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The Final Judge
墨書 Inktalez
My name is Zhang Yaqin, and I am a retired judge. On a rainy summer night, I walked into the city police station and calmly said, "I am here to confess. I kidnapped the principal of Gangcheng University Affiliated High School, Chen Guoping." The officers thought I was insane. But the truth is far crazier than they could imagine.
The oppressive air before the storm enveloped Port City, with the night as dark as ink. Streetlights cast blurred patches of light on the wet asphalt. I stood at the entrance of the police station, took a deep breath, and pushed open the heavy glass door.
Inside, the Criminal Investigation Team's office was brightly lit, with phones ringing incessantly and the air thick with the scent of coffee and anxiety. The man in the photograph on the computer screen was Chen Guoping, the 50-year-old principal of Gangcheng University Affiliated High School, who had been missing for a week.
"I am Zhang Yaqin, and I am here to confess," I said calmly to the young officer at the reception desk.
After hearing my confession, he visibly froze for a moment before dialing a number. Before long, Li Mingcheng, the deputy captain of the Criminal Investigation Team, rushed in. He appeared to be in his forties, with sharp eyes that now held an expression of disbelief as he scrutinized me.
"Teacher Zhang, what is going on?"
I met his gaze steadily and slowly spoke, "Mingcheng, I want to confess; I kidnapped Chen Guoping."
The reception area fell silent instantly, all eyes fixed on me. I could understand their confusion and skepticism: to them, I was a retired judge who had been one of Port City's finest for twenty years—a model within the judicial system. Why would a 65-year-old retired judge kidnap a 50-year-old middle school principal?
Li Mingcheng furrowed his brow. "Teacher Zhang, this isn't something to joke about. Do you have any demands...?"
I pulled several photographs from my bag and placed them on the table in front of him. In the pictures, Chen Guoping's eyes were tightly shut as he was bound to a metal chair in a dimly lit room.
Li Mingcheng's expression changed dramatically; other officers gasped in shock. I surveyed their astonished faces.
"Now do you believe me?"
Outside, a flash of lightning split the night sky, followed by thunder that seemed to echo my words. The downpour finally came crashing down against the windows as if trying to wash away all secrets of this night.
Li Mingcheng did not take me to an interrogation room but led me into a conversation room instead. He gestured for me to sit down and instructed a junior officer to get me some water. He turned on the recording device and said, "Teacher Zhang, what exactly happened? Please take your time."
I took a deep breath and began to recount my criminal process.
"This was not a spur-of-the-moment decision," I said, my gaze drifting through the glass of the interrogation room, looking out at the blurred streets shrouded in rain. "I spent a month planning this."
"I first rented a place under a false identity to control Chen Guoping. I also used this false identity to buy a second-hand car."
"You might wonder how a frail 65-year-old woman could overpower a strong man," I chuckled lightly, pulling a small bottle from my bag. "Midazolam. It's a sedative. And this." I placed an electric stun gun on the table, the metal glinting coldly under the light.
Li Mingcheng exchanged surprised glances with the other officers. I continued, "On July 2nd, I arranged to meet Chen Guoping. The reason was that I intended to write a memoir and wanted his help with material and publishing advice; he had some connections in that area. His father, Chen Chunlin, was once a high-ranking leader in the Politics and Law system, and I had known him for quite some time. So Chen Guoping had no suspicions and gladly accepted the meeting. I slipped a bit of Midazolam into his tea, and before long, he felt dizzy and drowsy. I suggested that since he seemed unwell, he shouldn't drive and that I could take him home."
I paused to catch my breath, taking a sip of water that Li Mingcheng handed me before continuing.
"He was completely unsuspecting; once in the car, he quickly fell asleep. Still not feeling secure, I used the stun gun again to ensure he wouldn’t wake up anytime soon."
The atmosphere in the interrogation room grew tense as I noticed Li Mingcheng's hand tightening on his notebook, his knuckles turning white.
"In the end, I brought him to a prearranged location and tied him securely to a chair with ropes. This process took quite some time; I was always afraid that I hadn't tied him tightly enough, so I used more rope and wrapped it several times." I paused again. "Just like you saw in the photographs."
After saying this, I leaned back in my chair, feeling extremely fatigued as the sound of rain outside seemed to grow louder.
Li Mingcheng remained silent for a moment, his eyes fixed on me as he asked, "Teacher Zhang, you’ve explained the kidnapping process very clearly. But why? Why did you do this?"
"Twenty years ago, the Lin Xiaoyu case," I replied softly. "Do you remember it?"
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