Chapter 354: Liang Zhengkun

2022-05-20

“What’s going on with Liang Zhengkun?” I asked anxiously.

From the principal’s tone it sounded like something might have happened to Liang Zhengkun too, but if he was dead, how would it have happened? He’s only nine. If both brothers are gone, why would the killer target both of them?

We already knew Li Jun was killed because he kicked a pregnant woman on a bus. Thinking along those lines, is the killer out to punish these troublemakers? Maybe both brothers did something wrong? Just like how Gu Chen, after learning what Li Jun had done, almost wished he could teach that kid a lesson himself.

So does the killer think that way too? I wasn’t sure, not until I found out exactly what Liang Zhengyu and Liang Zhengkun had done. Without that, I couldn’t draw any conclusions.

That’s when the principal said, “Liang Zhengkun is at home watching TV right now.”

Hearing that, I let out a sigh of relief. I’d thought maybe the killer got him too, but it turns out Liang Zhengkun is just chilling at home watching TV. Honestly, the principal really knows how to keep you guessing.

“Give me the address so we can take a look. And next time, just tell us everything at once. Don’t leave out half the story,” I said.

Right then Uncle Chen chimed in, “Then I won’t go with you. Since the boy’s fine I’ll get back to checking out the fishing gear shop. You made a good point: if those fishhooks were bought at a store, they should have records. No way they just forget big purchases like that.”

I nodded. “Check it out thoroughly. If this leads somewhere, maybe we’ll finally catch the killer soon.”

Uncle Chen nodded back. “I’ll do my best.”

I nodded again.

Once we had the address, Gu Chen drove us over.

In the car, I asked, “Isn’t Mary here yet? Any idea how far she’s gotten?”

Gu Chen nodded. “I spoke to Mary on the phone last night. She has to finish some stuff in Yuzhou before heading back to Dongxing City. Yesterday she was still handling things. You know, the fallout from Team Leader Shao’s incident hasn’t settled yet. It’s not so easy to just leave.”

I frowned. “Yeah, must be because of what happened to me. Still, it looks like we have a mole in the ranks. My guess is it’s Xiao Liu, though no one’s going to just take my word for it. That’s probably why he stuck around so long before finally making his move.”

Gu Chen let out a sigh. “Even if Mary does come, she can’t use her current identity anymore. Looks like our Special Investigation Team’s become just an unofficial group.”

I grinned. “Did Mary say when she’s arriving?”

Gu Chen nodded again. “Tomorrow around noon or maybe later in the afternoon. She should wrap up today and take a flight tomorrow. I didn’t mention you’d be here though. Still, after all this time working together, I doubt she’ll be upset. But you’ll have to explain yourself when she shows up.”

I gave a careful nod. “Mary and I used to joke around and argue every day when I first joined the Special Investigation Team. It’s been months since I last saw her. Honestly, I kind of miss her. I think she’ll get where I’m coming from. She’s not one to hold a grudge.”

We chatted all the way over and finally arrived at the home of Liang Zhengyu and Liang Zhengkun—not far at all. There was already a car out front, which looked like the principal’s.

It was already one in the morning. Most homes were dark, everyone asleep, but the lights at Liang Zhengkun’s place were still on. Gu Chen and I exchanged a glance, knocked, and soon someone opened the door. It was a middle-aged woman—probably Liang Zhengkun’s homeroom teacher. Inside, the principal sat on a chair and a young boy stood nearby, looking nervous.

That must be Liang Zhengkun.

The principal saw us and hurried over. “You made it, thank goodness. If anything else happened here, I wouldn’t know what to do.”

I gave a nod. “Have you notified the families?”

Liang Zhengkun’s homeroom teacher answered. “We already did, but both families are in Dongxing City and need several hours to get here. They’re on their way now.”

I gave a small nod and walked over to Liang Zhengkun. He looked both scared and uneasy. For a nine-year-old facing all this, it was understandable.

Looking at him, I said, “You don’t have to be scared. I’ll just ask a few simple questions. If you know the answer, just tell me. If you don’t, it’s fine to say so, okay?”

Liang Zhengkun looked at me, gave a shy nod.

Gu Chen and I sat down and had Liang Zhengkun sit too. I asked, “Liang Zhengkun, do you usually go home by yourself after school or does your brother go with you?”

“I go home by myself,” he replied.

“What about your brother? He doesn’t come home with you?”

Liang Zhengkun shook his head. “My brother doesn’t like hanging out with me. He’s always playing with his friends.”

“So you always go home alone? Doesn’t your brother come home either?”

Liang Zhengkun glanced at his homeroom teacher. “I always go straight home after school. My mom told me not to mess around. But my brother goes out with his friends and comes back really late most nights.”

I nodded. “Do you ever tell your parents about your brother staying out?”

Liang Zhengkun shook his hands quickly. “No, I’m scared he’ll beat me up if I tell.”

“Is your brother that mean?” I asked.

Liang Zhengkun nodded seriously. “Yeah, he’s pretty tough. He likes fighting at school and acts like he’s the boss. I’ve seen him get into fights with other kids. But the whole class knows I’m his little brother, so nobody bullies me.”

He shot a nervous glance at his homeroom teacher, worried she might scold him.

You could tell right away—Liang Zhengkun’s got a completely different personality from his brother. From what he described, his brother is a wild, dominating kid, while Liang Zhengkun is timid and quiet.

“Aren’t you worried since your brother isn’t home yet?” I asked.

Tears welled up in his eyes. “I have no idea where he went. I get scared being alone at home. It’s already one, and he still isn’t back. I’m too scared to sleep, so I watch TV instead.”

“Do you know what your brother was up to today?”

The boy shook his head. “I saw him after school with his classmates, but I don’t know where they went.”

“What does he usually do after school?” I asked.

Liang Zhengkun thought for a second. “Let me show you something. Come with me.”

We nodded, curious what he meant to show us, but instead of going deeper inside, Liang Zhengkun walked out the door. That caught me off guard—I had no idea where he was heading. He led us through the alley outside for about ten meters, stopping by a makeshift garbage dump.

Next to the heap, Liang Zhengkun started pulling bricks aside, revealing a hole. It had been entirely covered up, like a secret hideout only a kid would know.

The spot reeked, flies buzzing everywhere, and a swarm of mosquitoes hung in the air like a cloud. Just standing there long, you’d get eaten alive. It was a rough little spot. I had no idea what Liang Zhengkun was planning to show us.

“My brother likes messing around with stuff here,” he told us, inviting us to look inside.

But it was pitch black outside—no way we’d see anything without a light. Gu Chen fished out his flashlight. For those of us in this line of work, bringing gloves and a flashlight is second nature.

Gu Chen and I turned on the flashlights and shined them into the hole. When we finally saw what was inside, both of us frowned. If an eleven-year-old made all of this, it was way too cruel to believe.

The principal came over too, craning his neck to get a look. After a while, even he was too stunned to speak. It took a minute before he asked, “Liang Zhengkun, did your brother really make all of this?”

Liang Zhengkun nodded seriously. “Yeah. My brother always does this kind of stuff. Sometimes he goes to that grove outside the school too. The teachers said we’re not supposed to play there, especially not near the water, because a lot of kids have drowned there.”

The grove he meant should be the place where Liang Zhengyu died. Hu Ningning and Li Jun were also caught there. Apparently, kids these days are drawn to that spot.

If Liang Zhengyu did all this… Well, that kid must have had a very dark side.