Eyes that are the same as those of evil

Chapter 37 Ghost Hotline - Serial Murder Case 17
Bian Qingyu's recordings played a significant role.

Several victims are already dead and cannot say exactly what those beasts did. The hidden victims remain silent, and they have no way of knowing the criminal steps of Peng Siyan and his gang.

But after learning about it, I was shocked and saddened that I might not get the desired result—the crimes these people committed made me want to tear them to pieces, but the only two people still alive might not get long sentences.

Under the blazing sun, at noon, the criminal investigation team invited Tan Jia to have lunch together.

The cafeteria offered a good variety of food, but no one had much of an appetite.

"Peng Shuai is easy to talk to, but Jiang Zhixin is a tough one," sighed Xiao Chen, a fan stirring his soup bowl.

“He can pin the blame for the deaths on those dead people like Peng Siyan. Plus, the victims are already dead, so there’s no way to identify him. And after all these years, there’s no evidence to be found.” Tan Ming shook his head as well.

Zheng Yan: "I have already asked Wu Yang to ask Bian Qingyu. Her recording specifically mentioned Jiang Zhixin. She also met with Wei Ting before she died. Maybe there will be clues that can identify Jiang Zhixin."

After saying that, she pushed a newly served plate of fish in front of Tan Jia, wanting to take care of the child, but found Tan Jia picking at the rice and looking thoughtful.

"What are you thinking about? You're just a temporary worker, yet you're working even harder than your brother, who's a permanent employee."

Despite his sorrow, having been a policeman for a long time and having encountered similar situations many times, he can still eat heartily right now.

Even her wolf tail isn't fluffy anymore.

Tan Jia glanced at Tan Ming, then simply put down his chopsticks.

"I have a doubt."

As Zheng Yan ate his rice, he said, "Tell me about it."

"Regarding the bullying of Wei Ting, who was the mastermind behind it, Zhang Jie or Jiang Zhixin? If I were Wei Ting, after drugging both of them, I would have stabbed Zhang Jie to death first and let Jiang Zhixin go, which means I hate Zhang Jie more."

“But Bian Qingyu said in the recording that they knew Jiang Zhixin was a devil like Peng Siyan. After Chen Yingying called the police, they should have known what important role Jiang Zhixin played in this criminal gang. So why didn’t they kill Jiang Zhixin first?”

Tan Ming hesitated, then began to analyze the killer's psychology. She spoke of the murder as casually as going out to eat two steamed buns—this was just too...

“So I guess there are three possibilities—” Tan Jia continued.

"Or perhaps Wei Ting had a backup plan."

"Or maybe Wei Ting wasn't able to kill Jiang Zhixin at the time, so she could only kill Zhang Jie first. But Wei Ting's smile at the rooftop at the end makes me think she had a backup plan."

"Or, Zhang Jie might be the mastermind behind the bullying of her. That would mean Jiang Zhixin is very clever. He was involved in everything but not the main culprit. He might be able to get away with it on his own without the Jiang family's help. That's why he's so fearless."

Zheng Yan nodded in agreement: "That makes a lot of sense. I also hope that Wei Ting has left herself a backup plan and has given some evidence to Bian Qingyu."

Unfortunately, Bian Qingyu denied this conjecture.

She had no substantial evidence, and because the harm she had suffered in the past was not significant, she was unable to contribute to convicting Jiang Zhixin.

Zheng Yan had no choice but to consider the last option.

“Find the victims who were bullied by these people back then, and have them testify and identify them.”

The alleged assault may not be traceable, but physical harm and psychological abuse can serve as evidence to identify that group of people.

Wu Yang is not optimistic about this approach: "We don't know who the other victims are, where they are, or whether they are willing to testify. Moreover, reopening the wounds of the victims is very likely to cause their mental state to collapse."

Because if they are high-profile witnesses, they would be required to be present at the scene and confront Jiang Zhixin directly.

If any of the remaining henchmen from this criminal gang escape, they will most likely retaliate against the victims who testified. Zheng Yan frowned deeply: "No matter what, let's try to get their names from Peng Shuai and the few henchmen he just recruited, and then ask them. Jiang Zhixin's detention period is running out."

This task is very time-consuming.

Tan Xuehui was borrowed to help again, and Tan Jia wanted to assist, but unfortunately he didn't have the ability.

She was feeling uncomfortable in the police station, so she went out for a walk to clear her head. She kneaded the new dough in her hands and rolled it into a cookie stick.

Halfway through the case, the details in her dream became useless.

But she wanted to help, not to make the dream disappear, but to do something for Qu Li and the others.

What else can be done?

Tan Jia looked up at the sky, and when she looked down again, her gaze was drawn to a thin figure lingering a dozen meters away from the police station.

Hesitation and evasion, yet never leaving, reminded her of Luo Xiaomin from back then.

"Hello." She walked to within three meters of the person and greeted him as quietly as possible, but she still startled him.

The other person turned around and, upon seeing her, managed to relax her tense body a little. Her thin, bony frame was draped in loose clothes, making her look like a crudely made scarecrow.

"Hello."

Tan Jia asked her softly, "Are you trying to go in to find someone? I can help you. May I ask who you are...?"

“I am Wenwen,” she said cautiously, taking off her hat to reveal a patchy bald patch on her head where hair could not grow back after the scars healed. “I am Wei Ting’s classmate, and I want to… I want to identify Jiang Zhixin.”

Tan Jia swallowed the lump in his throat and said sincerely, "Thank you for stepping forward. I'll take you in through another doorway."

……

Wenwen's arrival was a shot in the arm.

Following her, the criminal investigation team contacted several other victims and obtained more testimonies.

Tan Jia watched them from outside the door, like peeking through a crack in the darkness at an old candle with only a wick left, but the faint flames cast on the wall were still bright enough that even a strong wind couldn't extinguish them.

Tan Xue gently inquired about their past experiences, guiding them to reveal their names amidst their suppressed sobs.

Through their accounts, along with the findings of the investigation, the entire course of that group's crimes can be clearly traced.

It all started with the perverse interests of sixteen-year-old Peng Siyan. Wan Lei was his good friend, a few years younger than him, and Peng Shuai was his younger cousin. Through their social connections, he gathered many followers, who in turn recruited others. A group of people from different family backgrounds and of different ages formed a criminal gang based on their shared wickedness. They passed on their increasingly sophisticated methods by word of mouth, harming more and more vulnerable groups.

Too numerous to recount.

Having obtained sufficient testimony, Zheng Yan immediately prepared to interrogate Jiang Zhixin again.

This time they were a bit more confident. Tan Jia watched them enter the interrogation room and helped Tan Xue settle a few witnesses. He was even thinking about whether he could send Jiang Zhixin to prison for decades this time.

However, to my surprise, the final interrogation results were completely different from what I expected.

Zheng Yan said with a livid face, "Jiang Zhixin applied for a mental evaluation, which proved that he was mentally unstable when he did these things, and he also accused Wei Ting of drugging him, causing him to suffer from adverse sequelae such as anorexia and fever."

With only a few chapters left, this story will come to an end. The male protagonist will appear in the next story.



(End of this chapter)