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"The last person is Liang Mei, and the Murderer never expected that the old phone she received was actually the one Liang Mei had discarded." I continued, "What the Murderer doesn't realize is that after the party, upon learning of Hu Pei's death, Liang Mei had already become alert. Perhaps she was the first to realize that this situation was not just an exaggeration."
The story was nearing its end, yet Jiang Xiaochun still ignored us. She continued to hug herself, wrapping the blanket tighter around her.
I chose to disregard Jiang Xiaochun's indifference and went on, "The reason Liang Mei was so cautious is that seven years ago, she did something she regretted every time she thought about it. It was her actions back then that made that case even more perplexing."
I fixed my gaze on Jiang Xiaochun and spoke slowly, "Because it was Liang Mei who dismembered the body."
After I said this, Jiang Xiaochun finally lifted her head.
I saw her expression; her eyes were red, filled with anger and sorrow. It was clear that Jiang Xiaochun had been holding onto her quest for revenge for Lu Zhiqiu for seven years. If that wasn't love, then I didn't know what was.
Jiang Xiaochun must not have discovered that Liang Mei was the dismemberer from back then; otherwise, Liang Mei would have been the first to die. At this moment, Jiang Xiaochun looked at me as if waiting for my next words. I understood that when it came to matters concerning Lu Zhiqiu, this was both her weakness and her armor.
For Lu Zhiqiu, Jiang Xiaochun would do anything, but when it came to anything related to him, I believed she wouldn't miss a single detail.
I continued speaking to Jiang Xiaochun, "The reason the Murderer ultimately killed Liang Mei last was not a conscious choice on the Murderer's part. During this process, someone slipped out of the Murderer's sight. That person was Liang Mei; she was the first to sense danger and left without any preparation. However, at that moment, the Murderer had no choice but to continue; once she started, she couldn't stop or everything would fall apart."
Jiang Xiaochun showed no reaction to my words, but at least it made it clear that she wasn't insane.
I pressed on, "Thus, the Murderer could only kill everyone else before searching for Liang Mei. But while the Murderer was looking for Liang Mei, Liang Mei was also searching for the Murderer. Burdened by guilt over the dismemberment from seven years ago and hearing that Hu Xiaoxue had also been killed, she feared for her son's safety and needed to uncover who the Murderer was."
I shook my head helplessly. "The phone that the Murderer obtained originally belonged to Liang Mei; that photo was taken by her as well. Liang Mei discovered that the Murderer was using photos she had taken to impersonate a ghost and commit murder. So she followed this lead from her phone to investigate. While the Murderer searched for Liang Mei's whereabouts, Liang Mei was also investigating the Murderer's location."
"Murderer finally met Liang Mei."
I had a bold guess and continued, "Murderer was troubled about where to find Liang Mei, but at that moment, Liang Mei came looking for him. It was truly a twist of fate; Murderer got what he wanted without any effort. He could never have imagined that Liang Mei would seek him out on her own."
I glanced at Zhao Mingkun and said, "I remember when Zhao Mingkun and I found Liang Mei's office computer, the photo on her computer was in high definition. In that photo, Liang Mei saw the shadow of a person. After analyzing it with professional drawing software, she confirmed that she saw Hu Pei's pants. She understood that when Lu Zhiqiu died, Hu Pei was hiding behind a pillar."
"To investigate this matter, Liang Mei specifically sought out Murderer. She knew that almost everyone else was dead, but Murderer was still alive—he was the only one who had gone mad. Liang Mei could only find him; there was no one else left. This was exactly what Murderer wanted."
I looked at Jiang Xiaochun and said calmly, "So Murderer pretended to be clueless and went out with Liang Mei. She wanted to ask him about Hu Pei, and at that moment, Murderer was overjoyed. This way, he could take Liang Mei to Hu Pei's new home. At that time, Liang Mei thought she had found the murderer from seven years ago; she believed Hu Pei was the murderer and wanted to call us to inform us of this."
"Thus, Liang Mei called us and claimed she had found the real murderer." I spoke up, "However, that murderer was standing right next to her. Murderer didn't understand whether Liang Mei was referring to him now or the murderer from seven years ago. But it didn't matter; the trap had already been set. So Murderer didn't give Liang Mei a chance to continue speaking and almost instantly killed her."
"Liang Mei only managed to utter one word." I said softly, "It was 'you.' Although it was just one word, it contained so much meaning. Analyzing it from one perspective, we can see the confusion contained in that word. It clearly showed that Liang Mei couldn't believe the murderer returning for revenge was someone she never expected, rather than the person she had imagined."
"On another level, this word also indicated that Liang Mei must have known Murderer. At that moment, I began to suspect that Deng Xuemei wasn't the real murderer after all, but I still lacked substantial evidence because when all suspicion pointed towards Deng Xuemei—the elusive woman—it became difficult to explain everything."
At this moment, all the clues had formed a line leading me forward. I spoke again: "Liang Mei's death marked the end for all those interns from back then. Of course, at that time, Zhang Xue, Zhao Pingjuan, and Zhou Moli were still alive; however, in Murderer's eyes, they were already dead."
"Then a question arose." I raised a finger and said: "There is a technique when operating a computer: if you want to completely delete some files, the best method isn't direct deletion but replacement. This way, the original files become irretrievable—even the most skilled hackers would need considerable effort to recover them. The same principle applies to people."
I looked at Jiang Xiaochun and said: "Murderer understood this point. If a criminal wants to escape once and for all, the best method isn't hiding but finding a scapegoat to fill in the gap. This way, everything would be calm again. Rather than creating an unsolved case, it would be better to deliver a murderer directly to the police."
"So it's truly a waste that I didn't study psychology," I said as I stared into Jiang Xiaochun's eyes; he stared back at me without any hint of fear.
I continued, "So who should this person turn to? After thinking it over, the Murderer had a perfect candidate in mind. This person is the Murderer's best friend, but also an enemy. The Murderer deeply loves Lu Zhiqiu, and by Kori Chiu's side is someone who treats Lu Zhiqiu like a fool, yet Lu Zhiqiu remains completely oblivious to it."
"This person is naturally Deng Xuemei." I shook my head, feeling somewhat helpless. "As the saying goes, it's hard to paint a dragon or tiger but easy to paint bones; you can know a person's face but not their heart. Sometimes, viewing someone through another's eyes can lead to significant misunderstandings. Deng Xuemei's father fell seriously ill, yet instead of taking on that responsibility, she flaunted her wealth throughout her university life. When someone lacks something, they often seek to show off; Deng Xuemei couldn't fall behind."
I pointed at Jiang Xiaochun. "As Lu Zhiqiu's good friend, the Murderer naturally knows what kind of person Deng Xuemei is. However, if the Murderer wants to use Deng Xuemei, then her character must be altered. The Murderer investigated Deng Xuemei's family situation and staged a scenario where Deng Xuemei transformed into a vengeful goddess due to receiving aid from Lu Zhiqiu."
"But Deng Xuemei is not that kind of person at all." I waved my hand dismissively. "Deng Xuemei is selfish; how could she possibly kill over twenty people for Lu Zhiqiu? Yet for the Murderer's plan to work seamlessly, they forged medical records and documents. The Murderer didn't need to imitate handwriting; simply changing all the handwriting to their own would suffice."
I casually picked up a book from the shelf and flipped through it. "The Murderer has a good habit of taking notes while reading, regardless of whether the book is meant for children. The last time I was here, I noticed that the handwriting in that book was nearly identical to that on the medical records."
"From that moment on, my doubts deepened." I continued, "The Murderer is also Deng Xuemei's close friend; we know that Deng Xuemei is selfish and loves bargains—discounted items are her favorite. The Murderer suggested going to the beach with this friend and offered to cover the expenses, which made Deng Xuemei very happy. In the days leading up to their trip, Deng Xuemei bought bait for fishing. Little did she know that death was already lurking nearby. Since their trip was short, she carelessly tossed her clothes on the bed and didn’t bother throwing away leftover food. In our investigation, there were no signs indicating that Deng Xuemei intended to commit suicide."
"Deng Xuemei and her friend arrived at the beach and found a secluded spot. Under the pretense of wanting to take pictures of Deng Xuemei, the Murderer easily pushed her into the sea. Deng Xuemei was instantly swept away by the cold water—alive one moment and gone the next. The Murderer returned to Deng Xuemei's home and took away all books containing her handwriting. What remained was a set of chemicals used for murder and those Moths along with that plant."
I continued, "Unfortunately for the Murderer, they were too eager to pin this incident on Deng Xuemei; everything felt a bit forced. However, I must admire the Murderer; this plan was truly impressive. I believe when the police began investigating Deng Xuemei, they were ready to close the case and assumed she chose murder under pressure from her illness before committing suicide."
"But!" I emphasized heavily, "But all appearances can be fabricated; however, human hearts cannot be forged. We both know what kind of person Deng Xuemei is—she would never kill for Lu Zhiqiu. No matter what happens next, the Murderer has done everything within their power; now it all depends on their fate."
"Do you know what crucial detail the Murderer overlooked…"
I glanced at Zhao Mingkun and then at Jiang Xiaochun before slowly asking my question.
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