turned my face to her: "So, if there is a day when your little girlfriend is rescued, if she wants you to kill me, don''t hesitate. I don''t daremit suicide, and I don''t want to be caught. The process is too cumbersome. If it''s you, there''s nothing to be afraid of. Do you know, brother, Wu Meng? "


    Zhao Mingkun was so hard that I was even a little breathless when she pinched me.


    "Then why are you still investigating with me to save Guan Zengbin?" I stated.


    Zhao Mingkun let go of my neck and pointed at his heart: "This is hell, and this is heaven."

 Chapter 277:

    Chapter 277:


    My mind was in a mess, and there was no way to answer. Perhaps because I grew up in prison, I have no prejudice against criminals. And in prison, they seem to be doing well, and they also have a conscience and kindness. So I always feel that everything in the world has room for negotiation.


    But whether it is Team Leader Shao or Zhao Mingkun, they are all telling me one thing. It''s as if the thick noodles are sold out and there will be no thick noodles, and it''s as if the fish balls are sold out and there will be no fish balls. Some things are never negotiable. No matter how many times you ask, you will always get the same answer:


    "Yeah." I didn''t affirm or deny anything; just a perfunctory Zhao Mingkun.


    I wanted to stand up, but Zhao Mingkun took my hand and said to me, "Wait, look, the stars havee out."


    I lied down again and looked up at the sky. Sure enough, when night fell, the sky was already full of stars. When I was a child, I liked to lie on the roof alone and watch the stars. When I was in the mood, I would count them one by one. Only in moments like these do I forget the unhappy things and feel that everything has calmed down.


    "Have you heard of it?" Zhao Mingkun said, "When a person dies, they will turn into a star in the sky. And the more people miss you, the brighter your star will be. When no one misses you, When I die, your star will be annihted in the sea of stars. I don''t know how many stars appeared because of me. I only know that if I die, that star must be very dim. The brightest one, a star, how many people miss him. "


    I am a staunch atheist. How can I believe that the stars are made by people? But at that time, I suddenly realised that whether it is a ghost or a god, a fantasy or a fairy tale, it is all about a lonely person who tells it to another group of lonely people.


    "Yeah, then he must have done a lot of things that others will miss." I said softly.


    "Let''s go!" Zhao Mingkun stood up and said, "There is still some time now. We can still find Wang Yikai. I am afraid your police colleagues will get involved in the matter of Wang Xiduo. If they understand the situation, I''m afraid we have nothing to do. "


    At about 6:30, after talking to Wang Yikai, we confirmed that Wang Yikai was at home. At this moment, we have to find a new means of transportation, so we agreed to wait for Wang Yikai downstairs at eight o''clock. Zhao Mingkun also lived up to expectations. At seven o''clock, he walked in with another motorcycle. I really doubt if this sister has a boyfriend who produces motorcycles.


    Tonight, four people in Wang Yikai''s dormitory made an appointment to go to the leisure bath centre to do health care. Zhang Yifa, Cheng Lu, and Sun Shouwang had already gone first. Wang Yikai had to bete because he received our call. We met Wang Yikai downstairs, and Wang Yikai drove us to the leisure bath center.


    In Wang Yikai''s words, after experiencing what happenedst night, several people were a little terrified. Zhang Yifa treats guests tonight; let everyone rx. At the same time, if a few brothers get together and the yang energy is sufficient, even if a ghostes, they will not daree here easily.


    From Luo Ding''s notebook, Wang Yikai is the most suspicious one. Wang Xiduo said that Liang Mei also went to the back of the construction site. If we can figure out the order in which Wang Yikai and Liang Mei went to see Lv Zhiqiu, we can rule out the suspicion of several of them.


    Wang Yikai was driving, and I asked, "Wang Yikai, I was at the Huangjia Garden Hotel that day. Something happened.


    You don''t seem to have exined it. "


    Wang Yikai turned to look at me, who was sitting in the co-pilot''s seat, and said, "What''s the matter?" Can you remind me? "


    I took out Luo Ding''s notebook from my pocket and said, "Luo Ding''s notebook has recorded a lot of things. I think it''s not so embarrassing for you to say it yourself. But if we want to say it, then you''re passive. You know that? "


    Wang Yikai''s expression changed when he saw what was in my hand. He frowned and said, "Is this Luo Ding''s notebook?"


    "I''ll remind you a little," I said, "about stealing underwear."


    Hearing this, Wang Yikai''s hands trembled, and the car swayed from side to side. After a moment, Wang Yikai clenched the steering wheel again. He turned his head and looked at me for a long time before he said, "We are going to the bath soon." If you have nothing to do at night, you cane to my house. I will have a good talk with you about this matter. "


    Wang Yikai is very serious, and his tone is calm, which makes me a little suspicious. If Wang Yikai really did it, it''s not that he couldn''t deceive us into his house and then kill people.


    When ites to killing people, Zhao Mingkun seems to be more professional. She took out her pistol, seemingly unintentionally, and said slowly: "Oh, what did I say to myself, so I forgot to put the pistol back."


    Wang Yikai quickly shook his head and said: "I said two police officers, don''t get me wrong. Even if you gave me a hundred courage, I wouldn''t dare kill two police officers in my own home, right? Someone can prove my innocence, and I also hope that if you can catch the murderer earlier, he will not kill all thirteen people. "


    When I looked at Wang Yikai, it didn''t seem like I was lying. But before he looked at us, it seemed very unpleasant. How did Wang Yikai be so cooperative with us in just one day? "


    It''s in front. " Wang Yikai had already parked his car in the parking space outside, and then said: "The two policemen, when you get to my house, you can ask whatever you want. But my ssmates are here, so please don''t. Ask about the underwear and pants. Otherwise, I''d rather be killed by a ghost than tell you the least bit of what I know. "


    I smiled, and then I realised that Wang Yikai was concerned about this matter. ording to Zhao Mingkun''s information, Wang Yikai is a manager in a designpany, and there are usually many little girls pursuing him. Unexpectedly, in his bones, he is aplete and wretched pervert.


    "Yes." I said, "As long as you cooperate."


    "Cooperation, of course, cooperation." Wang Yikai said.


    Walking into the bath center, Wang Yikai said a room number, and a waiter led us inside. During this period, the waitress kept looking at Zhao Mingkun, as if she didn''t understand why she came to the bath centre for health care and brought a woman with her. The waiter walked to the door, knocked on the door, and said softly, "Several gentlemen, your friends are here."


    But there was no response at all.


    The waiter knocked on the door again, still very patient: "Three gentlemen, your friends are here."


    Still no response.


    Wang Yikai said, "Did theye after five o''clock?"


    The waiter nodded and said, "Yes, I brought them in."


    Wang Yikai nodded, turned around, and said to us, "They will be here at six o''clock." I have to wait for you at home, so it''s not toote. I didn''t wait for them, so naturally they couldn''t do anything about it. I''m afraid it fell


    asleep.


    With that said, Wang Yikai knocked on the door heavily and shouted, "I said, ''Lao Zhang, Lao Cheng, Lao Sun, open the door. I''m Wang Yikai." Open the door. "


    Still no response.


    Wang Yikai was also a little anxious and said, "Fuck, what are you doing in there? Miss is here, beautiful girl with big breasts!"


    After all, Wang Yikai suddenly realised that we were behind him and hurriedly shut his mouth.


    Zhao Mingkun and I looked at each other, and an ominous premonition swept through our hearts again.


    "Go in directly, don''t shout!" I said, "See if the door is locked?"


    As soon as Wang Yikai twisted the doorknob, the door creaked open. It seemed that the door was not locked. A few of us filed in and saw that there were four beds in the room, and three of them were all upied by people. The three people were all covered with white bath towels, and it seemed that they hade out of the pool without clothes, butid on the bed directly with the bath towels.


    Seeing this, Wang Yikai rushed up with a single stride. Cheng Lu was close to the door, and Wang Yikai pped Cheng Lu in the face with a p. I just heard Wang Yikai say, "I said to Lao Cheng, why did you sleep so dead? Your motherfucker isn''t dead."


    Having said that, Wang Yikai''s face changed, and his voice trembled. He shook Cheng Lu''s body violently, until the bed made a creaking sound. But Cheng Lu didn''t react at all. During the shaking process, I saw Cheng Lu''s face. It was a scarlet face. Dead!


    " Wang Yikai suddenly slumped on the ground and said, "Dead, Cheng Lu is dead."


    "Ah!" The waiter was a little girl, aged seventeen or eighteen. He heard that someone had died, and he screamed in fear.


    It''s dead! It''s dead!" The little girl also shouted.


    I hurried to Cheng Lu''s bedside and touched Cheng Lu''s body with my hands, but found that Cheng Lu''s body was cold.


    Guan Zengbin mentioned something to me before about a cold body. The cooling of the corpse is a process affected by many factors, which are rted to the age, physical condition, and cause of death of the deceased. For example, for adults and obese people, the speed of corpse cold is slower, and the body temperature of children, the elderly, and the weak drops faster.


    If the death is for some special reason, the body temperature rises after death.


    The body will cool down to room temperature in about three to five hours after the average adult dies. But Cheng Lu was only wearing a bath towel, and his body wasrgely naked, which elerated the process. Judging from Cheng Lu''s cold corpse alone, he had been dead for at least two hours.


    I immediately went to touch Cheng Lu''s face and neck, and found that his muscles had hardened. Dead bodies in these areas appear within one to three hours of death. From the corpse, the corpse spots did not form, indicating that the time of death was between two and three hours.


    Counting the time, it was not long before the three of them came to this room.


    Thinking of this, I immediately went to see the bodies of Zhang Yifa and Sun Shouwang. There was basically no difference between the two bodies and Cheng Lu''s body. This shows that the three people died at a simr time. Unfortunately, I am not a professional forensic doctor, so I can only roughly estimate the time period in hours, but there is no way to urately measure the time of death in minutes and seconds.


    But that''s enough to exin the problem.


    The shouting of the waitress attracted the security guards and many spectators at the bath center. I blocked them from the door and said, "I am the policeman, and now no one is allowed toe in!"

 Chapter 278

    Chapter 278


    All of a sudden, everyone was crowded at the door. I took out my police officer card and showed it to the waitress girl, and asked him to find the person in charge of the store. On the other hand, Zhao Mingkun and I started to conduct a simple investigation and autopsy on the three corpses.


    We took off the bath towels wrapped around the three bodies and saw that they were wearing at least one pair of underwear, so we felt relieved and ripped off the bath towels. Zhao Mingkun and I carefully observed the three corpses, but when we looked left and right, we could not see any fatal wounds on the corpses. And let alone a fatal wound, even a small wound, I didn''t see it.


    And this shows that these three people did not die from mechanical injuries.


    Mechanical injury refers to the destruction or obstruction of the structure of organs and tissues when the body is subjected to mechanical violence. The more typical ones are blunt force injuries, contusions, fractures, sharp injuries, etc., which include suicide or homicide.


    Typical non-mechanical injuries include poisoning, chemical injury, radiation injury, etc.


    In fact, to put it bluntly, this is simr to the physical attack and magic attack in the game. And these three people are not very likely to die of mechanical causes. I pried Zhang Yifa''s mouth open with my hand to observe the situation in Zhang Yifa''s mouth. If you look closely, you can see that Zhang Yifa''s tongue is blue-purple, and there are small white spots on the tongue coating. Look at Zhang Yifa''s lips again; they are scarlet.


    When I saw Cheng Lu''s body before, his face was also slightly vermilion red. I put my nose close to Zhang Yifa''s lips and sniffed gently. A faint smell of bitter almonds came over, and if you hadn''t leaned down to smell it carefully, you wouldn''t have smelled such a faint smell at all.


    I looked up and saw three water sses on the bedside tables of the three beds. There was no more water in Cheng Lu''s water cup, while Zhang Yifa and Sun Shouwang''s cups were half full. This shows that all three people drank water. I reached out and picked up the ss of water on Zhang Yifa''s bedside table, sniffed it, and sure enough, it had a faint taste of bitter almonds.


    This means that these three people actually died of cyanide poisoning.


    At this time, a middle-aged woman in her forties walked out of the crowd. She walked in with a frown and said, "What''s the matter? What happened?"


    The waiter stood in front of her timidly and said, "This is the owner of our store."


    I nodded and said, "It''s dead."


    While speaking, she also saw the three people lying on the bed, and suddenly eximed, "How did you die? What happened here? "


    I looked at the female boss and said, "Who sent these three sses of water in? The water is poisonous! Cyanide, if the amount is sufficient, can kill people in a minute! "


    While talking, the female boss looked at the waiter and said, "Did you bring this water in?"


    Under the stern questioning of the female boss, the waiter''s tears were already rolling in her eyes, and she said, "After a few guests came in, they asked me to heat a pot of water, and I did the same. They told me to go ahead and take a dip in the pool. Let me heat up the water ande in directly and put it on the table.


    Ten minutester, The little girl said, with a crying voice, "I knocked on the door and they didn''t answer, so I came in directly. They should have been taking a bath at that time, so I put the hot water on the table, took the door and walked out. At that time, I heard the three of them discussing something inside, and I couldn''t hear the buzzing! I didn''t poison it! "


    I nodded, "


    Well, you didn''t kill people, I know." After saying


    that, I pointed to a two-way sliding door in the house and said, "Is the bathroom behind this door?"


    The female boss nodded and said, "Well, they asked for a quadruple room. Our ce is different from other ces. We have a pool in our room. You can see it when youe and see.


    Having said that, the female boss went to the sliding door and pulled a door to see it. Only then did we see that there was arge pool behind the door. The pool is still steaming hot at the moment, and it seems that the water temperature in the pool is still quite high. I walked in and saw several people''s clothes still on the hangers in the room.


    The space inside is quiterge. On the wall facing the door, there is arge colour TV hanging. The entertainment appears to be quite plentiful.


    I turned to the female boss and said, "Look at the surveince. Who else has been here?"


    The female boss''s expression changed, and she pulled her face and said, "There is no surveince in our store."


    "What?" I couldn''t believe my ears. There was no surveince in such a big store.


    At this time, Wang Yikai ran over, leaned into my ear, and said, "Officer, what business does this store do? I told you before. It is because there are no cameras, so there are many customers. Ahh. That way, no one knows what you''re doing here, and no one even records that you''ve been here. "


    After hearing Wang Yikai''s exnation, I understood. In this way, if there is no evidence, whether it is the policeing to crack down on pornography, or a wifeing here to find her husband, it is easy to hide. But without a camera, things are easy to lose, and people will get into them. This has, of course, both pros and cons for the store owner.


    And we don''t know who else has been in the store, let alone who added cyanide to the water.


    When you get out of the bath, you will naturally feel thirsty due to dehydration. Perhaps the murderer saw this and poisoned the pot. The three of them never imagined that after taking a bath, the water in the pot would turn into a poison that could kill people in minutes. And the three of them drank a cup of poison without even thinking about it.


    "Can''t the door be locked?" I asked again.


    "Yes!" the female wife said, "Of course you can."


    The waiter said, "Because they wanted me in to deliver water, the door was just closed, but not locked."


    I nodded.


    From this point of view, the murderer must have known in advance that these people wereing here. Otherwise, how could the murderer think of using this method? If one of them didn''t drink water and saw something was wrong with the other, and if they were rescued in time, all three of them might not die. But after the bath, the three mouths are dry, and they will naturally drink water.


    And if we didn''t find Wang Yikai today and dyed his time here, I''m afraid Wang Yikai would be the fourth corpse lying here, just like the three corpses.


    The way a murderer kills is so simple that even a child can do it. It''s nothing more than walking in, pouring poisonous cyanide into the kettle, and the rest is waiting for them to kill themselves. And chloride, if someone who understands chemistry can configure it by himself.


    But although the words are light, if you think about it carefully, if there is no careful observation, how could the murderer know that there is no surveince here? How do you know that killing them in this way will definitely kill them?


    I looked at Wang Yikai and


    said, "Are you guys still in constant contact?"


    Wang Yikai nodded and said, "We were roommates in university, and we all stayed in Dongxing City after graduation, so we have always been in touch, and we oftene out to get together when we have nothing to do."


    Speaking of this, Wang Yikai was very sad: "We have been friends for more than ten years, but how can I think that three people will die this time?" How can I tell their family members at that time? "


    But when it came to this, Wang Yikai''s face changed and he said, "If you didn''t call me, I should be dead now."


    It seems that Wang Yikai also wants to understand this matter.


    "Do youe here often?" I asked again.


    At this time, it was the waitress who spoke up, and she said, "I have been working here for more than a year, and I have indeed seen them a few times before." However, there are three of them here, and this gentleman is not verymon to me.


    Wang Yikai waved his hand and said, "I don''te here very often. Every time Ie, I actually don''t do that. "


    I naturally understand what Wang Yikai is referring to.


    Although three people died, a clear feeling gradually emerged in my heart. This time, the three did not see anything strange and were not scared to death. This time, the three of them did not gouge out their eyes. And from this point of view, the murderer is indeed a human rather than a ghost.


    Could it be that it was daytime, and Feitouman couldn''te out to scare people, but the murderer still wanted to kill, so he used conventional methods?


    The main question now is, in the previous cases, what method did the murderer use?


    Zhao Mingkun pulled me at this time and said, "Don''t stay too long; we''ve almost finished the investigation, you know?"


    Zhao Mingkun''s words are good, but I just didn''t expect the murderer to be one step ahead of us this time. We have to investigate one by one, and the murderer doesn''t think about that at all. These three people are actually the most unsuspected, but they became what they are now because they echoed a few words of Wang Yikai''s.


    Didn''t the murderer even have a little time to investigate? If you have the time to follow others, can''t you spend a little more time figuring out the truth of the matter? Why would he care so much about the truth if the murderer still wants to avenge Lu Zhiqiu after seven years? Could it be that he didn''t want to find out who killed Lu Zhiqiu?


    Zhao Mingkun and I walked out, and I said, "The police wille to take the body away for investigation in a while. Remember not to touch anything in the house, especially the water in the pot, which is highly poisonous." Something. "Wang Yikai, pleasee with us."


    Wang Yikai nodded sharply and said, "Yes, yes!"


    He drove us to his house. In the car, Wang Yikai was shivering a little, looking very scared.


    "Dead, how many people died?" Wang Yikai finally looked back at us.


    I counted it in my heart, and then I realised that six people had already died, and in two days, thirteen people were almost half dead.


    The murderer seems to be like a perpetual motion machine and can never stop his killing heart. At this rate, it only takes five days for these thirteen people to be killed by the murderer. The problem is that we can''t find the slightest trace of the murderer, and we don''t even understand how the murderer kills.


    There is so much more to investigate.

 Chapter 279: Fetish Wang Yikai

    Chapter 279: Fetish Wang Yikai


    "Just stay at my house for one night tonight." Wang Yikai looked at us through the rearview mirror, like a helpless child: "Really, after my innocence is proved, I will talk to the board tomorrow. Apply for a business trip to another city, ande back after this matter is over. It''s really scary, a friend of ten years died in front of me like this."


    I looked at Wang Yikai and asked, "Didn''t you dislike us before?"


    Wang Yikai nodded, but admitted it very generously: "Yes, I admit this, and this is also an important reason why I want to take you home. Although I didn''t kill people, I also know that, If you want to investigate further, this matter of mine will definitely be exposed. You must understand that this is my secret."


    "What''s your secret?" I asked.


    Wang Yikai betrayed us and didn''t answer.


    And when we came to Wang Yikai''s house, when Wang Yikai opened therge wardrobe in a room that was up to the wall, Zhao Mingkun and I finally understood what Wang Yikai meant. Both Zhao Mingkun and I opened our mouths wide, and we couldn''t calm down for a long time.


    Thisrge wardrobe is full of women''s underwear, silk socks, cotton socks and so on. Judging from these underwear, it is not difficult to see that these are all worn by some people, and some of them have turned yellow and ck. Just by looking at it, you can estimate that there are more than a hundred pieces of underwear in this wardrobe.


    At this moment, I finally understood why Wang Yikai was so disgusted when he saw us.


    Wang Yikai stood in front of us and saw his whole face turn red. He even stammered: "I beg you, please don''t tell me about this matter. Otherwise, otherwise, my life will be over. I am afraid that this secret will be discovered, so I really don''t want you to intervene."


    "But now." Wang Yikai closed the cab again and locked it, and then continued: "But now six people have died, since Xing Yafang, I haven''t realized anything. But when I saw my three friends die in front of me like this, I was really, really scared."


    When death really begins to threaten oneself, people are afraid. The rtionship between him and Xing Yafang is not very good. For him, Xing Yafang''s death may be just a talk. But if we didn''te to Wang Yikai today, but chose to find someone else, then Wang Yikai would also die.


    I think Wang Yikai understands this, that''s why he looks so frightened.


    He brushed shoulders with death.


    Seeing that we didn''t answer, Wang Yikai said again, "Please don''t tell me about this!"


    Zhao Mingkun said thoughtfully, "So that''s why you don''t get married in your thirties?"


    Wang Yikai nodded and said, "I won''t hide it from you. I developed this habit when I was in my teens. At that time, I identally got a novel about stealing other people''s clothes and masturbating. Later One time, one time I imitated it. It was like opening the door to a new world, and I was out of control."


    Regarding Wang Yikai''s symptoms, it is actually a kind of sexual perversion in his heart. To be precise, Wang Yikai''s behavior is called fetish. In fact, there is another name for fetish, called fetishism. Before, most people liked to call thetter, but now, in psychology, they gradually tend to call the former.


    fetish sounds


    Like a disease, and a fetish sounds like a special fetish.


    Everyone has their own unique hobbies, some people like the smell of gasoline, some people like piercing holes in the face, for example. With the development of time, people gradually realize that if a person''s special habit does not harm society, then there is no need to correct it.


    From a psychological point of view, fetishes are generally divided into two situations. In the first case, madly like a thing, for example, someone likes oil barrels, for example, someone likes a table. This is also the case with crazy stamp collectors, for example. The second case specifically refers to the repeated collection of items used by the opposite sex under the drive of sexual desire.


    Fetishes generally begin during adolescence and are moremon in men. When men often use women''s underwear to **, a pattern simr to conditioned reflex will be formed over the years. Sexual arousal urs when a man gets a woman''s underwear, and orgasm is associated with these things.


    When it develops to a serious level, then the man will not be able to carry out normal sexual life.


    From the age of ten, if there is no one to testify and let Wang Yikai develop like this, then I am afraid that Wang Yikai''s fetish is very serious now. Today, when our society is not so tolerant, this will undoubtedly affect Wang Yikai''s life. It''s no wonder that Wang Yikai didn''t talk to his girlfriend at the age of 30. It''s no wonder that so many little girls are chasing Wang Yikai, but Wang Yikai is indifferent.


    Knowing this story, I can''t help but be unable toment on Wang Yikai''s wretchedness and pervertedness. It''s just that we don''t discriminate against such hobbies, and it''s too much to ask Luo Ding to steal it with money.


    "This is not the reason why you let Luo Ding steal underwear." I said sternly: "You said you can prove your innocence, who can prove your innocence?"


    Wang Yikai said: "Yes, that incident was indeed my fault at the time. I was very naive when I was 20 years old. But I asked Luo Ding to return the underwear that night, but I thought about it carefullyter. Maybe I will tell my secret, so I have to go to Lu Zhiqiu myself to exin it clearly."


    "Have you ever pursued Lu Zhiqiu frantically?" I suddenly remembered something: "Don''t you know she has a boyfriend?"


    "I know." Wang Yikai said, "At that time, everyone around me had girlfriends, and of course I wanted to find one, so I began to pursue Lu Zhiqiu. But Lu Zhiqiu liked her boyfriend very much and rejected me several times. , but I wasn''t convinced. Later, I didn''t know if I was angry or if I really liked her."


    Zhao Mingkun snorted coldly, "So you''re going to steal other people''s underwear?"


    Wang Yikai blushed and said, "I was fascinated at the time. Because of my thousand yuan, I was going to find someone to buy the original vor. I thought at the time, if I gave the money to Luo Ding and let Luo Ding steal it, this would not be a coincidence. Back to things?"


    "So you exined it to Lu Zhiqiuter?" I asked.


    Wang Yikai shook his head and said, "When I went there, I saw Luo Ding running away from me, and I knew that this kid must have told my secret, that''s why I did this when I saw him. I''m afraid. So far, I have to go over and exin it clearly, but just as I was about to speak, I saw Yang Licheng walking out from the depths of the construction site on the side."


    "Yang Licheng?" I asked, "Is that Yang Licheng whopeted with Lu Zhiqiu for a schrship?"


    Wang Yikai nodded and said, "Yang Licheng saw me and Lu Zhiqiu together.


    , seems a little angry. He stood in front of Lu Zhiqiu and didn''t leave, so I can''t say anything about that. After thinking about it, I came back with Yang Licheng. "


    "You came back with Yang Licheng?" I asked again, "Then do you know what Yang Licheng was doing at the time?"


    Wang Yikai waved his hand: "I wanted to ask, but Yang Licheng seemed to dislike me and Lu Zhiqiu spending the night together. He told me it''s best not to get too close to Lu Zhiqiu, otherwise he would be rude to me. I didn''t think Yang Licheng liked Lu Zhiqiu before, but that day I found out that Yang Licheng also liked Lu Zhiqiu."


    "What about Lu Zhiqiu?" Zhao Mingkun asked, "Why didn''t Lu Zhiqiue back with you?"


    Wang Yikai shook his head: "No. At that time, Lv Zhiqiu was probably afraid that going back with us two big men would cause her boyfriend''s misunderstanding, so she didn''t go with us. But I admit one thing, when I heard that Lv Zhiqiu died the next day. Now, my first reaction was to breathe a sigh of relief, not sadness."


    Wang Yikai grabbed his hair with both hands and didn''t look at us: "Because Lu Zhiqiu is dead, it''s impossible to tell my secret. And that kid Luo Ding seems to think that I killed Lu Zhiqiu, and every time he sees me, he will hide far away, so I don''t dare to tell my secret. I can see it, but I don''t want to exin it, because if it can make him afraid of me, he won''t tell me."


    "I originally thought that the murderer would be caught in a few weeks at most, but I didn''t expect that it would be seven years in a sh." Wang Yikai said: "In the past seven years, I finally saw myself clearly. I don''t like women at all, I only like women. The things women wear. Ironic, right? I know there are many little girls in ourpany who want to chase me, but I don''t like them at all. I only like the silk~ socks and underwear they wear, but what can I do? Can you tell me..."


    It turned out that after Luo Ding left, Wang Yikai also met Yang Licheng. If he could get detailed details from Yang Licheng, then it could prove that the two were not the murderers.


    "Did you see Liang Mei that night?" I asked.


    "Liang Mei?" Wang Yikai shook his head and said, "No, I only saw Yang Licheng. I didn''t kill people. I have a normal rtionship with Yang Licheng, let alone join forces to kill people. If you don''t believe me, you can ask Yang Licheng. Yang Licheng can definitely prove that what I said is true."


    So much happened in just one night. These thirteen people all had motives to kill Lu Zhiqiu. After Lu Zhiqiu died, it was indeed beneficial to these thirteen people. But who killed Lu Zhiqiu? That night, how many people did Lu Zhiqiu meet? Thirteen people couldn''te out one by one to make an appointment with Lu Zhiqiu.


    But at this moment, we can only rule out the suspicion of one person, so we can rule out the suspicion of one person.


    I don''t know how Gu Chen''s investigation is going, and whether Lu Xiangyang''s whereabouts have been found.


    Lu Zhiqiu, who killed you? Why do these thirteen people have reasons and motives to kill you? Obviously such a kind person, why do these thirteen people not express sadness over your death, and even feel happy in private?


    Is it all jealousy? Jealous of your beauty, jealous of your good studies, jealous of your kindness?


    "Who is Lu Zhiqiu?" I threw this question to Wang Yikai again.


    "Who is Lu Zhiqiu?"


    Wang Yikai was silent for a long time before he came to an answer: "He is a person with a better personality..."

 Chapter 280

    Chapter 280


    Yang Licheng lit another cigarette and said to us: "I didn''t expect that Liang Mei, who usually has no sense of existence, would also go to the ss reunion." I saw Liang Mei again, but Liang Mei didn''t say a word to me. But I can still see Liang Mei''s resentment towards me in her eyes, you know? "Liang Mei hasn''t let go of what happened back then.


    Wang Yikai rubbed his stomach and said, "Yang Licheng, I didn''t tell you. You are such a scumbag." If you don''t like people, don''t tell them. Even if you do, you can''t talk to them. People go to bed. In this respect, you are much worse than me. "


    I looked at Wang Yikai''s frowning brows and said, "Look at what you have be. Do you still have the mood to educate others?"


    Wang Yikai clutched his stomach and said, "What did you eatst night?" Why do you feel like your stomach is twisting? Didn''t you eat something with no food again? Don''t worry about me; you continue; you continue to talk. "


    Yang Licheng continued, "Yes, I know I did something wrong. But it was a few years after I found out that Liang Mei was really pregnant with my child. I also tried to contact Liang Mei, but I didn''t get in touch. Really, Liang Mei Mei killed someone. I thought she would never appear in our sight again, but I didn''t expect Liang Mei to dare to participate in the ss reunion. "


    Wang Xiduo once said that Liang Mei went out in the middle of the night. Now we know that Liang Mei is looking for Yang Licheng. From the perspective of time, it can be matched. But after Liang Mei and Lu Zhiqiu met, would Liang Mei reallymit murder? If Liang Mei left, someone would ask Lu Zhiqiu to meet.


    Did Hu Pei, as Lu Zhiqiu''s boyfriend,e out to find Lu Zhiqiu that night? I can''t help shaking my head, and I''m back on this circle-shaped clue. One thing we urgently need to determine is who was thest person to see Lu Zhiqiu and whether anyone saw Lu Zhiqiu after Liang Mei.


    I said to Zhao Mingkun, "Try to contact Liang Mei. Now she is the most suspicious person."


    Zhao Mingkun nodded, but he used Yang Licheng''sndline to make a call, and Yang Licheng didn''t find anything wrong. But after a period of time, the other party did not answer. Zhao Mingkun put the phone away and said, "No one answered."


    "No one answered?" I asked, "Or hang up?"


    Zhao Mingkun said: "No one answered. And I''m sure this number belongs to Liang Mei. It was through this number that their counsellor contacted Liang Mei before. "


    I tugged at my hair and thought. For the past two days of the ssmates'' reunion, we have not been idle for a while. During these two days, we have been running around for this case. We used Luo Ding''s notes as a breakthrough point and moved forward little by little. Until now, we have confirmed that Liang Mei is the most suspicious.


    But at present, including Liang Mei, we still have five people who have not been investigated. So will these five people say anything different? But why didn''t Liang Mei answer the phone? Is there something busy?


    I opened my mouth and said to Zhao Mingkun: "From the current situation, Liang Mei is the most suspicious." Wang Yikai and Yang Licheng can''t rule out suspicion. Yang Licheng, if you two testify against each other, you can''t. What''s the problem? You may also collude to deceive us. When you were in the hotel, didn''t you say that Wang Yikai was a murderer? "


    "No." Yang Licheng waved his hand and said, "I definitely didn''t deceive you." When I said that Wang Yikai was the murderer, it was because some people suspected that I was the murderer. But I knew that the murderer was Liang Mei, and I couldn''t say it directly, so I said it deliberately. A Wang Yikai. "


    I suddenly remembered


    Come on, Wang Xiduo exined it to uster. All of these people have ghosts in their hearts, and they clearly have a person they think is the murderer, but they want to identify an irrelevant person.


    "Then do you have any other evidence?" Evidence you can hand. " I said, "Even if you can prove that Liang Mei was pregnant with your child before, it counts."


    Yang Licheng was silent, but after a while, Yang Licheng pped his big leg fiercely and said, "Yes! I know who can prove it. Zhao Pingjuan can prove my innocence! At that time, I was away from her mouth. I know that Liang Mei is pregnant. Do you have Zhao Pingjuan''s phone number? Call her, and we can ask her on the spot. How about it? It''s all in Dongxing City, so it''s convenient.


    Looking at Yang Licheng''s oath, it shouldn''t be a lie. However, being able to call Zhao Pingjuan, by the way, saves us from running back and forth.


    I nodded and said, "Okay, then we''ll bring Zhao Pingjuan over and talk about what happened back then." If the third party can also prove your innocence, then you can leave Dongxing City. The murderer''s methods are cruel, you all. It''s his goal. So you better try to be careful. "


    Wang Yikai was still rubbing his belly and said, "I''m all ready." The flight ticket is at 6 o''clock this afternoon. When the murderer is caught, remember to notify me. At that time, I''ll considering back. "


    I called Zhao Pingjuan. Zhao Pingjuan was at work at the moment, but as soon as she heard that we wanted to investigate, Zhao Pingjuan immediately promised toe over immediately. In less than half an hour, Zhao Pingjuan came to Yang Licheng''s house. Before we asked, Zhao Pingjuan immediately said, "Officer, I know who the murderer is!"


    "What?" I asked. "What did you say?"


    "I know who the murderer is!" Zhao Pingjuan said it again.


    "Who?" I asked.


    "It''s not me anyway," Zhao Pingjuan said.


    I was helpless: "What''s the difference between what you said and what you didn''t say?" Everyone said that they didn''t do it themselves. "


    Zhao Pingjuan shook her head sharply, and then told us in detail: "I really know, because at the beginning, we all discussed it." At the party that day, there were too many people, and I didn''t dare to speak, because the murderer who killed Lu Zhiqiu was among us! "


    "What''s going on?" I asked hastily.


    Zhao Pingjuan cleared her throat and said, "At the beginning, there were four people in our dormitory; me, Zhang Xue, Zhou Moli, and Liang Mei." All four people in our dormitory looked at Lu Zhiqiu a little bit, but it wasn''t because Lu Zhiqiu wanted topete with us for a schrship, but wanted topete with us for party members. But because Lu Zhiqiu is such a bitch, he is a green tea bitch. Back then, we also had boyfriends in our dormitory, but Lu Zhiqiu not only avoided suspicion, but also always loved to walk with our boyfriends. Together. "


    Although it has been so long, Zhao Pingjuan seems to still have feelings when she thinks of this incident: "I have to ask boys for some answers that I can''t do, and why do I have to invite boys to dinner to thank them for helping me move things." In short, I don''t have her. No. We talk to her, and she will say that you are just ordinary friends with those boys, so don''t be jealous. "


    Zhao Pingjuan seemed to get angrier the more she talked: "Sometimes our dormitory gets into trouble with our boyfriend, and this Lv Zhiqiu is here, saying don''t be angry, your boyfriend loves you, and told our boyfriend that you shouldn''t be angry, your girlfriend also loves you, and being angry is not good for your health."


    "Hemum," she says. Zhao Pingjuan was still angry: "We quarrelled with our boyfriend. What does it have to do with her? Are we familiar with her?"


    Why do you have toe over and give it a shot? I remember when I was an intern at the construction site, when people wanted to kill dogs, she used to say that since dogs are so cute, why would they eat dogs? In the end, she was also criticised on the Inte, and a group of people called her the "most loving goddess."


    "I love her!" Zhao Pingjuan seemed to have a fiery temper, and she continued: "It''s none of her business to eat dogs. She won''t eat them if she doesn''t eat them, and she can''t stop others from eating them." Then why doesn''t she look pitiful at cows? Why don''t you look at the pig? In the hotel that day, Zhang Yifa said, "We were discussing the killing of Lu Zhiqiu in the dormitory, which is actually true."


    Zhao Pingjuan took a few deep breaths and said, "At that time, I had been an intern at the construction site for half a month. What materials we handed in when we returned to school a few days ago? I can''t remember. I drank a little wine in the dormitory at night and then mentioned it. Lv Zhiqiu. At that time, I didn''t know who started it, so I said "we didn''t practise together, so let''s just kill Lv Zhiqiu on the construction site."


    Several of us all widened our eyes and listened to Zhao Pingjuan''s words.


    Zhao Pingjuan said, "At the beginning, we all drank a little, so we forgot to guard against outsiders." But I remember clearly that I really wanted to kill Lv Zhiqiu at that time. Unexpectedly, Lu Zhiqiu and I are interns at a construction site, and every time I see her like that, I get annoyed.


    "You implemented it?" I asked.


    Zhao Pingjuan shook her head and said, "This is the problem. Listen to what I''ll tell you next." The four of us got together to discuss this matter. We just talked about how to kill, how to kill without being discovered, etc. After that, some people said that a single b of brick would be shot to death. There are bricks everywhere on the construction site. When the timees, if the bricks are hidden in the foundation, no one will notice at all. "


    I frowned. Lu Zhiqiu was literally shot to death by someone behind him. But the murderer seemed to hate Lu Zhiqiu so much that he dismembered him. However, there is a problem. There must have been a lot of blood spattered when the corpse was divided, and the murderer must have had blood on his body.


    But think about it: when everyone was drinking in the distance, the murderer secretly returned to the dormitory and changed his clothes without being discovered. This is also possible.


    Zhao Pingjuan continued, "That''s what I said at the beginning; we didn''t discuss when to do it and who to do it with." After a few days, we went back to the construction site for an internship. After more than a month, I forgot about it. But on thest day of our internship, something like this happened. The next day, Lu Zhiqiu died, and I suddenly remembered what we said in the dormitory before. "


    "Do you know who made the move?" At this time, Yang Licheng said


    I waved my hand and motioned to Yang Licheng not to tell Liang Mei''s story, but to let Zhao Pingjuan continue.


    I heard Zhao Pingjuan say again: "So I said it at the beginning. I can only say that Lu Zhiqiu was not killed by me." I can only say that if it wasn''t for me, it could only be the other three people in our dormitory who did it. But I don''t know who it is, and I don''t dare to say it, because we all participated in the discussion at the time, and we all said that we would kill Lu Zhiqiu. "


    "I also admit that I was scared but also excited at the time, because Lu Zhiqiu finally died." Zhao Pingjuan sighed and said, "And I joined the party as I wished, so I won''t mention it again." But so many years have passed. Now, I''ve always been a little uneasy in my heart, really. "


    I reached out and grabbed my hair and said slowly, "That is to say, if I ask the rest of your dormitory, I should find the answer."


    "You can investigate!" Zhao Pingjuan said.

 Chapter 281: Discussing Murder

    Chapter 281: Discussing Murder


    After reminiscing for a moment, Wang Yikai slowly said to us: "Lv Zhiqiu, how do you say it?" She is a good person, but sometimes she is too kind to people. "


    I shrugged and asked, "Isn''t kindness a good thing?"


    Wang Yikai scratched his head and said, "Being kind is a good thing, but sometimes you can''t go too far. Take Lu Zhiqiu as an example. She just didn''t master this degree. I have two grants and a schrship, plus some designs that I usually go out to do. I also have a lot of money a month. "


    Wang Kai stretched out his hand and pointed out a "six" and said, "It is estimated that the sum of the misceneous items can be 6,000 yuan." 6,000 yuan ten years ago was not a small sum. After that, she sent 4,000 yuan to her home. One thousand yuan is used to support a female student in the Department of Biology. Her father seems to have some special illness. The remaining one thousand yuan is used by Lu Zhiqiu himself. "


    Ten years ago, people who could earn 6,000 yuan a month were considered rich. It seems that Lu Zhiqiu''s ability is also good, otherwise it is impossible to make so much money.


    Wang Yikai continued, "But I don''t use all the money for myself. Anyway, as long as someone borrows money, Lu Zhiqiu will agree. Those people sometimes don''t even pay it back, and Lu Zhiqiu doesn''t even ask for it. Every time I go out to dinner, the girl they also like to call Lu Zhiqiu, because as long as they ask Lu Zhiqiu to settle the bill, Lu Zhiqiu will not refuse. "


    "Then she doesn''t think about herself." I asked again.


    I personally heard a girl say that, anyway, Lu Zhiqiu is so rich, so it''s okay to let her treat her. Giving her a treat is like giving her a face. You must know that she is in the crowd of girls, but there is no way to get along. " Wang Yikai looked like he remembered something and said, "By the way, Lu Zhiqiu doesn''t seem to be popr among girls."


    Hearing Wang Yikai''s words, I also remembered what Wang Xiduo once said to me, that girls don''t like Lu Zhiqiu. However, Wang Xiduo, who was disliked by Lu Zhiqiu, died in front of us in a very "heroic" way. So, is it possible that Lu Zhiqiu was really just pretending?


    Thinking of this, I asked, "How long did Lu Zhiqiu help that girl? Is it possible that Lu Zhiqiu did this to evaluate some outstanding students? "


    Wang Yikai thought for a while, then said decisively, "No! I remember that Lu Zhiqiu started sponsoring that girl in his sophomore year, and it was 1,000 yuan per month, and he didn''t even stop until he died. "No, it was interrupted."


    Zhao Mingkun asked, "Is it because the investment failed?"


    Wang Yikai shook his head and said, "Probably not." At that time, Wang Xin didn''t n to ask Lu Zhiqiu to pay back the money at all, and she only set aside 1,000 yuan a month to pay Wang Xiduo. The girl''s father had a veryplicated illness. If you don''t take medicine for one day, your life will be in danger one day. Anyway, I have chased after Lu Zhiqiu, and I understand all these things. "


    "Then why was there an interruption in the middle?" Zhao Mingkun asked again.


    Wang Yikai opened his mouth and said, "I don''t know that very well." At that time, I only knew that it had been interrupted once. Lu Zhiqiu seemed to be in some trouble during that time. I asked once, but she didn''t say anything. I didn''t like Lu Zhiqiu, so I didn''t pursue it at that time. "


    "Okay, let''s go find Yang Licheng with us the next day." I looked at Wang Yikai and said, "Some things, it might be better to talk face-to-face."


    Wang Yikai nodded and said quickly, "Then tonight, why don''t you sleep with me in the same room?" Well, the murderer is a little mysterious. I''m afraid that if I fall asleep, I won''t wake up again.


    Look at Wang Yikai''s fear


    , Considering the fact that so many people died in just two days, it is better to have insurance. Thinking of this, I agreed to Wang Yikai''s request.


    Zhao Mingkun found a few cups and a few spoons, and set up a few simple devices at the door and window. As long as the door or window is open, the spoon will fall into the cup with a crisp sound. And we can be awakened for the first time and respond ordingly.


    Wang Yikai lives on the seventh floor, and it is impossible for ordinary people toe in through the window. And what cane in through the window is definitely not a cup or a spoon to find its trace. Luo Ding was scared to death by a human face, but looking at Wang Yikai''s state, he wasn''t in a trance, so he shouldn''t be scared to death.


    However, the murderer''s tactics are multi-faceted and bizarre, and such alertness as Zhao Mingkun''s can''t be considered a fuss.


    Silent all night.


    Early the next morning, I woke up in a daze, stretched out my hand and put it aside, only to find it was empty. I was startled by this and hurriedly sat up. Last night, the rm device set up by Zhao Mingkun next to the window did not make a sound, but Wang Yikai next to me disappeared.


    Did Wang Yikai mysteriously disappear? The door of the room is open. Did Wang Yikai go out by himself?


    I rushed out and saw Zhao Mingkun sitting on the sofa outside. I quickly said, "Damn it, it''s not good. Wang Yikai has disappeared strangely."


    Zhao Mingkun rolled my eyes at me, pointed to the toilet, and said, "Last night, Wang Yikai went to the toilet three times. This is the fourth time." "You sleep like a pig. Even if something happened to Wang Yikai, I''ll see you can''t find it either."


    "Wang Yikai went to the toilet four times?" I asked, scratching my head.


    While talking, Wang Yikai came out of the toilet. When I saw Wang Yikai''s brows furrowed, his face was pale, and he was vain when he walked, I knew that Wang Yikai was about to copse. Wang Yikai rubbed his stomach and said, "I don''t know what''s wrong. I feel my stomach has been a little twisted sincest night. I don''t know what''s going on. "


    "You''re not lying." "You''re going to Yang Licheng''s house today, and you''ll pretend to be sick." I said, "It''s not that what you told usst night was false, right?"


    Wang Yikai took out a can of milk from the refrigerator, gulped it into his stomach, and said, "What are you doing? Let''s go! I have discussed it with thepany director just now, and I will leave Dongxing City after today and go on a business trip. Come back in a month. "


    It can be seen that Wang Yikai seems to have caught a cold, and he can''t drive the car, so he has to ask Wang Yikai to tell me the address and I will drive.


    Wang Yikai told us that he had already agreed with Yang Licheng, who was waiting for us at home at the moment.


    As soon as he entered the door, Wang Yikai rushed into the toilet.


    Yang Licheng seemed to contradict us. When Wang Yikai was going to the toilet, he was smoking a cigarette and watching us without saying a word. I saw that the ashtray in front of Yang Licheng was full of cigarette butts, and when I looked at Yang Licheng, he was also tired, and it seemed that he hadn''t slept well for a long time.


    Wang Yikai came out of the toilet, looked at Yang Licheng, and said, "Yang Licheng, this time is nothing else, it is the one that happened seven years ago." That night, you were on the construction site. Did you meet me and Lu Zhiqiu? Did youe back with me?"


    "That''s it?" Yang Licheng just wanted to put the cigarette in his mouth, but when he heard Wang Yikai''s words, he stopped what he was doing.


    Wang Yikai sat down and said, "That''s it. What else can happen?" If you can prove your innocence, I will. You


    don''t know, Zhang Yifa and the three of them died. They died in front of me. If the murderer from seven years ago is not found, I think all thirteen of us will die. "You don''t know that the murderer is elusive."


    Yang Licheng put half a cigarette against the ashtray and said, "I can testify to this point." I did see Wang Yikai at the beginning, and I went back with Wang Yikai. "


    "I heard that you were very unkind to Wang Yikai at the time." I looked at Yang Licheng and said, "You told him to stay away from Lu Zhiqiu. Why did you do this?"


    Yang Licheng heard what I said, but he grabbed half of the cigarette again and took a deep breath: "Yes, I said it." I thought Lu Zhiqiu was interested in me before, butter I found out that I was wrong. It''s too outrageous. "Lu Zhiqiu is actually like that to everyone. I''m just being sentimental."


    Yang Lichengughed at himself: "Yeah, think about it. At that time, Lu Zhiqiu was better than me in every way. Why didn''t he find a better person? Why did he like me?"


    "Damn it!" Yang Licheng said again, "I really hated myself at the time, being fascinated by Lu Zhiqiu''s white lotus flower." Although someone like Lu Zhiqiu treats you very well, it makes you think she likes you too, but in the end, But she told you that she only regarded you as her own brother. But if you don''t like others, can you not ept their kindness? I know Wang Yikai is chasing Lv Zhiqiu, but I''m actually reminding him! Now think about it. If it wasn''t for me, Lu Zhiqiu wouldn''t have died.


    Yang Licheng''s words were beyond the expectations of all of us. From Yang Licheng''s previous actions and words, I vaguely felt that Yang Licheng knew something, but I didn''t expect Yang Licheng to speak like this.


    "What do you know?" I asked hastily.


    Yang Licheng said: "Seven years ago, I was a scumbag, aplete scumbag. During my internship, I confessed to Lu Zhiqiu, but Lu Zhiqiu said that she only regarded me as a brother. At that time, I was very angry and very frustrated. Sad. Just in time, I saw Liang Mei. I didn''t think much about it at the time, so I confessed to Liang Mei. "


    Yang Licheng took a big mouthful of smoke: "Liang Mei is not good-looking, and her personality is rtively small." She doesn''t like to talk. I just confessed, and she agreed. Soon after, we went to bed. But I actually don''t like it at all. "She''s just a window for me to vent my emotions."


    "Scumbag." Zhao Mingkun said.


    "Yes." Yang Licheng waved his hand: "I also said that I was a scumbag." After a few days, I wanted to break up. So that day, when I met Wang Yikai, that is, the night that Lu Zhiqiu died, I put the Liang Mei made an appointment. I broke up with Liang Mei, but Liang Mei disagreed. I told her the truth at the time, saying that she was just a vouring agent after I failed to catch up with Lu Zhiqiu. "


    Yang Licheng crushed the cigarette butt on the table and said, "But Liang Mei said that she is pregnant. How is this possible? How is this possible in less than a week?" So I ignored her and left. I came out. When I came out, I happened to meet Lu Zhiqiu and Wang Yikai. "


    "At that time, my heart was on fire." Yang Licheng continued: "I originally wanted to remind Wang Yikai, but the words became a threat. "After we left that night, Liang Mei probably met Lu Zhiqiu."


    Yang Licheng grabbed his head: "If Liang Mei vented her grievances against me on Lu Zhiqiu''s head, that would be normal." Many yearster, I heard that Liang Mei was really pregnant with me at that time. child. Although I know that Liang Mei should be the murderer, how can I say...


    "If it weren''t for the deaths of so many people, I''m afraid I would never have said this."

 Chapter 282: Three Women In One Play

    Chapter 282: Three Women In One y


    I nodded. Liang Mei couldnt be reached at the moment, but we had the phone numbers of Zhou Moli and Zhang Xue. I asked Zhao Mingkun to call Zhang Xue first, and Zhang Xue promised that he woulde after a while.


    But before Zhang Xue came, it was first necessary to prove whether Liang Mei was pregnant seven years ago.


    Thinking of this, I asked Zhao Pingjuan, Zhao Pingjuan, was Liang Mei pregnant seven years ago?


    When it was mentioned, Liang Mei turned her head and gave Yang Licheng a nk look, and then began to say: If you hadnt mentioned this, Id almost forget. It''s Yang Licheng who is shameless. Not to mentioned how he cheated my feelings, but he also knocked me up.


    Did you see Liang Mei the night Lu Zhiqiu died, seven years ago? I asked.


    When asked, Zhao Pingjuan directed back a huh and said, This, I really dont know how to put it. At the time, Liang Mei had missed her periods and had begun to suspect that she might be pregnant, and told me about it. At the time, I inquired about the situation, but it hadnt been that long, and asked her to wait for a week and observe for further developments. Even if we had gone to the hospital, it wouldve been impossible to detect anything. She mightve been a little scared by it all, so told me that she wanted to be alone, and I let her be.


    I frowned, and then asked: Then what do you mean, Liang Mei was alone in the dormitory and didn''t go out drinking with you at all, didn''t she?


    I frowned, and asked: Do you mean to say, Liang Mei was alone in the dorm and didnt go out for a drink with you at all?


    That''s right. Zhao Pingjuan said.


    What time did you leave that night? I looked at the three people sitting on the sofa.


    Wang Yikai still rubbed his stomach and said first: I don''t know. Anyway, I remember that it was dawn when I went back, and just after I fell asleep, I heard that someone had met with an ident. After that, we all went to see what''s going on and saw Lu Zhiqiu''s body. To be honest, I wasntpletely conscious due to the wine.


    It was almost dawn the next day. Yang Licheng also said.


    That is to say, from the beginning to the end, Liang Mei was not there at any time in the party?. I asked.


    Zhao Pingjuan nodded and said, Anyway, from the beginning to the end, I didn''t see Liang Mei there. Are you saying it is Liang Mei''s hand?


    I didn''t answer that, but said: I can''t draw this conclusion yet; Zhang Xue will be here in a while. You should be in the other room. Zhang Xue might not talk if youre present.


    Zhao Pingjuan nodded and walked into the room.


    Soon after, Wang Yikai rushed to the toilet, I do not know why.


    Half an hourter, Zhang Xue walked into the house. Seeing us, Zhang Xue just nodded slightly.


    I signalled for Zhang Xue to sit down, and I cut to the chase: Zhang Xue, you know why were here. Im here to ask you about what happened seven years ago. In the beginning, Lu Zhiqiu died unknowingly, but now someone has back for him; to avenge him. If we dont get to the bottom of this, Im afraid all thirteen of you will be in danger.


    Zhang Xue looked at us. Her expression was a little mncholy, and she seemed hesitant to say anything.


    I hurriedly said, Zhang Xue, if you have something to say, don''t be restrained. If you hesitate like this, people will suspect you. Do you understand?


    Zhang Xue seemed to have made up her mind. She gave an um before saying, I know who the murderers are.


    You know the murderer? Zhao Mingkun and I looked at each other.


    Zhao Pingjuanzhi.


    This is what he said before, but now, Zhang Xue and Zhao Pingjuan said the exact same things. She also knew who the murderer was. Could it be that Zhang Xue would allude to the same thing, simrly, to Zhao Pingjuan?


    Zhang Xue nodded lightly and said to the crowd, I have one thing I want to tell you about. During our internship at the construction site, our dormitory did discuss how to kill Lu Zhiqiu.


    But-but! Zhang Xue seemed to be afraid that we would suspect her, so she hurriedly said: But at the time, I felt that after everyone had drunk their fill, they were done venting their unhappiness towards Lu Zhiqiu. I would never have thought that it turn true afterwards, and someone would really kill Lu Zhiqiu,ter. At that time, I remember that Zhao Pingjuan said something about how he would thrash Lu Zhiqiu to death with bricks.


    Although Zhao Pingjuan had given the details, Zhao Pingjuan did not mention that he was the one to propose the murder method. But this is understandable. People are emotional animals, and they always hide things that make them look bad or arent good for them when they describe something. This is a human instinct, and it is not necessarily the wicked whoin first.


    I did not interrupt Zhang Xue, but continued to listen to her.


    Then, Zhang Xue continued to say: Lu Zhiqiu, this person was too cunning and was ying innocent, we didnt like her. That day, I too said something about killing Lu Zhiqiu that day, but those were all said out of anger. Whyd my boyfriend have to keepparing me to Lu Zhiqiu.


    Zhang Xue sighed: Afterwards, when we returned to the construction site, no one mentioned this matter. However, on thest day, this kind of thing happened. I was so frightened at the time that I didn''t dare go to the scene to see the body. Butter I heard that Lu Zhiqiu was beaten to death by someone.


    I nodded, nced at the room. Zhao Pingjuan entered, and said, What do you mean?


    Zhang Xue was silent for a moment, and then said: I think the murderers are the other three people in our dormitory. Though it was Zhao Pingjuan who first brought up the idea to trash her with bricks, but it is not necessarily Zhao Pingjuan who killed people, and the other two are also suspect. However, I think Zhao Pingjuan''s is the one I suspect the most.


    I frowned, wondering if Zhao Pingjuan, who was in the room, had heard these words.


    I asked, Then do you have any proof that you didn''t do it yourself?


    Zhang Xue was silent for a while, then said, I have no way to prove it. If I had a way to prove it, I would have told the police about this as early as seven years ago. But I don''t know who did it. I was afraid that if I say it myself, the murderer woulde after me and brutally kill me. I thought I would never bring this up again in my life, but I didn''t expect this toe to light."


    It''s been seven years, and this matter has yet to settle down. I think it''s necessary for me to speak now. If the pool can be reduced to three from thirteen, It should be a lot less troublesome for you. I hope you don''t talk about this matter. If there is a murderer, I''m afraid there will be danger.


    I shrugged and said helplessly, I''m afraid I can''t agree with you about this matter, but judging from your words, do you mean that the murderers may be Zhao Pingjuan, Liang Mei, and Zhou Moli?


    Zhang Xue nodded.


    I said, If that''s the case, I''ll ask someone to verify what youve said. In this way, I''ll go to Zhou Moli and ask, Can I know what happened back then?


    Okay. Zhang Xue said, As long as you do not mention me.


    I pointed to the next room and said, Okay, then, you go inside and wait. Your good friends are inside.


    Zhang Xue frowned and walked into the room. At this time, Zhao Mingkun had already called Zhou Moli in.


    Before Zhou Moli came back, Wang Yikai finally came out of the toilet. I noticed his was forehead covered in sweat, his face gone pale, and his whole body trembled. He was walking with a little jump to his steps. He sped his hands tightly on his stomach, blue veins bursting out.


    What''s the matter? I asked, No, go and have it checked.


    Wang Yikai slumped on the sofa and said, It''s alright. I don''t know what''s wrong. Maybe it''s hemorrhoids, and I''m bleeding out.


    Zhao Mingkun rolled his eyes at Wang Yikai and said, When you take the ne in the afternoon, don''t spray blood on the ne.


    Wang Yikai smiled, If I want to spray blood, I can also spray blood here.


    Zhao Mingkun contacted Zhou Moli. Zhou Moli is a full-time housewife. She received a call from Zhao Mingkun and promised toe over.


    These three people are easy to contact, but I don''t know if Liang Mei can still contact them now.


    Thinking of this, I said to Zhao Mingkun, Call Liang Mei and see if she can still be reached.


    Zhao Mingkun nodded and continued to call Liang Mei, but still no one answered. Why doesnt Liang Mei answer the phone? Was it really because she was the murderer seven years ago?


    In about twenty minutes, Zhou Moli arrived at Yang Licheng''s house.


    I said, Miss Zhou Moli, you also know why were here. I have something to ask you about seven years ago.


    Zhou Moli nodded, sat down where Zhao Pingjuan and Zhang Xue used to sit, and said, The reason I am here is that I want to tell you something regarding the incident seven years ago; I know who the murderer is.


    You know too? I couldn''t help but exim when I heard Zhou Moli''s words.


    Zhou Moli looked at me suspiciously, not understanding why I made such a fuss. I heard Zhou Moli say: What''s the matter? I know who the murderer is. Seven years ago, we mentioned in the dormitory that we were going to kill Lu Zhiqiu. At that time, I remember someone suggested that we kill Lu Zhiqiu. At that time, we had all agreed.


    I shook my head, followed Zhou Moli''s words, and continued: You mean, you didn''t kill the people, but maybe the other three people in your dormitory killed them, right? And after returning to the construction site for the internship, you all forgot about it. But on thest day, Lu Zhiqiu died, so you suddenly remembered it. It''s just that you don''t know who the murderer is, so you don''t dare to say it.


    Yeah. Zhou Moli was a little surprised by what I said and said, But, but how did you know?


    I was really helpless. If I didn''t know the inside story, I would have thought that the three of them had negotiated and lied to me. These three, all said that they didn''t do it themselves, but Liang Mei can''t be contacted now. So is it possible that Liang Mei is not the murderer, and the reason she can''t appear is that some people don''t want her to appear?


    So, could it also be possible that these three are in cahoots and are trying to me Liang Mei for the murder of Lu Zhiqiu?


    What''s the matter? Zhou Moli looked puzzled.


    You two cane out. I said. Presumably, you have heard what Zhou Moli said. Then, who is the murderer?

 Chapter 283:

    Chapter 283:


    Zhao Pingjuan and Zhang Xue came out of the room and saw Zhou Moli, and the three felt a little embarrassed facing each other. They would never have thought that when we called them one by one, all their statements would turn out to be exactly the same. And all three of them dered innocent by nting suspicion on the other.


    Except for Liang Mei, who couldnt be contacted, all three of them had to meet here. I dont know how embarrassing it mustve been for them. The three looked at me. I looked back at them; no one spoke.


    It was Wang Yikai who broke the stalemate. Wang Yikai had his brows twisted and scrunched up together. I could see that Wang Yikai was in great pain now. Clutching his stomach tightly, he opened his mouth to say, Since its all said and done, you dont need to feel ashamed. Since all of you im that you havent done it, then you didnt. Liang Mei is the only one left.


    Liang Mei? Zhang Xue called out in surprise.


    Zhang Xue added, It can''t be Liang Mei. Liang Mei doesn''t usually like to talk. She always asks us if she came across anything. She doesn''t have any opinions of her own. I think shes the least likely suspect.


    But that night, did you guys see Liang Mei? I asked, I heard that she was alone in the dormitory that night.


    After I finished speaking, Zhang Xue and Zhou Moli also fell silent. After a long while, the two shook their heads in turn.


    Zhou Moli said, This, it seems that I really didn''t see Liang Mei.


    Zhao Pingjuan said, Then let us her and ask her about it Since the three of us are already here, let''s call Liang Mei too.


    I shrugged and said, But we cant reach Liang Mei anymore. Can you guys to get in touch with her?


    Zhao Pingjuan said: At the party that day, Liang Mei and I exchanged mobile phone numbers; let me try.


    But it was to no avail. It seemed like Liang Mei had disappeared.


    Its looks necessary that we to find out what Liang Mei is doing. I looked at Zhao Mingkun.


    Wang Yikai said in a quivering tone, Everything points to Liang Mei as the one who did it. But before the investigation, please take me to the hospital. My stomach pain is getting is taking a turn for the worse. I dont I think can hold on until we reach the next city to check up.


    Let''s go then. I looked at Wang Yikai.


    Wang Yikai nodded, and stood up. Then followed me Zhao Mingkun out. From the corner of my eye, I could see Wang Yikai walking in small steps. His big legs mping tightly onto each other, and he only used small steps to walk and move himself. It was like a duck walking.


    Zhao Pingjuan looked at it andughed, and said, Wang Yikai, why are you walking like this? Youll poop your pants at this rate.


    Having said that, the people around us couldn''t help but chuff.


    Wang Yikai was also a little embarrassed. At that moment, he was clutching his abdomen tightly with one hand, while the other hand was firmly pressing on the armrest of the sofa. Bean-sized beads of sweat fell from his face, as if a pregnant woman was about to go intobor.


    To which I heard Wang Yikai say: Dontugh at my state. You better bring me to hospital quick.


    What have you been eating? I had a nagging feeling in my heart that something was wrong with Wang Yikai. Even if he had a bad stomach, it wont be to this extent and wouldnt havested this long. Now it was exacerbating, and the situation did not seem to be getting any better. Is it possible that he might have gastroenteritis?


    Thinking of this, I reached out to help Wang Yikai.


    Wang Yikai was standing, but the whole person almost curled up into a big lobster. I reached out to help him, and his hand came off the armrest of the sofa, trying to grab my arm. But he seemed to have no strength, and suddenly fell to the ground the moment he stretched out his hand.


    Then, he started rolling on the ground. We could see him shaking all over and retching. And the women who were stillughing at Wang Yikai panicked when they saw this situation. It was Zhao Mingkun who responded quickly and crouched down immediately to check Wang Yikai''s condition.


    I immediately squatted down, trying to help him up.


    But at this moment, Wang Yikai seemed unable to hold back any longer. We just heard a few prff soundsing from his butt, but what apanied it was not a stench, but a bloody smell. I opened my eyes and saw that the blood had even turned Wang Yikai''s suit pants red, and at that moment, blood was flowing down his pants.


    I have never seen such a sight. Even if the hemorrhoids burst, it wouldnt be this bloody.


    Wang Yikai began to tremble violently and at the same time and kept retching.


    Call an ambnce, call 120! I hurriedly shouted. Only then did the few people standing beside them react and began to dial 120.


    But Wang Yikais reaction turned more violent by the minute. His body lurched violently, and he began vomiting copious amounts of blood. He was holding his stomach in great pain. He tried to voice out words, but every time he said a word, more blood would leak out of his mouth.


    What''s wrong with me? What''s wrong with me? Wang Yikai''s voice was low, but we could hear it clearly.


    Wang Yikai was in panic.


    I did not kill anyone, I really did not kill anyone. I know that it was wrong of me to let Luo Ding steal Lu Zhiqius underwear. Wang Yikai stretched out a hand and grabbed my arm tightly. But, I know I was wrong. I know Im wrong. Why does this still happen to me? Doesnt God want people like me to live?


    I shook my head, grabbed Wang Yikai''s hand, and said, "It''s alright, you just burst your hemorrhoids. You wont die.


    Wang Yikai''s eyes widened, he clenched his teeth tightly, and he said: I know, I know my own body. It hurts. I hurt so much. I don''t want to die; I still have a lot of things I want to do and a lot of ces I haven''t been to.


    I don''t want to die. Wang Yikai''s eyes widened suddenly, and he grabbed my arm with such force that I thought that he would rip it off.


    And a lot of blood poured out of his mouth and nose. And I could also feel that the strength in his hands was gradually weakening. Eventually, his hands fell down, and there was no more strength. But his eyes were still open and round, unshut.


    His pupils had dted, and we asked Yang Licheng to find a shlight. I pointed a shlight at his pupils, and their pupils stopped shrinking, which means that Wang Yikai was dead. Around the pupil, cloudy white objects had begun to form.


    I sat directly on the ground with no one around to speak to.


    What the hell was going on? We were with Wang Yikai at eight o''clockst night. So far, so good. There are fourteen or fifteen hours. When Wang Yikai was with us, he always behaved normally, and there were no symptoms of difort.


    What the hell was going on? We were with Wang Yikai since eight,st night. So far, he had behaved normally, and did not show any symptoms and difort.


    But after that, Wang Yikai began having faint pain in his stomach, and now he had lost his life directly because of it. How did the murderer do it? I really cant think of a method that the killer mightve used to kill Wang Yikai.


    Was it some dyed-action poison? But from my limited understanding of poisons, I couldnt think of any poison that could dy the attack for almost fourteen to fifteen hours. Moreover, during this period, Wang Yikai had visited the toilet many times. If he ingested the poison orally, it wouldve been rendered ineffective already. If it hadnt been taken in orally, Im afraid Wang Yikai was marked for death long ago.


    And I''ve never seen a poison so potent that it would cause such symptoms in a poisoned person.


    Is it possible that someone broke into the house and poisoned him in the early hours, yesterday? Wang Yikai went to the toilet frequently in the early morning.


    Who is the murderer, and why can he kill people in such a strange way?


    I looked at Wang Yikai''s body and was speechless for a long time.


    Wang Yikai had booked a ne for 6 o''clock this afternoon to go to another city, but the murderer started before that. And I too basically understand why the murderer kills so quickly. The murderer wants to kill thirteen people, which is a huge number. Once someone feels that somethings wrong and wants to leave Dongxing City, the murderer is likely to lose the chance to kill him.


    The killer moves so fast that even when news of someone''s death reaches the ears of a survivor, the next survivor dies. So now the best way to avoid the murderer is to leave Dongxing City, and when we or the police catch the murderer, these people wille back.


    I looked at the women, who were still dumbfounded, and said, You see, no matter if it is the murderer who killed Lu Zhiqiu seven years ago, this person who came to avenge Lu Zhiqiu will not let go. Although I still don''t know who that is among you, Whether there is a murderer or not, you all have families in Dongxing City, so you wouldnt be able to escape. I advise you to go out and hide.


    The women nodded, and Zhang Xue''s voice trembled: Then I, then I''ll leave first. I''ll make arrangements. I''ll leave Dongxing City immediately. I''ll go back to my parents'' house to hide for a while, and will be back when the murdere is caught.


    The remaining two women also nodded and said, in unison, So will we.


    Yang Licheng said, I will go to Wang Xin to discuss what to do. No, no, we will hire a few bodyguards to watch over us 24 hours a day. Well have to move quick. This is really terrible. A good person, just like this, died in front of us in such a manner.


    At this time, the sound of an ambnce came from outside the window.


    You wait here. Lets usher in the doctor. I looked at Wang Yikais body and said, However, it is useless now. Damn, if only we had sent him to hospital back when his stomach ache had started, such a thing wouldnt have urred.


    Zhao Mingkun and I had already walked out of the room, and I turned my head and said, If you can find Wang Xin, stay with Wang Xin. That''s fine. Remember to tell him to be careful. After we investigate Liang Mei''s situation, I will go to Wang Xin''s house.


    Yang Licheng nodded and said, Okay, that''s the only way to go.

 Chapter 284: Gu Chens Clue

    Chapter 284: Gu Chen''s Clue


    Zhao Mingkun started the motorcycle, and the ambnce staff and I pointed out the address, and the ambnce staff hurried up. I shook my head and got on Zhao Mingkun''s motorcycle. Along the way, the two of us didn''t exchange any words. Regarding the murderer, I can only describe him in eight words: bizarre and elusive.


    After recent events, we can clearly know that the murderer must be a human, not a ghost. If the murderer was really a ghost, then a ghost would not use poison to kill. But if the murderer was not a ghost, it would be difficult to exin what method the murderer used to cause so many strange deaths.


    First, Hu Xiaoxue dug out his eyeballs, and then Liu Ruijie and Xing Yafang dug out their own eyeballs in the same secret room. Then to the huge face he met in Luo Ding''s house, Wang Xiduo''s inexplicable madness, his falling directly from the seventh floor and being reduced to meat paste by the fall.


    And now, Wang Yikais inexplicable blood-vomit to death. And all of this seems to be controlled by a mysterious force. Although these people had been by our side, we couldnt prevent the murderer at all. It''s as if the murderer is by our side all the time, but we can''t see him.


    After a moment, Zhao Mingkun said, Wang Yikai is not a good person in the traditional sense, but he is definitely not a bad person.


    I nodded and said, Now, half of the thirteen people are dead. The murderer still has six people to kill, and judging from the murderer''s speed, I''m afraid that all six people will be dead by the day after tomorrow at thetest. There is not much time left for us. We have to step up our speed.


    Zhao Mingkun asked again: Even if we can find the person who killed Lu Zhiqiu seven years ago, how should we contact the murderer? Maybe by the time we find this person, the murderer wouldve already killed thirteen people. And maybe, out of the six people who died, one of them was the one who killed Lu Zhiqiu seven years ago, but we can''t say for sure.


    Zhao Mingkun is right; I always feel that the murderer seems to be in a hurry. Even if we find out who actually killed Lu Zhiqiu seven years ago, when we publish this information, will the murderer see it?


    My eyes were a little dry. I rubbed my eyes and said, From our current situation, we can only find the murderer who killed Lu Zhiqiu seven years ago. Let''s take this step by step, do you know where Liang Mei lives?


    Zhao Mingkun nodded and said, Im on my way to Liang Meis house. However, Im afraid well find nothing, and weve yet to establish contact with Liang Mei. There sure is something fishy going on with this.


    When we got to Liang Mei''s house, it was indeed the case. We saw the to-rent information on Liang Mei''s house door, which meant that Liang Mei had actually left. I called thendlord ording to the phone number on the house and asked about Liang Mei.


    It turned out that thendlord lived in another house in thismunity. After receiving our call, he rushed over within five minutes. And when she learned that we were here to investigate the case, not to rent a house, the aunt''s face suddenly fell, and she said that she still had something to do and needed to do it immediately.


    Zhao Mingkun took out 100 yuan and handed it to his aunt, saying, For citizens who cooperate with the police in handling cases, our police will of course reward them.


    When the aunt saw the picture of Grandpa Mao, she immediately smiled and said, Of course, I am a good citizen. You can ask what you want, and Ill say what I know. I am a good citizen.


    I shook my head, already speechless.


    Zhao Mingkun cut to the chase.


    I curled the corners of my mouth, if felt like I had untangled a knot in my mind. And I just figured out at this moment that the problems that can be solved with money were all small problems. The aunt looked at the money to light, and after confirming that it was real money, she asked, I don''t know what you are asking.


    I cleared my throat and said, Is the person who lived in your house called Liang Mei?


    Yes. The aunt nodded and said, Shes Liang Mei. She will be thirty years old this year. She is divorced and has a child.


    Zhao Mingkun frowned and said, From the information Ive gathered, Liang Mei is still single and has no children. Could it be that the Liang Mei we are talking about is not single?


    After listening, the aunt scratched her head and said, By the way, I have pictures of her and the child on my phone.


    With that said, Auntie showed us the photo.


    In the photo, it was really the Liang Mei we know of.


    I suddenly thought of something and said, How old is that child she''s carrying?


    The aunt said, Oh, that child looked about six or seven years old.


    Zhao Mingkun and I looked at each other, and we both saw what the other party meant. If the child was six or seven years old, then in terms of time, it happened to be when Liang Mei was still in college. So, is it possible that this child is Yang Licheng''s? But Yang Licheng also said that when he was at the Royal Garden Hotel, Liang Mei still seemed to have held resentment towards him, so would Liang Mei give birth to Yang Licheng''s child and raise it?


    I asked, Have you met the child''s father?


    The aunt shook her head and said, No, I heard Liang Mei say that her child has had no father. I know this is me venting, but her man is really cruel. Liang Mei lives here with me. For three or four years, I watched her take care of the child by herself,muting to and from work every day and picking the child up to cook.


    Listening to the aunt''s story, it seems that this child really belongs to Yang Licheng. However, Liang Mei didn''t seem to want to tell Yang Licheng about this. It seems that Liang Mei''s hatred was still very strong, so is it possible that on that lively night, a pregnant woman had killed a girl with a brick and dismembered the girl with a trowel?


    So when did she leave? I asked again.


    The aunt said: Two days ago, that is to say, after attending a party, she came back and told me shell be moving.


    But it''s still the middle of the month; not even a month, and youre letting her move out? Isnt this a breach of contract? I looked at my aunt and said.


    The aunt sighed and said, Who said otherwise? The contract we signed was for one year. But you see, it''s only spring, and there are almost ten months left. But she asked me what I can do about it? The child is also at the age of where she should be attending primary school, and there are no good primary schools near us.


    When I came back that day, it seemed to me that she was a little upset. The aunt said, So I waived this month''s rent, which is something I can do for the mother and son.


    I really don''t understand. The aunt who was greedy for even a hundred yuan will waive a month''s rent. In Dongxing City, such a room would cost around 3,000 yuan a month.


    Shes lived here for three or four years. I said, If so, will you move out in a day or two?


    Maybe it''s because shes been living in one ce for too long. The aunt said, I also asked her when I left. One reason should be because of schooling, and the other, I think, must be that ss reunion that stimted her. Otherwise, she wouldnt have left in such a hurry.


    I frowned: Do you know where Liang Mei moved to?


    I don''t know. The aunt said, She doesn''t seem to have found another ce. Maybe she doesn''t know what area she wants to live in.


    This was a bit strange; most people would never do this. If Ive lived in one ce for three or four years, but I had to move out suddenly, and I didn''t even have a good ce that Ive found to move in. What could have caused Liang Mei to move out so quickly? Could it be that Liang Mei was really the murderer that year? Knowing that the police had started to investigate the case again, so she made a run for it?


    Where''s the phone? I asked. Do you have her number?


    The aunt nodded and dialed the number. But as we imagined, there was no one to pick up. This was really strange. Judging from Liang Mei''s actions, it seems like she was avoiding something. Then there are two possibilities: one is that Liang Mei is avoiding the police; the other is that Liang Mei is avoiding the murderer who came back for revenge.


    But no matter what the situation is, there is a problem with changing your mobile phone number. And the top priority is that we must find Liang Mei.


    I turned around and said to Zhao Mingkun, Do you know where Liang Mei works? If Liang Mei doesn''t even want to work, then there will be a problem.


    Zhao Mingkun nodded and said, I know, it''s still working hours. We should go take a look.


    When we said goodbye to Auntie, Gu Chen called. He said, Wu Meng?


    I said, Gu Chen, did you find anything?


    Gu Chen opened his mouth and said, Yes, you asked me to investigate Lu Xiangyang''s affairs. I already have an eye on it. ording to my investigation, Lu Xiangyang didn''t go to that city in the south at all. I found Sister Mary to help us, and Sister Mary quickly found out something through the Inte.


    Sister Mary? I asked. She can move freely now?


    Gu Chen said happily, That''s right, although Team Leader Shao is still under investigation, Director Li has protected Sister Mary. I asked Sister Mary to help check things, and she quickly agreed. However, at present, I still didn''t tell Sister Mary about what you and I have gathered. I think we should exin it to her when we have a chance."


    After a moment of silence, I said, Don''t tell Sister Mary about this.


    What? Gu Chen asked, Don''t you believe Sister Mary?


    I said, It''s not that I don''t believe Sister Mary, it''s that my current status is too special. If others know that she is still in contact with me, it will not only be detrimental to me, but Sister Mary may be subjected to further monitoring and investigation, you know? If Lu Xiangyang didn''t go to the south, what did he do?


    Gu Chen said, This is what I''m investigating. ording to Sister Mary, no one has ever picked up the ticket. The so-called going to the south is probably just a cover. However, I found out that before Lu Xiangyang disappeared, he once walked around the train station, but this may also have created the illusion that he mightve taken the train. I have tracked down a person who has seen Lu Xiangyang, and I believe that there will be results soon.


    Okay! I said, Ill trouble you to call me if you have anything, but remember to keep it hidden.


    Yeah. Gu Chen hung up the phone.


    Lu Xiangyang did not go to the south but stayed in Dongxing City, so what was Lu Xiangyang doing? Could Lu Xiangyang be the murderer? He came back to avenge his sister?

 Chapter 285

    Chapter 285


    It seems that Gu Chen''s investigation has also made great progress, and it isnt certain that Lu Xiangyang will be arrested in the near future. But with Lu Xiangyang being a seventeen-year-old boy, could he really be so ruthless and unerring? And the murderer seemed to have known everyone''s character well, knowing that some people might be scared to death, but the other might use some other means.


    The cure hade by quick.


    However, ording to Lu Xiangyang''s ssmate, Wang Ang, Lu Xiangyang liked to do dabble in these mysterious things when he is normal. Then, it made sense that Lu Xiangyang can kill people with a mechanism that we werent aware yet. Otherwise, why did Lu Xiangyang buy a ticket and stroll around the train station but not leave by train in the end?


    Moreover, why did Lu Xiangyang use the mobile phone of his partner, Li Xiaojuan, to book tickets? Is it possible that Lu Xiangyang knows that if he kills someone, the police will bring up the incident seven years ago, and they will find out that Lu Zhiqiu had a younger brother? When the police learned that Lu Zhiqiu had a younger brother, and had a good rtionship, they would definitely investigate Lu Xiangyang.


    Lu Xiangyang may have thought of this, so he deliberately used his girlfriend''s mobile phone to book a ticket, so that he could use someone else''s confession to create proof of his absence. In this way, the police will divert their attention from the rest of the people.


    I tugged at my hair with my hands and thought about it carefully. For the motive ofmitting the crime, Lu Xiangyang''s motive formitting the crime was to avenge his sister. In terms of the time ofmitting the crime, Lu Xiangyang disappeared two and a half weeks ago, so he had plenty of time to arrange everything.


    In this way, there was considerable amount suspicion on Lu Xiangyang.


    And now, I just hope that Gu Chen can capture Lu Xiangyang as soon as possible, and then he will be able to figure out a few things.


    Zhao Mingkun rode a motorcycle to Liang Mei''spany.


    I believed that Gu Chen would be able to find Lu Xiangyang. At present, Zhao Mingkun and I have to find Liang Mei first. ording to the information obtained by Zhao Mingkun, Liang Mei worked for a designpany, and her monthly sry was over 10,000 yuan and afforded good benefits from thepany. It was good job for Liang Me, who was raising her child by herself.


    When we arrived at thepany, we found that not only us, but even the boss of thispany was looking for Liang Mei. When meeting with us, Liang Mei''s department manager told us that Liang Mei still had an order at hand, but she had yet toplete it, and Liang Mei could not be found.


    Having said that, Manager Wang of the department took us to Liang Mei''s office.


    As soon as I entered the door, I noticed something was wrong with her desk.


    Judging from Liang Mei''s desk, I could see that it was in a state of disrepair. There were also a lot of scattered documents on the table, as if someone had been through them before. The documents were disorderly, suggesting that Liang Mei had left in a hurry.


    I turned my head and asked Manager Wang, When was thest time you saw Liang Mei?


    Manager Wang said, Thest time I saw Liang Mei was two days ago. That morning, like every other morning, Liang Mei came to thepany very early, and then got into her office. As you can see, Liang Mei has her own private cabin, and I don''t know when she left.


    I walked over to the desk and opened a few drawers to take a look. I searched carefully, only to find that there was no personal item except for some files. From this point, it could be seen that Liang Mei had taken away all her personal items.


    After returning home from the ss reunion that day, Liang Mei came back and made a request to move out. The next day, Liang Mei moved out of thatmunity. And at that same time, Liang Mei came to the office early to take away her personal items. And this showed that Liang Mei had decided to leave after the ss reunion that day.


    I grabbed my chin with my hand and remembered what Yang Licheng said to me earlier.


    I asked, What is Liang Mei''s personality like?


    Manager Wang scratched his head and said, with a sigh, But I''m not surprised that Liang Mei would do this.


    What? I asked.


    Manager Wang said, Liang Mei came to ourpany a few years ago. Her biggest characteristic is her stubbornness. She lost customers several times because she had contrasting ideas to that of her clients. A client originally wanted to change the design a bit. The design was fine, but she just didnt want to change it. But it''s also because of this characteristic of her, that as long as she wanted to do things, such as some seemingly impossible designs, she could always think of the solutions. Manager Wang continued: It wouldnt have taken her long to rise in her career. In fact, she was going to get promoted to a manager position soon, too. I don''t get it, but it''s her style.


    From now, Liang Mei had left of her own initiative. She didn''t tell anyone around her the reason for leaving. I fiddled with the documents on the table, but identally moved the mouse. With the movement of the mouse, theputer screen suddenly lit up. It turned out that Liang Mei''sputer hadnt been turned off.


    Whos moved here? I asked.


    Manager Wang shook his head and said, No one. Although Liang Mei hasn''te back for two days, we don''t know what she''s doing. What if she went to do a market research? You saw for yourself that her desk and herputer have not been touched. It has been two days and no one has been able to contact her.


    This office building has continuous power supply even during night? I asked again.


    Manager Wang said, That''s right, of course we have uninterrupted power supply. Otherwise, how could herputer have been on standby all this while?


    If a person was in a hurry to leave, but has left on theputer, it could only mean that there was something on theputer that they would want to see, or some information that they wanted to take away.


    I carefully rummaged through the files on theputer, but found nothing unusual, except for some office software and some design drawings. I frowned and was silent for a moment, then remembered something, and opened the web browser. I looked up the web browser history and found there wasn''t a single record in them.


    This was unusual, quite unusual. Most people would never delete their search records, unless they were searching for websites that were not suitable for children. And why did Liang Mei delete her search history? Is there something that Liang Mei was afraid of others seeing?


    I shook my head. It seemed that Liang Mei was really ready to leave. And because our country is so big, even if Liang Mei was still in Dongxing City, it would not be easy for us to find her.


    Just when I saw no hope of finding anything and was about to close the brower, I identally right-clicked the mouse button. As we all know, this would only be avable if someone had copied or cut something first.


    I pressed paste without thinking, and at that moment, a file in image format appeared on theputer.


    I hurriedly opened the picture, but at the moment when the picture was opened, Manager Wang was taken aback.


    This. What is this? Manager Wang touched his chest and pointed at theputer with one finger: This, this is too terrifying. Why does Liang Mei''sputer have this thing? This has nothing to do with design. Is it a good idea to have this to find inspiration?


    I shook my head, but didn''t answer Manager Wang.


    Zhao Mingkun took a few steps up and said, Isn''t this picture?"


    I nodded and looked at the picture on the screen.


    Zhao Mingkun and I both fell into contemtion. Judging from this picture, Liang Mei seems to be very suspicious. Because this photo was not another photo, but turned out to be the photo we saw on Hu Pei''s lost cell phone before. This was a photo of Lu Zhiqiu''s head, but this photo was obviously the original.


    Judging from this photo, there was no text added to the edge, and the words I''m back were not written. And the photo was much clearer than the one we saw on the mobile phone. This showed that the picture on the mobile phone may have been doctored a lot due to transmission problems.


    And this photo was very clear.


    As far as we know, these students arrived at the scene when the police were gone and saw Lu Zhiqiu''s body. But in this photo, we could clearly see that it was taken by a person next to the body. Moreover, the camera was very close to the head of the corpse. We could imagine the action of the photographer. His feet stood on either side of the head, then he leaned down and took a close-up of the head with the camera.


    The background of the head was light, and the background around the picture was a bit dark. This meant that this photo was probably taken at night. So, why does Liang Mei have this photo? This photo, both from the background light and from the point of view, should have been taken by the murderer.


    And why did this photo appear on Liang Mei''sputer, and why did Liang Mei leave in a hurry after the party? I remember that at that time, Wang Yikai said that thirteen people had stayed in Dongxing City to cooperate with the police investigation. The rest of the people did not leave Dongxing City. So why did Liang Mei alone leave her three or four year job, leave her housingmunity, with a child without any ce to go to?


    There is a problem! I said to Zhao Mingkun, There is something wrong with this Liang Mei!


    Zhao Mingkun looked at me, nodded, and said, It can be seen that Liang Mei is a very assertive person, no matter from seven years ago or now. People who have no opinion, In fact, such people are the most opinionated people. These people often allow others to do whatever they want in small matters, but when ites to some issues that touch on their own principles, they already have the answers in their hearts.


    After that, Zhao Mingkun added: Otherwise, she would not have given birth to Yang Licheng''s child.


    What do you mean? I looked at Zhao Mingkun: Is it very likely that Liang Mei killed someone?


    Zhao Mingkun waved his hand and said, I just think that if Liang Mei wanted to kill Lu Zhiqiu, shes capable enough to see through it.

 Chapter 286: Twenty Four Hour Protection

    Chapter 286: Twenty Four Hour Protection


    Liang Mei had to leave with her child under such inconvenient circumstances. There was something certainly wrong with this. All our questions can b answered if we could find Liang Mei, but the crux of the matter was that how to find her in Dongxing City? Where would she have gone? Where did you hide, Liang Mei?


    I couldnt help shaking my head; I forwarded the picture to Gu Chens QQ, and at the same time sent a text to him, asking to save the picture and hand the picture to Sister Mary. So, that she could check if she could check the image and see if she can find any use clues from it.


    Now that all this has happened, I have no choice but to say, Okay, Manager Wang, Ill give a QQ number, which will be avable 24 hours a day. If Liang Mei has something to say and has contacted you, you can give her this number, okay? Thank you for your cooperation.


    It''s nothing. Manager Wang shook his head and said, This is what we should do, and, to be honest, I am also a little worried about Liang Mei. If you have news about Liang Mei, please inform ourpany as well.


    I nodded.


    After being busy for so long and running around on the road without break, looking at my watch, it was already more than 2:40 in the afternoon. Walking out of the office building, my stomach is already growling with hunger. But seeing how Zhao Mingkun seemed to have endless strength, I couldn''t help but say, Zhao Mingkun, you run for so long every day, and you only drink a little water at night, aren''t you hungry?


    Zhao Mingkun shrugged and said, If you have had the experience of drinking only a ss of water for three days, you will understand how powerful a person''s survival instinct is. A day without food is not a big deal for a person at all.


    Looking at Zhao Mingkun''s understatement, it seems that drinking only a ss of water for three days is a small thing for her. I just don''t know when this happened to Zhao Mingkun. But for people like me who starve if they don''t eat a meal, food can''t be ignored at all.


    I opened my mouth and said, Since I have experienced this kind of starvation, I should eat as much as I can when I can.


    Yes. Zhao Mingkun said.


    But now was an awkward time to eat. It was toote for midday lunch, and was too early for dinner. Almost all the restaurants on the streets were closed, and after walking for a long time, I could not find a single ce to fill my stomach. At this rate, will I be the first person to ever die of starvation outside a restaurant?


    After walking for a while, I saw a small shed someone and set up. It was at the entrance of the alley. A cauldron stood on the side, and it was boiling hot noodles. In the three small pots on the side, there was fried sauce, tomatoes and eggs, brine and so on. On the small table for diners, the green onion-mustard-chili sauce had everything. I was drooling, and my stomach was growling.


    I pulled Zhao Mingkun''s sleeve and said, I said, I don''t know if any restaurants are still open right now. Let''s just eat here, what do you think?


    Zhao Mingkun nodded and said, Yes, I''m not very picky about what I eat.


    I shouted to the boss from a distance: Two bowls of noodles!


    Okay! The boss nodded and said, Two bowls.


    Zhao Mingkun hurriedly stopped and said, No, only a small bowl will be enough for me.


    I opened my mouth and said, I will eat what you can''t finish, but to tell you the truth, I''m hungry now, and feel like I can eat a whole cow."


    Zhao Mingkun nodded and did not refute.


    The hot boiling water was steaming. The vendor put the pulled noodles into the pot, and watched the noodles tossing in the water like small dragons. After a while, I felt the aroma of noodlesing. In less than a moment, the noodles were cooked through and looked firm.


    The boss held the shackle, scooped it clockwise in the hot noodle soup, then turned his left hand around, picked up a bowl with his right hand and covered it up, and the bowl of noodles went into the bowl. The whole technique was experienced and skilled, which was really a kind of enjoyment. And I poured the sauces on the surface by myself, I brought it over and put the pepper in it.


    Zhao Mingkun said: Okay, let''s put pepper like this without have a care for money.


    I smiled and said, I love spicy food.


    While eating, I didnt care about anything anymore. After taking two or three sips, Zhao Mingkun suddenly looked up. She looked at me as if she was speechless. I kept gobbing it up. Regardless of how uneducated I looked, I continued to suck the noodles aloud.


    This young man eats so well that even I feel like eating a little. The bossughed.


    I looked up at the boss and smiled. But I didn''t expect a piece of noodles to be thrown into the air, and with it also the soup. I only felt my eyes suddenly irritate, and I subconsciously reached out to rub my eyes. I felt my eyes were burning, as if I was going blind.


    I closed my eyes and rubbed. The boss happened to see this scene and quickly said, Don''t rub, don''t rub, the more you rub, the more painful it will be.


    As he said, the boss handed me a wet towel and said, Wipe it with this. Ah, it looks like chili oil. This might hurt, ah, sometimes when this happens, I want to pluck out my own eyes.


    I wiped my eyes, and when I heard the boss''s words, my heart throbbed suddenly, and my heart immediately brightened.


    I mmed the towel on the table and said, Boss, you are really amazing.


    The boss smiled and said, What''s the matter? Isn''t it because the chili oil got into your eyes? It''s a small matter. But eat slowly in the future. Look at what you eat; your eyes are already red and swollen.


    Zhao Mingkun nced at me and said, What''s the matter, are you okay?


    I blinked, although there was still some pain, but it was much better than the moment before. I didn''t expect a drop of chili oil to be so harmful, and what if it was something more powerful? At this moment, my mind had be clear, and the things that have bogged me for several days,  I finally had a perspective on them.


    Thinking of this, I felt quite happy, and I soon finished eating with Zhao Mingkun.


    I said, Let''s go, let''s go to Wang Xin''s house to see. Yang Licheng should already be at Wang Xin''s house now.


    Zhao Mingkun said: Okay. The remaining twelve of the thirteen people, although six of them have died, we have met all of these twelve people before, when they were alive, and Wang Xin is the only one left. I dont know if we can get ahead of the murderer this time.


    I nodded and said, I already have some conjectures in my heart. However, before the news from Gu Chen''s sidees, I still can''t draw a conclusion by myself. However, from this point of view, this case ising to an end, already.


    Boss, bill! I said.


    Sitting on Zhao Mingkun''s motorcycle, I closed my eyes and started thinking about the case. The case has begun to form aplete set of clues in my mind, and now, as long as I can find a few points that I can''t exin yet, the truth wille out.


    Zhao Mingkun seemed to know what I was thinking and didn''t bother me.


    After about an hour, we reached Wang Xin''s house. The ce where Wang Xin lived was not high-end, but the ce is veryrge. It was a duplex building on the second floor, which was different from the suite he borrowed before. We contacted Yang Licheng and found that Yang Licheng had arrived at Wang Xin''s house.


    Yang Licheng took us into Wang Xin''s house and said that Wang Xin was already waiting for us upstairs.


    Wang Xin''s home is not bad. Zhao Mingkun said involuntarily when he looked at the house.


    Yang Licheng smiled softly: This is not Wang Xin''s house, this house belongs to someone else, but they went abroad to travel. I am afraid that no one will look at this house, and the antiques, calligraphy and paintings were lost. So I found a friend to lend us this space, but ah, relying on this house, Wang Xin tricked a lot of girls into staying overnight.


    It turns out that this was the case, which was in line with my previous conjecture.


    I walked up to the second floor, but two tall, muscr men in suits blocked me.


    This is? I looked at Yang Licheng.


    Yang Licheng smiled and said, Didn''t I tell you before? We asked the bodyguards to watch us two for 24 hours. Now that so many people have died, Wang Xin and I can be considered a hit. No. Four bodyguards have been hired, two here and two in the house. When the murderer is caught, we will be free.


    Yang Licheng said, It''s okay, these two are police officers.


    With that, we came to the second floor.


    Outside a door on the second floor, a bodyguard was standing outside. When he saw that Yang Licheng was back, he nodded to us and opened the door behind him.


    Yang Licheng knocked on the door with a special knocking method, and it could be seen that the two were still very cautious.


    After a while, a bodyguard opened the door, and the three of us walked in.


    I looked around and saw a man leaning on a long sofa. This person was none other than Wang Xin. And Wang Xin''s hand is now fiddling with something like a censer. He smelled the smell inside, and said to Yang Licheng: Burning incense and drinking tea, we two y chess here, watch TV, and also have a good time, don''t worry, it''s so safe here, I dont think the murderer can get in here.


    I looked around. The space here was quiterge. Only this door was could lead in and out of the duplex. The windows were open inside the house, which means that no one can sneak in.


    At this time, Wang Xin had already lit the incense burner, looked at us and said, You two are policemen.


    I nodded and said, We met at the Royal Garden Hotel.


    Wang Xin patted his forehead and said, I''m sorry, I''m sorry, I forgot, but ah, we are quite safe here, so you don''t need to worry about it. Brother Yang and I, well just wait for you to catch the murderer. Come, brother Yang, sit down and let''s y Go. What is this called, it''s called Burning Incense Hand Talk, right..."

 Chapter 287

    Chapter 287


    Although this small vi was not owned by Wang Xin, Wang Xin still made it as if he owned the ce. Wang Xin put the incense burner aside whileying out the chessboard. There were plumes of white smokeing out of the incense burner. Wang Xin leaned up to smell it, shook his head, and poured another pot of tea for the two of them.


    It seemed that Wang Xin didn''t put us two little policemen in his eyes, and seemed to deliberately ignore us. And from the time we entered the door, when he deliberately pretended to have forgotten our identities, we could see that this person was both the fox and the tiger.


    However, Yang Licheng had already informed uswhen we hade upthat this vi was not owned by Wang Xin, and Wang Xin shouldnt have been aware of this fact. Many people were like this. When they werecking in certain aspects, they tended to overpensate by pretending to have a lot. Wang Xin could have been more low-key but had impatiently put on the image of a nouveau riche, and the sad thing was that this nouveau riche was still pretending.


    It was Yang Licheng who saw our predicament and said, You two, sit down.


    At this time, Wang Xin pretended to be suddenly enlightened and said, Yes, yes, I remember, now. You two sit down.


    I shook my head and said softly: No need, we were just asking you something, and we''ll leave after a brief discussion. You seem to be quite safe here, but the murderer is a pervasive person. You''d better be more careful.


    Wang Xin held Heizi first. He swung to the middle and said, Don''t worry, the two of us won''t go out in the future. And there are so many people watching, there is no way for the murderer toe in and kill us. I looked at Wang Xin''s confident expression. It wouldnt be good for me to break his beautiful fantasy at the moment. Because ording to our current investigation, even Wang Yikai, who had been with us all day and night, had died in a very strange manner when the murderer wanted him gone.


    If I already had figured out the reason behind the way the people killed were killed, I still couldn''t fathom the reason behind Wang Yikais death. This is one of the few points that keeps nagging me: What kind of method would allow the murder to kill someone at a distance or when he wasnt there in person?


    Seeing that we didn''t speak, Yang Licheng also began to y chess with Wang Xin on his own.


    I looked around the room again, and determined that even if the murderer had a sniper rifle, there was no way to shoot through the window. After entering, I felt a lot more at ease.


    There is nothing to ask, but the other twelve people have already answered. I leaned against the wall, looked at Wang Xin slowly and said: So, I will ask you as a routine. On the night that Lu Zhiqiu died seven years ago, where were you, and what did you see?


    Wang Xin gave another shot, then shook his head and sighed, saying, I did meet Lu Zhiqiu that night seven years ago. But just as I was about to say something to her, she said that she had already had an appointment with someone, and I didn''t say anything more. But looking at her, she seemed a little unhappy. At that time, she owed a lot of money and got into a trouble, but she trusted me, and she told me everything. Maybe it''s because I was always good to her, I mightve left a good impression of myself.


    It seemed that this Wang Xin was still very confident. I paid attention to Yang Licheng''s expression and saw Yang Licheng bowing his head and smiling bitterly. He seemed very reluctant to mention this matter. After all, Yang Licheng also liked Lu Zhiqiu and had confessed to her, but she had rejected him. Looking at Wang Xin, it seems that he was still immersed in the fantasy that Lu Zhiqiu had once liked him.


    However, Wang Xin mentioned that Lu Zhiqiu had caused trouble. What trouble could it be?


    Thinking of this, I said, Did you say Lu Zhiqiu caused trouble?


    Wang Xin nodded and said, Why, don''t you know?


    What exactly is it? I looked at Wang Xin.


    Wang Xin shifted forward, drank all the tea in the teacup, and said, It''s about buying a dog as an intern at the construction site. In fact, it caused quite amotion at the beginning, but nobody cared. Don''t look at appearances; life is unsustainable.


    I nced at Zhao Mingkun. We really didnt know about this.


    Zhao Mingkun asked, What''s going on? We just heard someone mention it. Can you tell me the specifics of this matter?


    Wang Xin said: This matter in itself is nothing, but because of this matter, Lu Zhiqiu had to live a tough life, and it was even more difficult at that time. How can I put it? We once saw someone kill dogs on the construction site, and when she saw it, she wouldnt let it be.


    We probably only know about this, I said.


    Wang Xin yed his piece and said to Yang Licheng: If I drop this piece, youll be in danger.


    After saying that, Wang Xin sniffed the incense burner again; he choked and then coughed.


    After a while, he said: This incense burner is really intoxicating, but it doesn''t smell very good. By the way, let''s continue to talk about what happened seven years ago. Those workers on the construction site were a group of unqualified people. Even though they all looked proper and human-like, they were secretly cruel and merciless bunch.


    I frowned and said to Wang Xin, Just get down to business, don''t talk nonsense.


    Wang Xinughed, and then said: It was a local dog at that time. The local dog was already hung up and was about to be killed. Thats when Lu Zhiqiu saw it, and rushed to stop them. Then the migrant workers began tough at Lu Zhiqiu, saying that the graduates had lost their minds in school, and that this dog had to be killed. But Lu Zhiqiu was really vehement and refused, so we quarrelled with each other.


    Everyone was a little excited at the time, and then some migrant worker started to say that it was his own dog, and whether or not he killed is his own business. Later, in the confusion, I don''t know who said that, but they said that it was alright not to kill, but if you didnt let them kill it, youd have to buy it.


    We nodded.


    Wang Xin continued: Then Lu Zhiqiu asked how much money they wanted for the dog. As a result, the other party mentioned a number, which was basically daylight robbery. You tell what a local dog is worth? Tens of yuan or even a hundred yuan will do, and Ill still wont hesitate to buy. But you guess how much the other party asked for  the other party asked for 10,000 yuan!


    Ten-thousand? I said, Will it cost that much?


    Wang Xin sneered and said, Yes, so these migrant workers are all moths, but in order to save this dog, Lu Zhiqiu paid 3,000 yuan as a deposit first, and then collected the rest to save the dog. Those were some really ck-hearted people. But because Lu Zhiqiu trusted me, I also lend her some money.


    It''s because of this incident that Lu Zhiqiu has been in a foul mood for a few days after. Wang Xin shook his head and continued: That''s why she made mistakes at work, and her boyfriend doesn''t care about anything. It''s a pity that Lu Zhiqiu died, else she mightve been my wife now.


    I shook my head. Wang Xin had a pretty nice fantasy going on, but sadly the reality was too cruel.


    That''s it? Zhao Mingkun said, Just because you helped a little, someone will be willing to marry you?


    Otherwise, itll mean youre shallow. Wang Xin made another move, and it seemed that the game was going well. Seated opposite to him, Yang Licheng frowned and stared at the chessboard.


    Wang Xin looked at Yang Licheng and started to say: I said at the time, although they took the money, they wouldnt have lived a better life with it. Asking for ten thousand yuan for a dog that isnt even worth a hundred yuan, if they didnt pay some price, how would it be fair?"


    So what did you do? I asked.


    Wang Xin said with a smile: You wouldnt be able to deduce it. I posted on the Inte, in major forums, especially those discussing cats and dogs. I posted saying the construction site openly abuses dogs and posted some photos, but the photos were all fake, and I continued to post them every day.


    You made a fake post? I asked.


    Hey! Wang Xin waved his hand and said, How can you call this fake? Is the falsehood of a schr a falsehood? I want to breathe a sigh of relief for Lu Zhiqiu. That dog, no matter how you stretch it, is not worth 10,000 yuan. That too Ten a thousand yuan from seven years ago. Do you think it is a small amount? I just added a little embellishment and said that these people specially poisoned other people''s dogs with poison and then sold the meat to unknown customers.


    I frowned, feeling a little angry.


    Wang Xin did not see what I was thinking but continued: At that time, I said that these migrant workers stole our dogs, but they said that these were their own dogs, and that they would kill them in front of us. If we wanted to stop them, wed have to pay them 10,000 yuan.


    I can''t overlook that you used public opinion to incite the masses seven years ago? I looked at Wang Xin and said lightly.


    The masses are all fools. Wang Xin said in a tone that saw through the world: They are people who fan the mes. Later, I also saw someone set up some pet dog protection association in the forum and went through the trouble of looking for these migrant workers. Later, when I wanted to step back, someone naturally took over the issue for me.


    What happened next? I asked.


    Wang Xin shrugged and said, I don''t know much about what happenedter, but it seemed that someone hade to make trouble. As for those migrant workers, they quit working within a few days. Haha, it can be regarded as a huge relief for Lu Zhiqiu.


    But judging from Lu Zhiqiu''s character, she wouldnt have tolerated Wang Xins part in this at all.


    And Lu Zhiqiu knows about this? I asked.


    Wang Xin shook his head, smelled the incense burner again, and then said, Lu Zhiqiu naturally doesn''t know about this matter. Think about it. How touching would it be for a man to silently do so many things for a woman. I couldnt tell Lu Zhiqiu about it. I wanted to wait for Lu Zhiqiu to find out by herself, but, after half a month, the incident happened and Lu Zhiqiu actually died.


    You tell me, Wang Xin looked at me: arent I on a bumpy road?


    Looking at Wang Xin, I suddenly felt disgusted in my heart.


    Do you think Lu Zhiqiu wouldve fallen in love with you this way? I said, Relying on the inte to tell tall tales?


    Hearing my words with dripping with thorns, Wang Xin''s expression changed.

 Chapter 288

    Chapter 288


    I looked into Wang Xin''s eyes, and Wang Xin also looked into mine. I could see Wang Xin''s anger towards me. He seemed very dissatisfied with what I said to him. He looked into my eyes for a long while before he mmed the box containing the chess pieces onto the chessboard.


    Yang Licheng was taken aback, looked at me, but did not speak. It seems that Yang Licheng would live here for the next few days. It was better for him to not stand with me. He was a little embarrassed, so he quickly reached out and picked up the incense burner and yed with it.


    Wang Xin was still leaning on the sofa and did not stand up. He questioned me: You mean, those migrant workers who kill dogs were in the right, but what I did was wrong? Should we have simply bought the dog worth 10,000 yuan? You are also a police officer, why dont you have any sympathy at all? If things carry on like this, it wont take long for our country to meet an end.


    It seems that this Wang Xin really wasnt afraid of heights when he put on his hat.


    I smiled and didn''t answer Wang Xin''s words, but said, You think about a lot of things. Then, have you considered about those migrant workers?


    Consider them? Wang Xin said with a smile, I think you are the same. Now, I have the right to ask the two of you to leave, right? This is my home, and you have already asked all your questions, haven''t you? Now, leave. Immediately.


    I smiled and said, Okay, we''ve finished what we had to ask. I wish for your safety.


    Wang Xin also smiled and said, You don''t need to bother. But since youve said it, then please do.


    I shrugged and turned to leave.


    At that moment, a few of us suddenly heard the sound of chess pieces falling. Looking at the voice, I saw Yang Licheng half-kneeling on the ground at this time, with his hands on the coffee table. And because of this, the chessboard on the coffee table was overturned.


    Seeing Yang Licheng, Wang Xin hurriedly stepped forward to help him and said, What''s the matter, Brother Yang? You shouldn''t be so agitated. Aren''t they just two young policemen? I''ve eaten more salt than you have eaten rice. You two, you still have a lot to learn. This is a little experience I will give you in life as an experienced person.


    I frowned, and I could see that Yang Licheng wasn''t angry or anything, and Yang Licheng didn''t mean to overturn the chessboard. Wang Xin helped Yang Licheng up, and then asked, Brother Yang, what happened?


    Yang Licheng slumped on the sofa and said, I don''t know what''s wrong. My body feels a bit ufortable.


    Seeing Yang Licheng''s appearance, I suddenly thought of Wang Yikai, who died this morning. Could it be that Yang Licheng is going to die in front of us like Wang Yikai, in a moments time?


    Thinking of this, I hurriedly said, Call 120, call 120 immediately.


    The bodyguard came up at that moment and quickly dialed the emergency number.


    At this time, Yang Licheng couldn''t keep his eyes open, and then Yang Licheng vomited violently. The smell was unpleasant, like noodles that had been fermented for ten thousand years. His body was like a puppet; his whole person seemed to have no bones, and he soon went soft and limp.


    Dizzy! Yang Licheng trembled a little. He touched his temple with his hand and said, I''m so dizzy.


    While speaking, Yang Licheng vomited again.


    At this time, several bodyguards also heard the movement inside and rushed in.


    Wang Xin had a terrified expression on his face at the moment. He tried hard to pull Yang Licheng, but Yang Licheng was paralyzed. He finally lifted Yang Licheng up, but at that moment, he himself suddenly fell to the ground. His saliva seemed to flow uncontrobly, and his feet faltered. He wanted to stand up, but he seemed to possess no strength at all.


    Things happened in an instant, which made Zhao Mingkun and me a bit sluggish. This was really weird, and the murderer was truly amazing. I really don''t understand how the killer did it.


    Several bodyguards rushed over, and the muscr men quickly helped them sit on the sofa. A muscr man directly sshed the two with tea, but they still couldnt snap out of it.


    Water! Yang Licheng said, I really want to drink water. Give me water.


    Me too, I want water too. Wang Xin also said.


    Zhao Mingkun and I were on the side, and we had no idea how the murderer did it. It was absolutely impossible for the murderer toe in, and we all had our eyes on the two. How did the murderer poison him invisibly? Judging from the vomiting and dizziness of the two, this was definitely poisoning.


    And what had poisoned the two?


    Tea? The chessboard or that incense burner?


    My eyes lit up. I rushed over and looked at the incense burner that was still spewing out white smoke. If there was something the two of them touched just now, it must have been this incense burner. Most incense burners had cyan smoke and only this incense burner let out white smoke.


    I covered my nose with my arm and looked at the small incense burner that fell to the ground. The incense burner was lying on the ground at the moment, and the ashes poured out from the small hole in the incense burner. I looked closely, and it was a white crystal-like thing. It wasnt the usual kind; I didnt know what it was.


    Wang Xin himself was not a high-end person at all, but he would do some high-end things. He probably did not know much about incense at all, but he had gotten this from some unknown ce. I think this was what had poisoned them.


    At that moment, I wanted to ask Wang Xin where he found this incense burner, but Wang Xin was lying on the sofa and puking. Vomit covered his face, and several bodyguards were wiping his face in disgust. It was evident that Wang Xin had lost his energy and would probably faint at any moment.


    Looking at Yang Licheng on the side, it was the same situation with him. Seeing this situation, I could not help but say, Get them all downstairs; the contents of that incense burner may be poisonous. After a period of inhtion, it will make people sick. Don''t leave it behind. Here,e downstairs.


    A few bodyguards heard that there might be danger, and without a word, they lifted the two and went downstairs.


    I put on gloves, tore off a bit of toilet paper, and covered some of the white crystals that fell from the incense burner while holding my breath, and then ran down.


    When I went downstairs, I took onest look, and the white smoke was still rising mistily, but I didn''t know what this thing was, and I didn''t dare easily extinguish it with water. However, Zhao Mingkun and I had nothing to do with bodyguards. It seems that people who came too close would be poisoned.


    Then, in such arge space on the second floor, it was impossible for the poisonous gas to have spread to the first floor. It is at least safe here. I am afraid that after the crystals inside are burnt clean, there will be no more poisonous substances left.


    The two people were carried downstairs, but judging from the state of the two, they were letting out more air than taking it in.


    Both of them had closed their eyes. Their bodies were twitching violently, and foam was constantly gurgling out of their mouths. After a while, the two of them became incontinent. This was a verymon phenomenon for a person after being poisoned, but if they identally ingested something poisonous, they couldvage their stomachs and recover.


    But the two of them are inhaling gas. How do you get out the poisonous smoke?


    Although there were many people here, none of us here were doctors, nor did we have the knowledge to provide the kind of assistance that truly mattered. Because poisoning was different from general emergency situations, we couldnt artificially resuscitate on their mouths. Moreover, no one knew whether their vomit was poisonous as well, or inhtion of stench from their excrement was poisonous.


    Have you called an ambnce? I asked.


    Damn it!" a bodyguard said, we are in this damned ce! The ce is remote, and it takes more than ten minutes for the ambnce to arrive, and thats the case if they dont encounter any traffic in Dongxing City. How about we send them to the nearest clinic first, its better than us waiting here for them to die.


    I nodded and said, You should be more familiar with this ce. Take the two of them to the clinic. By the way, you can carry some powder from the incense burner. Remember to hold your breath and not inhale and have contact with it. We might find out what this is in that case.


    Okay! Several bodyguards were swift and resolute. After hearing the words, they immediately started out.


    Several bodyguards moved the two into the car, while Zhao Mingkun and I followed behind on the motorcycle.


    Sitting on the motorcycle, I frowned. I really couldnt think how the killer struck and seeded each time. The incense burner should have been bought by Wang Xin himself, but the contents inside must have been brought in by the murderer. But how did the murderer know that Wang Xin would definitely use this incense burner? Why does he know the personalities of these thirteen people so well?


    The murderer knows these people so well. Who is he?


    His weird MO: the murderer never appeared at the scene, and yet the person he wanted to kill died. If not for a ghost, is there any way someone could do it? Of the thirteen people, seven have died, and the two in the car were in a state simr to death. The remaining three people should have already started to leave Dongxing City.


    There is also Liang Mei, whose whereabouts still remain unknown.


    Can the remaining ones be saved from death in the end? Can we sessfully catch the murderer with just me and Zhao Mingkun? Everything remains a mystery. I know the case wasing to an end. If we don''t achieve a substantial breakthrough, we may never catch the murderer. Then the truth from seven years may never see the light of the day forever


    I closed my eyes. The truth seemed to be right in front of me. I can grab it with my hand. But between me and the truth, there stilly a thinyer of gauze. As long as this veil remains, we may never see the true face of the truth.

 Chapter 289: Mercury Chloride

    Chapter 289: Mercury Chloride


    The bodyguards must have been familiar with the roads and understood the nearby terrain structure beforehand; the car hardly took any detours and went straight to a small clinic. The clinic doctor''s desk was facing the window. When the doctor saw several big men lift the two unconscious people out of the car, his face turned blue.


    When I saw his appearance, I wanted to quickly close the door of the clinic. But at this time, several bodyguards had already carried Yang Licheng and Wang Xin inside. The bodyguard put the two people on the ground, and at that time, the two people stopped vomiting. But their bodies were still covered with vomit. Among them, Wang Xin was still incontinent, and the mixed smell was unpleasant.


    The doctor and the nurse in the clinic hurried over, and several patients who came here for fluid drips also squeezed in to see what happened. The doctor said with a displeased face, What''s the matter? Why were they carried in casually? What are you doing?


    A bodyguard stood up. He was a head taller than the doctor, at a height of 1.8 meters. He heard the bodyguard say in confusion, Aren''t you a clinic? This person is in danger. Where are you going here?


    The doctor frowned, his face full of displeasure: Who knows what happened to you people? You simply bringing me these people. What would happen if they died here? I have seen people like you a lot. You send people when they are abou to die; no matter what I do, Itll be fine if the patient lives, but he dies, I will be swindled out 0f a lot of money, right?


    Having said that, the doctor hid even further, and he said, Everyone here is to be a witness. I didn''t touch these two people. If they die here, it would not be my fault. Theyre already in this state, yet you still send them to me, thinking that I can resuscitate and bring them back to life? Hurry up and take them away. Whether you send them to the hospital or go bury them, it has nothing to do with me. Hurry up and take them away.


    The doctors remarks sent shivers down the patients backs. How could doctor who was supposed to save lives behave like this?


    Well, you are a doctor. Please take a look at them. A patient said.


    Look! I look at what I want to look at! the doctor said. These two are obviously dying. Isn''t this causing me trouble? Besides, I don''t know anything. What would it mean if the person dies during the examination? Whose fault would it be then? Will it be yours? If you say youll take responsibility for someone''s death, then I''ll take a look!


    After the doctor said this, the surrounding went quiet, and no one spoke anymore.


    Zhao Mingkun snorted coldly and said, If someone dies, Ill take responsibility. You, bodyguard, take the thing out and show it to this doctor, let him see what it is.


    The bodyguard who had wrapped the white crystal-like thing before, quickly took out this thing from his pocket, opened the toilet paper package, and showed it to everyone.


    The doctor looked at it from a distance, and without seeing it carefully, he said: There are so much stuff that has white grantions. How would I know what it is? What? I''m a doctor, not a chemist. So how would I know what this is? I tell you, don''t try to deceive me, I''ve seen a lot of ups and downs, hurry up.


    Taking a look at all this, the doctor had a feeling from the bottom of his heart that the group hade here to extort money from him. And that it was impossible for him to treat Yang Licheng and Wang Xin.


    I looked at the two lying on the ground as if they were asleep at the moment, motionless. If it weren''t for their slightly moving throats, people wouldve considered them dead.


    But these two might actually die in a few minutes.


    If Guan Zengbin was here, we wouldn''t be so at a loss; not knowing what to do. And Guan Zengbin would be able to identify the thing in our hands.


    You guys go out and keep a lookout for the ambnce. Dont let them go to a wrong address, I said.


    Okay." Two of the bodyguards nodded.


    At this time, I still took out my expired police card and said, Don''t think about it. Come and see what happened to these two people. I''m a policeman. If something happens, we will record it. Yes. Are you assured, now?


    The doctor took my police card and looked around and saw nothing wrong, so he said angrily: You didnt get your police card early, Im afraid that you too are afraid of taking responsibility. Okay, enough talking, this is as youve said yourself, if someone dies, it wont be my responsibility. Everyone can be the witness.


    After saying that, the doctor came forward and looked at the white crystal-like thing in the bodyguard''s hand.


    After a while, he asked, What symptoms did the two of them have before they were sent here?"


    While thinking about the symptoms of the poisoning of the two people, I said to the doctor: At the beginning, the two people had symptoms such as dizziness and general weakness. Then, the two people vomited.


    As I said that, I pointed to Wang Xin and said, This person''s condition is more serious. He is incontinent."


    The doctor nodded, put on his mask and gloves, and walked slowly towards Wang Xin. He pushed Wang Xin''s eyelids open with his own hands, and I stood by and watched. I could see that Wang Xins eyes had be red and swollen, and his pupils were still responding to light, which meant that he wasnt dead, yet.


    The doctor frowned, and then opened Wang Xin''s mouth with his hands again. When the doctor opened Wang Xin''s mouth, we saw that Wang Xin''s mouth had festered a lot. His mouth was full of drool and mucus; his gums were swollen, and bloody, and few of his teeth had fallen off. The gums were giving out, and the teeth seemed to fall out at the slightest touch. It looked as if someone had hit him hard in the mouth.


    Immediately afterwards, the doctor touched the sides of Wang Xin''s neck again and said, Show me that thing again."


    The bodyguard quickly handed it over.


    The doctor frowned and said, I suspect acute renal failure caused by elevated levels of mercuric chloride. There is no way to treat it in a small clinic like ours. I can only try my best to maintain the lives of the two of them and help them to bed. I''ll go get ready."


    The two bodyguards each held the other and then put the two of them on the hospital bed.


    The doctor looked at me helplessly and then said, The things I said earlier, please don''t me me for that. It is a doctor''s duty to treat and save people, but sometimes we can''t help ourselves. In fact, Ill let you know, I wont be able to save them."


    I frowned and looked at the bed. The two people on the bed werepletely silent, and I was a little worried.


    What the hell is going on here?" I asked.


    The doctor said, ording to my estimation, it should be mercury poisoning."


    I shrugged and said, What is mercury chloride?"


    The doctor said: Shenggong is mercuric chloride, which is that white thing. Generally, in medicine, this would used as a disinfectant. After one gram of shenggong and one liter of water are dissolved, it can be used as a disinfectant. So, when I saw the thing, I understood right away. It''s just that you came toote. If you hade earlier, you could have had gastricvage to induce vomiting, but now...


    As the doctor spoke, he began to inject the two with an IV drip.


    I shook my head and said, The two people didn''t take it orally, but, how to say, they inhaled the gas."


    Inhaled gas? What does that mean?" the doctor asked.


    I said, This was the cause of it. The two of them put this in a censer and burned it, and inhaled the smoke from it."


    The doctor scratched his head, then said, Generally speaking, this thing can''t burn."


    What?" I was very puzzled.


    While the two were getting the IV drip, the doctor said, Did they use it today."


    Today." I said.


    The doctor shook his head and said, I''m afraid that it wasnt burnt, but had been dposing under sunlight. If my guess is right, what was initially in the censer was not mercuric but calomel. Calomel is a kind of white, odorless solid that is poisonous. I think you should be able to tell the difference between toxic and the highly toxic substance."


    "You mean, calomel is not very toxic, but it is highly toxic when it is dposed into Shenggong?" I asked.


    "That''s right!" said the doctor, Calomel is sub-mercury chloride. Under sunlight, it will gradually dpose into mercuric chloride and mercury. You should know what mercury is. "


    I nodded and said, Mercury."


    The doctor nodded: If my guess is correct, these two people should have taken this incense burner out of a dark space. In the absence of sunlight, calomel will be preserved for a long time until it encounters sunlight, which will then slowly dpose. This incense burner may contain substances that supportbustion. This kind of thing has no melting point. Do you understand what this means?"


    I nodded and said, I also took a chemistry ss."


    The doctor said: That''s good. Between 400 and 500 degrees, this kind of thing will sublimate directly. That is to say, it will directly be gas. I am afraid that these two people were directly inhaling the shenggong gas, which lead to the poisoning. This thing has no smell. They must have inhaled a lot of gas in this environment before the quantitative change led to the qualitative change, and suddenly became highly poisonous."


    I frowned and said slowly, Those who study medicine also need to study chemistry?"


    Those are allpulsory courses. As long as there are subjects rted to biology, you have to study chemistry. Just like mathematics is the basic course of physics and mechanics, chemistry is also our basic course. The doctor said


    Is this thing easy to get hold of?" I asked.


    The doctor nodded and said, Mercury chloride is actually quite easy to get, you can easily synthesize this in a schoolboratory by yourself. Generally speaking, if shenggong is taken orally ores in contact with the skin, it will be poison the person. And it will not be until the change urs that you realize that something is wrong. If you can get medical treatment, it will be very easy to save your life, but these two


    These two people once held the incense burner, watching and smelling it, and the sublimated shenggong directly entered the airways of the two people. It was hopeless for them.


    There was the sound of an ambnce outside, and the doctor quickly said, Get the two people into the ambnce quickly. We are not in good enough conditions here. We must go to a big hospital to save their lives. If youre fast enough, you might be able to save them."


    Having said that, the medical staff and four big men who came outside the door hurriedly carried the two people onto the stretcher.


    You get in the car and follow. We''ll be thereter," I said.

 Chapter 290: Caught Lu Xiangyang

    Chapter 290: Caught Lu Xiangyang


    Watching the ambnce quickly leave the street, the small clinic became lively again. People started to ask me what happened, but I wasnt in the mood to answer their queries.


    I looked at the doctor and asked, Is calomel easy to make?


    The doctor nodded and said, Well, the principle behind isnt that esoteric. Anyone who knows a little about chemistry can make it. Yes, this kind of knowledge shouldve been taught in high school. If they have the heart, high school students can also make it; though, I cant be sure."


    Judging from the situation at the scene, it might be true," I said.


    The doctor smiled and said, You see, I havent been to the scene, so I just took a guess. Tell me, the principle isnt that difficult to understand, right?


    I nodded. In principle, this wasnt a veryplicated way to kill someone, but it sure was a clever one. This also meant that if the murderer had made preparations beforehand, all the murderer would then have to do is wait.


    The murderer mustve understood Wang Xins character intimately well. He knew that Wang Xin was a vain personality, who very much enjoyed showing off, especially in front of his guests. So when the guests dide, he found the ostentatious censer in his house that did not belong to him.


    As long as it was not exposed to sunlight, mercurous chloride was unreactive and was easy to transport. ce it inside a censer, wait for it to slowly dpose into highly toxic gas, and then wait for Wang Xin to kill himself. Additionally, the murderer had reaped a bonus reward by involving Yang Licheng into his ploy like this.


    Yang Licheng had originally wanted to shelter in Wang Xins house, but never would he have thought that Wang Xins happened to be the most dangerous ce. I suddenly thought of something  the murderer had killed so many people, but had never appeared at his crime scene  same as the previous murder. The idea was, in theory, very simple, however it still remained an ingenious way to kill.


    I frowned, pondering over the kind of person the murderer was; he was smart, and also liked to think, he worked alone, and probably liked to tinker with gadgets, he also seemed to have a good grasp on chemistry. When my train stumbled upon this, I immediately thought of a person  Lu Xiangyang.


    From the testimonies from his girlfriend and his best friend, Lu Xiangyang frequently liked to dabble in strange things. For example: how to raise ghosts; how to cultivate Gu, and something like alchemy. And among the three primary elements of alchemy there were: salt, sulfur, and mercury.


    Then, it wouldnt bepletely far-fetched for Lu Xiangyang to kill people with mercury.


    That''s it!" I said to the doctor, No matter what, thank you."


    The doctor nodded, but shook his head again, and then said: Now, it''s not easy to be a doctor. I think when I was in college, I also had the idea of curing diseases and saving people. It can be seen that there are too many. Do you understand? I''ve been a doctor for almost 20 years, and I''ve seen too many people around me get corrupted. Especially in the face of life and death, the greed and sin shown by human nature are really depressing. People are afraid. I will never let my son study medicine.


    When I walked out of the small clinic, I looked at the banner of Healing the sick, saving life, and rejuvenation with wonderful hands" hanging next to the medicine cab. An inexplicable emotion arose in my heart. Perhaps this doctor also had his own story.


    Zhao Mingkun said, I don''t think you will follow me to the hospital, right?"


    I nodded and said, With our current identities, there is definitely no way we can go to the hospital. If someone dies, the police will certainly arrive. The doctor told me the truth just now, Yang Licheng and Wang Xin, I''m afraid there is no way to save them. The two inhaledrge amounts of the toxic gas without knowing it, and since they didn''t get treatment at the right time, I''m afraid they won''t make it."


    Life is so fragile sometimes." I said helplessly, And there is one point, I don''t know if you noticed it."


    "Which point?" Zhao Mingkun said.


    I opened my mouth and said, The quality of air in Wang Xin''s house is very poor. Then who will be poisoned and who will not be poisoned depends entirely on the amount of mercury in the censer. It can be seen that the amount left by the murderer was notrge. If it were otherwise, a few of us would have died a long time ago, right? The murderer has a good sense to not kill everyone in the room."


    You mean, the murderer might not be a very cruel person?" Zhao Mingkun looked at me and said, He only needs to kill the thirteen people, and he doesn''t want to kill the rest? But if so, If so, what happened to Hu Xiaoxue? Hu Xiaoxue was not born when Lu Zhiqiu died seven years ago. Howe the murderer did not even spare a child?"


    I frowned and said, Ive always wondered about this. If Jiang Xiaochun, Hu Pei and the rest were suspected of killing Lu Zhiqiu, Hu Xiaoxue would still be innocent. Besides, Jiang Xiaochun isnt dead, he just scared crazy. Im not sure, but thats not what Im trying to say.


    "You are not?" Zhao Mingkun looked at me.


    I nodded and said, Yes, that''s not what I meant to say."


    What is it then?" Zhao Mingkun asked again.


    Precision." I got on Zhao Mingkun''s motorcycle and said, It''s urate enough, the murderer''s dosage is very precise. He figured out how much to use to kill Wang Xin. Whether he wants to kill the rest or not, I feel like it''s a habit of his. "


    "Habit?" Zhao Mingkun asked.


    I nodded and said, That''s right, the truth is already in our hands."


    Then we should do


    My phone rang before Zhao Mingkun finished speaking.


    Gu Chen?" I asked, What did you find?"


    The background sound on Gu Chen''s side was very messy, so Gu Chen said, I''ll send you an address in a while. Come here, I caught Lu Xiangyang."


    You caught Lu Xiangyang?" I asked.


    That''s right!" Gu Chen was panting, as if he had run for several kilometers, and Gu Chen seemed to be agitated, not knowing where he was.


    Now I have something to solve." Gu Chen said, Come quickly. If you arete, I''m afraid you won''t find Lu Xiangyang and me. Don''t talk. I don''t have time to chat. I''ll give you the address. Come right away."


    Hello? Gu Chen, Gu Chen!


    Gu Chen hung up the phone. Listening to Gu Chen''s words on the phone, it seems like he was in some trouble. And within seconds, an address appeared on my phone. I handed the phone to Zhao Mingkun and said, Go to this ce now. Gu Chen seems to be in danger."


    That armed policeman?" Zhao Mingkun looked at me and said, Isn''t he very skilled? What danger could he be in?


    I don''t know, it seems urgent, and you also heard that he caught Lu Xiangyang," I said.


    Zhao Mingkun started his motorcycle and drove quickly down the street. While riding a motorcycle, she said to me: That means, Lu Xiangyang didn''t go south at all. Lu Xiangyang stayed in Dongxing City from the beginning. It seems that this Lu Xiangyang is still quite suspicious. Do you think he was trying to confuse the police?"


    It''s very possible." I said, This case, speaking of it, is simply a coincidence between us." If we look at the normal process, Hu Pei''s death will definitely take a few days, or at least a day. It will be discovered, so if the police follow this clue to investigate, it will be at least a dayter than us.


    Its very likely, I said, This case, speaking of it, was a coincidence we stumbled upon. If you follow the normal process, Hu Peis death would likely have been discovered in a few days. Then, if the police followed the lead and investigated, they wouldve taken a day more than ours.


    "That''s right." Zhao Mingkun nodded.


    I continued: If we look at it from the police''s point of view, we know that Lu Xiangyang''s matter will take at least until tomorrow. So many people have died now, except for the four women in the dormitory who have yet to die, the rest are dead. Give Lu Xiangyang another day, and I am afraid that all four women wouldve been killed by him.


    Zhao Mingkun looked at me through the rearview mirror and said, Then do you really think Lu Xiangyang is the murderer?"


    On this point, Im still not quite sure!" I said, But whether Lu Xiangyang is the murderer or not, we have already found him. If he is not the murderer, he can at least prove his innocence, right? However, actually, I don''t think Lu Xiangyang is the one."


    Why?" Zhao Mingkun said.


    I pointed to my chest and said, Intuition and clues. The age difference between Lu Zhiqiu and Lu Xiangyang is too big, and Lu Xiangyang doesn''t seem to be someone who knows his sister''s ssmates. Lu Xiangyang has nothing to do with these people at all. Among these thirteen people, I have never heard anyone mention Lu Zhiqiu''s younger brother, which means that they probably don''t even know who Lu Xiangyang is.


    Is that ce far from here?" I asked. You''d better go faster."


    Zhao Mingkun snorted coldly and said, Do you know why I like riding a motorcycle and not driving a car?"


    Why?" I asked.


    Zhao Mingkun said, "Hold me tight."


    I nodded and hugged Zhao Mingkun tightly.


    And when I hugged her firmly, I saw Zhao Mingkun lift the front wheel of the motorcycle, and when the front wheelnded again, I felt that I was not sitting on a motorcycle. It''s not driving too fast, it was like flying.


    The sound of the wind shattered Zhao Mingkun''s words: Because motorcycles are faster, and you don''t have to worry about traffic jams."


    I opened my mouth and said, You should slow down. This is too fast. If a cares out a corner, you won''t have time to duck."


    Zhao Mingkunughed and said, Didn''t you tell me to be faster?"


    This is too fucking fast "

 Chapter 291: MLM

    Chapter 291: MLM


    Zhao Mingkun pulled me out of the bike, and, I only felt the world spinning. I never thought that one day I would feel motion sickness while riding a motorcycle. Zhao Mingkun pulled out the key of the motorcycle and did not lock without locking it.


    She patted me on the shoulder and said, The address Gu Chen gave us is here."


    While resisting my desire to vomit, I looked around and found that this was a bungalow area with a path leading to it. Both sides of the road were littered with rubbish discarded at will. It seemed that the nning here was not clear enough, and it seemed that no one was responsible for cleaning this ce.


    Look inside!" I said, Listening to the tone, Gu Chen seems to have encountered some trouble. Judging from the time, he must still be here. There is only one way to go in. Gu Chen must be It''s inside. Let''s go!"


    Zhao Mingkun nodded and followed me inside. After walking a short distance inside, I heard a lot of people shouting. Zhao Mingkun and I looked at each other and followed the voice. The voice became louder and clearer, and in an alley, I saw twelve to twenty people gathered around something.


    These people were shouting some dialect that I didnt understand, and had their backs to us, as if something was happening in the alley that was worth stopping and watching. If Gu Chen got into any trouble, it should be this.


    Although I didn''t understand the dialect, it was like some swearing, some weremon throughout the country. And I could also hear the unkindness in these voices, and I can see that they were speaking to the people in the circle.


    At this moment, I heard a very familiar voice. This voice was not someone else''s voice, it was Gu Chen''s voice. And in the midst of a pile of noise, Gu Chen said, After talking so much, it''s not just that I won''t let go. I also told you that I had dealt with this nosy thing today. If you want to take him away, you can step on my body if you want.


    The surroundings became quiet, and a voice in an unknown dialect said: I tell you, you can''t take this person with you today. If you are sensible, you should leave quickly. If you don''t know whats good for you, we are wee..."


    There was a muffled sound before he finished speaking, and then the crowd became loud again.


    Fuck his grandma, hit him!" someone shouted.


    Immediately, the entire narrow alley became crowded, and the people in the back surrounded the people in front, and we couldnt see what was happening inside.


    After a while, I heard punches and kicks, and someone screamed in pain.


    I rushed up from behind and shouted into the crowd: Police, police, all disperse, all disperse."


    But who would listen to me in this situation? My voice was soon overwhelmed by the shouts of the others.


    Zhao Mingkun came up to stop me. She didn''t say anything. She just stretched out her hand and took out the police officer''s ID card from my clothes. The other hand pulled out something from behind her waist  She took out the pistol that never had bullets. Zhao Mingkun knew what he wanted to say, but was overwhelmed by the noisy shouting, so he simply didn''t speak.


    I followed behind Zhao Mingkun and watched Zhao Mingkun pull a man over. Just as that man was about to say something, a pitch-ck muzzle pressed against his head. The man was so frightened that he stopped on the spot.


    He became rooted to the spot, not daring to move.


    I just heard Zhao Mingkun say in a light voice, Police, if you don''t want to go to the police station, get out."


    The man nodded his head, and ran away in a sh.


    Zhao Mingkun used this method to clear the way, and after a while, I saw Gu Chen surrounded by people. Gu Chen didn''t see us at the moment, because judging from the current situation, Gu Chen was already too busy taking care of himself. This alley was too narrow to the left and right, and Gu Chen couldnt use it to his advantage at all. If it was open terrain, with Gu Chen''s skill, it would be far from a problem to beat these people by himself.


    At this moment, there was still someone lying on the ground. He was curled up, holding his head in his hands. It should be Lu Xiangyang.


    Gu Chen was fighting with two people at the moment, and neither of them were Gu Chen''s opponents, but seeing that Gu Chen had footprints all over his body, he must have been attacked by the group.


    Zhao Mingkun had already walked all the way to the center of the crowd, and when they saw Zhao Mingkun with a gun, these people dispersed in a frenzy, each running faster than a rabbit, and the people behind Gu Chen also saw Zhao Mingkun and escaped at the same time. The two people who fought fiercely with Gu Chen could not see the situation clearly, so I over kicked one.


    "Gu Chen," I said.


    Gu Chen knocked the other person to the ground, and subconsciously reached out to take out his handcuffs, but he grabbed twice, but caught nothing.


    I smiled, You are no longer a policeman. If you were a policeman, would they dare to touch you? What happened?"


    Gu Chenughed, stood up, and said, Yeah, I''m used to the action. However, you guys came very quickly."


    While talking, Gu Chen saw Zhao Mingkun standing beside me. His face changed suddenly, and he wanted to draw a gun, but he forgot. How can a person who doesn''t even have handcuffs have a gun?


    Why are you with her?" Gu Chen asked.


    I..."


    For a moment, I had no idea how to speak. After all, in Gu Chen''s view, catching Zhao Mingkun is the reason behind our special action team''s existence. I just wanted to find Gu Chen quickly, but I didn''t think about how to exin to him when he saw Zhao Mingkun. After such a long time, I seem to have gotten used to Zhao Mingkun''s identity as a policeman.


    Zhao Mingkun snorted coldly, put the gun on my head, and said: If you have any shit youre holding, you better let it go. I brought you here because I felt charitable. Dont forget that youre one of my hostages. Say something quickly, else your little life will cease to exist. Dont doubt it.


    You were caught by her?" Gu Chen stood up and said.


    I knew that Zhao Mingkun was helping me out, and I suddenly had the urge to tell Gu Chen that it wasn''t like this. It wasn''t that Zhao Mingkun held me hostage, but all of this was voluntary. But when the words reached my mouth, I couldn''t voice them. At that moment, I realized that people were all selfish.


    This matter is veryplicated." My voice was low, and I said to Gu Chen, Leave me alone and tell me what happened."


    Gu Chen wiped the sweat from his forehead and the blood on the corners of his mouth, and said, I found someone who had seen Lu Xiangyang, and he said that Lu Xiangyang was taken away by a group of people who were always wandering around the train station. Then I specifically asked about the appearance of those people, where they usually liked to hang around, so I squatted at the train station.


    Later, sure enough, I saw these people. I dragged the man on the ground up and asked. These people had a sign in their hands that said that they are for hire. 100 yuan per hour. So I pretended to be a jobseeker and followed them.


    Gu Chen looked at the man in his hand, and the man also quietly raised his eyes to look at us, but lowered his head and did not speak.


    Gu Chen continued: We walked for more than an hour before we arrived at the ce. I soon noticed that they were taking me to some ce, and I knew there was a problem. But when I realized there was a problem, the number of people around me had gradually increased. At this point, I realized that when I walked in, I basically couldn''t get out. But I was not in a hurry, so I followed these people inside.


    When I walked into a yard, I basically knew what was going on. It must be a pyramid scheme. I saw that there were dozens of people living in several rooms in the yard. When they saw me, they were very enthusiastic. Some told me to sit down quickly, someone brought me fruit, someone called his brother, someone called me brother, everyone was very enthusiastic.


    I nodded and said, MLM organizations are generally like this. In the beginning, they are very friendly to you, as if they were treating you as their own rtive or brother. They will treat you like you are their blood rtive and treat with fealty as if youre their father. What''s more, there will even be a girl to wash your feet for you."


    "Almost." Gu Chen said.


    These MLM organizations are very good at grasping people''s psychology. Generally, those whoe forward to ask about these jobs are all neers to this big city, and they have no rtives or dependents here. Otherwise, when ordinary people dress up like these people, youd immediately start to suspect them."


    I looked at a member of the MLM organization in front of me and said, They will bring you to the MLM group. At the beginning, they will be like grandparents to you. At this time, this person might have just arrived in this big city, and will be confused. Looking at this chance, these MLM salespeople will immediately touch your heart. After all, in a cold city, who would treat you so well?


    "So, you feel like you''ve found a home. Then they will confiscate all the tools you have tomunicate with the outside world. Theyll call it training, but it''s actually brainwashing. In the same environment, they tell you about all kinds of sess. At first, no one would believe it.


    But they will brainwash you day after day. Theyll brainwash you bit by bit. People are gregarious animals. When you feel different from the people around you, you will definitely feel awkward, and this is why your freedom was limited in the first ce. When you''ve been in this atmosphere for a week or two, I don''t think you can continue to be sober


    You listen to the people on stage every day that instill sess in you. After a long time, you can''t tell the difference between right and wrong. At that time, theyll ask you to invite a few more acquaintances" to exin it to you and talk about yourself. If you want to make 10 million in five years, and youll be moved. You can''t stand it anymore, seeing people around you borrow money to invest in.


    At that time, even if someone persuades you toe out, you will feel that others are interfering with your dream of making a fortune." I looked at this person and said, Yes, do you really hope that apany that doesn''t even have any physical product can make two million a year with just lip service?"


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