The Mystery of the Inner Demon

Chapter 300 may not be without reason.
It was late at night, but Qi Fei was still in the office.

The hallway lights were off, with only the desk lamp on the table remaining lit.

Being in the dark makes everything seem clearer.

Qi Fei reviewed Ma Ziqiang's case over and over again. What made this case unique was that every person investigated so far was suspicious—from Song Yun and Fan Xin to Wu Weiwei, Chen Zhuo, and even Song Yun's father-in-law. No one told the truth. Ma Ziqiang, this seemingly kind man, was a troublemaker after drinking, giving everyone around him a reason to kill him. But what about Lin Yu? This loner designer, aside from living in the same neighborhood as Ma Ziqiang, had no connection to him whatsoever. Why were both Song Yun and Wu Weiwei so intricately linked to his death?

Everything seems clear at first glance, yet everything is shrouded in mystery.

"Damn it, why is this happening?" He slammed his clenched fist on the table, the dull thud echoing clearly in the silent office.

"Thump, thump, thump..." A rhythmic sound came from outside, clearly the sound of Zhong Kui's high heels.

Qi Fei waited with mixed feelings for Zhong Kui to appear before him.

She left Zizai Mountain because of Xihe, although her motivation for leaving was not out of attachment but out of a desire to resist. But that concern was enough to make him jealous.

"It must be painful not to be able to find an answer, right?" Zhong Kui's voice seemed to echo in the darkness, as if it shouldn't be there in this time and space.

Qi Fei didn't look up, but just stared at the densely packed notes, stroking his stubble-covered chin: "I'm thinking about what you said. If our opponent isn't Song Yunyi or anyone else in this case, but Xi He, then many things actually become clearer. Perfectionism itself is a flaw, isn't it?"

"So even idiots can improve," Zhong Kui teased.

"You're right, in front of you, I'm just an ordinary idiot." Qi Fei wasn't angry at all.

This accepting attitude only made Zhong Kui dissatisfied: "How boring." Even so, she still walked over to Qi Fei's side. In the corner of the lamplight, she sat on the desk next to him. "I asked Granny Meng to inquire about that guy named Fan Xin."

"The last person to see Ma Ziqiang?" Qi Fei thought of the man who deliberately provided his taxi record, claiming that Ma Ziqiang was a perfect friend. In his current dictionary, anyone who portrayed Ma Ziqiang as a good person was suspicious. "This person traveled a long way to drink with Ma Ziqiang late at night, which is very suspicious. Unfortunately, he has a solid alibi."

"Just because hands aren't stained with blood doesn't mean they haven't killed anyone," Zhong Kui said. "Did you know that Ma Ziqiang went to see Fan Xin?"

"Huh? When?"

"Many times."

"How did Granny Meng find out?" "Simple. There's no information you can't get from an old lady who dances in the square. Even if Fan Xin doesn't say it, his mother will complain everywhere, saying that Fan Xin borrowed money from Ma Ziqiang a few years ago because of business problems. Although the money has been repaid, Ma Ziqiang keeps making a fuss about it. When he's drunk and has nowhere to cause trouble, he'll take a taxi to Fan Xin's house, knock on the door in the middle of the night, and insist on making Fan Xin drink with him until dawn."

Sometimes he would even vomit at Fan Xin's house. Fan Xin dared not object; if he even slightly refused, Ma Ziqiang would yell and shout that he didn't know how to be grateful.

Qi Fei recalled Fan Xin's words during questioning—"You don't understand Old Ma's influence." At the time, he thought Fan Xin meant Ma Ziqiang was popular, but now he realized it was probably because everyone was afraid he would cause trouble and had to drink with him. He sighed, "Old Ma really knows how to rub salt in people's wounds when he's drunk. But even without such specific information, I can guess that Fan Xin and Ma Ziqiang probably have some kind of grudge. However, my current problem is that all of these people have perfect alibis. Conviction requires evidence; a motive for murder alone is not enough."

“Xi He seems dissatisfied with the progress of your case, otherwise he wouldn’t have sent me that letter,” Zhong Kui said. “It’s obvious he wants me to help you.”

Qi Fei was genuinely displeased at this moment, and frowned: "What? Hasn't he been interfering with my investigation all along? When did he become someone who's helping me?"

“He wants you to be his rival,” Zhong Kui said.

Qi Fei finally looked up at Zhong Kui. In his line of sight, only the lower half of Zhong Kui's face was illuminated by the arc of the desk lamp, making her lips appear exceptionally vibrant.

"Zhong Kui, when did you become Xi He's spokesperson?" Qi Fei said with dissatisfaction.

"I just know him well enough. Know yourself and know your enemy and you will win every battle," Zhong Kui said calmly, completely ignoring Qi Fei's emotions at the moment.

The more she acted this way, the more frustrated Qi Fei became. He suddenly stood up from his seat and shouted, "We are dealing with human lives, not pawns! This is not a game; this is a matter of life and death for ordinary people!"

“You know I won’t understand,” Zhong Kui said. “Human life and death are none of my concern. I only care about your life and Xi He’s death.” She then lightly stepped down from the table. “I hope this is the last time you argue with me about these meaningless topics. I came here to let you see a good show, but it seems you’re not going to accept my invitation.”

Qi Fei remained silent, letting Zhong Kui leave the office alone. Only after the sound of high heels completely disappeared did he angrily look around, as if the shifting of his gaze could dispel the suffocation in his heart.

His gaze swept over the desk where Zhong Kui had just sat and found a piece of paper on it. It turned out to be a menu for a barbecue restaurant. Looking at the name of the barbecue restaurant, it was the same one where Ma Ziqiang and Fan Xin had their last late-night snack.

It seems Zhong Kui came late at night to show him this; it seems there's a secret in this menu. Qi Fei looked at it repeatedly, as if he could see the scene of Fan Xin drinking with Ma Ziqiang that night, one spouting nonsense while drunk, the other forced to flatter him. However, Ma Ziqiang never dreamed that this late-night snack would be his last meal on the road to the underworld.

As he looked at the screen, Qi Fei couldn't help but exclaim "Ah!" and muttered to himself, "Could it be?" Ignoring the late hour, he grabbed the phone and dialed the number of forensic doctor Xiao Tao. The wait for the call to connect was rather long, but finally Xiao Tao's sleepy voice came from the other end: "Hello, do you need to go to the scene?"

"Xiao Tao, I remember you examined the food residue in Ma Ziqiang's stomach when you did the autopsy. I need to see that food list again," Qi Fei said urgently.