Chapter 374: Guo Li’s Death

2022-05-20

Zhang Zijun’s behavior last night was odd, almost as if he wanted us to catch him. Watching his mouth slowly part, I felt a wave of worry. Maybe Zhang Zijun coming here isn’t what I thought after all.

First off, we have no solid evidence proving Zhang Zijun is the true killer, so why would he come in? There are two possibilities. Maybe he intends to turn himself in, but even then, he’d need some leverage or we’d never believe him—which could be why he’s staying silent.

Or maybe, after we left, Zhang Zijun realized we were on to him. Entering now isn’t to confess, but to clear his own name completely. If he’s still locked up when another murder happens outside, he’ll have the perfect alibi and can walk free.

At that point, we wouldn’t have any grounds to keep him. Once he’s in the clear, he could go back to living a normal life, never committing another crime and slipping out of reach forever.

Sure, we’re keeping tabs on Zhang Zijun, but there’s no way to know if he’s been communicating with anyone at home, or hinting at anything to Guo Limin. If Guo Limin confesses after a murder, then Zhang Zijun walks.

But like Gu Chen said—what if Zhang Zijun isn’t the real killer?

My gut tells me this Zhang Zijun sitting in front of me isn’t nearly as straightforward as we think. The plan itself might not be too surprising, but the way Guo Limin tidied up the scene afterward left nothing behind. For a woman to clean up so thoroughly feels off.

Or maybe, behind Zhang Zijun and Guo Limin, there’s someone else pulling strings?

Just then, Zhang Zijun finally spoke. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

My brow furrowed.

With a grin, Zhang Zijun continued, “I’m just a single man living on my own. I got divorced. I didn’t know my kid was dead. Honestly, after Zhang Zuochen was born, the total time we actually spent together wasn’t more than three or four years. Dead is dead. I was never that close to him.”

None of us expected him to say that. The rest of the team stared wide-eyed at Zhang Zijun. For a father to speak that way—it was cold, even heartless. The interrogation room went dead quiet. Nobody knew what to say.

I looked at Zhang Zijun, who suddenly burst out laughing like he’d just heard the world’s funniest joke. He tilted his head back, laughter bubbling out, as if all his feelings poured out with it. There were tears in his eyes.

I fixed my eyes on him and said seriously, “So your choice is to sit here and act the coward? You did what you did, but you let your wife—Zhang Zuochen’s mother—take the fall alone. You both committed the crime, but now you’re letting her face it alone.”

“You did it, so own up! Don’t be such a coward!” I yelled.

Zhang Zijun stopped laughing, shaking his head. “You call that cowardice? Why should I take the blame for something I didn’t do? If I’d done it, I’d have admitted it already. If you had any real evidence, you wouldn’t need my confession—you’d have arrested me by now. But without proof, it’s all nonsense.”

“Shameless.” Gu Chen spat the word through clenched teeth.

Zhang Zijun said nothing more.

Leaving the interrogation room, the three of us exchanged glances. I figured Zhang Zijun truly loved his wife—otherwise he wouldn’t have kept a copy of their wedding photo. But if he really loved her, would he let her take the fall alone?

From where things stand, it sure looks like Zhang Zijun is ready to abandon Guo Limin.

But we still haven’t found where Guo Limin is. All we know is Hu Ningning and Guo Li seem to have ended up in her hands. If Guo Limin wants to prove her husband is innocent, then Guo Li’s chances don’t look good.

As long as they still control Hu Ningning, there’s hope.

“That Zhang Zijun is so shameless, refusing to talk. What do we do now?” Gu Chen asked me.

I shook my head and said, “Looks like he’s set on playing dumb. I think Guo Limin’s going to dump the body soon, maybe even come straight out and claim she’s the real killer—then Zhang Zijun walks.”

“Isn’t there any way at all to prove Zhang Zijun is the real murderer?” Gu Chen asked.

I frowned, thought for a moment, and said, “As of now, no. Even if Zhang Zijun planned it, made the calls, Guo Limin was the one who acted and disposed of the body. Zhang Zijun came in, probably to make himself look innocent.”

“For now focus on protecting Yang Ting—he’s the last target left,” I said.

Gu Chen nodded. “Alright, I’ll have Uncle Chen arrange it. The team surveilling Zhang Zijun can help protect Yang Ting. Honestly, I don’t like it.”

“Hm?” Mary asked, “Why?”

Gu Chen sighed. “If they’re all part of this group, Yang Ting can’t be any better. Everyone else did awful things—think Yang Ting is any different? I bet he hurt someone too. Are we sure we want to protect him?”

I sighed. “We have to. And it has to be plainclothes protection, or the parents will panic if they hear about this mess. We need to stay careful. Maybe Yang Ting bullied others, but he never went so far as to kill.”

Gu Chen shook his head. “Guess we’re just trying to console ourselves now.”

“Let’s call it a night. Tomorrow we make the arrangements and get some rest. Zhang Zijun won’t say a thing. No telling when Guo Limin will act, so let’s get some sleep and get ready for the final round tomorrow.”

Everyone was drained after a long day and quickly fell asleep, waiting for tomorrow’s action.

I was still in a deep sleep when someone started shaking me. Still half-asleep, I realized it was Gu Chen. When I opened my eyes, his face was tight with anxiety. Clearly something urgent had happened, or Gu Chen wouldn’t look this panicked.

“What’s up?” I asked.

Gu Chen, already pulling on his clothes, told me, “Someone just knocked—said it was urgent. We need to get outside now.”

I nodded. “Got it.”

Gu Chen and I hurried outside to find a crowd already gathering.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

Uncle Chen’s eyes were bloodshot. “We just found a key clue. It turns out Guo Limin showed up at several hardware shops, buying loads of fishhooks and line. We’d only just arrived back when someone called us.”

Seeing Uncle Chen’s expression, I could already guess who had called.

“Guo Limin called?” I asked.

“That’s right,” Uncle Chen replied. “She called the principal, who passed it on to us. She said Guo Li’s body is lying in that old house you saw before—the place where Zhang Zijun and Guo Limin used to live.”

Guo Limin actually moved the body back there. That old rusty lock could be forced open pretty easily with tools, though breaking it might attract attention. But those older ladies head out to dance every day, leaving plenty of time for the killer to act. Turns out, it’s definitely possible.

“What time is it now?” I asked, glancing out the window where daylight was already breaking.

“Almost seven,” someone answered.

Uncle Chen said, “Let’s move. Bring whoever’s needed, we’re checking the scene.”

I nodded and said seriously, “Leave a few people here. The rest, come with me—we need to see what clues the scene holds. Someone else can sort out the other details.”

“Okay,” Uncle Chen agreed. “I’ll join you and bring Coroner Wang.”

We drove toward Zhang Zuochen’s former house with Gu Chen flooring the gas.

Standing at the old iron gate, we found the rusted lock had indeed been snipped off with pliers. The door stood wide open. The weeds growing between the red bricks in the alley had been trampled, clear traces left behind. In the middle, the weeds were only bent, while those on either side were crushed flat.

That meant a car had come by. Judging from the tire width, it matched the van Gu Chen suspected earlier.

“A vehicle was here. The door’s been opened. The body must be inside—let’s take a look.”

Everyone nodded and followed me in.

The door to the main room was closed. Gu Chen approached slowly and gently pushed it open.

As soon as the door swung open, something caught our eye.

A length of red rope dangled there, and beneath it, a thick knot formed from several ropes twisted together. Hanging from this knot was a girl, arms and legs bound cruelly tight.

No fishhooks this time, but in its own way, this was even more brutal.

Coroner Wang couldn’t hold back his voice.