Ji Xun clicked on the video and, without skipping a single frame, watched the entire 20-minute video from beginning to end.
The video from “Half a Cabbage” was packed with solid information. The details were similar to what Ji Xun had previously seen in the files, and some were even more comprehensive. If he were not holding his phone and staring at the screen, Ji Xun would have thought he was in an internal police briefing.
“This bungalow behind the large reed cluster is the primary crime scene. We can’t go inside, so we’ll film from the window. Accountant Tang died at the spot marked by the white line, about six meters from the main door. There’s a window to the right, and it was open.
Although it’s possible an outsider climbed through the window to commit the crime, you can all see that the door lock and window are intact, with no signs of forced entry. How could a meticulous person like Accountant Tang not lock his doors and windows when he had a huge amount of cash from wages at home?
And if, as Liang Shan stated, Wu Liang and his accomplice both knew the victim, and after the victim opened the door to let them in, they attacked him when he was unprepared, it would perfectly match the situation at the scene.
With today’s advanced criminal investigation technology, a renewed, thorough search of this well-preserved crime scene might uncover new physical evidence.
…
Okay, we’ve arrived at the second crime scene. Look at my timer: 15 minutes.
There were two victims that year. The second victim didn’t die; he luckily escaped by playing dead. According to his testimony, the killer arrived at his home at 9:30 PM.
The first victim’s time of death was 9:00 PM.
This means the two killers needed to get from the first victim’s place to the second victim’s place within half an hour.
I just rode a bicycle along this route myself, and the navigation also shows the distance.
In the last 22 years, the local municipality has been replanned and is now more convenient than before. Considering the old layout, the time required would have been somewhat longer. From this, we can conclude:
The killer absolutely could not have traveled on foot. He must have had a mode of transportation!
Considering the economic situation back then, both cars and motorcycles were conspicuous and rare. Therefore, it’s most likely the killers rode bicycles.
Two killers on two bicycles, with several bags of money on them, riding all the way here. I think that would have been a very noticeable feature, but unfortunately, there were no witnesses.
…
Finally, regarding Wu Liang, the suspected accomplice who got away and died many years later, the police did question him back then. Wu Liang did own a bicycle, but on that night, he had an alibi from a coworker, Coworker A, who claimed he was at the construction site around 9:30 PM.
The construction site is very far from the second victim’s home.
Now, Wu Liang is dead. He is the killer identified by Liang Shan after his 22-year pursuit.
In my humble opinion, as a construction worker, Wu Liang had the means to know in advance that Accountant Tang had a large amount of cash at home. His accomplice was very likely another construction worker. If they knocked on Accountant Tang’s door, using an excuse like wanting to get their wages early for the Mid-Autumn Festival or just paying a holiday visit, Accountant Tang would have opened the door without suspicion and warmly welcomed them.
The medical examiner’s autopsy report also stated that the murder weapon was similar to a sledgehammer. Such tools are extremely common on a construction site, and no one would notice if one went missing.
A construction site is so large, and the chaotically piled building materials and rooms would be a good place for them to hide the weapon and money. To be more extreme, they could have thrown the weapon into wet cement and made it part of a concrete pillar; not even a god could find it then.
Of course, the above is all my speculation. If this speculation is true, could Coworker A, who provided the false testimony, become the breakthrough in this case? Let’s wait and see.”
When “Half a Cabbage” mentioned the “concrete pillar,” the live comments flooded the screen with “Awesome!” and “The creator is a genius.”
The top comment in the section below was a heated discussion among netizens about the cement method. Many cited other cases of bodies hidden in cement, and some even tagged the Yi’an County police, suggesting they bring detectors to check if it was true.
The creator’s final deduction engaged the netizens, who reveled in the fun of playing detective.
The netizens, having read countless detective novels, came up with all sorts of bizarre theories. Some thought it was impossible for Zhao Yuanliang to have hidden this from his wife and children for 22 years, so there must be clues there. Some thought Sun Fujing’s character could easily be a “wolf,” misleading the police under duress. Some believed Zhao Yuanliang was not the killer at all, but a scapegoat pushed forward by the real mastermind. Some even thought the detective in charge of the case was the real killer.
There were all kinds of theories. Anyone who appeared in the story was a potential suspect; after all, it was just suspicion, and it cost them nothing.
Ji Xun watched everything, including the live comments. He read a comment saying, “Police uncles, hurry up and watch this video to learn how to solve a case,” and gave his fair assessment:
“This creator’s analysis is quite good. I’ve also read the original files for the Tang Zhixue case. The video doesn’t just rehash police data; it has its own substance. Especially the final analysis and speculation—the thinking is clear, the logic is sound. It’s commendable. The netizens… well, they are kind-hearted and enthusiastic. When I used to get writer’s block, I’d look at my passionate readers’ comments, and the rush of emotion would always spark new ideas.”
Huo Ranyin did not comment on the netizens’ actions, only targeting “Half a Cabbage” coldly: “But he leaked all the intelligence. This video has such a high view count; the killer from 22 years ago will surely see it. It’s spooked the snake in the grass. And we can’t predict which sentence in the video will startle the snake, or what it will do after being startled.”
A snake might flee, but it is more likely to bite.
“It’s already happened. We can only pray that Yuan Yue makes as many correct responses as possible and finds clues to crack the case quickly.”
“God can’t protect us. Only we can.”
“I’m afraid even we can’t,” Ji Xun sneered. “Let’s hurry back to Ning City. Every minute and second we have is also a minute and second for the suspect.”
Outside the reed bed, there were dense crowds of vehicles and people. This place, desolate for 22 years, had suddenly returned to the world, to the public eye, and instantly became a tourist attraction. Police came, reporters came, residents from the county town came, surrounding it in layers.
The county police put up a cordon and left officers behind it to prevent anyone too bold from sneaking past to take photos of the scene.
As for the most crucial crime scene, there were actually fewer people inside, only two: Yuan Yue and the new female forensic examiner from the Ning City detachment, named Hu Yuan.
A musty smell floated in the air. The dust on the floor was so thick that shoes left clear prints. Other than that, however, everything was well-preserved, enough for another analysis.
Yuan Yue crouched before the evidence marker line. This was the position Tang Zhixue was in when he fell: head up, face down, one hand raised by his face, the other dropped by his waist.
“According to the re-examination of the victim’s skeletonized remains, the fatal wound is on the back of the head. There is a depressed, comminuted fracture on the posterior side of the parietal bone, with the dura mater exposed, caused by the killer repeatedly striking with a sharp object. Besides this, slight pressure marks were found on the victim’s back. The killer was pressing down on the victim’s back during the attack.”
Hu Yuan combined the old autopsy report with her own examination and the scene’s conditions, explaining smoothly, “There are no signs of a struggle at the scene. It can be judged that the victim lost the ability to resist after the first blow, yet the killer still viciously pressed down on the victim’s back and delivered continuous, repeated strikes. Regarding this scene, Team Leader Yuan, do you have any thoughts?”
“…This doesn’t seem much like a robbery-murder,” Yuan Yue said thoughtfully. “It’s more like a murder-robbery.”
Robbery-murder: robbery comes first.
Murder-robbery: murder comes first.
From the scene, the killer’s actions were too decisive, too ruthless. It was worth pondering.
He continued to observe and suddenly saw a round spatter of blood residue near a table leg, next to the marker line. It was mixed in with some nearby cast-off bloodstains and was hard to spot without careful inspection.
He called Hu Yuan over. “Come take a look. Does this look like a mark left by blood dripping from the weapon onto the floor?”
Hu Yuan took one look and confirmed, “Yes. The blood dripped from a height of about one meter, consistent with the killer’s standing height. He should have been standing by the table at the time. There’s also a transfer stain that looks like a scrape mark next to this drop. The weapon likely slipped here and fell under the table.”
Yuan Yue walked to the spot Hu Yuan pointed to, slowly crouched down, and mimed the action of reaching for a hammer.
He raised his head slightly and paused just before touching the corner of the table, which had not been moved in 22 years. He issued a short, forceful command: “Examine this table corner. See if there’s any biological evidence left.”
By the time Ji Xun and Huo Ranyin drove back to Ning City, the sky was beginning to dim. The sun was setting, the moon was just rising, and the sky was a dusky gray, but lights were turning on one by one. Before it was completely dark, the city was already brightly lit.
They were caught in the evening rush hour traffic on their way back to the station.
Just as they entered the police station, they heard a shrill female voice echoing down the corridor:
“Are you kidding me? My husband, Zhao Yuanliang, was killed in our home by a psychopath! He just died and left us, a widow and an orphan! We are clearly the victims, you know? It’s bad enough no one is comforting us, but why is everyone online cursing my family now?”
“There’s a pile of garbage at our door, my kid gets pointed at at school, and you don’t do anything, fine. But the media is making insinuations, and the independent media is naming names directly. This is definitely slander, right? Hurry up and arrest them, do you hear me? Never mind that my husband wasn’t a murderer. Taking a million steps back, even if my husband was a murderer and someone else killed him, why are we the ones getting cursed at while that Liang Shan gets everyone’s sympathy? Has everyone gone crazy!”
The two walked in and saw a crowd of people crammed into the office. The woman at the front was Zhao Yuanliang’s wife, in her forties. She had permed hair, wore fashionable clothes, and stood on sharp high heels. Her words were as sharp as her heels, and the police officers present were struggling to handle her.
The police officers remained silent, so her voice grew louder. Like a victor, she raised her chin, scanned her surroundings, and then slapped her child’s shoulder hard, making the daughter, who had been standing obediently beside her, stumble. “You damn kid, cry! Are you stupid? If you don’t cry, how will anyone know how wronged you are?”
Huo Ranyin’s gaze lingered on the woman’s hand that had hit the child for a long time before he spoke.
“The police act according to the law. We will communicate with you about your husband’s death and the progress of the case. If there is personal harassment, the police will be dispatched. It’s not a case of us not managing it. We understand your grief over losing a loved one.”
He said, “But don’t use your child as a punching bag on one hand, and as a weapon to gain sympathy on the other.”
A brief silence fell over the office.
Zhao Yuanliang’s wife turned to look at Huo Ranyin for a long while, then let out a cold laugh. “Heh, you think I’m a psychopath too, don’t you? You police are just watching my madness like a show, right? Oh, you’re probably secretly sympathizing with Liang Shan and looking down on my husband, aren’t you? You’re the guardians of justice, after all…”
As she spoke, she could not hold back her emotions. Her proud expression remained, but her eyes welled up with tears. Her voice rose higher, to a shriek, so shrill it seemed she was trying to scream out everything in her chest.
All her emotions, all her blood, all her organs.
“He’s dead! He’s dead!! Zhao Yuanliang is dead!”
“If you bastards had arrested him back then, sentenced him to death, I could have at least seen him one last time before he died. Oh, but what is this now? Huh? What is this! We’re not supposed to make a fuss, and we’re supposed to accept all this abuse from others by default? Because he was guilty, so when he died, the whole world forbids us from crying or being sad, is that it! It’s my damn fault that my husband died!”
Zhao Yuanliang’s wife used every ounce of strength in her chest to shout these words and quickly deflated.
She stood there, looking around somewhat blankly. She did not seem to know what to do next, or perhaps it was precisely because she knew there was nothing she could do that she was so lost.
All the police officers present felt a sense of pity.
The murderer had paid the price, but as long as his relatives were unaware, they were innocent. The innocence beside the guilt is sometimes even sadder.
The surrounding relatives and friends were already trying to calm Zhao Yuanliang’s wife. These words of comfort were like a gust of wind, fanning the embers in the ashes. The woman saw an ink bottle on the desk and stared at it intently.
Huo Ranyin’s brow furrowed slightly. He guessed what Zhao Yuanliang’s wife wanted to do and stepped forward to stop her.
But Ji Xun held Huo Ranyin back.
Ji Xun sighed and began to take off his jacket.
In that split second, the wife snatched the ink bottle from the desk and threw the ink inside at Huo Ranyin.
“It’s all your fault! You police are the culprits behind everything that’s happening now—!”
As the event unfolded in a flash, everyone else in the office seemed to be on pause, frozen like clay statues.
Only the droplets of ink were still moving at high speed.
Only Ji Xun, who had already anticipated it, calmly shook out his jacket, timely holding it up in front of Huo Ranyin and blocking most of the incoming ink.
The splashing sound was like a signal unfreezing time.
The office erupted in commotion. The relatives and friends were terrified, scrambling to pull Zhao Yuanliang’s wife back, repeatedly trying to soothe and stop her. In reality, it was not really necessary. The act of brandishing the ink bottle had exhausted the last of her impulse. She squatted on the ground, hugging her daughter and sobbing uncontrollably.
The girl awkwardly hugged her mother. “Mom, don’t cry. Now that Dad’s gone, I’ll protect you…”
Soon, the emotionally distraught wife and child were taken away by the relatives and friends who had accompanied them. Everything calmed down again, leaving behind only the ink on the clothes and the faint echo of the shrill cries.
Ji Xun sat in the chair in Huo Ranyin’s office. His jacket was tossed in the sink, soaking in water, while Huo Ranyin, holding a wet wipe he had found somewhere, wiped the few drops of ink that had splashed onto Ji Xun’s face. “Why didn’t you let me stop her?”
Ji Xun said lightly, “She was emotional and wanted to vent. It was just a bit of ink, so let her throw it. It’s just a matter of washing a jacket, not like she was throwing sulfuric acid. But if you ever run into someone trying to throw acid, Officer, you better run as far as you can. I’ve put up with a lot as your partner, but getting to look at your handsome face is one of the few pleasures. You can’t deprive me of my enjoyment.”
“…What have you put up with?” Huo Ranyin looked at Ji Xun’s clothes and hands. “My place is nearby. Want to go over to take a shower and change?”
“It’s no problem for me to go take a shower. What about you?”
“There’s still work at the station, I probably can’t leave now,” Huo Ranyin answered honestly. “I’ll give you my keys. Make yourself at home, use whatever you want.”
“What’s the point of me being there alone without you,” Ji Xun scoffed. “To entertain myself?”
“…” Huo Ranyin was caught off guard by the innuendo. “On purpose?”
“You guess?”
The wet wipe could not remove the stains on his hand. Ji Xun stood up, preparing to go to the faucet to wash his hands.
But his hand was grabbed by Huo Ranyin. “You’re not afraid I’ll retaliate?”
Ji Xun did not look back, teasing, “Captain Huo, your office has a security camera. With you being so proper, what do I have to be afraid of?”
Then he was pulled to the floor, pressed against the base of the desk.
Ji Xun looked at Huo Ranyin for a moment and smiled. “Oh—this spot can indeed avoid the camera. We can do a little something here.”
Huo Ranyin leaned down and sat.
“Ji Xun, how many people in the bar want to sleep with you?”
“That question…”
Huo Ranyin suddenly smiled. He tilted his head, moving closer to Ji Xun.
Their gazes met. Ji Xun was languid, unmoving, even giving Huo Ranyin a provocative look.
He knew Huo Ranyin wanted to kiss him.
But he also knew this kiss would not happen.
They stared at each other, getting closer and closer, until their breaths mingled.
Then Huo Ranyin stopped. No one moved any closer. Only sparks of fire shone in their shared breath.
Suddenly, Huo Ranyin turned his head and bit Ji Xun’s earlobe.
He spoke, the tone of his voice changed, losing its work-time coldness and becoming whimsical and casual, as if sharing a joke between lovers. “You knew I was upset seeing that child get hit, so you were indirectly letting me vent and relax?”
“Yes,” Ji Xun admitted readily. A good deed should not go unnoticed.
He ran his hand through Huo Ranyin’s hair, ruffling it casually, as if collecting interest for the bite on his earlobe. “It’s late. Don’t be so uptight, it’s tiring. Isn’t it better to be a master of stealing intimate moments like now?”
They sat together behind the large office desk, hiding from the surveillance camera, hiding from the people outside the room.
This was a small, isolated island. Their island.
“Thanks.” After a while, Huo Ranyin relaxed his shoulders, leaning against the desk and also against Ji Xun’s shoulder, the corners of his eyes lifting slightly. “You are quite a flirt right now.”
They sat there, resting for a while longer. The flickering sparks disappeared, like stars closing their eyes to nap in the night sky.
When Huo Ranyin stood up again, ready to go out, there was a knock on the door. Through the glass window, they could see Tan Mingjiu’s tense face.
“Captain Huo, something’s happened. A second silver nitrate poisoning case has appeared, but it’s not in Ning City, and it’s not from ‘Little Rabbit Candy’. The possibility of the killer jumping from Ning City to poison people in other parts of the country is low. The preliminary judgment is that this is a copycat crime, triggered by the sensational media hype!”
