Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
To show their respect for the special investigation group, the staff of the Beiqian Police Station left the best case analysis room open for Zhao Yu’s group use. This analysis room was so spacious that it could accommodate 200 investigators at once.
“Yes, that’s it!” After entering the room, Miao Ying immediately pointed to a big screen and said to Zhao Yu, “We found this receipt in Lang Xiangyang’s stuff. It’s from the downstairs clinic at Xiangyang’s apartment building!”
Miao Ying then said, “We asked Lang Xiangyang’s cousin, and he said that in the days before Lang Xiangyang was confirmed as having encephalitis, he did show some symptoms. So, he should have gone to the clinic, but because his symptoms were not obvious and did not seem too serious at that time, he was just given a vitamin infusion.”
“Leader, look!” Miao Ying pointed to the receipt, then said, “Pay attention to the timestamp on this receipt! It’s the same day that the last victim died in the Devil Case. Since that day, there has been no similar murders!”
“Oh…” Zhao Yu nodded and said, “So… When the last victim died, Lang Xiangyang might be having a vitamin infusion at the clinic?”
Miao Ying replied, “It’s hard to say. The receipt says 7 a.m., which is the exact time that the clinic opened that day. At that time, it was four hours after the last victim died. So, theoretically, Lang Xiangyang still had the chance to commit the crime!”
Zhao Yu thought about this and said, “However, I remember that the last one died in Guang’an. Guang’an was 40 kilometers from Beiqian City, and Lang Xiangyang went to the clinic early in the morning.”
Miao Ying then said, “Another important thing is that Lang Xiangyang doesn’t know how to drive! Every time he went on a business trip, he had a driver!”
Upon hearing this, Cui Lizhu couldn’t help but interrupt as she said, “It must be Han Kuan who helped him! Maybe they committed the crime together! We must check on that! Was it Han Kuan who sent Lang Xiangyang to the clinic that day?”
“That makes sense! I’ll ask the doctor who gave him the receipt!” Ran Tao nodded, then turned to make a phone call.
But, before he did that, he didn’t forget to give a thumb’s up to Cui Lizhu as he said, “Good! You’ve learned a lot from our boss.”
Miao Ying then said, “I asked Lang Xiangyang’s cousin, but his cousin can’t remember! And… Unfortunately, Lang Xiangyang’s wife suffered from Alzheimer’s, so she had forgotten most everything!”
“I think Cui is right,” Zhao Yu said. “Lang Xiangyang’s physical condition didn’t allow him to kill people on his own. So, Han Kuan might have been his accomplice! Also, we can’t say that there were only two of them, as no evidence implies that there weren’t other possible accomplices.”
Miao Ying nodded, then said, “I’m really worried that the Devil Case murders were committed by a group, which was an organized and disciplined team! In that case…”
Just as she was speaking, a man and a woman came in. The man, who greeted Zhao Yu, was Zeng Ke, and the beautiful woman beside him was no stranger to Zhao Yu. She was Zhang Peipei, Gao Facai’s favorite student!
In Quliang, Zhao Yu had a quarrel with Zhang Peipei, and Zhang Peipei had been afraid of Zhao Yu ever since. Hence, after entering the office, she hid behind Zeng Ke and didn’t even dared to look at Zhao Yu.
“Boss, it’s very kind of you to come! How’s your leg? Are you okay?” Zeng Ke asked a few questions with concern, then introduced Zhang Peipei to the others.
Because Gao Facai’s team had participated in the Headless Female Corpses Case, even Cui Lizhu knew Zhang Peipei. So, this introduction wasn’t really necessary.
“The equipment is on the way. But, I have just visited Beiqian’s Forensics Department with Zeng Ke, and their equipment actually meets our standards. So, as soon as our people come, we will re-inspect the scene and collect more samples,” Zhang Peipei said.
Following that, Zhang Peipei mentioned a lot of technical terms. Zhao Yu did not understand many of those things, but in order to be polite, he nodded frequently and tried to follow along with the conversation.
After Zhang Peipei finished speaking, Miao Ying began to report on their current progress to Zhao Yu, “Because the case happened a long time ago, we cannot learn all of Lang Xiangyang’s actions before he died or what Han Kuan did at that time. However, according to Lang Xiangyang’s younger cousin, although Han Kuan only worked in the company for half a year, they actually visited many places during that time.”
Miao Ying then said, “Their company mainly sells teaching materials, such as special black boards, projectors, voice equipment and so on. Although they were also responsible for maintenance work, this involved mostly the installation of new equipment. In that half a year, Lang Xiangyang and Han Kuan visited so many places that they seldom went to the same place a second time.”
She then added, “He recalled that in addition to the Beiqian area, they also went to Tongjiang, Baiyun, and other places, thus covering a large part of China! Unfortunately, because of the company’s internal restructuring, old documents went missing, so it was impossible for us to find out the exact places that Lang Xiangyang and Han Kuan had been!”
While he was listening to Miao Ying’s report, Zhao Yu nodded silently and memorized all of these these details in his mind.
Miao Ying then added, “In addition, through our cooperation with the Beiqian police, as well as the old lady in her sixties, we suspect that most of the victims of the Devil Case were bullies! But, except for Lei Ting, the others are not confirmed yet!”
“Old lady?” Zhao Yu asked, his interest piqued by her words.
“The old lady has had a bad relationship with her children for many years,” Miao Ying explained. “According to her neighbors, the old lady has a temper and is not easy to get along with. But, we can’t think of how she could have bullied others.”
Cui Lizhu interrupted the conversation and stated her guess, “Do you think it’s possible that the old lady accidentally saw the murderer? That would explain why she was killed, right?”
Miao Ying ignored Cui Lizhu and continued, “The Devil Case didn’t last long, and many victims died in that short period. So, it is quite different from most serial murder cases! Think about it. It might be easy for these people to commit crimes, but it’s hard to find a proper target! We still don’t know how this murderer found the right targets so quickly.”
Before she had said this, Zhao Yu also had the same doubt about the case. It was quite unlike the Headless Female Corpses Case.
In that case, Li Fei had found a fitting target every other year or so. But, the murderer of the Devil Case killed nine people in half a year! So, they had to somehow figure out how he could make sure that all nine of them had bullied others before, thus making them suitable targets. It seemed a nearly impossible feat for one person to accomplish alone.
Because of this, Miao Ying worried that there was a mysterious organization behind the Devil Case, as only a team effort could explain this phenomenon. But, she was not sure if she was right.
“Boss, Leader Miao, I found the doctor who treated Lang Xiangyang that year!” Ran Tao called out to them from a distance. “Because Lang Xiangyang died in the clinic, the doctor remembered clearly that it was Lang Xiangyang’s wife who had accompanied him to the clinic! By the time he got there, Lang Xiangyang’s condition was not good.”
Ran Tao then said, “At that time, he was advised to go to a bigger hospital for a more careful and comprehensive examination. However, Lang Xiangyang still had important work to do that day, so he just had an infusion and left! In less than a week, the doctor heard that Lang Xiangyang had died!”
“If that timeline is true, then that means that the last victim’s death had nothing to do with Lang Xiangyang!” Miao Ying exclaimed.
Just as Miao Ying spoke, a faint burst morning light rose up on the horizon, shining on Miao Ying’s beautiful face. The sun had just come up.
Upon seeing this, Zhao Yu suddenly thought of today’s Qian Gen hexagram! If I want to solve the case, I must hurry!
Then, Zhao Yu snapped his fingers and said to Miao Ying, “We mustn’t leave any stone unturned! So… Let me see that devil suit first!”
