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墨書 Inktalez
Juan Juan was right. In this matter, although the methods were similar, the details of the murders were different. From this point alone, it was clear that the person committing these murders was not the same as the Killer from the previous case. My earlier analysis concluded that it was not Guo Guoqing who killed Roland, but rather an accomplice developed by Guo Guoqing.
Now that Guo Guoqing was in prison, he could not be the murderer. Since the methods differed, it also ruled out his accomplice. This indicated that there were other individuals involved. But who could this person be? What connection did they have with Guo Guoqing? This was a crucial question at present.
Moreover, if this was a case of imitation murder, there was an important issue to consider: how did this imitator know about the previous case? The body of Roland was discovered in the evening, and only one villager had seen it and reported it to the police. Aside from notifying Roland's parents and school, the media had no knowledge of the case. With such limited dissemination of information, it made no sense for the Killer to imitate the murder.
As previously mentioned, there were only two possible reasons for imitation. First, the Killer might want to conceal their identity by using someone else's method. In other words, they could be trying to kill someone they had a grudge against by making it appear as if it were the work of the previous Killer. This way, when the police examined the case, they would instinctively think it was linked to the earlier Killer and would not suspect them.
If this were the case, then given the current situation, it was certain that the Killer did not know that the main perpetrator, Guo Guoqing, had already been caught and that his accomplice had no time to commit another crime at that moment. Therefore, this Killer should not be considered as Guo Guoqing's second accomplice; if they were an accomplice, Guo Guoqing would have arranged everything for them and there would not be such a discrepancy in timing.
Let’s analyze the second scenario: what if the Killer murdered to express respect for their "predecessor"? Charles Manson, dubbed "America's Most Dangerous Criminal," used a cult organization to kill many people, including a famous director's wife. During the era of hippie culture, melancholy and darkness seemed to define that time. He used music and speeches to establish what became known as the Manson Family.
The specifics of his actions are well-documented online. In short, after killing many people, he was captured and imprisoned. However, even today, echoes of the Manson case persist; many have created fan sites in his honor and some continue to imitate his methods of killing.
If our Killer is motivated by such thoughts, several questions arise. Manson established an organization with numerous followers who were brainwashed through his cult influence. Even in 2013, he married a young woman who admired him while in prison.
However, Guo Guoqing does not possess Manson's level of charisma; while he may have a few accomplices, it is unlikely he could inspire someone to imitate his actions as a form of respect. This raises another question: what purpose does this murderer have in imitating killings?
This should be a key point to resolve in the Zheng Yunyun case—the Killer's motive for murder. However, judging by how unprofessional they are, despite wearing gloves during the act, they took Zheng Yunyun's bicycle with them—a clear sign of inexperience; they must be a novice.
Regardless of which scenario applies, one thing must be thoroughly investigated: whether this incident can be linked back to Guo Guoqing. If there is a connection, we must initiate an investigation; if not, focusing too much on this aspect could divert our Police Force's attention. My greatest concern is that if this is a diversion created by Guo Guoqing himself—he might be trying to create distractions so he can carry out actions unseen by us.
Seeing me frowning in silence for a long time, Juan Juan gently patted my shoulder and said, "Don't overthink it; treat it like any ordinary murder case and follow standard procedures step by step. We will surely find clues along the way."
I nodded; for now, that seemed like our only option.
It was already noon by this point; we were both quite hungry. A sharp mind requires nourishment; we needed to eat before continuing our investigation. As we walked into the break room, we caught whiffs of instant noodles cooking inside and found Yuzelin already there.
He was on a call with his family while eating instant noodles: "Don't worry; I'll be home soon after I finish this busy period—probably within a week at most; I promise! Haha! Remember to check around your house when you get back tonight and make sure all doors and windows are locked before going to sleep."
"Don't say I'm annoying; I'm a police officer. Be careful, or I might just arrest you! Well, eat well and don't get into conflicts with people at the company. Bye!"
Listening to Yuzelin's words, we couldn't help but smile wryly. Isn't that just how our line of work is? We often spend long periods away from home, and when we finally return, a phone call in the middle of the night can summon us back for a task. Fortunately, both Juan Juan and I had joined the Special Investigation Team; I wasn't sure if that could be considered a great blessing.
At that moment, Yuzelin spotted us and smiled at me. I said, "Oh, back in college, I seem to recall someone saying they wouldn't get married until they became an Inspector. How did you fall into the grave of romance so quickly? You look nothing like that playboy from back then. You two are so lovey-dovey; it's making me feel a bit sour..."
Yuzelin replied, "Hey, I can't believe those words came out of your mouth. I remember hearing that you had girls lining up from the east gate to the west gate of the school just to get to you. You even said you'd get married right after graduation! Those girls were eager to marry you. But here we are at thirty, and you're still single. Could it be that you're not good in that department?"
Yuzelin didn't know about my relationship with Yang Xiaojuan; she only thought we were colleagues, which is why she dared to make such jokes. Juan Juan snorted coldly and asked, "Oh, I didn't realize you were so popular back in college! Girls were lining up from the east gate to the west gate for you?"
Women can be quite sensitive when it comes to jealousy; I know this all too well. Just take my neighbor Xiaomei as an example. The first time I didn't tell Juan Juan that Xiaomei was a fifty-year-old woman, she nearly knocked me out.
I quickly explained, "Our school only had one entrance..."
Yuzelin burst into laughter and said, "So that's why I saw you flirting with girls all the time! You've changed; it turns out you've brought your wife along! Just kidding! You haven't eaten yet, right? I'll have someone bring you food from the cafeteria; all I've got here is instant noodles."
I replied, "Instant noodles are fine; don't trouble anyone."
As we spoke, we started preparing instant noodles in the break room while discussing details about the case.
I said, "Based on what we've gathered from the village, do you have any leads? The victim was found in the middle of that road with quite a distance on both sides. We checked around and found no signs of dragging. However, there were brake marks from a bicycle on one side of the road, indicating that this was likely the first crime scene—there's no doubt about that."
Yuzelin nodded and said, "From the degree of the fallen dry grass on both sides, it's clear that the victim fell to the ground first. Afterward, when the Killer assaulted and killed her, they took her bicycle away. We initially investigated in the village but found no leads; officers at the precinct are still conducting their inquiries."
"From our end of the investigation," Yuzelin continued, "we're still searching within our scope. There are no surveillance cameras in the village; only once you reach the city do they appear. There are many routes leading there; some villagers have even created shortcuts through various paths—it's quite messy and difficult to search through these areas. It seems we'll need more time on this front."
"Have you made any discoveries on your side?" Yuzelin asked.
At this point, Juan Juan spoke up: "We've basically concluded that the Killer isn't one of those two suspects we previously considered but rather someone else entirely. The possibility of imitation killings is quite high; however, the current question is: if this is indeed an imitation killing, who spread those murder techniques?"
This was a problem, and everyone fell into deep thought. Suddenly, I recalled something regarding who had leaked this method. For this, we could use the process of elimination. First, the members of the Special Investigation Team would never disclose any details of the case; that was beyond doubt.
Secondly, the only people left who knew about this case were from the Police Department. The officers from the Police Department are all professionally trained; if they were to spread news about such a significant case, it would be a serious issue if discovered. I believe they would also keep quiet.
That left only one person—the individual who had reported the case. Just like the onlookers on the path in Zhengjia Village, it was indeed the person who reported it that returned to the village and spread the news, causing the villagers to realize that someone had died. This is a characteristic of our people; sometimes it's endearing, but at other times it can lead to trouble.
Perhaps when the villager returned to the village, he began boasting about seeing a dead body somewhere, claiming that the tongue had been cut off and that it was a gruesome sight. He might have said he wasn't scared at all. What? You ask if I soiled my pants out of fear? Let me tell you, I was just trying to save someone, but when I exerted myself, I couldn't hold it in...
I quickly asked Yuzelin, "The person who reported in the Roland Case was also a villager; do you know which village he was from?"
Upon hearing my question, both of them seemed enlightened. Yuzelin said, "Now that you mention it, I do have a vague memory; he might be from Zhengjia Village. But I can't be sure. Wait a moment; I'll go check the records." With that, Yuzelin shoved a mouthful of instant noodles into her mouth and hurriedly dashed outside.
Without even finishing her noodles, Yuzelin returned with the records. We quickly looked at the entries from that day and indeed found this information—Reporter: Wang Fugui, villager from Zhengjia Village, aged forty-seven.
The scene shifted abruptly as we delved into another narrative involving a cultivation family’s young lady coercing a boy into becoming her husband under strange circumstances...
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