Chapter 493: Shadows of Deceit

Chapter 493: Even Victims Lie (Update 1)

Hospital – a Special Ward.

A young man with his limbs encased in plaster thrashed wildly on his bed like a wild animal.

“For some people, brain dysfunction leads to various degrees of cognitive, emotional, volitional, and behavioral impairment.”

Staring at the young man pinned to the bed by two Special Forces operatives, Xiao Yu turned his head and shot a glance at a frowning Wang Dong.

“Speak plainly!” Wang Dong snapped.

“Insane!”

Pointing at the young man on the bed, Xiao Yu replied.

Wang Dong: …

Didn’t we once say that normal people don’t mess around with perverts?

Then why do some people still toy with the mentally ill?

“There are always a few oddballs,”

As if reading Wang Dong’s mind, Xiao Yu smirked, “It’s like someone who keeps a dog—not just for fun, but so it can bite others.”

“You mean…”

Wang Dong replied coolly, “So someone hires a lunatic to do their dirty work?”

“The answer is quite clear.”

Watching the young man continue to thrash and howl like a madman, Xiao Yu remarked, “I must admit, this trick works well. Even if we catch him, extracting anything useful from his mouth is nearly impossible.”

“As the old saying goes, you can run but you can’t hide from your destiny.”

Wang Dong sneered, “But that building housing the dungeon isn’t going anywhere, is it?”

“How about a wager?”

A sly smile crept over Xiao Yu’s lips, “The building’s owner probably has no clue.”

Wang Dong: …

Betting with Little Brother? Am I out of my mind?

Investigations by Team Two Special Forces and the police confirmed that there was indeed no issue with the building’s owner.

The building’s title belongs to him, yet it doesn’t entirely belong to him.

What does that mean?

It means that this property is… a foreclosure sale!

It’s a property auctioned by the court.

It’s also one that was forcibly sold by the court.

The principle of ‘an eye for an eye, a debt must be paid’ is well known.

If you can’t pay your debts, you settle up with assets.

But if the foreclosure property has a valid lease in place…

Simply put, someone leased the property—complete with a contract—before it went to auction.

No matter how you sell it, you have to wait until the lease expires to take possession.

You simply can’t kick out the tenant!

The building’s owner was unlucky; during the auction, he failed to check whether the property was leased out.

Trying to cut costs ended up backfiring spectacularly!

When it emerged that the building had a twenty-year lease, the owner nearly broke down in tears…

It had been eight years since the property was auctioned off.

The property is, by law, the owner’s asset.

Yet…

The owner doesn’t even have the right to enter the building!

“Interesting…”

Holding an investigation report and scanning through it, Xiao Yu remarked, “It’s clear that whoever auctioned off this building got duped. If you track down the original owner, the designer, the contractor, and the supervisor from back then, they’re bound to have something to say.”

The building wasn’t constructed according to the blueprints, and they even added a 3-meter-high mezzanine.

How it passed inspection is beyond belief!

But the most important point is…

The creation of the 3-meter mezzanine wasn’t a mere accident.

Otherwise, why wouldn’t they build the structure properly?

What was the point of this nonsense?

“Hmm.”

Wang Dong nodded, “We’ve already started investigating.”

“And also…”

Setting down the report with a cold chuckle, Xiao Yu added, “We need to focus on whoever leased this building. How come, so soon after the case, they’re rushing to renovate? With a murder game being held at their home, they’d surely know something.”

“They’ve already made arrests.”

With utmost confidence, Wang Dong declared, “They won’t get away!”

The building’s tenant is highly suspect and must be found.

As for whether there’s anything off, we’ll have to wait for further investigation!

“What about the thirteen skeletons?”

Xiao Yu asked gravely, “Have the identities been confirmed?”

“There wasn’t enough time.”

Wang Dong shook his head, “With no flesh left—only bones—the identification is too challenging. We can only extract DNA from the bone analysis to confirm identities!”

This method of confirmation is extremely cumbersome.

It typically involves DNA comparisons with the families of missing persons.

To tell who’s who just by looking at a skeleton? That’d be miraculous.

Yet Xiao Yu and Wang Dong have roughly deduced the identities of the thirteen skeletons.

Nine victims of the murder game.

Four out-of-town bricklayers.

After extracting skeletal DNA, matching it with families should confirm their identities.

Though it’s just conjecture for now.

Who knows what else might go wrong…

…

When they met the victim Shi Yanwan again,

Xiao Yu noticed her mental state had deteriorated.

A psychology expert, he knew that mental scars are far harder to heal than physical ones.

Every woman adores beauty.

They care deeply about their looks and bodies.

People can accept someone plain or even unattractive,

but no one can tolerate a woman as terrifying as a vengeful spirit.

Now, Shi Yanwan has become that kind of frightening figure…

Living now is nothing but relentless torment for her.

Shi Yanwan knows she has become a pariah in others’ eyes!

“That underground dungeon has been found.”

Thanks to his expertise in psychology, Xiao Yu knew just the right words to console her: “We’ve found some bones and arrested a suspect.”

Sure enough.

At those words, Shi Yanwan’s eyes lit up, shining in a way that was almost frightening.

“We haven’t caught the main culprit yet.”

Xiao Yu smiled, “But I can guarantee, no matter how far they run, we will catch them.”

With a sigh, tears streamed from Shi Yanwan’s eyes, sliding down her scarred, weathered face.

“But… wait—”

A cold, determined glint flashed in Xiao Yu’s eyes as he said, “I need you to be honest with me, not keep lying.”

Shi Yanwan’s body suddenly trembled as if struck by lightning.

“I know you’re lying, and you know I know it.”

Xiao Yu declared, “I’m a cop, and I’m also from National Security. I may sympathize with you, but that doesn’t mean I’ll turn a blind eye to your lies just because you’ve had it rough!”

Shi Yanwan trembled slightly, head bowed, refusing to speak.

“Now that the investigation has reached this stage, too many inconsistencies are coming to light. For example…”

A strange smile played on Xiao Yu’s face as he said, “You told me that it was victim Cao Fang and Li Dongguo who contacted you, luring you into this game with a million-dollar reward… But our investigation into your communications and social media tells the opposite: you reached out to them first!”

Time and space.

At that moment, everything came to a standstill!