Chapter 294 The Next Murder?

“The murderer?!” Rong Jian was shocked. “Do you mean Gong Lilan had made preparations long ago to protect herself and her daughter because she predicted that the murderer would deliberately retaliate against Zhao Yongli?!”

Mu Yu nodded. “I think the murderer has planned for a long time before committing these murders. These three victims must be connected in a way that we don’t know, and this connection is precisely why the murderer wanted to kill them. Gong Lilan divorced Zhao Yongli and quickly disappeared from public view with her daughter for fear of being retaliated against. In other words, everything will be clear once we find her.”

Rong Jian pondered for a moment and then shook his head. “I think it’s plausible that the three victims were killed because of some connection between them, but I don’t agree with what you said about Gong Lilan having predicted long ago that the murderer would deliberately take revenge. Gong Lilan and Zhao Yongli got divorced and dropped out of sight six years ago. If your inference is correct, the connection between the three victims must have been established back then. If Gong Lilan could—as one of the people involved—predict that the murderer would take revenge by killing them six years later and go into hiding, why didn’t Sun Meilan, Zhao Yongli, and Li Jianyun react?”

“How did they not react? Didn’t they all leave Huacheng one after another?” Mu Yu asked in reply. Upon realizing the flaw in her words, she quickly added, “I think Sun Meilan must have been to Huacheng six years ago.”

“We aren’t sure if Sun Meilan went to Huacheng six years ago, but she and her husband did return to An City about five years ago after spending their days wandering and making a living abroad. Meanwhile, Zhao Yongli also left Huacheng and came to An City six years ago. Li Jianyun probably came to An City three or four years ago, though. If Zhao Yongli left Huacheng because he sensed the threat posed by the murderer, Li Jianyun should have also fled Huacheng at once, shouldn’t he? Instead, he came to An City from Huacheng only three or four years ago to make a living.”

Mu Yu was tongue-tied at once. After being speechless for a moment, she responded with some difficulty, “Li Jianyun had been financially hard-pressed. Perhaps he couldn’t leave Huacheng immediately because of this? Alternatively, could he have felt secure because he didn’t realize the seriousness of the situation?”

“If that was the case, why did he leave Huacheng three or four years ago?”

“Well… Perhaps the murderer lured him here to make it convenient for him to commit serial murders in the future?”

“Do you mean the murderer had been planning these serial murders three or four years ago? Could it be that he did not commit the crimes until now because he hadn’t found the right opportunity to do so over the last three or four years?” Rong Jian asked in reply with a smile.

Mu Yu was totally stumped by Rong Jian’s question, and his laugh made her feel somewhat embarrassed.

When he realized that he could be suspected of laughing at Mu Yu, Rong Jian immediately stopped smiling and explained, “Don’t get me wrong, Yu. I didn’t mean to laugh at you. I just—”

Mu Yu completed his sentence in discouragement by saying, “You’re just laughing at the matter. I know that.”

“No, I’m not. I just think that your speculation about Gong Lilan knowing who the murderer was is quite impossible,” Rong Jian said tactfully this time for fear of discouraging Mu Yu. “If she really went into hiding to avoid the murderer’s retaliation, it would prove that she was a timid and overcautious woman. Three murders have been committed by now, and these three cases have circulated around all major websites long ago, so she must have heard of it and has been frightened into a constant state of anxiety. Under such circumstances, the wisest choice is to call the police and tell them the information about the murderer to seek the police’s protection. However, we haven’t received any phone calls to the police so far about clues regarding these three cases, nor have we received a word of information about Gong Lilan herself.”

“C-Could she have been murdered in secret long ago by the murderer?”

Rong Jian shuddered all over at once, and he was stunned for a few seconds. After that, he shook his head. “That shouldn’t be possible. The murderer killed Sun Meilan and the other two with extremely cruel methods. If Gong Lilan was also one of those he planned to take revenge on, he would’ve definitely killed her with equally cruel methods. Back when Zhao Yongli was found murdered, I used my internal means to check the aggravated homicide cases in our country over the last ten years. These cases included cases where the victims were dismembered or had parts of their body made into a specimen for collection or fed to wolfhounds and Tibetan mastiffs for fun. There were even cases where the victims had their remains and organs made into dishes to go with wine, but none of these cases were similar to the methods used in the three murders. In these three murders, all the victims had their organs removed and diced while they were still alive. Besides, you know as well that the murderer didn’t remove his victims’ organs as he pleased; he removed their organs based on the aspects in which they revealed their worst selves. For example, Sun Meilan had her tongue cut off because of her vicious remarks, whereas Zhao Yongli had his heart gouged out because he had a cruel heart. On the other hand, Li Jianyun had his hand chopped up because he was fond of women.” A look of bitter hatred flashed across Rong Jian’s eyes unconsciously as he mentioned Li Jianyun’s lust for women. If Li Jianyun were still alive, he would definitely find an opportunity to teach him a hard lesson, for Li Jianyun’s actions were simply too nasty and detestable. However, this was only a momentary impulse, for he quickly focused his thoughts back on the present discussion. “That’s why I think Gong Lilan is still alive. She’s just hiding in a corner unbeknownst to us and living with her identity concealed.”

Mu Yu was silent for a long time before she expressed her agreement to Rong Jian’s opinion. “These are just my spur-of-the-moment speculations. Indeed, they have no basis, so I don’t think they’re plausible either. However, I think we can focus our investigation on the possible connection between them in Huacheng six years ago. We should also do everything we can to find Gong Lilan and Gan Wulin. Perhaps they know something.”

Rong Jian nodded. “We’re looking into these as well.”

“Chief Rong, the organs diced in each of the previous three cases were the victims’ tongue, heart, and hands. Obviously, there was no repetition. If another murder happens—I’m just making an assumption—which organ do you think the murderer will remove from his victim?”

Rong Jian was startled for a few seconds before he responded, “That will depend on where the next victim’s bad character lies. I honestly hope there won’t be another murder.” As he finished his sentence, he gave a long sigh, for he knew such a possibility was very unlikely.

“I hope so too.” Mu Yu let out a sigh as well. “These victims were morally corrupt, but the murderer shouldn’t have violated the law by ending their lives with such chilling methods no matter what.”

“Yeah.” Rong Jian immediately changed the subject. “What kind of a person do you think the murderer is, Yu?”

“The murderer…” Mu Yu grimaced in pain. “Would you think that I’m using the wrong term if I say that he’s a person with awe-inspiring righteousness?”

Rong Jian replied with a serious expression, “I think that you’re using the right term. Is that why I have always scored badly in language tests?” As he finished his sentence, he laughed again while Mu Yu laughed along. When he finished laughing, he continued, “Of course, had he not shifted the blame onto Rubing, I would have looked through the dictionary and searched for better words to describe him with.”

“Words like he ‘enforced justice on God’s behalf’ or ‘weeded out the wicked and championed the good’?”

Qin Jinhuan happened to come in just then. When he heard this, he immediately ridiculed, “One of you is the chief of the criminal police, whereas the other is a senior forensic doctor. Is it appropriate for you two to praise a pernicious murderer here like this?”

Rong Jian responded with a laugh, “Indeed, that’s not so appropriate. No matter who the murderer killed, he committed crimes by killing people, so he should be severely punished by the law. After all, the world is under the rule of law nowadays.”

When he saw that Rong Jian didn’t forget to exhort him to be a good law-abiding citizen even at this moment, Qin Jinhuan threw him a disdainful look. “I’m not a legal illiterate, and I do things with a sense of propriety. I don’t need you to popularize the law.”

“I’m only expressing my concern for you.”

“Who would care about your concern?” Qin Jinhuan gave Rong Jian another disdainful look. “I only care about my wife’s concern.”

“Hey! We’re buddies, so isn’t it too—”

“Stop dilly-dallying here. Your sister-in-law needs to rest. If you’re overflowing with compassion, you should go to Feng Rubing to get that off your chest.”

“Jeez! Why do I have an unscrupulous buddy like you?” Rong Jian laughed angrily as he turned around, preparing to leave.

“Chief Rong!” Mu Yu stopped him. “Don’t you think the murderer has helped you a lot by shifting the blame onto Madam Feng?”

Rong Jian was startled for a moment, whereas Qin Jinhuan, who had realized what Mu Yu meant, joked immediately, “Indeed, he’s helped you a lot. If he hadn’t shifted the blame onto Feng Rubing, you would never have learned of her past and helped her get over it, nor would she ever have reciprocated your feelings. Looking at things, this murderer is your invisible matchmaker.”

Mu Yu chimed in, “I even suspect that the murderer has long been aware of the history between Li Jianyun and Madam Feng, so that’s why he deliberately got her involved while killing Li Jianyun. His purpose was for you to truly understand Madam Feng and realize why she always rejected you.”

“What if I chose to give up after learning about the reason?”

“That would prove that you don’t really love Madam Feng. However, your love for Madam Feng is sincere, and she has been deeply in love with you in reality; she simply had been unable to overcome this hurdle in her relationship because of Qiqi and the past plaguing her. The murderer must have seen through all of this long ago, which was why he helped bring you two together while he was at it.”

Meanwhile, Qin Jinhuan couldn’t help but feel amused. “Aren’t you thinking too well of the murderer, darling? He’s a murderer! It’s likely that he killed these people out of personal grudge. Don’t forget that Feng Rubing was nearly sent to jail because he framed her for the murders. Had she not happened to visit Old Madam Xiao that night, she would have been unable to clear her name.”

Qin Jinhuan’s teasing remark made Mu Yu a little unhappy, and she stuck to her views as if to spite him. “The murderer must have secretly observed Li Jianyun for a long time before committing the crime. After discovering that Li Jianyun often stalked and harassed Madam Feng, he must have learned everything about her in secret. He must be aware that Madam Feng visits Grandma Xiao every Saturday. In other words, even though he framed Feng Rubing for the murders, he left leeway for her to clear herself of suspicion. His only purpose was to reveal the relationship between Madam Feng and Li Jianyun to Chief Rong so that Chief Rong could look deeply into and understand it. Eventually, he would be able to resolve the problems in their relationship.”

Upon noticing Mu Yu’s displeasure, Qin Jinhuan immediately yielded to her; he laughed and gave a thumbs-up with an ingratiating expression. “What a careful way of thinking you have, darling! Your reasoning is simply so perfect that you can totally be a mystery writer. That’s right, isn’t there a great writer-cum-forensic doctor called Dr. Qin Ming? You can call yourself Dr. Mu Yu in the future, darling—the novels you write will definitely be a phenomenon!”

Rong Jian commented, “What a bootlicker you are.”

“That’s none of your f*cking business!” Qin Jinhuan glared at Rong Jian, who had ridiculed him, in great displeasure. “How could you have the cheek to stay here when my wife and I are exchanging sweet nothings right now? Shouldn’t you hurry up and act appropriately by getting out of here?”

“Huan—”

“All right, you have to rest.” Qin Jinhuan came up and helped her lie down. Then, he said with a note of finality, “You look very awful right now, so you must take a rest!”

Rong Jian also noticed that Mu Yu looked much paler than before, so he didn’t dare to say anything else. Hence, he waved to the woman. “I’ll visit you again another day,” he said before leaving the ward hurriedly.

“Huan—”

“Just stop talking and get some rest. I won’t let you meet Rong Jian anymore if you still don’t relax.” Qin Jinhuan sounded fierce, but his movements were gentle as he tucked Mu Yu in.

In reality, Mu Yu had been forcing herself to let Rong Jian record her testimony in the first place. It was just that she got so excited while talking about the case afterward that she forgot about her bodily pain. When Qin Jinhuan reminded her, she instantly felt pain all over her body. For a moment, she grimaced and gasped with pain, and her body went limp as she no longer had the strength to argue with the man.

Qin Jinhuan’s heart ached when he saw how much pain Mu Yu was in. He held her hand with a hint of reproach in his eyes, which was overtaken by a look of tender affection.

Shortly after Mu Yu fell asleep, Bian Zijun came in and shot Qin Jinhuan a meaningful glance with a nervous expression, motioning him to come outside for a talk.