Chapter 50: Retirement Day 50: Shouldn't and can't bear the burden that doesn't belong to him...
If it were Yan Jingrui a month or so ago, upon hearing Sang Qiqi's words, he would probably have just scoffed, thinking it was some charlatan's rhetoric. He might even have taken it a step further, investigating Sang Qiqi's background and deciding whether to arrest her and teach her a lesson.
But after learning about Wu Wentao's case, hearing his father say the names of so many criminals with his own ears, and seeing his old father who should have been dead come back to life, Yan Jingrui's worldview had already been overturned and reshaped, and he believed Sang Qiqi's words without a doubt.
He had a sullen face, his hands hanging at his sides were clenched into fists, his knuckles turned white from exertion, and his whole body exuded a terrifying anger.
Kong Xingyan obviously didn't expect the situation to be so serious.
He looked at Yan Jingrui, then at Sang Qiqi. After hesitating for two seconds, he immediately said, "Well, Master, you go and do your work outside first. Miss Sang and I will take a look around and see if the old man has decided that the situation is not right and has gone into hiding."
Yan Jingrui knew that he had no choice but to ask Sang Qiqi for help. Staying here was useless, so he took a deep breath and accepted Kong Xingyan's proposal. He turned his head and took a deep look at the elderly man lying on the bed. He turned the doorknob and left.
inside the house.
Kong Xingyan took Sang Qiqi on a tour, examining every corner of the small western-style building. Finally, they reached the backyard, where there was a small vegetable garden. Old Master Yan had created it when he had some free time. He said that homegrown vegetables were pesticide-free and healthier to eat. The greens were lush and green, evidently having been carefully tended and nurtured.
"Haven't you found the old man's soul?" Kong Xingyan asked with a frown, and the response he got was Sang Qiqi shaking her head.
Sang Qiqi leaned against the wall, sighed inwardly, and then said, "As a criminal police officer, you actually understand that it's more likely that the old man's soul was taken away or eaten by the other party."
Of course Kong Xingyan knew.
According to their analysis, the evil ghost might be Yan Jingrui's enemy and was deliberately targeting Yan Jingrui, so how could he easily let the old man's soul go? If he were the evil ghost, he would definitely want to make Yan Jingrui feel what pain was like, and eating the old man's soul would be one of the best ways to do that.
"The logic is very reasonable, and the old man was in a daze when he died, and probably didn't have time to run away." It's the same as when Mrs. Li died, she didn't even know someone had stolen her money.
Furthermore, even if the old man really ran away, judging from the strong smell left by the evil ghost in the bedroom, the evil ghost's ability is many times stronger than that of the old man who just turned into a ghost. The possibility of the old man escaping is very slim.
After Kong Xingyan and Sang Qiqi's analysis, there was no hope at all, and all their assumptions were heading in the worst direction.
He rubbed his face helplessly, feeling a little irritated.
He was Yan Jingrui's favorite student. When they worked together, Yan Jingrui would often take him home for dinner when he saw him alone. He felt embarrassed, but both the old man and his wife welcomed him. Seeing his genuine interest in the criminal police profession and his admiration for Yan Jingrui, the old man would often tell him about the cases Yan Jingrui solved in his youth.
He had heard about those cases from senior officers in the bureau, but he didn't know the details. It was from the old man's words that he realized that a seemingly ordinary case could actually be thrilling in the process of handling it.
The old man smiled and asked him, "Xiao Kong, you just graduated from college this year, right? People your age must have a blind admiration for this industry. Now that you've heard so many stories about your master's dangers and difficulties, have they discouraged you?"
There's no such thing as a blow.
After hearing this, Kong Xingyan felt his blood boiling.
The old man thought it was funny, patted his shoulder and said, "Good boy, you have a bright future. You will definitely be able to surpass your master in the future."
In the years that followed, Kong Xingyan rose from an ordinary criminal police officer to captain of the Criminal Investigation Detachment, and Yan Jingrui was transferred from Fuping District to Xifeng District. Their relationship remained as both mentor and friend, but their contact time was rapidly decreasing. Whenever Kong Xingyan encountered difficulties solving a case, he would come to the small Western-style building for help, but Yan Jingrui always came home late, so Kong Xingyan would talk to the old man.
Talk about cases and life.
The old man was a very wise man, and his words could always solve his doubts and difficulties just right.
Therefore, when Kong Xingyan heard Sang Qiqi say that the old man might not have an afterlife, he felt no better than Yan Jingrui.
He couldn't help but ask Sang Qiqi again: "Is there really no other way?"
Sang Qiqi apologized and added, "Souls are the basis for reincarnation. But everything we have now is just speculation. We can wait until we catch the evil ghost and interrogate him."
Kong Xingyan exhaled: "This is the only way."
-
The search for the old man's ghost has been put on hold for now as there has been no progress.
Sang Qiqi went to the funeral hall to make some arrangements, and with the help of Yan Jingrui and Kong Xingyan, she helped the old man into the icy coffin. She had asked Jingyu and Bai Yingxin to bring the coffin and other things over; she and Kong Xingyan had left in such a hurry that they didn't bring anything with them.
This also made Sang Qiqi realize that if she couldn't find the perfect match, she could just find a decent one to deal with the emergency.
After completing a series of procedures, there was finally some time to rest. As usual, Sang Qiqi nestled in the corner, holding the cup of water handed to her by Sister Yan, drinking while casually observing the busy people.
During this time, Kong Xingyan put down what he was doing and squeezed over. Sang Qiqi looked at him and asked, "Are you done with your work?"
Kong Xingyan wiped the sweat from his forehead: "Almost done. Here——"
He pointed at the middle-aged man who was serving customers and pouring water, and explained, "His name is Xu Hui. He and my master are good friends who grew up together. If you round it up, they're almost like brothers. The two next to him are the same. We all grew up in the same area. I heard there's another one, but he's out of town these past two days and can't make it back. With them around, they don't need me."
Seeing how efficiently they worked, Sang Qiqi couldn't help but nod.
For the next two days, Sang Qiqi stayed at the Yan residence, concerned that the evil spirit could return at any moment. Yan Jingrui and his wife felt bad seeing how concerned and toiled she was, but looking at the old man in the coffin, they worried about a repeat of the resurrection, so they had to swallow their words about letting Sang Qiqi rest.
Fortunately, the three days passed quickly.
Sang Qiqi accompanied the funeral procession to the funeral home and only breathed a sigh of relief after confirming the old man's body had been placed in the crematorium. She was truly worried that the little ghost would go crazy while she wasn't paying attention and scare everyone outside.
If there comes another guy who says, "Don't be anxious when something happens, just take out your phone and post to your Moments first," then we're really doomed.
On the way back, Yan Jingrui came to sit next to Sang Qiqi and said in a low voice, "Miss Sang, I hope you can stay a little longer. I have something to discuss with you."
"no problem."
After returning to the small Western-style building and having their last lunch, all the relatives and friends of the Yan family left.
Yan Jingrui took Kong Xingyan and Sang Qiqi into the study.
Over the past three days, he'd accepted the possibility that his father's spirit was no longer in this world. But even though he'd accepted it, his hatred for the evil spirit that had dared to possess his father and, most likely, devour his soul, only intensified. He let out a breath, and surprisingly, didn't inquire about the ghost. Instead, he opened the drawer under his desk and handed a stack of documents to Kong Xingyan and Sang Qiqi.
Kong Xingyan lowered his head and was slightly stunned when he saw the content on the cover clearly.
"this--"
Yan Jingrui's brows furrowed as he nodded. "This contains records of five murders that occurred in Beijing North, Yangyuan, and Kunnan over the past three months."
Kong Xingyan's expression became more serious when he heard this. When he turned to the information about the murder case in Yangyuan City, he let out a soft "hmm" and a look of sudden enlightenment flashed in his eyes.
"Some time ago, when we received a reminder from Miss Sang and asked our colleagues in Yangyuan City to go to Lu Village to retrieve Wu Wenlin's remains, they told us they were very busy these days, investigating a homicide case, and the deadline given by their superiors was about to expire."
It is precisely because of this that they are very dissatisfied with the Fuping District's decision to find them work.
Fortunately, Sang Qiqi did not let him down, and Wu Wenlin's body was found in the yard of Wu's hometown.
The merits of Wu Wentao's case were shared by both parties, and it also gave the Yangyuan police some breathing space.
Kong Xingyan quickly flipped through a few more pages. Although he only read the outline of the case, he felt somewhat familiar with it. "Putting these five cases together, do you suspect the same murderer?"
Yan Jingrui said, "I just have doubts. In fact, the murderers of these cases have been found."
Kong Xingyan did not miss the key word "all" in Yan Jingrui's words, which means that the murderer of the five cases is not the same person.
He focused his attention on the information again, and indeed saw the identity of the murderer behind each case, including name, age, job and personal photo.
"You two can take a closer look first, and then you'll understand my suspicions and why I asked you two to come here."
Having said that, Sang Qiqi, who was originally thinking of pointing at her nose and asking her if an ordinary ghost could really read this kind of information, decisively closed her mouth and then took the information that Kong Xingyan gave her.
The share that came into Sang Qiqi's hands belonged to Yangyuan City.
Less than half a month ago, residents of a residential complex in Pushan District, Yangyuan City, called the police, saying that they smelled a very strong stench. The smell was a bit like rotten garbage and a bit like the stench of a corpse. In any case, they had never smelled such a stinky odor.
The police were the first to arrive at the complex. The caller stood nearby, chattering non-stop: "We reported it to the property management, and they searched for a long time before they discovered that the stench was coming from the house above mine. But we couldn't get in touch with them, so we had no choice but to contact you first."
At this point, the other residents nearby started to murmur, "Maybe someone died and it stank inside."
This speculation is certainly possible, but the police officer still said: "Don't make random guesses."
The resident waved his hand and said, "It's not a wild guess. The neighbor in 1201 said that he heard a ticking sound upstairs when he was sleeping a few nights ago."
The stench coupled with the so-called ticking sound made the locksmith who was opening the door hesitate for a few seconds.
It must be said that the residents cannot be blamed for thinking too much. The stacking of these buffs does indeed resemble some plots in movies and TV dramas.
The door opens.
An even more exaggerated stench came over, and the police officer blocking the door poked his head inside. When he saw the scene inside the living room clearly, his face suddenly changed. He quickly closed the door again and instructed the other residents who had come to join in the fun to leave.
The residents saw his grim expression and turned pale, screaming uncontrollably, "Could someone really be dead?"
Someone really died.
Moreover, the person had been dead for an unknown amount of time and the body had begun to rot, which was why the stench in the community was so pronounced.
The residents were dispersed, and detectives from the Pushan District Public Security Bureau arrived at the crime scene. After examining the body, they were shocked to discover a surveillance camera on the living room dining table. The small camera was powered on, plugged into an outlet nearby. They also found the deceased's cell phone behind the sofa.
Although the phone was turned off, it could still be used after charging, and the police also found software connected to the surveillance camera on the phone's desktop.
Yan Jingrui stood beside Sang Qiqi, his eyes scanning the contents above. He spoke slowly, "The software was downloaded around the same time as the deceased's death. This means the surveillance camera was placed there intentionally and activated intentionally."
"Just to record the appearance of the deceased's death?"
"Yes." Yan Jingrui nodded. "So, even though the body was already decomposed when the detectives discovered it, the surveillance camera still clearly showed all the injuries the deceased had suffered. The murderer's throat was slit, and only a thin layer of skin remained connecting his head to his neck. Furthermore, he had been stabbed twice in the left side of his chest, and his clothes had been stripped off, with his own name carved into them, along with a smiley face."
As Yan Jingrui finished speaking, Kong Xingyan's mind was immediately drawn to the task, and he couldn't even focus on the information in his hand. He asked in shock, "Why does this method of committing the crime look so much like a case you handled before, Master?"
Yan Jingrui didn't answer immediately, but instead asked, "Have you finished reading the case on hand?"
Kong Xingyan said succinctly: "No."
The case on his hands was Kunnan's. According to the records, two little kids said they wanted to explore an abandoned factory, but they found a dead body in the factory and then called the police.
The deceased had been dead for a long time, and the body was rotten and smelly. The police found a working surveillance camera in the corner.
Kong Xingyan was originally planning to see what was recorded in the surveillance camera, but his attention was drawn away by Yan Jingrui's words.
Yan Jingrui said, "The victim in your case was the same. His throat was cut, and only a thin layer of skin connected his head to his neck. His chest was also engraved with a name and a smiling face."
"The modus operandi is obviously the same, but I remember you just said that the murderer doesn't seem to be just one person?" Sang Qiqi asked at the right time.
Yan Jingrui nodded, his voice growing even colder. "Yes, the murderer in the Yangyuan City case was a homeless man. According to the police investigation, the homeless man had no connection to the deceased and had never even met him. Yet, late one night, he broke into the deceased's home and killed him."
"The murderer in the Kunnan case was a young, school-aged girl. She was thin and frail, while the deceased was a sturdy man weighing over 180 pounds. Under these circumstances, the girl followed the deceased into an alley, knocked him unconscious, and then dragged him to an abandoned factory, where she slit his throat."
Even an ordinary ghost like Sang Qiqi could hear the incongruity between the murderer and the case, and Kong Xingyan was no exception.
He frowned and asked, "How did the murderer explain it?"
Yan Jingrui: "It's inexplicable. By the time police in several regions found the murderers, they were already dead, and all of them had died in the river. The murderer in Yangyuan City couldn't be found because his body floated down the river and was later discovered by a fisherman."
"The other three cases were very similar to these two. The murderers' motives were unconfirmed, and when they were found, they had already committed suicide by jumping into the river. The manner of death was also identical. Local police held a meeting to discuss whether there was a true mastermind behind these five murders, but an investigation into the life trajectories of the five murderers revealed no overlap at all."
The study fell into silence.
Kong Xingyan never thought that the case in Yangyuan City would be so complicated.
"You just said that these five cases are very similar to the one I handled before." Yan Jingrui turned his head to look at Kong Xingyan, who was stunned for a moment, then nodded and said, "I remember it was about five years ago? At that time, you had just been transferred to Xifeng District, and a very serious murder case occurred in Xifeng District. The victim was a girl. Simply because she spoke up for a sanitation worker, the murderer held a grudge against her. A few nights later, he broke into the girl's home and slashed her neck."
Yan Jingrui and Kong Xingyan had mentioned this case before, and both of them knew it very well, but Sang Qiqi looked confused.
Yan Jingrui handed the case materials to Sang Qiqi.
Sang Qiqi looked down.
The whole incident was actually quite simple. It happened in the summer, when the weather in northern Beijing was quite hot. Many sanitation workers would stop by nearby businesses to rest and rehydrate during their workdays. One of the sanitation workers went into a small restaurant to enjoy the air conditioning. The restaurant's proprietress, a kindhearted woman, saw the sanitation worker and offered him two bottles of water.
This scene, which should have been heartwarming, made Meng Zhengxiang, who was having a meal next to him, extremely disgusted.
"Meng Zhengxiang believed that sanitation workers were inferior to others, and that he had to pay for food and water at the restaurant, so why shouldn't the sanitation workers have to pay? He gave the restaurant's wife two choices: kick the sanitation worker out or waive his bill."
The people eating there were all young people. What they hated most was Meng Zhengxiang's disgusting behavior. They did not tolerate him and stood up one by one to accuse Meng Zhengxiang.
Meng Zhengxiang was drunk and knocked the bottle of wine in front of the young people, threatening to kill them for being too talkative.
Later, the boss's wife went to the kitchen to find the boss who was cooking. The boss, who was about 1.8 meters tall and muscular, walked out of the kitchen with a spatula. As soon as he made eye contact with Meng Zhengxiang, Meng Zhengxiang sobered up and became scared. He threw down the money and ran away in shame.
"Originally, this was just a minor incident, and everyone thought it was over with Meng Zhengxiang's departure. Unexpectedly, a few days later, Meng Zhengxiang ran into the deceased while walking down the street. He remembered that the deceased was one of the people who had spoken up for the sanitation workers and criticized him in the restaurant. Furious, he watched the deceased for several days, and finally one night, he was ready to take action."
"After the murder, it didn't take much effort for us to catch Meng Zhengxiang. But unfortunately, when we found Meng Zhengxiang, he was holding a knife to a child's neck. He said that unless we were willing to release him and let him continue to be at large, he would kill the child."
"We saw Meng Zhengxiang was agitated and the knife had already slashed the hostage's neck. We were worried about an accident, so we called in special police and had him shot dead."
If, after hearing this, Sang Qiqi still didn't know why Yan Jingrui had called her here and told her about these six cases, then Sang Qiqi's twenty years as a human and twenty years as a ghost would have been lived in vain.
She stated Yan Jingrui's suspicions: "Do you think the five cases are so similar to the sanitation worker's case because the murderer is Meng Zhengxiang?"
Yan Jingrui was impressed by Sang Qiqi's sharpness, his eyes showing a hint of satisfaction and praise. He nodded and said, "I hadn't thought about it that way before. I just wondered if the murderer was imitating Meng Zhengxiang. But ever since you said my father was possessed, and that the one who possessed my father was probably a criminal I encountered during my investigation, I've had this idea vaguely."
"Last night, I reorganized all the information and felt that this possibility was very high. For example, the so-called female murderer in the Kunnan case, after investigation, she was just an ordinary girl, without any extensive strength training. It is impossible for her to knock out an adult male weighing nearly 200 kilograms and in his prime. But the day my father died, the evil spirit possessed him. I felt the change in my father's strength when the evil spirit possessed him, and I felt that if the evil spirit was possessing that girl, everything made sense."
"That really makes sense!" Kong Xingyan's eyes lit up. He looked at Sang Qiqi and asked excitedly, "Miss Sang, what do you think?"
Sang Qiqi nodded in agreement.
but--
"If it's really Meng Zhengxiang who's behind this, this is going to be a difficult matter to resolve," Sang Qiqi said. "I'll go check for you first to see if the ghosts of the five 'murderers' and the five victims are in the underworld."
If so, it would be very easy to determine whether it was Meng Zhengxiang who did it.
But if he is not there, just like investigating the whereabouts of Mr. Yan’s ghost, we must first find where Meng Zhengxiang is.
Hearing Sang Qiqi's willingness to help, Yan Jingrui's tense mood slowly relaxed. Although the 'murderers' in the five cases had been found, the officers at the bureau felt the matter wasn't over. It was a shame that even if they wanted to investigate, they were powerless and ultimately had to give up.
If Sang Qiqi is willing to help, it means that their chances of finding the real murderer will be greatly increased.
"No matter what the outcome, I'd like to thank Miss Sang in advance," Yan Jingrui said solemnly. "Miss Sang may not know that the families of the so-called murderers also suffered a lot after the incident. Take the girl in the Kunnan case. She was a good student and kind, receiving scholarships year after year and even planning to go abroad as an exchange student in the second half of the year. And then something like this happened... Everyone finds it unbelievable."
Therefore, if it was really Meng Zhengxiang who was behind this, then these so-called murderers were actually victims.
The victims should not and cannot bear the charges and stigma that do not belong to them.
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