"Three stab wounds. Aside from the first one being slightly off-target, the other two were fatal with a single strike each." Jiang Yingyao gave the bodies a quick examination, removed his gloves, and briefly reported the findings.
Zhong Xiaoyu listened, her tongue clicking in astonishment. "This organization is truly insane. If this keeps up, I estimate the armed police will intervene by noon at the latest, right?" She looked towards Captain Zhang as she spoke.
Captain Zhang let out a sigh. "Actually, we anticipated that the organization would retaliate, but we didn't expect it to happen this fast. The fingerprint comparison results weren't even out yet by 4 a.m., but the first wave of retaliation had already begun."
Pang Le instinctively remarked, "Could it be another diversion like the one in Shangshuang City?" The moment he finished speaking, he remembered that Captain Zhang had already said Wu Yang had been captured.
Guan Xia felt something was off and also frowned. "Indeed, something doesn't seem right." She had a suspicion in her mind, but it felt inappropriate to voice it aloud.
Although she had never formally met Wu Yang face-to-face, based on what they knew, that person really didn't seem like the type to surrender without a fight. Furthermore, if he had truly surrendered, there wouldn't be such a large-scale retaliatory operation. It couldn't be that the organization was naively trying to threaten the police into releasing Wu Yang with these methods.
Turning it over in her mind, Guan Xia genuinely began to doubt whether the person Captain Zhang said was captured was actually Wu Yang.
Thinking this, she looked at Captain Zhang and asked, "Captain Zhang, are you staying to handle this case? Then what about us..."
Before she could finish, Captain Zhang interrupted her. He glanced at his wristwatch and said, "I've already notified the district branch. We'll leave in a few minutes, as soon as they arrive."
Hearing this, Guan Xia had no choice but to wait patiently where she stood.
Although he said they were waiting, Captain Zhang wasn't idle. He led several detectives, busy with various tasks. About seven or eight minutes later, when a team of detectives arrived, he quickly briefed them and then got back in the car with Guan Xia and the others.
As soon as he was seated, Captain Zhang urged them to set off immediately. Then he turned to Guan Xia and said, "We did a quick check on the identities and backgrounds of the three deceased using the IDs they were carrying. This confirms it was indeed another retaliatory action by that organization."
Guan Xia sat up straight upon hearing this and pressed Captain Zhang for details. "How so?"
Captain Zhang explained, "The three victims, two men and one woman, were a family of three. On the surface, they seemed like ordinary people, but the middle-aged man among them, the son of the elderly couple, was actually a psychiatric patient. I don't know if you've heard of the 0225 case in our city four years ago."
Naturally, Guan Xia and the others didn't know. Only Ji An spoke up thoughtfully, "I know a little about it. Was that the case where three men and one woman had their throats slit in a KTV on Lantern Festival day?"
Guan Xia and Pang Le were both startled. "A murder in a KTV, and on Lantern Festival day?"
Captain Zhang nodded. "The perpetrator was the son among the three killed today. He had been diagnosed with schizophrenia long ago but kept it very well hidden. Apart from his parents, none of his friends or other relatives knew. It only came out after he killed someone that day, in an attempt to escape legal punishment."
Guan Xia drew a sharp breath. "Did he kill because he suddenly had an episode?"
Captain Zhang gave a bitter smile and shook his head. "We don't think so, because he had a very clear motive. But since his schizophrenia was genuine, and he kept feigning madness and playing the fool during interrogation, claiming it was his 'other personality' who killed, not the 'real him,' we had no way to determine whether he was conscious during the murders or truly in the midst of an episode."
Guan Xia sighed upon hearing this. It seemed that although Captain Zhang and his team believed the middle-aged man was conscious when he killed, ultimately his mental illness held decisive weight, allowing him to evade justice despite the solid evidence.
Pang Le asked, "Even if a mentally ill person kills and doesn't go to prison, they'd still be confined to a psychiatric hospital, right? How come the perpetrator we saw today was free?"
Captain Zhang said only four words, "Medical parole."
Everyone felt a complex mix of emotions, unsure of what to say.
After a few minutes, Ji An spoke up again. "Captain Zhang, you just said that case had a very clear motive. What was the motive?"
Captain Zhang's tone grew heavy. "According to the survivor's testimony, the perpetrator was the one who organized the gathering that day. He said he had taken a liking to a girl but didn't know how to pursue her, and wanted their advice. Everyone was supposed to celebrate the festival at home, but hearing it was such an important matter, they all went. Unexpectedly, as they talked, an argument broke out. Especially the first female victim—she was the first to argue with him, and the argument was the most heated."
Guan Xia and the others listened quietly without interrupting. Captain Zhang continued, "According to the survivor, they were actually quite happy for the perpetrator wanting to pursue a girl. After all, they had known each other for so many years; two of them were already married with children, so naturally they hoped the others would be happy too. So initially, everyone enthusiastically offered suggestions. Some said send flowers, some said pick her up and drop her off from work, others said find out what the girl liked and cater to her interests. It continued until the first girl who clashed with the perpetrator casually asked how old the girl was. The perpetrator hemmed and hawed, and everyone started feeling something was off. Only after repeated pressing did the perpetrator finally say the girl was 17, but turning 18 soon, and that he truly liked her."
Captain Zhang said, "Hearing the girl was only 17, the girl who asked the question was stunned. According to the survivor, that girl jumped up angrily, calling the perpetrator a pervert. 'She's still in high school! Are you a pedophile? Having feelings for someone so young, and look at how old you are!' That girl had always had a fiery temper; over the years, everyone had been scolded by her at some point, so no one took it too seriously. They even joined her in condemning the perpetrator. Who knew the perpetrator suddenly snapped? He said he had always known everyone looked down on him, that they all thought he wasn't good enough for that girl. Then, as he ranted, he reached out and slit the throat of the girl who had first yelled at him."
Captain Zhang paused here, then sighed again. "Because they were in a KTV, the lighting was very dim. At first, no one saw clearly what happened. It wasn't until the girl with her throat slit collapsed onto the sofa that they realized. But in that short time, the perpetrator went on to slit two more throats. The last victim was the one who tried, along with the remaining people, to subdue him. He was the first to rush forward, so he got his throat slit too."
Guan Xia listened, feeling a deep sense of regret. From Captain Zhang's description, whether it was the first female victim who had jumped up to curse or the last victim who had rushed forward first to try and subdue the attacker, they were all brave, resourceful, and kind-hearted people. Yet, just because a lunatic had infiltrated their social circle, an ordinary gathering had cost them their lives. It was truly a tragedy.
Pang Le listened with righteous indignation, wanting to say something, but their car had already driven into the Jianyang City Bureau compound. The large courtyard was bustling with people running back and forth and cars coming and going, a clear sign of intense activity. Seeing this, Pang Le could only swallow the words about to leave her mouth.
As soon as the car stopped, Captain Zhang wasted no time getting out. Guan Xia and the others followed closely behind, not even having time to meet up with Xu Nian and the rest from the other cars before they were following Captain Zhang in a jog up the stairs.
Guan Xia and her companions kept their eyes fixed on Captain Zhang's figure, not even noticing how many flights of stairs they had climbed until Captain Zhang spotted a figure ahead and hurriedly caught up to ask, "Director Gao, which interrogation room is the suspect Wu Yang being held in? I've brought the experts, Guan Xia and her team, back. Has the suspect talked after all this time?"
Director Gao, tall and imposing in his uniform, looked very stern when not smiling. He glanced at Guan Xia first, managing to squeeze out a smile to shake her hand before saying, "He's in the interrogation room on the far right of the third floor. I checked just five minutes ago; the interrogation expert from the provincial department is still wearing him down."
This meant Wu Yang still hadn't talked. Captain Zhang said disappointedly, "That bastard, his mouth is really tight. Still trying to put up a desperate fight at this point."
It was clear Captain Zhang and Director Gao were on good terms, hence the casual cursing.
Director Gao first echoed the curse out of habit, then seemed to remember Guan Xia and the others were present. He awkwardly slapped Captain Zhang's arm and scolded, "We are people's police, not street thugs. How can you use such foul language? If there's a next time, I'll have you written up."
Captain Zhang also realized they weren't alone and looked momentarily embarrassed, but quickly put on a stern face, saluted, and said, "Understood. Rest assured, Director Gao, it won't happen again."
After saying that, Captain Zhang smiled again and requested, "Then, Director Gao, I'll take Expert Guan and her team to the third floor? I recall Expert Guan, though lacking formal interrogation experience, has a real talent for getting confessions others can't. I'll take her to give it a try."
Director Gao gave Captain Zhang a light tap with the folder in his hand and said with a glare, "Go on. Since the higher-ups have entrusted Expert Guan to you, make sure you host her properly. Don't let our city bureau lose face."
Captain Zhang chuckled, said "Understood" again, then pulled Guan Xia along, clattering down a flight of stairs at a jog.
Only then did Guan Xia realize Captain Zhang had led them all the way up to the fourth floor in one go. No wonder she felt a bit out of breath.
Compared to the fourth floor, the third floor was even more crowded, with everyone busy going in and out. Some were even looking at files while talking on the phone.
To avoid bumping into people, Guan Xia and the others weaved their way down the third-floor corridor, stepping aside for one person, then another, finally reaching the interrogation room Director Gao had mentioned.
As soon as they entered the small observation room, Guan Xia immediately activated her system's shared vision. Her eyes widened in shock—her premonition had been right. The person Captain Zhang's colleagues had brought back was definitely not Wu Yang.
Although Guan Xia had never formally met Wu Yang, she knew that given the crimes and lives taken over so many years, if she could see his soul aura, it would be red verging on black. Even the blood-red hue entwined around Wu Xingxian's soul aura made it look like a red balloon. Wu Yang's would only be more intense. So, the moment she saw that the blood-red on this person's soul aura was less than Wu Xingxian's, she knew he must be an imposter.
It seemed Wu Yang had indeed escaped. Guan Xia turned off the system's shared vision and turned to Captain Zhang, saying, "I can confirm the person in the interrogation room is not Wu Yang. He's a fake."
There were many people observing the interrogation. At Guan Xia's words, everyone looked at her. No one showed disbelief, but they all frowned, their expressions uncertain and alarmed.
Others might not know Guan Xia well, but Captain Zhang, who had worked with her on the Shangshuang City case, trusted her completely. He only asked, "How sure are you?"
Guan Xia replied decisively, "One hundred percent."
Captain Zhang's expression immediately turned serious. He hurriedly pulled out his phone and said, "Alright, wait here. I'm reporting this up the chain right now."
After speaking, Captain Zhang rushed out to make the call. Pang Le squeezed through the crowd to get a better view, glanced a few times, then came back to stand beside Guan Xia and sighed, "The resemblance... if you hadn't said it, I'd never have noticed. A stand-in this convincing must have been prepared a long time ago. He's even more realistic than the last imposter in Shangshuang City. No wonder I thought it was strange when Captain Zhang said Wu Yang had been captured. So that's it. It seems the so-called retaliatory action around 4 a.m. was just another smoke screen thrown out to distract us, just like before. Maybe that was exactly the time he was making his escape."
Once it was confirmed the captured person was just a stand-in, some inconsistencies made sense. It wasn't that Wu Yang had uncharacteristically given up without a fight; he had simply prepared a golden cicada shedding its shell escape plan all along.
Furthermore, their escape might have happened even earlier than Pang Le guessed. Guan Xia thought of the attack on Meng Lan and her biological sister around midnight. Perhaps they were already escaping by then, during the time of their third failed attack on her, which had instead led to their own capture.
