Eyes that are the same as those of evil

Chapter 40 Ghost Hotline - Serial Murder Case 20
The word "uncomfortable" is not enough to describe how I feel at this moment.

Zheng Yan's eyes reddened, and he raised his hand to cover his eyes, recalling the sight of Xue Jing's corpse, calm and peaceful, with deep wounds on her wrists that revealed the bone.

How resolute must one be to make such a ruthless cut?

Bian Qingyu, however, felt differently from them. Her voice rose as Xue Jingxin questioned her, her calm tone masking anger and pain.

Their plan to kill Peng Siyan went smoothly because Wei Ting stole a drugged alcoholic beverage from Jiang Zhixin. They probably didn't expect their victims to resist; Peng Siyan was particularly quick to fall for it. I had Sister Qu Li keep the video on so everyone could witness the moment. When the knife plunged into Peng Siyan's heart, there was no turning back.

Sister Qu Li also took her medicine. We stood on the rooftop, and I took the letter she had written, asking her if she wanted to wait until sunrise to see the scenery one last time. She said no, took my hand and put it on her shoulder, and then I stiffly reached out and pushed her off the building. The body hit the car, but the sound actually made me sleep well that afternoon. This made it easier for me when I was hanging Chen Yingying.

The plan was for Chen Yingying's death to draw attention to depression and suicide, so she chose this gruesome method. That place was very risky, so we didn't have time to say anything; accepting the letter meant goodbye forever. Then I had to go back and plan my own death.

The method of death by wrist-cutting is difficult to distinguish between suicide and homicide. I think I might not be able to do it properly, so I put it in the third stage. This way, people will naturally assume that my death was a carefully planned locked-room murder, making the case even more mysterious. Mystery is good; it will draw more attention to the case.

But if things escalate after my death, Wei Ting won't have to sacrifice herself. She's too young to go to university; it would be such a waste for her to die. Going to university might help her find a way out of hatred and pain.

Making murder threats by phone was just part of the plan. We'd already decided to make a big fuss by having one person die each day. The ghost hotline was just a tool to generate buzz. If it caused any trouble or inconvenience to the investigators, I apologize. Chen Yingying foretold her death, I foretold mine, and if there's a third call, it should be from Wei Ting.

Finally, there is the purpose of this plan.

Killing Peng Siyan and the others was indeed our initial idea, but as the plan took shape, we also wanted to play the saint for once.

Our demands are not merely for fairness and justice, nor simply for those individuals to be punished by law and condemned by society. After all, we know that even those sentenced to the most severe penalties will be released in a few years at most. We have already punished the perpetrators ourselves. What remains is a "Letter to the Public"—

We want more people who have been hurt, are being hurt, or may be hurt in the future to know that they should not back down or be afraid. They are a pack of vicious dogs. If you take one step forward, they will leave; but if you take one step back, they will relentlessly pursue you. If you have already been hurt, do not believe their excuses like "It's because you were dressed scantily" or "Flies don't land on eggs without cracks." Don't live your whole life hiding your face because you are afraid of unknown retaliation. You still have plenty of opportunities to get back on track, shake off those people, and continue living your wonderful lives.

If possible, I hope we are the last group of victims; I hope all vulnerable groups have the courage to stand up and fight back; and I hope all perpetrators remember that retribution may be delayed, but it will come.

After reading all the suicide notes, Bian Qingyu refolded the letters and looked up at the interrogators opposite her.

Tears blurred the figures. When this tragedy came to an end, the only survivor became the most pitiful person, devoured by pain.

“That concludes our presentation. Is there anything else you would like to ask?” she asked calmly.

Zheng Yan took a deep breath: "I have a question."

"In your plan, Jiang Zhixin was the most heinous person besides Peng Siyan and Feng Yang. Wei Ting wished he would suffer the most terrible death. But in the nearly twenty hours from when Wei Ting drugged Jiang Zhixin and Zhang Jie to when she fell from the building, why did she only kill Zhang Jie and not Jiang Zhixin? To be honest, Jiang Zhixin is very likely to escape this sentencing."

A smile slowly appeared on Bian Qingyu's calm face.

"I don't know. Wei Ting didn't tell me anything."

After the interrogation ended, the group returned to their office in silence.

Xiao Chen and the others crowded around to ask about the final result, while Tan Jia listened intently from the side. Zheng Yan said, "Bian Qingyu was not involved in the murder."

That means he's innocent. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Seeing his reddened eyes, Xiao Chen asked again, "Who made the call? And what's the story behind the letter Xue Jing sent her?"

Zheng Yan was silent for a while, then sat down and lit a cigarette before answering: "The letter is a suicide note left by Qu Li, Chen Yingying, Xue Jing, and Wei Ting."

A suicide note? They opened their mouths, then hesitated and asked, "What did it say?"

"That's hard to say," Zheng Yan said, smoking a cigarette without answering.

But soon, Tan Jia and the others found out what was written in the suicide note, because Xue Jing's author account published photos and text versions of four suicide notes.

Before the post was restricted, netizens quickly forwarded it to various platforms, sparking public outrage. A large number of people flooded the official account, demanding that Jiang Zhixin and Peng Shuai be sentenced to death.

They did want Jiang Zhixin to be sentenced to death, but the possibility was almost nonexistent.

"Jiang Zhixin's detention period will expire at seven o'clock tomorrow morning, and he must be released."

No one was willing to accept this.

Police officers, forensic labs, trace evidence examiners, and an increasing number of potential victims have all presented their investigation results, hoping to re-interrogate Jiang Zhixin. If all else fails, they would like to sentence him on other charges, even if it means a longer sentence.

Zheng Yan also had this idea: "I guess Wei Ting must have left a backup plan before she died. Let's use this to trick Jiang Zhixin. Let the profiler interrogate him together, play psychological tricks on him, I don't believe he can keep up this airtight."

That night, Tan Jia didn't go home either. He stayed outside the interrogation room, watching the interrogations take turns, nervously kneading dough in his hands. He didn't care what shape it would be, but just used it to calm his emotions.

The profiler came on stage midway through the interview. By then, Jiang Zhixin was already agitated and impatient from the questions. He would kick the table and complain that the lights were too bright, then clutch his wound and cry out in pain, constantly licking his dry lips.

Tan Jiaguang was getting impatient watching from outside and wanted to rush in and kick him.

But this was precisely the crucial moment of the interrogation. Under repeated questioning, Jiang Zhixin became agitated and might blurt out some truths in his indiscretions.

So the profiler brought him a glass of water.

However, upon seeing the water, Jiang Zhixin flung it away, gritting his teeth and struggling violently, his expression a mixture of agitation and fear.

Tan Jia watched as his gaze shifted away from the spilled water, then hesitated before turning back to stare at his strange facial expression.

This is……

(End of this chapter)