Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
When Zhao Yu said Han Kuan’s name, he stared at Jiang Ke without blinking, trying to observe his immediate reaction. However, Jiang Ke’s reaction surprised him greatly.
When Jiang Ke heard the name, he suddenly raised his eyebrows as if he had never heard that name at all! Seeing Jiang Ke’s delay in speaking, Zhao Yu wanted to give him a hint, but at such a critical moment, it was obviously inappropriate to reveal more about Han Kuan to him.
“Hmm…” Jiang Ke seemed perplexed as he said, “It seems to me that I only know one Han Kuan, but… With all due respect, the Han Kuan I know is not in Yaoming. So… It’s unlikely that he is your suspect.”
“At the oil technical school, you, Cui Xiaolong, and Han Kuan were classmates…” Zhao Yu said. “And… You were in the same dormitory!”
“Oh…” Jiang Ke nodded, then frowned again and said, “It seems that what we are indeed talking about the same Han Kuan then. But, Cui Xiaolong and I haven’t seen him for many years.”
He then looked up at Zhao Yu and asked, “Officer Zhao, are you lying to me? Are the police really more interested in Han Kuan than in me?”
Jiang Ke shook his head, then added, “If my people hear about this, then how will they think of me when I get out?”
Zhao Yu did not hesitate before replying, “Do you actually think that you still have a chance of getting out of here?”
“Ha ha…” Jiang Ke laughed bitterly and shook his head.
His face was full of doubt as he replied, “Officer Zhao, what you have said just now is not very precise. Han Kuan and Cui Xiaolong were in the same class, but I was not with them. It’s true that we were in the same dormitory, but Han Kuan’s nickname is ‘Dumbee.’ Besides knowing that, I didn’t have much interaction with him!”
He then added, “Besides, I didn’t stay in the school and dormitory at that particular time in question. In fact, If you hadn’t brought him up again, I wouldn’t have remembered him at all!”
After saying that, Jiang Ke thought for a moment, then asked, “Officer Zhao, regarding Han Kuan… What happened?”
Zhao Yu replied directly, “Han Kuan is the major suspect in the Beiqian Devil Case.”
Jiang Ke frowned, then repeated the words, “Beiqian Devil Case?”
Zhao Yu said, “Yes. It is one of the five unsolved cases in China! Now… You know exactly why I came. So, compared with the Devil Case, do you think that you deserve more attention than Han Kuan now?”
“Hmm… I seem to have heard of it before! Beiqian…” Jiang Ke thought over it, then said, “Han Kuan… Is he from Beiqian? I vaguely remember that he spoke with a northeastern accent. And… What happened in the Devil Case? Did anyone see ghosts, and if so, were they frightened to death?”
“No, they all fell out of buildings and died.” Zhao Yu answered.
“What? They fell!?” After hearing this, Jiang Ke suddenly sat upright and said in amazement, “Han Kuan… I can’t believe he is the murderer in the Devil Case! This… This is amazing, isn’t it?”
“Well… He’s just a suspect for now!” Zhao Yu explained.
Jiang Ke waved his hand and said, “But… He must have done it! Han Kuan killed people when he was in school, and those victims also fell out of buildings and died!”
“What? Are you kidding?” After hearing Jiang Ke’s words, Cui Lizhu couldn’t help but interrupt him. “Han Kuan killed people in school? So… Why hasn’t he ever been in jail?”
As Jiang Ke looked at Cui Lizhu, he seemed to discover something interesting, and he said slowly, “Officer Zhao, you have so many talented people on your team! This one here… She is a beauty, isn’t she?”
As Jiang Ke spoke, his fierce eyes were locked onto Cui Lizhu. Suddenly, she felt very uncomfortable and could not help but step back a few steps.
Zhao Yu, however, smiled slightly and said, “So… You figured out that she is a special investigator. You have really sharp eyes.”
Jiang Ke smiled calmly as he replied, “Well… I know that anyone who can gain access to this interrogation room cannot be an ordinary person. Also, neither of you are wearing uniforms, and she dared to interrupt you. So… Of course… She must be one of your team members.”
Zhao Yu smiled again, but said nothing. Suddenly, the room fell into a complete silence. At that moment, Jiang Ke stared at Zhao Yu. He was thinking about something hard.
Finally, after ten seconds, Jiang Ke said, “Well, Han Kuan’s case has nothing to do with me, and you will find out that out for yourself soon enough. In that case, I’ll give you a little help. Then, Officer Zhao, if we meet again in the future, you must remember to return the favor.”
“Rest assured, I am always grateful for help and will remember your cooperation!” Zhao Yu said calmly, but he anxious as he wondered about what Jiang Ke would say next.
“Han Kuan is actually a pretty boring guy. Every day, he reads, writes, and draws…” Jiang Ke said. “Cui Xiaolong and he shared a bunk, but they hardly ever said anything to each other. To be honest, Cui Xiaolong and I didn’t like him, which is why we nicknamed him ‘Dumbee.’ But, we never hurt him, not like the others.”
As he was listening to him, Zhao Yu suddenly remembered something, but before he could say anything, Jiang Ke continued, “It seems that, except for the two of us, all of the other boys bullied him mercilessly. This was especially true of one boy named Hou Shengyun, who treated him very badly! Hou Shengyun, who everyone called ‘Laogua,’ was not a local student. He was known for bullying many of the students, and because of this, everyone feared him.”
Jiang Ke then said, “Before our classes got divided, Laogua bullied Han Kuan daily, as they were in the same dormitory. I heard that he punched and kicked Han Kuan constantly, poured disinfectant on his sheets, took naked photos of him, and so on. Once, he even took Han Kuan’s clothes and shut him out of the dormitory, completely naked! And… Because Han Kuan is cowardly, he didn’t even tell the teachers or his parents about what was happening!”
He shook his head, then said, “At that time, I often saw his bruises on his face. If I hadn’t have seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn’t have believed that there would be such a cowardly man to have allowed himself to be treated in such a way!”
Jiang Ke sighed. “Laogua and some other boys often forced Han Kuan to slap himself, while they teased him. Han Kuan never resisted, he just did it every time, with his full strength.”
Jiang Ke continued, “Later, when our classes were divided and the dormitories were changed, Han Kuan was still teased by Laogua constantly. Laogua found any possible opportunity to bully him!”
He paused for a moment, then said, “Once, Laogua asked Han Kuan to buy food for him, but someone said that Han Kuan spit in the food! Then, after he found out about it, Laogua came to our dormitory and beat Han Kuan almost to death! If it weren’t for me and Cui Xiaolong stopping him, he surely would have killed Han Kuan! Later, as Laogua was still angry, he tore up Han Kuan’s manuscripts!”
At this point, Jiang Ke paused for a moment, then added, “Officer Zhao, sometimes I wonder if I was a detective…If I would be able to solve many difficult cases, just like you…”
Jiang Ke then got back to his story. “When Han Kuan’s manuscripts were torn, I suddenly saw something in his eyes that I had never seen before. I did not know it then, but that look of intense malice and hatred foreshadowed what might happen in the future… All of this darkness!”
Jiang Ke then said excitedly, “One day shortly after that, Laogua was dead! At the construction site of a building that was just east of the school, he fell off of it, falling more than ten stories!”
“Ah!” Zhao Yu was shocked, although he had kind of expected this.
“At that time, the police who were responsible for the investigation said that Laogua was seriously drunk that night, and they concluded that there were no signs of a struggle!” Jiang Ke shook his head.
He then said, “The construction project had been underway for quite some time. During that period, Laogua often went there to play, drink with his buddies, have fun with girls and so on. It was for this reason that the police suspected that he was drunk and fell off of the building accidentally!”
He then added, “Later, when the police came to the school to investigate Han Kuan, they didn’t find any evidence. So, they closed the case and reported it as being an accident.”
Jiang Ke laughed, then said, “But, Huan Kuan couldn’t hide his secret from me. Following Laogua’s death, Han Kuan changed completely! Although others still bullied him, his eyes looked different. Anyone who looked in those eyes would get an unspeakable, uncomfortable feeling.”
He shook his head, then said, “Officer Zhao, can you understand what I mean when I talk about his eyes?”
Jiang Ke spoke frankly, “You see… I somehow always have been able to see through people. That is how I am certain that Laogua’s death must be related to Han Kuan! He must have pushed Laogua off of that building!”
When they heard this, both Zhao Yu and Cui Lizhu were stunned. After all, Laogua’s death was the same as the victims from the Devil Case. From this point of view, it could be discerned that Han Kuan must have had something to do with the Devil Case.
“I know that you may be wondering why I didn’t report my suspicions to the police,” Jiang Ke said. “I did think about it, but since the police had no evidence, I figured it was best not to make trouble for myself. Actually, people who always appear weak, like Han Kuan, can actually be extremely cruel underneath. Then, if the police didn’t believe me and Han Kuan found out that I had squealed, he just might have killed me in the same way! I definitely wasn’t willing to take that risk!”
Jiang Ke then added indignantly, “Besides, Laogua deserved what he got. I personally don’t like how he bullied so many people. So, I was on Han Kuan’s side, which is why I didn’t tell anyone about his change when I noticed it.”
“Um… But…” Zhao Yu waited until Jiang Ke had finished, then asked about his biggest doubt, “The Devil Case happened in Beiqian, but Han Kuan was in Golden City…”
“Oh? Then… I can’t help you with that…” Jiang Ke seemed to now have a strong interest in the case, so he immediately offered a suggestion, “Would it be possible that he had a pen pal or something, and that pen pal is actually the real murderer of the Devil Case, who instructed Han Kuan to kill Laogua?”
“Ah? Oh!” Jiang Ke’s words suddenly reminded Zhao Yu of someone… Zhang Jingru!
