Chapter 256: The Truth Behind the Dissociative Identity Case

2022-05-20

Whether Lü Zhiqiu’s younger brother would come back for revenge is still uncertain. But if we can get our hands on Kang Ning Company’s insurance policy from back then, we’ll finally know who the real beneficiary was. If it turns out to be Hu Pei, this case might boil down to a murder-for-money situation.

After all, a million—even if that can’t stir up much trouble in Dongxing City or buy a decent apartment—is still more than enough to serve as startup capital for a company. Killing Lü Zhiqiu to scam the insurance isn’t out of the question. There are people out there willing to slaughter an entire family over a few tens of thousands; what’s a million to them?

To avoid suspicion, the killer dismembered the victim, creating the illusion of deep hatred. That actually makes sense.

Hu Pei, oh Hu Pei… If you didn’t do it, why did you feel so haunted you thought ghosts were after you? What exactly did the killer do to frighten Hu Pei to death? By now, the investigation must be underway, but which team is on the case, I wonder.

Judging by clues we left before, Xiao Liu is the most likely candidate to have taken over the investigation.

Mentioning Xiao Liu stirs up such a complicated mix of emotions in me. I can’t help but think of Guan Zengbin and Gu Chen. I have no idea how either of them are now—especially Guan Zengbin, kidnapped and still missing. And Gu Chen, transferred out at such a critical moment… Will he even be able to come back?

People say we’re born free, yet who truly lives freely in this world? We’re all trapped in invisible cages, quite unlike the Monkey King leaping thousands of miles—no matter how far we run, we can’t escape the Buddha’s palm.

At the mobile market, I spent a few thousand on a decent smartphone and finally installed the SIM card Sister Mao got for me. I’ve no clue who she asked to set it up, but when I checked the balance, there was already two thousand yuan in credits. She’d even stuffed a wad of cash—maybe forty or fifty thousand—in the box.

First, I dialed Gu Chen’s number. After about ten seconds, he picked up. “Hello? Who is this?”

I said, “This is your courier. Is now a good time to talk?”

“Courier?” Gu Chen replied. “Hold on, I’m not home right now, let me get someone to sign for it.”

Then it went quiet for a minute. When he came back, he said, “Are you out of your mind? You just ran off like that?”

I grinned. “Nice to know your ears still work.”

“Get lost,” Gu Chen snapped back. “You think I’d forget your voice after all this time? Where are you anyway? Nothing happened to you, right?”

Technically, I’d only been on the run a day and a night, but I hadn’t actually talked to Gu Chen in almost a week—and just hearing his voice eased my heart.

“After I got locked up, I haven’t seen anyone from the team. What’s happened since then? How are Team Leader Shao and Mary? Any news on Guan Zengbin?” I asked.

Gu Chen’s voice sounded weary. “Team Leader Shao’s still clashing with Old Bai. He refuses to believe you’re the killer. But things have gotten so bad—even he’s been removed from the post. Mary got sent back to Yuzhou, her hometown. They’re just trying to save whoever they can over there.”

“What about Guan Zengbin?” I pressed.

“No updates—he’s still missing. Too much happened after you left,” Gu Chen’s words were soaked in sadness. “That killer with dissociative identity disorder, his real name’s Li Ai. The investigation was halfway done, and he escaped! He offered up info about Wu Zui to bargain for leniency. Li Ai confessed to everything and even handed over videos of his different personalities. He seemed so cooperative that people stopped keeping a strict eye on him.”

Gu Chen sighed. “Who would’ve thought Li Ai would escape? Turns out, there was another unknown personality hidden deep inside him—a female personality. Security footage showed she killed a guard and bolted!”

I’d guessed as much. That Woman Boss from before—it was that hidden female personality who had killed her. Whenever the Uncle Personality talked about missing an hour each day, I bet it was actually this female personality taking over. She must’ve cut a deal with Wu Zui back then.

Li Ai was bait to lure us in, while Wu Zui and his crew kidnapped Guan Zengbin. Wu Zui helped Li Ai find the twelve bowls to erase his remaining personalities.

Gu Chen continued, “Yama’s diary had a lot of secrets. Wu Xiufang was never a suicide—Wu Jianguo and Wu Xiufen killed her themselves. Their father knew Wu Xiufang had a transgender child, so he sold off everything to try to cure Li Ai. But Wu Jianguo and Wu Xiufen didn’t want the factory’s assets wasted. They hung Wu Xiufang in the factory and killed her, right in front of their father. He died on the spot, from sheer grief. Li Ai was only five when he went looking for his mother and witnessed all of this. His little mind couldn’t take it—so that’s when the Yama personality appeared.”

“And right then, another personality appeared too!” Gu Chen went on. “That’s the one hidden the deepest—darker and smarter than Yama. Yama remembered everything and wrote it all in his diary. The Uncle Personality could have known the truth, but he didn’t dare face it. He didn’t want to know.”

“But Xiao Liu read it,” I blurted out. “Xiao Liu read the diary and never said a word about it!”

Gu Chen frowned. “Xiao Liu got promoted.”

Clearly, Xiao Liu knew there was something off, but he chose not to say. Maybe, even then, he wanted to use the killer to get me out of the picture. He played dumb, showing his weaknesses but hiding his true depths. If his mind runs that deep. If he fooled every one of us, he must also have figured out the real connection between Li Ai and Wu Zui.

So who is Xiao Liu really? Why, after seeing the truth, did he say nothing—and even speak against me in court? Isn’t this exactly what Wu Zui wanted?

All those heart-to-heart talks Xiao Liu had with me—were they all just an act?

There was a time a mysterious person told me that some force was twisting our investigation, shaping the whole story’s direction. I suspected so many others, but never Xiao Liu. Now that I think about it—why couldn’t it be Xiao Liu, who always seems simple but is actually the most dangerous of us all?

He tricked every one of us. What’s his end game?

Even if I know something’s up with Xiao Liu, nobody is going to buy it. He’s got power wrapped up in his own hands, and no one can touch him. So what’s he planning next? And is he involved with Wu Zui too?

“There’s a problem with Xiao Liu,” I told Gu Chen. “Keep a close eye on him.”

But Gu Chen just fell silent. After a moment, he said, “I don’t think I can anymore.”

“What happened?” I asked.

“I quit,” Gu Chen said.

He spoke slowly. “Everything I try gets blocked. All I want is to find out what the truth is—and to find Guan Zengbin as soon as possible. But I just left the office. From now on, I’m just a regular citizen.”

“Are you crazy? How many times did you tell me you wanted to uphold justice, to be someone like the one who saved your family? Now you just up and quit? Do you really think you’ll ever get another chance?”

Gu Chen just laughed on the other end. “The moment I stepped out, I knew there was no going back. You’re gone. Guan Zengbin’s taken. Can I really just stand by and do nothing? I want even more to get you all out of this. You asked me to trust you, and I do. So you trust me, too. I’ll find Guan Zengbin. I’ll clear your name.”

I went quiet. In just a year and a half, we’d all become tied together by fate.

I suddenly remembered joking with Gu Chen, asking if he’d cry if I died. And he’d given me a firm, straightforward answer.

“Don’t shoulder everything yourself,” Gu Chen said quietly. “I told you before—we’re brothers. If there’s trouble, we take it on together. The Special Investigation Team can’t work if anyone’s missing. Isn’t that right, Captain?”

Heat filled my chest. My eyes stung as I said, “Team Member Gu Chen, I’ll keep in touch. Remember to keep everything confidential—understand?”

“Got it,” Gu Chen replied.

After hanging up, I found myself grabbing fistfuls of my own hair as a splitting headache came crashing down.

It’s just as I thought—Li Ai really did have a hidden personality, and it’s linked to Wu Zui. Xiao Liu, who seemed ordinary and succeeded purely through hard work, fooled us all—he’s deeply connected to Wu Zui. Guan Zengbin’s abduction was also linked to Wu Zui. Even Zhao Mingkun, who’s evaded capture for seven years, is tied to him.

But now, the Special Investigation Team who faced off with Wu Zui has collapsed. None of us have the power anymore to chase after Wu Zui.

What’s Wu Zui plotting this time?

And is the case Zhao Mingkun and I are working on now somehow related to him?

Everything is pointing straight at that most mysterious genius.

Next time we cross paths, will I still lose?