Chapter 472: The Greatest Enemy Is Yourself

Chapter 472: The Greatest Enemy Is Yourself (Update 5)

“I thought you’d be unafraid.”

Xiao Yu sneered, “Are you worried we’ll find her?”

Those words made Gong Hongyun’s body go as rigid as if struck by lightning.

In the interrogation room, time itself seemed to pause.

After a long silence, Gong Hongyun sighed deeply and asked in a tired tone, “Where did I slip up? How did you catch me?”

“Lies.”

Xiao Yu continued without holding back, “When someone lies, they always mix in a little truth to gain trust. For instance, you argued with Qian Yue’e at the victim’s door, and the female neighbor showed up. Or the fact that you did kill Hu Xinran—murdered him for money.”

“It’s clear something happened between you and Qian Yue’e. Was it all about money?”

“She can call you heartless… and yet you demand money from her? Did you use some form of threat?”

“And then, there’s that woman who never appears in your statements… it’s odd that both your false accounts deliberately omit her existence.”

“Usually, when someone hides something, it’s because they care about it the most. Clearly, you’re very concerned about those 27 women, aren’t you?”

“I just can’t understand—if you care so much about her and are willing to do so much, why would she appear in both Hu Xinran’s and Qian Yue’e’s houses, even sleeping in the master bedroom?”

“I have a bold theory… did something go on between that woman and Hu Xinran?”

“Maybe Qian Yue’e was cheating too—and that lover… was it you?”

“Interesting. Both spouses cheating? Each playing their own game? And in such a flashy manner?”

Xiao Yu fixed his gaze on Gong Hongyun’s ever-changing expressions and asked with a wry smile, “The most interesting part is: did a lover and a mistress end up hooking up?”

“Shut up!” Gong Hongyun roared.

His gritted, fierce expression sent shivers down the spine.

“Ha ha… could it be true?”

Xiao Yu chuckled lightly, “Got me right on target again?”

“Looks like not only is my luck good, but my little quirks are too!”

Enraged, Gong Hongyun panted heavily.

Though his eyes were bandaged, his glare remained fixed on Xiao Yu.

His menacing look was as if he might devour someone.

“Angry? Good, be angry.”

Xiao Yu continued, “When you toyed with us cops, we got angry too. How is it that only you can fool others while no one dares to call you out… Who do you think you are?”

“Even if you know something, so what?”

Suppressing his fury, Gong Hongyun sneered coldly, “It’s useless—you won’t find her. And wait till you know who she is… ha ha ha!”

For reasons unknown, he suddenly recalled something amusing—or maybe just a joke.

He burst into laughter.

“If you can laugh, then laugh as much as you can.”

Xiao Yu laughed too, “Remember what I told you? When I smack your face, don’t cry out in pain!”

Gong Hongyun’s laughter abruptly ceased, his expression shifting to one of disbelief.

“You say I won’t find her?”

Xiao Yu snorted, “Why wouldn’t you find her? Start with your past—or even with Hu Xinran’s.”

“Even if you hide it well, surely you’d see her often, right?”

“And what about Hu Xinran… Was that woman his mistress? If he’s even brought her home, they must have been together quite often. Surely many have seen her?”

“The simplest solution is the neighborhood’s CCTV.”

“Since Hu Xinran brought her into the community, the cameras would surely have caught her image. Right?”

Gong Hongyun fell silent.

After a long pause, he let out a manic chuckle, “Heh heh heh… is that so? Then go ahead and try—I’d love to see if you can find her!”

What misplaced confidence was that… Xiao Yu tensed, squinting at Gong Hongyun.

“Why do I feel like I’m being taken for a fool?!”

……

The Criminal Investigation Team began combing through the victim’s neighborhood.

They reviewed a month’s worth of surveillance footage.

The result…

During that month, aside from Hu Xinran and Qian Yue’e—the couple who frequently came and went.

Only another victim, Hou Xin—the so-called lover Gong Hongyun mentioned—was seen entering the neighborhood a few times.

Meanwhile, the footage showed Gong Hongyun himself entering and leaving the area very frequently.

Yet, not one unfamiliar or suspicious woman was spotted.

Xiao Yu, having rewatched the footage three times, was dumbfounded.

“How is that possible?”

“How can a living person vanish without leaving a trace?”

“Could it be that the hair and marks on the master bed in the victim’s home were fabricated?”

“Was someone deliberately leaving these as red herrings to mislead the police?”

“No…”, Xiao Yu shook his head.

The line of reasoning was solid.

“Did I overlook something?”

“Or did I miss something else?”

“It seems my whole train of thought was off from the start—I’ve been mistaken all along…”

“Six victims, Gong Hongyun, the female neighbor, and another woman… That makes nine people involved in the case?”

Xiao Yu narrowed his eyes, replaying the entire case in his mind.

His brain was firing on all cylinders as he reviewed and scrutinized every detail time and again.

Before he knew it, Xiao Yu entered a state of intense focus.

Various clues and pieces of information swirled wildly in his mind…

Suddenly.

It felt as if something had exploded inside his brain.

He snapped out of his trance.

“Hehe, so it wasn’t about vanishing without a trace after all!”

Xiao Yu chuckled self-deprecatingly, “No wonder Gong Hongyun is so full of himself, claiming I can’t find this woman. Because she’s nothing more than a figment of my wild imagination!”

“How foolish—humans truly are their own worst enemy, their fantasies betraying them. In the end, the biggest enemy is oneself!”

“In a fool’s eyes, the wisdom of the clever is worthless… Fools love to jeer at the smart, gloating as they watch them overcomplicate even the simplest matters.”

“Gong Hongyun… Are you secretly enjoying my idiocy, treating me like a fool?”

“There isn’t a ninth person in this case, nor did a mysterious woman simply appear out of nowhere.”

“That mysterious woman has always been among the eight… Could it be the female neighbor?”

“Yes, and she was the one who misled us with that remark… ‘heartless’?”

“Deliberately steering our attention towards the connection between Gong Hongyun and Qian Yue’e?”

“That’s also why the neighborhood cameras never detected another woman… because you already live in this community.”

“No wonder Gong Hongyun frequents the area so much yet leaves no trace at the victim’s home… turns out he was looking for you?”

“Since you’re neighbors, your coming and going from the victim’s home—no matter the hair or traces—would never be picked up by the cameras.”

“Ha ha ha ha…”

Xiao Yu laughed uncontrollably, nearly brought to tears.

Amid his laughter, he waved at Guo Qiang and Wang Cheng standing nearby.

“Go arrest that… female neighbor!”