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墨書 Inktalez
Gao Shangde moved his handcuffs and said, "Can you give me a cigarette?"
Detective Captain and I exchanged glances, realizing there was an opening. During interrogations, suspects are generally not provided with food or water to make them anxious and prompt them to confess their crimes. However, we usually allow them to smoke. When a suspect requests a cigarette, it indicates they have reached a breaking point, and their anxiety has peaked, making it likely they will reveal the truth.
I placed a cigarette in his mouth. He looked at it and said, "I usually don't smoke this cheap brand..." Although the suspect claimed to have moved on, deep down, he was still trapped in the so-called world of fame and fortune. I lit the cigarette for him, and he took a deep drag, exhaling several smoke rings before speaking:
"Although I am a university professor living an enviable life, people often only see the glamorous exterior without realizing that beneath the surface, the fruit is gradually rotting. Ten years ago, in my thirties, I was already an associate professor at the University of Science and Technology, a young talent admired by many. Yet my newlywed wife was having an affair behind my back!"
"Do you know? Women are never really good. Yes, I have money, but as soon as they encounter someone wealthier, they flock to them. It's so vulgar! I admire Platonic love; it's a spiritual connection—do you understand?"
Detective Captain glanced at me and whispered, "The professor has a bias against women; his motive for committing the crime should be clear—revenge on society for his wife's departure." I nodded without speaking as the professor continued:
"But I've realized that people in this world are too vulgar! As long as there's money, what kind of woman can't be found? I've become disillusioned with this world; once I saw through it, nothing seemed significant anymore. For this reason, I spent a large sum of money to seek out prostitutes and engage in activities I would never have done before. I know that in your eyes, I'm just a pervert, but in this chaotic society, who has the right to judge?"
At this point, Professor Gao Shangde took another deep drag from the cigarette and closed his eyes, remaining silent for a long time. Detective Captain grew impatient and said, "Stop pretending! Continue and tell us how you tracked Victim and how you killed Victim in detail!"
"Victim?" Gao Shangde opened his eyes and replied, "What Victim? After I paid, everyone was willing! I never forced them; in fact, they should thank me!"
I looked into Gao Shangde's eyes; a fleeting look of confusion crossed his face—his expression froze for less than a second. Such surprise would be nearly impossible to feign unless he were an accomplished actor. This meant that Gao Shangde was genuinely surprised. A sudden thought struck me. Just then, a message came through on my phone; Yan Junde had returned to the precinct with a witness. I texted him to come to the interrogation room. Just as I set my phone down, Yan Junde pushed the door open.
He was followed by a heavily made-up courtesan. Before she even approached us, a strong scent of perfume wafted in the air. She spoke first: "You promised me that if I told the truth, you'd let me go!" I nodded and moved aside so she could see Gao Shangde.
As soon as the courtesan saw Gao Shangde, she shrieked in a high-pitched voice: "That's right! It's this man! He's a pervert; I'll never forget him even if he turns to ash! I can't remember the exact time, but one night I received his business."
At this point, the courtesan scoffed disdainfully at Gao Shangde: "After we entered the room, he suddenly knelt before me and pulled out a package—yes, that package on the table—which contained all sorts of perverse items. I was shocked! Even though I'm a prostitute, I still have my dignity; I'm not into that!"
The Courtesan continued, "As a result, he knelt on the ground, desperately licking my shoes, begging me to hit him with a small hammer. He wanted me to tie him to the bed and then poke him in the back with a carrot. I've been in this line of work for four years, and this is the first time I've encountered such a client. At that time, he offered me more than double the price, so I agreed!"
"I never expected there were people like that in the world. If all my clients were like this!" The Courtesan hadn't finished speaking when the Detective Captain sighed, "Then this world would be doomed!"
But the Courtesan replied, "Then I would have bought a house in the city long ago! You all said you would let me go!"
I waved my hand, signaling her that she could leave. After she left, we stepped out of the room, leaving Gao Shangde alone inside. I said, "Things have gotten a bit complicated. It's very likely that this perverted professor is not the Killer; he’s just a middle-aged man with masochistic tendencies who was abandoned by his wife..."
The Detective Captain disagreed with me. He said, "If it's not him, then who could it be? When we returned, my detectives had already interrogated the other four; they all had clear alibis and couldn't have committed the crime. Only this professor has a motive for revenge against women, an opportunity to commit the crime, and no alibi. Besides, if it wasn't him, why would he go to our live broadcast site alone?"
Mary's software doesn't make mistakes; only five people in the city could simultaneously access information about Sister Qi and Megan. Four of them had clear alibis, leaving only Gao Shangde as the sole suspect. Moreover, Gao Shangde has a perverse sexual psychology that fits Yang Xiaojuan's Psychological Profile perfectly. Tonight, he was even caught at our live broadcast site. He has both motive and opportunity for murder—could he really be the Killer?
The Detective Captain patted my shoulder and said, "Look, I think you're overthinking this. Not every case is convoluted; you Special Investigation Team members tend to complicate simple problems too much because you deal with serious crimes and intricate cases all the time. Haha."
"And," the Detective Captain mimicked me by extending a finger and shaking it in the air as he said, "the hammer in his bag was sent for examination; we should have results soon. By then, everything will be clear as long as we get his confession."
I remained silent, feeling that I must have overlooked some detail. This case shouldn't be so simple—what detail could it be?
The Detective Captain patted my shoulder again and said, "I'll go interrogate him!" With that, he walked into the interrogation room while Yan Junde and I watched from outside. When Gao Shangde saw the Detective Captain enter, he immediately spoke up: "I admit I was looking for a prostitute, but I didn't kill anyone! You saw it yourself; if I had killed someone, how could she come in to identify me?"
The Detective Captain snorted coldly and slammed his palm down on the metal table hard enough to startle Gao Shangde. The Captain said, "Listen here, kid; don't refuse to drink when offered wine! If you’re not the Killer, then what were you doing at that abandoned building tonight? Don’t tell me you went there to stargaze!"
Gao Shangde's face turned red with anxiety as he replied, "I saw in the group chat that someone was live streaming, so I went online to check it out. Those three live-streaming beauties were all stunning! You know what? If those three could give me pleasure tonight, I’d have no regrets in life! But when I arrived at the scene, how was I supposed to know I'd get caught? I didn’t do anything!"
"Still not admitting it!" The Detective Captain raised his fist threateningly. Gao Shangde instinctively raised his hands to block but got tangled up with his handcuffs instead—a rather comical sight. However, something suddenly clicked in my mind as I exclaimed instinctively: "Hand!"
Yan Junde was right beside me, hearing my words, and said, “His hands? Gao Shangde's hands are like a woman's; look at that delicate skin. How can he even lift a hammer?”
I finally realized what I had overlooked. From the moment Mary designed the program, we were destined to drift further away, walking down the wrong path. This Gao Shangde was not Killer; I already knew who Killer really was. But if that was the case, then those still live-streaming, like Mary and Juan Juan, were in grave danger.
I pushed the door open forcefully and said to the Captain, “Stop the interrogation! This pervert is not Killer. Get your team to Mary’s live-streaming location immediately. If we delay, they could be in serious trouble!” Cold sweat began to trickle down my back. If my mistake put them in danger, I would want nothing more than to shoot myself.
The Detective Captain didn’t understand the situation but nodded immediately upon seeing my serious expression. I continued, “Make arrangements right away. Yan Junde, you and I will move out now. I’ll navigate; you drive. Let’s go!”
“Understood!” Yan Junde replied as he followed me outside.
As soon as we stepped out, I saw the Fat Forensic Doctor walking in from outside. He noticed me and was about to speak, but I ignored him completely. I noticed he was holding a small hammer—the very one belonging to Gao Shangde. He called out from behind me, “Captain, Brother Shao, the test results are in! This hammer isn’t the murder weapon. Where are you two rushing off to?”
Once we got into the police car, I said, “Drive as fast as you can; run any red lights!”
“Understood!” Yan Junde replied.
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