Chapter 65 - 63: The Hidden Story of the Past

Chapter 65: Chapter 63: The Hidden Story of the Past

It was another sleepless night.

Before dawn, they were in the conference room, discussing the case.

The body had been identified as Feng Tao, twenty-eight years old.

A large amount of anesthetic was also found in his system.

The killer had dismembered the body in Feng Tao’s bathroom, moved the pieces to the bed, and then stitched them together there.

The murder weapon was, once again, an axe.

The killer then cleaned up the bloodstains that had dripped onto the bathroom and bedroom floors.

They were only revealed after applying luminol.

The killer had also taken the victim’s phone and the video doorbell from his front door.

This was a clear act of provocation and displayed dissatisfaction with the police.

The killer had been meticulous, leaving behind almost no traces.

Surveillance footage from the apartment complex and the elevator both showed a deliveryman arriving on Feng Tao’s floor.

Fifteen days ago, at 1:32 PM, the deliveryman stepped out of the elevator.

However, the camera in the hallway wasn’t aimed at the door to Feng Tao’s apartment.

It only captured the deliveryman walking toward his front door.

He didn’t emerge and leave until more than three hours later.

Security in Feng Tao’s complex was tight; strangers couldn’t even get on the elevator without a key card.

However, delivery drivers and couriers were allowed upstairs if they had the resident’s, in this case Feng Tao’s, permission.

Because the deliveryman was wearing a hat, a mask, and sunglasses, his face was not captured on camera.

That lead was still being investigated.

As for Jinghai Second Middle School, the school had also intentionally tried to bury what happened back then.

Therefore, it was highly likely there was more to the story.

Right now, there was one other potential breakthrough in the case.

The teacher Su Miaoyi had seen making the emergency call in the video.

Song Lichun, a fifty-two-year-old woman, was a Chinese language teacher at Jinghai Second Middle School with almost thirty years of teaching experience.

After leaving the conference room, they all seized the chance to get a little rest.

After daybreak, Su Miaoyi and Zhuang Yanzheng went to Song Lichun’s home.

It happened to be a Saturday, so school was out.

Upon arriving at Song Lichun’s home and knocking, they identified themselves and were let inside.

Song Lichun was looking after her one-and-a-half-year-old granddaughter.

After Zhuang Yanzheng stated their purpose, Song Lichun was hesitant at first, seemingly unwilling to bring up the past.

Like Zheng Bin’s parents, she replied with the three words, "I don’t know."

After another round of questioning from Zhuang Yanzheng, Song Lichun said, "This is all just karma. The seeds sown back then have borne the fruit of today. Why bother pursuing him?"

Zhuang Yanzheng furrowed his brow.

Su Miaoyi was gently swinging the little girl’s hand. Perhaps because she found Su Miaoyi pretty, Song Lichun’s granddaughter kept scooting closer to her.

So Su Miaoyi was gently holding her tiny hand, swinging it back and forth.

Hearing her words, Su Miaoyi said, "But if we don’t investigate the cause and effect behind every action, society will truly fall into chaos."

Song Lichun looked at her.

Su Miaoyi continued, "You dismiss it with a single phrase: karma. A past cause, a present effect. But what about the new cause created by this present effect? What kind of fruit will that bear in the future? When does the cycle of karma end?"

Song Lichun didn’t say anything.

Su Miaoyi added, "If we, the police, don’t get involved, if the law offers no restraint... today he kills because of ’karma,’ and tomorrow he hurts someone else for the same reason. If this continues, society will never know peace. And the people living in such a society—how are they supposed to live?"

"But... all he originally wanted was justice. To avenge his mother and his unborn sister," Song Lichun said.

"But he went about it the wrong way," said Zhuang Yanzheng.

"And what is the right way? Going to you?" Song Lichun looked at them. "If going to you was of any use, none of this would have happened today."

Zhuang Yanzheng and Su Miaoyi were both silent for a moment.

Song Lichun looked at them. "He killed someone. He chose that path, and he will face the consequences. But I just want to know one thing: if I tell you what happened, can you handle all the people who were involved back then?"

Su Miaoyi didn’t speak.

Zhuang Yanzheng replied with a single, firm word: "Yes."

"Are you sure? No matter who he is? No matter how high his position, you can do it?" Song Lichun stared directly into his eyes.

"Yes," Zhuang Yanzheng answered again, his voice firm and resolute.

Su Miaoyi tilted her head and looked at Zhuang Yanzheng.

Song Lichun met his gaze for a moment, then nodded.

After a moment, Song Lichun sighed and adjusted her glasses. "By now, it was all twelve years ago. That day, I’d gone to the classroom early. I was angry because there were a few students whose dictation I just couldn’t seem to correct. The moment the bell rang to end the previous class, I went to the classroom to find those students."

Su Miaoyi sat to the side, listening.

Another officer took notes.

Song Lichun continued, "Later, the bell for class rang, and I had those students return to their seats. I turned to write on the blackboard. I had just written a single character when I heard someone outside screaming ’Help!’ The cry sounded wrong, unnatural, so I rushed out. That’s when I saw Teacher Qian collapsed on the ground, a small pool of blood already spreading out from under her. I immediately called for an ambulance."

"I never thought that would be the last time I saw her."

Song Lichun remembered what happened that year very clearly, down to the smallest details.

"Her name was Qian Fen. She taught English. I heard that by the time she was taken to the hospital, her condition was already critical. Massive blood loss, and it was a high-risk pregnancy... They couldn’t save her. It was one body, two lives."

"Teacher Qian’s husband called the police. They reviewed the hallway’s surveillance footage and found that three students had pushed Teacher Qian."

"But... those three students all came from wealthy families and had connections in the police department. In the end, the matter was settled privately. The school also forbade anyone from bringing it up and even made a point to talk to me about it."

"Because many students saw it happen, the school first held a meeting with the students, and then another one with their parents. They were forbidden from talking about it, on threat of expulsion. Those families had connections, and the other parents all figured it was better to keep their heads down—especially for the sake of their own children. So the whole thing was covered up. The school said to just pretend Teacher Qian never existed."

Zhuang Yanzheng said nothing.

’Even if the matter had been settled privately...’

’...the police department shouldn’t be completely without a record, especially since they had reviewed surveillance footage and investigated the incident.’

’Who would be so brazen as to erase records from within the police department?’

"Teacher Qian also had a son; he was thirteen at the time. At first, her husband refused to settle privately, no matter what. The death of his pregnant wife was a devastating blow, a deep-seated grudge. But they used his son to threaten him. In the end, for his child’s sake, he compromised."

"Because of that private settlement, the father and son have had a very poor relationship to this day."

Su Miaoyi was silent for a moment before asking, "Why did they push Teacher Qian?"

"Right after it happened, we teachers secretly discussed it among ourselves. We heard that a boy with the surname Han had snapped the bra strap of the girl in front of him during class, making her cry."

As she spoke, Song Lichun let out a soft sigh. "As teachers, we always encounter some students who are completely unmanageable, kids you’re helpless against. You’re trying to teach, and they’re down there talking and making a ruckus, with absolutely no respect for you. It’s infuriating."

"I suppose Teacher Qian must have been furious at the time. She told him his behavior was no different from a hooligan’s, that he was a menace to society, and that he should just drop out and go home. Then she told him to get out and stand in the hall."

...