Murder Call

Facing Wang Yue’s barrage of questions, Zhou Ziming remained relatively calm: “You can check the surveillance. It’s the information age, and there should be cameras in many places I’ve passed.”

Zhou Ziming adjusted his glasses, a flash of wisdom in his eyes: “Perhaps you can check the community’s surveillance to see if there’s any suspicious person who entered the community to deliberately frame me. After all, anyone could have left Liu Yun’s clothes under my building. Besides, even if I killed someone, would I be stupid enough to throw the evidence right under my own building?”

Zhou Ziming spoke very logically. If he were the murderer, he could have easily destroyed the bloody clothes or thrown them far from his home. There was no need to leave them under his building. Even if he wanted to discard them, he should have done so before the sanitation workers came. Why wait until the trash was taken away to throw them out? This would only expose the bloody clothes.

But now the question is, if Zhou Ziming isn’t the murderer, then who is? Why would the murderer choose to frame him?

Wang Yue believed that even if Zhou Ziming wasn’t the murderer, he was still a breakthrough point.

“It’s best if you haven’t committed a crime, but if you have, I’ll make sure you end up in jail!” Wang Yue stared at Zhou Ziming. “Has your father, Zhou Wen, contacted you?”

Hearing Zhou Wen’s name, Zhou Ziming visibly flinched, then sneered: “He’s been missing for two years. Why are you asking about him?”

Wang Yue: “Because your father fits the profile of the criminal.”

Zhou Ziming’s lips curled into a mocking smile: “He’s had a pretty unlucky life. Missing for so long, yet people still remember him. No good things come his way, only one bad thing after another.”

Zhou Ziming flicked the ash from his cigarette: “Why suspect him?”

Wang Yue: “We did a criminal profile and believe the murderer is likely a retired soldier and carries a triangular bayonet.”

Zhou Ziming burst out laughing: “No offense, but is your criminal profiling a joke? There are plenty of people with those characteristics. I had several classmates in high school who joined the army. Are they suspects too?”

“Is that so? I wouldn’t mind bringing your classmates into the interrogation room for questioning. Don’t forget, you’re a suspect now, and all information related to you is crucial for solving the case.”

Zhou Ziming’s expression turned slightly serious: “I have a small social circle. The person who dislikes me the most is probably my competitor, but I don’t think he has the guts to kill.”

He finished a cigarette and pondered for a moment: “Although I don’t have any evidence to provide, I know something that will surely surprise you.”

Wang Yue: “Let’s hear it.”

Zhou Ziming fell into a deep recollection…

“My dad did serve in the army, but he retired over a decade ago. He missed his days in the military and was obsessed with various martial arts and military knives. After retiring, he didn’t choose a stable job but became a bodyguard. In his spare time, he liked to tinker with crafts, and he once turned a piece of scrap iron into a triangular bayonet.

That triangular bayonet was a one-to-one replica from a photo, looking very realistic. He displayed it on the bookshelf as an art piece, showing it off to guests.

Later, a murder case occurred, and he got involved. The victim died from a triangular bayonet, and coincidentally, the one he made went missing, so the police targeted him. It was as if he had a premonition; he left without saying a word.

Since then, I’ve never seen him again. If he’s still alive, I’d really like to ask him if he was the one who killed.”

Wang Yue was shocked. Why didn’t he find any criminal record when investigating Zhou Wen?

Wang Yue quickly left the interrogation room and hurried to Meng Lan: “Why doesn’t Zhou Wen have a criminal record? What’s going on?”

Meng Lan: “A suspect isn’t a convict, so there wouldn’t be a criminal record.”

Wang Yue: “Check the case from back then and get the files!”

Meng Lan thought for a moment: “The files… were taken by Teacher Mo.”

Wang Yue suddenly realized. No wonder Teacher Mo was looking into the files; it was for this reason!

While he was anxiously trying to figure things out, Mo Lin already had clues but kept silent. What was he up to?

Wang Yue quickly walked to Mo Lin’s office door, feeling extremely displeased, unable to understand why Mo Lin was keeping things from him.

Standing at Mo Lin’s office door, Wang Yue knocked and asked, somewhat displeased: “Teacher Mo, did you find the case from two years ago involving Zhou Wen?”

His words were polite, but his tone was off.

Mo Lin closed the file, walked over to Wang Yue, and handed it over: “Here you go, take it back and investigate thoroughly!”

After saying this, he patted Wang Yue on the shoulder: “This case is quite complex, so be thorough. I’ll assist you as much as I can.”

Mo Lin finished speaking and walked away as if nothing had happened.

Wang Yue was stunned for a moment, trying to decipher the meaning behind Mo Lin’s words. Was he planning to watch from the sidelines?

How did he know Wang Yue wanted to investigate independently? Could he really read minds?

Wang Yue suspiciously opened the file and was immediately taken aback.

Surprise after surprise, his eyes were fixed on Xia Yin’s belongings from when she was alive. These items were all too familiar.

A pink tracksuit, a Cancer zodiac necklace, and the same murder weapon—a triangular bayonet.

Could this be a serial murder case?!

This was the first thought that flashed through Wang Yue’s mind.

Could Zhou Wen have killed someone two years ago and then hidden away, only to kill again using the same method two years later?

But something didn’t add up. If Zhou Wen killed someone, he could frame anyone. Why frame his own son?

It didn’t make sense.

Wang Yue was at a loss, turned his head, and entered Interrogation Room No. 4 again.

Wang Yue: “What exactly is the relationship between Zhou Wen and Liu Yun?”

Zhou Ziming thought for a moment and said: “My dad used to be Liu Quan’s bodyguard and had contact with Liu Yun.”

This surprised Wang Yue because Liu Quan didn’t mention that Zhou Ziming’s father had worked for him.

Wang Yue: “Was there any conflict between Liu Yun and Zhou Wen?”

Zhou Ziming shook his head: “I’ve never heard of any conflict between them. On the contrary, Liu Yun was always grateful when mentioning my dad. After all, my dad treated her like a daughter, spending more time with her than her biological father did.”

“You’ve been with Liu Yun for a long time. Did she have any enemies or anyone who disliked her?”

Zhou Ziming began recalling his time with Liu Yun: “She’s just a young girl; how could she have enemies? Compared to Liu Yun, Liu Quan has more enemies. As a big boss in transportation, it’s inevitable to have disputes over interests, which might lead to grudges. Perhaps someone wanted to retaliate against Liu Quan by targeting Liu Yun.”

Wang Yue had considered this before and was more interested in hearing Zhou Ziming’s thoughts.

“Who do you think might want to retaliate against Liu Quan?” Wang Yue asked.

Zhou Ziming’s eyes darkened, and a hint of disdain appeared on his face: “Liu Quan had a business partner named Zheng Gaoda, the CEO of Chaotian Pharmaceuticals. This guy harassed Liu Yun after a party. Liu Quan demanded he take responsibility, but Zheng Gaoda denied it after putting on his pants. Liu Quan was furious and had someone beat up Zheng Gaoda.

Zhou Ziming’s disdain grew stronger: “Liu Quan wanted an older man to marry Liu Yun, not for responsibility but to pave his own financial path. In the end, he lost his daughter and gained nothing, so he was furious and had Zheng Gaoda beaten up.”

At this point, Zhou Ziming shook his head: “People like them will do anything for their interests. Who knows how many shady things they’ve done behind the scenes!”

Just then, the laboratory called.

“Yeah, I got it.”

Gu Yuan finished the call, returned to the office, logged into the inspection system, and downloaded the latest report from the lab. The report showed that none of the samples sent for testing contained a second person’s DNA.

This result reminded Gu Yuan of the serial murders from two years ago, where the killer shaved off all body hair and even smoothed out fingerprints.

From the traces at the scene, it’s clear the killer left evidence, but also covered it up.

Why go to such lengths to provide false information to the police?

As Gu Yuan pondered, Li Meng burst into the forensic department office. Li Meng had just heard about the lab call and rushed over to see the report.

Gu Yuan: “You’re here for the report?”

Li Meng scratched the back of his head: “Yeah.”

Every time Li Meng barged into the forensic department office, he felt like he was falling into an ice cellar.

“No second person’s DNA was detected. You might want to ask the trace inspection team if they found anything.”

Li Meng was stunned: “How can there be no DNA? The case was progressing smoothly. The surveillance caught a suspicious vehicle, and the victim’s bloody clothes were found. How can there be no DNA?”

Li Meng also sensed something was off. He looked at Gu Yuan: “Don’t you think this case is strange?”

Gu Yuan: “What’s strange about it?”

“It’s like a fog. You think once the fog clears, you’ll see the truth, but instead, there’s a deeper fog.”

Li Meng left dejectedly after saying this.

Gu Yuan felt the same way. Although the case was progressing, he couldn’t see a clear outline of the events.

Now more people are getting involved, and the case is becoming increasingly complex.

Wang Yue’s face darkened upon hearing that no DNA was detected. He ruffled his hair, deep in thought.

Wang Yue had hoped that if the killer’s DNA was detected, he could collect DNA on a large scale and catch the killer. But now, even that hope was gone.

Originally, there were three suspects: Liu Quan, Zhou Ziming, and Zhou Wen. Now there’s a fourth: Zheng Gaoda.

The surveillance team had too many videos to process, and one of the surveillance cameras along the way was damaged, making it impossible to reconstruct the killer’s complete escape route after the murder.

Wang Yue sighed and turned to Li Meng: “Did you order takeout? Get me something too.”

“Then I’ll order pig’s trotter rice.” Li Meng took out his phone and opened the takeout app.

Wang Yue: “Forget it, let’s go across the street for noodles. After eating, come with me.”

Li Meng: “Where to?”

Li Meng turned around to see Wang Yue already putting on his coat and leaving the hall. He hurriedly followed. 

[Author’s Note]

Darlings, the first volume is wrapping up!