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墨書 Inktalez
Although the others were uncertain whether Zhang Zijun was the murderer, in my heart, I was convinced that he was indeed the one. There were not many people in this town who fit my criminal profiling, but Zhang Zijun perfectly matched the description of the murderer I had in mind.
First, Zhang Zijun was a thirty-year-old man with children, which was a fundamental premise that allowed the murderer to manage two kids simultaneously. Secondly, the murderer lived alone and resided near a highway, where external noise was significant, and there were not many houses nearby, providing excellent cover for his actions.
Furthermore, Zhang Zijun had divorced his wife, and their child, Zhang Zuocheng, had previously attended Taishan Academy. From the information revealed by Zhang Zijun and us, it seemed that his child's transfer was due to the couple's relationship issues affecting their child. However, after leaving Taishan Academy, Zhang Zuocheng did not enroll in any other school.
Interestingly, Zhang Zuocheng's homeroom teacher was Sun Qingqing, and he was in the same class as Hu Ningning.
Considering these aspects, there were too many coincidences. The current question was whether Zhang Zijun owned any other properties and where he had been abusing those children. Where was his car parked now? When we questioned Zhang Zijun, he dismissed us with claims that it was a private matter.
A person with so many suspicious points and who closely resembled my description had a high likelihood of being the murderer.
Now we needed to focus on several tasks. First, we would monitor Zhang Zijun. If he was indeed the murderer, he would likely call us for answers. This time felt different from the previous two instances; in those cases, the murderer would always remind us of the next clue after calling us, and when we arrived, there would be a body waiting for us.
However, this time was different. We had not found a body yet. Why would the murderer call us before committing another murder? Based on past experiences, the murderer could have easily called us after disposing of the body. If I were the murderer, I wouldn't create so much trouble for myself.
What factors were influencing the murderer's actions?
I spoke up: "Let's eat first. Afterward, we'll investigate Zhang Zuocheng and then monitor Zhang Zijun tonight. Mary, can you track Zhang Zijun's phone?"
Mary nodded and replied, "That's certainly possible; as long as I have his phone number, I can do it. However, the murderer will likely not use his own registered number. Even if he uses his own phone number, he wouldn't use it during any criminal activity. If we want to monitor his calls, we would need professional equipment to capture that data. With our current capabilities, we can't obtain such equipment."
Mary explained the operational difficulties from a professional perspective. Given our current identities, it was clear we couldn't access those specialized tools quickly. If we were to request them through Chen Bo, it would take some time. Considering Zhang Zijun's capabilities, he would likely already be aware that we suspected him.
If Zhang Zijun truly was the murderer, tonight would be crucial. We knew that the murderer had multiple SIM cards; each card would only make one call. We had no idea who he would call or what he might say during those calls—he could even be calling us from inside his house without our knowledge.
I nodded and said, "Alright, let's investigate Zhang Zuocheng now. Chen Bo, you organize your team accordingly. Based on the murderer's pace, we should find this body soon enough. Of course, if we can gather clues before the murderer kills Guo Li again tonight, we might save a life."
Gu Chen shook his head and said, "It might not be an innocent life."
I patted Gu Chen on the shoulder and replied, "When Guo Li did those things, we didn't know her mindset—whether she wanted to kill or not. But now what the murderer intends to do is deliberate murder. From this perspective alone, we must catch him without getting entangled in these matters anymore. Let's go."
Along the way, Gu Chen wore a gloomy expression. From his demeanor, it seemed he was somewhat unhappy. Gu Chen appeared to have his own obsessions regarding this matter, and I had no idea what was troubling him. However, I had previously learned that the comforting words he had offered me were entirely fabricated.
Now, I found myself struggling to understand his thought process.
Zhang Zuocheng, a student who had attended Taishan Academy for a year, was also a member of Sun Qingqing's class. When we found Sun Qingqing, she seemed somewhat downcast. Li Jun had been brutally murdered, and as his homeroom teacher, Sun Qingqing naturally felt responsible. Meanwhile, Hu Ningning was still missing.
Sun Qingqing had temporarily ceased her work; when we located her, she was resting at home. Zhang Zuocheng had only transferred recently—roughly six months ago—so it was unlikely that Sun Qingqing could have forgotten about him in such a short time.
Through Sun Qingqing's descriptions, we learned what kind of child Zhang Zuocheng was in her eyes. She had met both of Zhang Zuocheng's parents, who were well-educated individuals with decent jobs in the town.
Given this family background, Zhang Zuocheng could have attended a better school. His mother, Ha Li Min, believed this as well; however, Zhang Zijun had refused at that time. Sun Qingqing still remembered how Zhang Zijun had been—he believed that if someone was talented, they would shine regardless of their environment. He had excelled even in a poor learning atmosphere.
But after a year, Zhang Zuocheng was quickly transferred again.
Sun Qingqing's impression of Zhang Zuocheng was that he was polite and came from a good family. He often brought toys, comic books, and snacks to school. However, his personality was somewhat introverted; he wouldn't speak unless someone engaged him first.
I asked, "Teacher Sun Qingqing, did Zhang Zuocheng ever face bullying in class?"
Sun Qingqing frowned and leaned back against the bed, speaking weakly. "There were some mischievous students in the class. I mentioned this before—like Li Jun. When he first started school, he was quite difficult to manage. Zhang Zuocheng had many snacks and toys, so many friends wanted to be close to him for those reasons. He never refused their requests."
"So, Zhang Zuocheng got along well with others?" I inquired.
Sun Qingqing nodded but then shook her head after a moment. "Zhang Zuocheng is quite introverted; he doesn't have much that attracts people to him. The reason he has so many friends is mainly because of his toys and snacks. But Li Jun just dislikes everyone and bullies others."
"Like what?" I asked.
Sun Qingqing sighed. "For example, Li Jun would spit in his snacks or deliberately break his toys."
I nodded; however, these actions seemed rather mild compared to outright abuse.
Sun Qingqing continued, "But he never told me or his parents about it. I only found out because another child in the class informed me."
"Who?" I asked.
"There's a girl named Li Feiyan. She's quite smart and very helpful in class. If there's any issue, she will come to talk to the teachers," Sun Qingqing replied.
Hearing Sun Qingqing's words, a memory of a girl who had tugged at my arm and spoken in a loud voice suddenly came to mind. It was this girl who had told me some things about Hu Ningning. At that time, when Hu Ningning was cleaning, she accidentally broke a glass in the classroom, but it was actually Li Jun who did it.
"Has she ever mentioned that Li Jun had mistreated Zhang Zuocheng?" I asked.
Sun Qingqing looked at me and shook her head. "I really don't know. If I had known, things wouldn't have turned out the way they did later. However, if Li Jun could do something as terrible as kicking a pregnant woman, then I wouldn't be surprised if she did anything else."
After a pause, Sun Qingqing continued, "So maybe? Do you have any news about Hu Ningning now?"
I reassured her, "Although we haven't found Hu Ningning yet, she is safe now."
Sun Qingqing sighed. "That's good to hear. Now that Li Jun is dead, no matter what she did, death is the most significant thing. I don't want to dwell on it anymore, but Hu Ningning must be okay. She's a great student—helpful and doing well academically. A girl like her has a bright future ahead, and it would be such a shame if she were to die young."
Looking at Sun Qingqing, I could see that in her eyes, Hu Ningning was still a good person. But everyone has their own perspective; from what we heard from others, Hu Ningning appeared differently. What was the true nature of Hu Ningning? And what kind of person was Zhang Zuocheng?
I realized that the information I could gather from Sun Qingqing alone was limited; I needed to find someone else to learn more.
Sometimes, children might understand each other better than adults do.
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