Chapter 126

At this moment, upstairs, Song Wen stood at the door of 603. It was an old-style residential house, with a double-layered door – an outer layer of iron security door and an inner ordinary wooden door. On the south-facing side of 603, there was a balcony, and they had confirmed before coming up that the window of the balcony was tightly closed.

This place was an old residential area, without thermal insulation layers, so breaking in would be relatively simple. If the culprit was really inside, there would be nowhere for them to hide.

Song Wen held a gun and lowered his voice. “According to previous clues, the suspect should know that the police are pursuing him today. He may not be inside, but everyone should still be careful and prepared for anything.”

“Understood!” The team members nodded in agreement.

The six members who came upstairs split into three groups. Song Wen and Fu Linjiang stood on the left and right sides of the door respectively, while the other two stood two meters outside the door. The remaining two positioned themselves at the corner of the stairs, ready to provide support.

Someone immediately took out tools and began to open the outer security door. The old-fashioned security door was quickly opened, and then the wooden door inside was opened with a crowbar.

Fu Linjiang took the lead, arriving at the doorway and kicked the door heavily with his leg. With a loud bang, the door opened, and Fu Linjiang entered, raising his gun and shouting, “Police, don’t move!”

The four team members swept the room with their guns. The room was not lit, and there was no one inside. Although this was the top floor, there was only one balcony that allowed light to come in. Currently, the curtains were drawn, making it somewhat dark inside.

Fu Linjiang, Song Wen, and the two team members who came in afterward searched the bathroom, kitchen, cabinets, and under the bed, confirming that there was no one inside. Then they turned on the lights and announced to the people outside, “It’s clear!”

Song Wen looked around the room. It was only about fifty square meters, with a narrow living room connected to a small balcony. There was no dining room, and the kitchen and bathroom were very small and old-fashioned. There were two bedrooms, one belonging to Xie Jianing’s father and stepmother, and the other to Xie Jianing.

There weren’t many pieces of furniture in the room, just beds and some tables and chairs. There was an old sofa in the living room with a collapsed sponge, along with a small coffee table. Two cabinets were placed on the side of the living room.

Xie Jianing’s room was the smallest, only about six square meters, with only a single bed, a table, a chair, and a wardrobe.

“Captain Song, there are some women’s stockings here…” Fu Linjiang opened the drawer under the coffee table, facing a box full of neatly arranged women’s stockings, feeling a chill run down his spine. Some of the stockings even had labels with dates written on them, which happened to be the dates of the victims’ disappearances.

“Sure enough, it’s this pervert!” another team member exclaimed angrily. “Where could he have fled to now?”

Song Wen furrowed his brow slightly. The stockings were boldly displayed on the prominent coffee table in the room, indicating that he was no longer afraid of anyone else in the house knowing about them…

Just then, Song Wen caught a strange smell, a faint stench that made him nauseous. Following the scent, he walked out onto the balcony and immediately spotted a large white freezer.

The freezer, also old and yellowed with age, seemed to serve as a replacement for a refrigerator.

The freezer was currently plugged in, emitting the characteristic hum of electrical appliances, and the unpleasant odor that Song Wen found offensive was emanating from it.

Song Wen looked down at the freezer, feeling a vague sense of foreboding. He placed his gun behind him, put on gloves, and then exerted force to pull open the freezer door.

It was evident that the freezer hadn’t been opened for some time. The walls inside were covered in white frost, and cold air spilled out, meeting the warmer air on the balcony and forming a mist.

Inside the freezer, there weren’t various frozen foods as in a typical household, but it was filled with charcoal bags. In the gaps between those charcoal bags, a clump of reddish-brown curls was visible… Using his fingers, Song Wen moved aside several bags of charcoal nearby, revealing more underneath. It was a woman’s body…

As the freezer was opened, the nauseating smell intensified, the stench of frozen death.

Song Wen frowned. “Linjiang, notify the forensic team. We’ve found a body here.”

Then he picked up the walkie-talkie and said, “Siyu, it’s safe here. We’ve found some of the victim’s stockings and discovered a body. Bring Xie Dongqin up here, we need to ask him some questions.”

Downstairs, Lu Siyu was standing idly by. Suddenly, his walkie-talkie beeped. After listening to Song Wen’s instructions, he and Wang Chen brought Xie Dongqin upstairs.

With the door half open, the officers were conducting a search of the house. Lu Siyu stood at the doorway, sniffing. There was a strange smell in the air, one that was both peculiar and oddly familiar…

Leading Xie Dongqin into the room, Lu Siyu had him sit on the sofa first. Then he walked to the balcony, where the smell was even stronger.

Facing an open freezer, Song Wen walked over and said softly, “The victim used to live with her stepson.”

Lu Siyu saw the woman’s face and took the gloves Song Wen handed him. He reached out and moved the charcoal bags, revealing a pale foot underneath, with dark red nail polish on the toes…

Underneath the freezer lay a body that had long been frozen into dry flesh.

The woman was curled up inside the freezer, her body frozen to a pale white. Her skin was cracked, her limbs stiff and unable to be straightened. As the charcoal bags were removed, more parts of the corpse were exposed.

Bending down to take a closer look, Song Wen saw that it was a complete female corpse.

Lu Siyu murmured softly, “Around forty years old, female, died from strangulation, frozen for over half a year. She should be his stepmother…”

If the estimated time of half a year was correct, the woman’s death occurred before they discovered the first serial killing case, meaning Lu Siyu’s inference was correct.

This was the hidden first case.

Lu Siyu’s brow furrowed even deeper, and he turned to ask Song Wen, “How much do you know about the suspect now?”

Song Wen then quietly recounted what Xie Dongqin had said earlier. After hearing it, Lu Siyu lowered his head in contemplation.

Xie Jianing’s father may have had a violent gene, and his mother died from domestic violence. This stepmother kept abusing him, and after his father went to prison, Xie Jianing’s hatred shifted onto his stepmother. The awakening of his twisted personality eventually led the usually silent him to commit such acts…

At that moment, Fu Linjiang walked over to report again, “Captain Song, we’ve nearly finished the search. We found traces of filled shotgun shells on the desktop… The suspect might have a gun. Also, I sent someone to ask the neighbor across the street. He said he saw Xie Jianing half an hour ago, carrying a box and leaving. He was holding something wrapped in clothes, couldn’t see clearly.”

Song Wen turned to Xie Dongqin, who was sitting on the living room sofa, and asked, “Does Xie Jianing have a gun?”

“… When my son was young, he went hunting rabbits with his father in the mountains… They seemed to use some kind of scattergun… Could he have taken it without anyone knowing?” Xie Dongqin hesitated.

Song Wen continued to ask him, “Do you know where your son might go?”

Xie Dongqin shook his head. “I… my son doesn’t have any friends, and he doesn’t have any other relatives in Nancheng. I don’t know where he would go…”

Fu Linjiang pondered for a moment. “The previous phone tip also said he had lunch at a nearby restaurant at noon. It seems when he realized he was being wanted, he hurried back here to pack up… prepare to escape. Where would he flee to?”

“Inform all the train stations, bus terminals, especially reinforce security at the port terminal.” Song Wen quickly ordered. After thinking for a moment, he added, “He’s armed and wanted. He won’t be able to get far in crowded places…”

Suddenly, Lu Siyu’s eyes flickered, and he whispered, “Captain Song, I have a method that might help us locate Xie Jianing.” His gaze fell on Xie Dongqin, then he added, “But… you need to have all these officers evacuated. I want to ask Xie Dongqin some questions privately.”

Upon hearing his words, Song Wen turned to Fu Linjiang. “Linjiang, take the other officers downstairs first. We’ll ask Xie Dongqin a few questions, and we’ll come down later.”

Fu Linjiang nodded and immediately led the other officers downstairs.

For a moment, only Song Wen, Lu Siyu, and Xie Dongqin remained upstairs.

Lu Siyu walked to the door, locked it, then approached Xie Dongqin and asked, “Old man, I’m going to ask you a few questions. Did you decide on your own to come to the police station to report your son?”

“Yeah, I saw it on TV and came over,” Xie Dongqin said. “Officers, I’ve told you everything I know. If you don’t believe me… you can ask your captain.” For some reason, he looked a bit scared when he saw Lu Siyu and now turned his gaze to Song Wen, seeking help.

At this moment, Song Wen also understood. Lu Siyu suspected that Xie Dongqin was withholding information. Regarding this old man, he had always felt that he was holding something back, not daring to fully trust him, because the previous process had been too smooth, so smooth that it made him suspect that this old man might be here to lead them here and buy time.

Standing with his arms crossed, Song Wen didn’t prepare to say anything, waiting for Lu Siyu to continue questioning.

Lu Siyu’s eyes stared at Xie Dongqin and said, “Your hometown is Gancheng, where the tradition is to favor sons over daughters, and there’s even a custom of letting sons inherit the inheritance. You have no son of your own, and Xie Jianing works at your dock. You’ve always taken care of him. Did you really come to the city bureau to report him today on your own initiative?”

A twitch appeared at the corner of Xie Dongqin’s mouth. “Officer, who else’s idea could it be?”

Lu Siyu looked at him sharply. “Was it Xie Jianing who asked you to come?”

Xie Dongqin exclaimed, “How is that possible?! How could my son ask me to report him?!” He argued with his mouth, but his voice trembled.

“The purpose of this, I’m afraid, is threefold. Firstly, it’s to distance you from him. Secondly, you can get the reward for reporting. Thirdly, it’s to use you to buy time for him. Your son probably thinks that since he can’t hide anymore, it’s better to give the reward to his good uncle who’s been so kind to him.” Lu Siyu took a step forward as he spoke. “And you brought us here to buy him time to escape, right? Tell us, where is Xie Jianing now?”

Xie Dongqin shifted his body backward, almost shrinking into the old sofa. He shook his head and swallowed, saying, “I don’t know.” But by now, his voice and actions had betrayed him. Both Song Wen and Lu Siyu could see through it.

“Your gaze keeps dropping to the ground, indicating that you’re lying. You wiped the sweat off your forehead, indicating you’re nervous. You’ve looked at your watch several times, indicating that time is running out…” Lu Siyu spoke, then suddenly pursed his lips, walked to the edge of the sofa, and pulled the old man up, dragging him all the way to the balcony.

His next move was to push away the remaining charcoal bags in the freezer with his hand. More of the female corpse in the freezer was exposed.

Xie Dongqin, unprepared, looked down and felt the cold air rushing at him. A female corpse appeared before him, and he panicked, shouting, “What… what are you doing?!”

“This is what we found at your son’s house.” Lu Siyu looked at the woman lying in the freezer and said, “As a relative of the deceased, I hope you can help us identify the body. Do you know her?”

It was already past six in the evening. The sunset on the horizon was blood-red. On the narrow balcony, Lu Siyu turned on the light, casting a cold white light down, illuminating the corpse. Under the light, the ice on the body emitted a somewhat human-like glow.

The female corpse was approximately around forty years old, with slightly open eyes and an open mouth. Her head was tilted to the side, seemingly resting softly on her shoulder, but in reality, she was stiffened by the cold. There were obvious red bruises on her pale neck. Due to being frozen for a long time, the woman’s skin had cracked, presenting a grayish-white color, the color belonging to the dead.

Xie Dongqin’s eyes were full of fear. Trembling, he replied, “I… I know… She’s my brother’s, later married sister-in-law.”

Lu Siyu continued to ask, “Do you know when she was murdered?”

Xie Dongqin stammered, “I probably… probably… haven’t seen her in about three months… I’m not very clear about her death…” His gaze dodged, not daring to look at the female corpse in front of him.

“Based on the degree of freezing of the body, it’s been at least half a year. At that time, your sister-in-law should have already been dead. There are marks of strangulation on her neck…” Lu Siyu’s voice trembled. “I also just learned about my son’s murder. I don’t know where he went. You’re wasting time questioning me here.”

“You’re still lying.” Lu Siyu shook his head disappointedly. He continued coldly, “Xie Dongqin, your son has killed at least four people. He’s a psychopathic murderer. If you protect that murderer, you’re an accomplice. By helping him escape today, more people will die by his hands.”

Cold sweat appeared on Xie Dongqin’s forehead. “I don’t know! My son’s actions have nothing to do with me!”

There was no expression on Lu Siyu’s handsome face. He touched the face of the corpse in the freezer with his fingers. “Look at this face. This is your sister-in-law. You’ve seen her more than once. She used to be a living person, who could cry, laugh, feel pain. During festivals, she poured you wine, served you food, talked to you…”

“I… I don’t know, I really don’t know… Let me go…” Xie Dongqin trembled, his mind involuntarily recalling the woman in front of him, recalling their past encounters, recalling the tone of her voice. He was eager to leave, feeling extremely uncomfortable with the corpse.

Facing a displayed corpse was one thing, but knowing the person as well was another. Not only was the corpse familiar to him, but it was also a victim of murder, making the sight even more horrifying.

At this moment, cold sweat appeared on Xie Dongqin’s forehead.

In his younger days, Xie Dongqin could be considered a prominent figure. He had so many workers under him, all of whom he disciplined. His brother was a scoundrel, but he would shut up when he saw him. As for his son… although he had just learned about it, he was a serial killer who had killed several people.

In his life, he had never feared anyone, but now, facing this young and handsome police officer, he was afraid…

The other people Xie Dongqin had encountered were hot, at most explosive, but the person in front of him was cold. He had a calmness that didn’t match his age and was extremely sharp. It seemed that in his eyes, all secrets didn’t exist, and all lies would be exposed.

What was even more terrifying was that he showed no fear in front of the corpse, something that a normal person should have.

As Lu Siyu looked at him, Xie Dongqin felt like he was being hung on a torture rack, as if a sharp knife would pierce his body the next moment… He couldn’t predict what the person in front of him would say or do…

In that instant, Lu Siyu licked his lips, pulled him, and the old man’s body suddenly leaned against the freezer, bringing him closer to the corpse.

Xie Dongqin was so frightened that his legs went weak, almost falling into the freezer. He grabbed the edge of the freezer to stabilize himself. He could even smell the stench emanating from the corpse.

“Ah, ah, ah, ah!! Help!!” Xie Dongqin screamed frantically. Anyone facing a cold corpse like this would almost go insane.

At this moment, Song Wen finally understood why Lu Siyu had asked him to send the others away.

Xie Jianing’s escape was planned with Xie Dongqin, but Xie Dongqin didn’t know that his son had already killed his sister-in-law and frozen her in this freezer. Lu Siyu was now using this to his advantage, hoping to force him to tell the truth.

Lu Siyu watched as Xie Dongqin struggled, his face expressionless. Such behavior made Song Wen feel unfamiliar with him, but Song Wen completely understood his actions.

They were running out of time.

Now, they couldn’t let Xie Jianing escape under any circumstances, and even more people couldn’t be victimized.

And Xie Dongqin was their only breakthrough at the moment. This old man, out of family affection, was aiding and abetting, but he seemed unaware of what he was doing and the serious consequences it would entail…

Superficially, this seemed like an unconventional interrogation.

But in reality, it was a confrontation between good and evil, righteousness and wickedness.

They couldn’t lose, they couldn’t retreat.

They had to break through Xie Dongqin’s psychological defenses in a short time.

Xie Dongqin finally stood up straight, took a step back nervously, and clenched his fists tightly.

“Death, you don’t seem to understand what this means for life… or what Xie Jianing has done, right?” Lu Siyu’s voice became colder and colder. As he spoke, he brushed aside the hair hanging down from the female corpse’s face, revealing her face. The half-open eyes of the corpse stared directly at Xie Dongqin.

Standing so close, Xie Dongqin could see the pores on the woman’s face and feel the slight chill. The half-open eyes of the corpse stared at him, unblinking…

Lu Siyu continued, “This woman was killed by your own son, and he has already taken four lives. According to the law, he will be sentenced to death. He will become a fugitive, with nowhere to hide. Helping him escape can only save him temporarily, not for a lifetime.”

Song Wen also looked at Xie Dongqin. He could feel that this old man was being held back by family ties. He said from the side, “If Xie Jianing escapes like this, for your serious crime of harboring, you will be sentenced to three to ten years in prison, and you may even have to compensate the victims’ families. Think about it, is it worth it to help your son like this? How old will you be when you get out of prison?”

Xie Dongqin shook his head. “I… I don’t know…”

Lu Siyu stood in front of the freezer, his delicate face tainted by frost, showing no emotion. He looked like a white snake spitting out venom. “Look into her eyes, remember her current appearance. You can even reach out and touch her skin, feel what a dead person is like!”

Lu Siyu spoke, using the hand that had touched the corpse to pull Xie Dongqin. “I’ve seen your file. You have a daughter, right? She’s about the same age as some of the victims. What if it was your daughter who died?!”

“No… I… I…” Xie Dongqin trembled all over, but his brain wasn’t under his control. Following the policeman’s words, he imagined his daughter’s image overlapping with the dead woman’s…

Lu Siyu walked over and grabbed Xie Dongqin’s wrist. Xie Dongqin’s eyes widened in fear, feeling the icy chill pierce his heart. It was the temperature of death.

On the balcony now, because the freezer was wide open, the temperature was much lower than normal. Yet, sweat visibly beaded on Xie Dongqin’s forehead, about to roll down.

Lu Siyu stared into his eyes, pressing, “You work at the dock all year round. If you want to send your son out, your first reaction would be to arrange a boat for him, right?”

Xie Dongqin was already in disarray, subconsciously nodding and then shaking his head frantically.

“To tell you the truth, the police are already lying in wait at the dock. What do you think your son will think when he sees them?”

Xie Dongqin’s eyes widened, and he suddenly thought of a possibility.

“He’ll think that you’re pretending to help him stall for time but are actually betraying him, right?”

“I… I…” Xie Dongqin stammered. He hadn’t thought of this possibility before. But if the police were really at the dock… He felt freezing all over, almost suffocating.

Lu Siyu continued coldly, “Do you think, if your son manages to escape today, he’ll be grateful to you?” Then he shook his head, asking himself, “No, he’ll hate you. He might even come back and kill your entire family.”

Xie Dongqin looked at him, the policeman holding his hand icy cold, his gaze also cold, reminding him of the dead person lying in the freezer… Imprisonment, compensation, his family…

The idea of his entire family being killed was something Xie Jianing might actually do.

When Xie Dongqin initially helped Xie Jianing, he hadn’t thought about all this. But now, his defenses had finally been broken…

“Tell me, what time is the boat?” Lu Siyu asked the final question.

“It’s… it’s at six forty-five…” Xie Dongqin, deceived and terrified, finally burst into tears. This old man was completely broken. “He’s at the dock… I arranged a boat for him to leave the city…”

Lu Siyu finally let go of his hand. Xie Dongqin, still in shock, covered his face with both hands, trembling all over, crying as he huddled in the corner. “What can I do… he’s my own son.”

Song Wen squatted down and pressed on, asking Xie Dongqin, “What does the boat look like?”

Xie Dongqin shivered, continuing to cry. “I… I’m not sure. I asked a friend to contact the human trafficker. I only have one phone number… They only take people they know… I paid two hundred thousand to help him buy a spot. He’s boarding tonight at six forty-five, leaving the city…”

Six forty-five. It was almost six thirty now, only fifteen minutes until departure…