Zhao Yu pointed to the white boards and said, “Look… The killer chose to kill people in either abandoned buildings or empty houses. These places were always nondescript and were far away from urban areas, so as not to attract anyone’s attention!”
He paused, then added, “If it hadn’t been for the third case, the police would not have been able to connect these cases at all, nor could they have possibly known that they were not suicides, but murders!”
Zhao Yu patted the white boards as she said, “The killer chose his targets very carefully. Although the identities of the victims were different, most of them did not have a steady jobs or families nearby. Thus, the killer knew that if they disappeared, no one would report it to the police for quite some time!”
He then added, “So, although the killer seems to rely on the book 11 Kills as a guide, the murderer still put a lot of thought into his own murder crime scenes! Specifically, he went to scope out the locations ahead of time, then made a thorough plan to avoid being detected by any cameras or witnesses! However, he clearly was not very good at using the electric shock method, as he made a mistake when he killed the third victim that way!”
Zhao Yu sighed as he looked at the white boards again, then said, “Now, what I really want to know about Han Kuan’s 11 Kills is… If it’s really a rubbish book, then how come the murderer is so enamored with it?”
Ran Tao suddenly guessed, “Yes… If the book is really garbage, then… Maybe Han Kuan taught all of this to the murderer himself? Or… Maybe there are accomplices? Or… The real murderer behind the serial murder case is actually Han Kuan himself?”
“Wow, like the movie Saw? So… Maybe he even had apprentices?” Zeng Ke shook his head, then asked, “Is Han Kuan insane? I mean… Did he really call us over and let us arrest him?”
Ran Tao then asked, “Perhaps Han Kuan did so because he assumed that, once he was detained, he could give up the identity of his apprentice in order to help prove his innocence?”
Wu Xiumin immediately taunted him, “Don’t you think your words are full of contradictions? Instigating or abetting a murder is just as bad as committing the murder itself! If Han Kuan really did what you said, he would not get let off so easily! Come on, could you stop causing trouble here? We were really starting to get somewhere, and here you go making us deviate from the route!”
Ran Tao disagreed with her, quickly retorting, “Again, What the he*l am I doing to you? Do you think that taunting me makes you a winner? Please think about it. If this was all really planned by Han Kuan, it would benefit him greatly!”
“How so?” Zeng Ke asked.
Ran Tao gestured wildly around as he said, “Wow! You don’t see it? Think about it! Once people know that there is a serial killer who kills people in accordance with Han Kuan’s novel, think about popular it will make that book? Then, not only 11 Kills, but all of the novels the he ever wrote or will write in the future will fly off the shelves!”
Zeng Ke said, “Oh! That does make sense! So… Assuming that Han Kuan planned this serial killer case, what about his own case? Did his apprentice set him up, meaning that the two wanted to destroy each other?”
Upon hearing this, Ran Tao suddenly gave a loud cry, while pointing to Zeng Ke and saying, “Zeng Ke, that’s a good question!”
Ran Tao then glanced around at the others and asked mysteriously, “Could it be that Han Kuan’s wife accidentally discovered his secret… And killed him?”
Before waiting for anyone to respond, Ran Tao clenched his fist and said, “Actually… The murderer is Han Kuan himself! He called us to help him clear his name only because he had no other alternative. He had to gamble with his luck and see if we would help him get away with murder unknowingly!”
“Wait…” Zeng Ke interrupted as he looked at Zhao Yu.
He had suddenly remembered all kinds of guesses that they had made earlier at Han Kuan’s house that day. He then said with anxiety, “Maybe… There is a more realistic explanation…”
Ran Tao stared at him and urged him to explain, “Well… Go on! What are you waiting for?”
“Maybe…” Zeng Ke said, “After Zhang Jingru discovered Han Kuan’s crime, she fell into a deep despair. On the one hand, she did not want to expose her husband’s crime, but on the other hand, she could not stand living with a guilty conscience. While plagued by all of these conflicting emotions, she made a shocking decision! She decided to use her own death to recover Han Kuan’s lost soul!”
Zeng Ke then went on to explain Zhao Yu’s previous deduction about how Zhang Jingru had committed suicide and framed Han Kuan. After hearing all of these details, everyone instantly became silent. Although it was undeniable that all of their previous doubts could be explained by this hypothesis of Zhao Yu’s, they still somehow remained unconvinced.
“How much courage and determination must she have had to take such extreme measures?” Miao Ying shook her head, then said, “If Han Kuan is found guilty of killing his wife, the probability of his being sentenced to life in prison is very high! Did Zhang Jingru really want to punish Han Kuan in this way? Or… Was it done in order to stop Han Kuan from abetting others in committing a crime? But… I do think this is quite a strange way to go about accomplishing either task.”
Ran Tao scratched his head, then said, “Let’s not dive too deep into considering this theory just yet. But, if this is the truth, it means that Han Kuan really is innocent! He didn’t kill his wife, which means that he did call us to help him!”
He smiled, while looking relieved as he said, “Now, all of this can make sense! According to Zhang Jingru’s colleagues and friends, during the period of time leading up to Zhang Jingru’s death, they did notice some abnormal behavior on her part.”
“Look…” Zeng Ke pointed to his computer and said, “A colleague of hers said that she had spoken to Zhang Jingru one day before her death, but that Zhang Jingru seemed very distracted as even after the colleague repeated herself several times, Zhang Jingru answered the wrong question! It seemed that she was distracted by something of great importance.”
Zeng Ke then added, “Also, their department manager said that the day before the incident, Zhang Jingru signed an incorrect loan form. Although it had little impact on the business, Zhang Jingru had never made that mistake before…”
Zeng Ke then said, “Also, the evening before the incident, Zhang Jingru had a school gathering that she had planned attend. But, in the end, she did not go, nor did she give the reason for her absence. These instances show that Zhang Jingru must have had something on her mind, and judging by her actions, it was not a trivial matter!”
“Fuc*!” Upon hearing this, Ran Tao slapped the table violently and turned impatiently to Zhao Yu and asked, “Boss! What are we waiting for? Let’s interrogate Han Kuan at once! If we are right, he must know who the serial killer is.”
