The Mystery of the Inner Demon

Chapter 288 Huantai Residential Area
At the entrance of Huantai Residential Complex, Wu Shanqiu looked up at the twenty-plus-story apartment building and asked Qi Fei beside her, "Brother Fei, didn't we already talk to Song Yun? Why are you coming here again to have them investigate?"

Qi Fei lightly patted Wu Shanqiu on the back of the head: "You've been in this business for quite a while now, but you're still so inexperienced when it comes to on-site investigation."

Wu Shanqiu was stunned by these words: "What's wrong with me?"

"Do you really think this is a random robbery and murder?" Qi Fei asked, his tone slightly interrogative.

"Huh? Didn't we check the surveillance footage together? How could it be fake?" Wu Shanqiu muttered.

"Did you examine the evidence at the scene? Don't you think there are many suspicious points here?"

“If there is anything, well, it’s that the surveillance cameras were set up a bit far from the scene of the incident, so Ma Ziqiang and the suspect’s faces weren’t very clear. Fei-ge, you mentioned a lot of suspicious things, but I don’t quite understand them.” Wu Shanqiu looked eager to know.

“The killer attacked head-on,” Qi Fei said.

"Huh?" Wu Shanqiu was still confused.

Qi Fei turned to look at her and analyzed seriously: "If it were a robbery, the primary goal would be to avoid being discovered by the target beforehand. If I were the murderer, I would definitely attack Ma Ziqiang from behind. However, in the surveillance footage, the murderer rushed towards Ma Ziqiang head-on, unless he knew beforehand that Ma Ziqiang was too drunk to resist. But he didn't follow Ma Ziqiang; he appeared from another place. So how did he know that Ma Ziqiang was drunk?"

Wu Shanqiu listened thoughtfully: "So, you suspect this wasn't a random murder?"

“The problem with this case is that it looks too random. There hasn’t been a robbery on this street where Ma Ziqiang’s accident happened in many years. This street is a key monitoring area, and it’s marked on the street signs. Judging from the way the murderer committed the crime, he wasn’t amateurish. He couldn’t have ignored such a conspicuous sign and chosen to commit the crime in this place.” Qi Fei continued, his expression becoming more and more solemn. “The problem with this case is that it looks too ‘random,’ a kind of deliberately created ‘randomness.’”
-
The elevator reached the 18th floor, and Song Yun's fair but puffy face appeared at the door. She politely invited them into the house.

The room was nicely decorated, but it looked quite old, though it was still very clean.

Song Yun had already prepared fruits and snacks and placed them on the coffee table, demonstrating her hospitality.

"Have you found the person who killed Lao Ma?" Song Yun asked with concern.

"We're still intensifying our investigation." Qi Fei glanced at Song Yun, seemingly casually asking, "Were any other members of your family home the day Ma Ziqiang had the accident?"

Song Yun nodded: "My parents-in-law are getting old. Usually, when Lao Ma goes out for social engagements, I stay home and have meals with them."

"Didn't you go out at night either?" Qi Fei asked carefully.

“I have a habit of exercising in the evening. After tidying up, I went out to throw out the trash and went for a run. I got home around 9 p.m. and haven’t gone out since,” Song Yun said. Seeing that Qi Fei was silent for a moment, she seemed to sense something was wrong and asked in a low voice, “What, do you suspect that I’m related to Lao Ma’s death?”

"This is a routine investigation. We need to know your alibi. Don't be nervous," Qi Fei reassured him.

Upon hearing this, Song Yun picked up her phone from the coffee table, opened it, and showed it to Qi Fei: "This is my running record from that night. If you need proof, I don't know if this counts."

Qi Fei looked closely and saw that it was a running record from a fitness app. It showed that Song Yun started running around the Huantai residential area at 8:20 a.m. and ran for forty minutes before returning home at 9:00 p.m.

At this moment, the father-in-law, who had been sitting silently to the side, suddenly spoke up: "I wasn't asleep when A-Yun came back, so I can vouch for her return."

The father-in-law seemed very keen to help Song Yun, indicating that Song Yun indeed had a good relationship with her in-laws. "Grandpa, it's alright. There are security cameras in this neighborhood. We'll check them and we won't wrongly accuse your daughter-in-law," Qi Fei said.

The old man was relieved to hear this, muttering, "That's good. You police should go and arrest the person who killed A-Qiang." He seemed quite dissatisfied with Qi Fei's questioning of Song Yun.

Wu Shanqiu, standing to the side, looked around the room and noticed that every corner of the furniture had a safety strip. She couldn't help but ask, "Are these to prevent the children from bumping into them? How old is your son?"

A hint of surprise flashed across Song Yun's eyes: "How do you know about my son...?"

"Oh, Fan Xin mentioned him," Qi Fei said immediately. "Doesn't he live with you?"

“He’s studying at university abroad. I told him that his father had an accident and was on his way back.” Song Yun choked up as she said this. “My poor son, he’s lost his father so early. I did put these bumper strips on when he was little. Although he’s grown up and doesn’t need them anymore, my parents-in-law are old and prone to falling, so I thought it would be good to keep them and didn’t remove them.”
-
As Qi Fei and Wu Shanqiu were leaving, the door opposite suddenly opened, and a woman about the same age as Song Yun walked out carrying a bag. Upon seeing Song Yun, she immediately asked with concern, "Is this a friend who came to offer condolences?"

Song Yun answered softly, "Police."

The woman didn't seem surprised, apparently already knowing about Ma Ziqiang's situation, and then she and Qi Fei and the others entered the elevator together.

As soon as the elevator doors closed, the woman asked curiously, "Has the person who killed Old Ma been caught?"

"We're still investigating," Qi Fei could only explain again, then asked, "Are you very familiar with Ma Ziqiang's family?"

Without hesitation, the woman said, "We've been neighbors for many years, and our two families are friends. Old Ma often comes to my house for meals. It's so pitiful; he's such a good person."

"It seems you have a good impression of him. What's your name?"

"My name is Wu Weiwei."

"Ms. Wu, since you are friends, have you heard of anyone who has had a conflict with him?"

Wu Weiwei's eyes widened slightly upon hearing this: "Huh? Didn't everyone say he was robbed and killed?"

"It's too early to draw conclusions; we're still investigating."

"Hmm..." Wu Weiwei seemed to be deep in thought after listening, and muttered after a few seconds, "Old Ma is really a good person, I can't think of anyone who would have a problem with him."

"And what about Song Yun?" Qi Fei pressed.

"Song Yun goes without saying, she's such a good wife. I often say she's too good to Lao Ma," Wu Weiwei said sincerely.

At that moment, the elevator doors opened with a "ding," and they arrived at the first floor. A man waiting outside brushed past them and entered the elevator. Wu Weiwei didn't seem to recognize him. However, when they left the elevator, the man pressed the button to go to the 18th floor.

(End of this chapter)