Chapter 243 - 237: A Crime Simulated for 5 Years

Feng Dong was instantly thrilled. ’Finally!’

He’d been playing this part for so many days he felt like he was actually about to go into labor!

He sent the pre-written message almost instantly.

As soon as Cheng Xiangyu received the message, he jumped out of the car and led his team toward Feng Dong’s current location.

Just as Feng Dong sent the signal, he was knocked unconscious.

"Feng Dong’s tracker is on the move," Cheng Xiangyu said, running toward the red dot on his screen. He soon arrived at the front door of Feng Dong’s apartment.

Inside the apartment, Feng Dong opened his eyes to see the very killer they had been hunting.

Feng Dong stared in shock at the person before him, who was wearing gloves and readying a rope.

It wasn’t Zhang Ze. It was his father, Zhang Jianqiang!

As Zhang Jianqiang moved toward him, Feng Dong began to struggle.

"So, you’re awake. Good. Then let’s begin."

A smile played on Zhang Jianqiang’s lips as he slipped the rope over Feng Dong’s head and tightened it around his neck.

A wave of suffocation washed over him. Feng Dong was then dragged around the room, and he could even hear the whirring of a pulley.

Veins bulged on Feng Dong’s forehead as he desperately clawed at the rope around his neck.

’Captain Cheng! If you don’t get here soon, I’m really going to die!’

Perhaps even fate couldn’t bear to see him die. The next second, a loud BANG echoed in his ears.

Cheng Xiangyu and his team kicked the door in, rushing in to tackle the black-clad figure and pin him to the ground.

The moment he got a clear look at the man, Cheng Xiangyu gasped in disbelief. "Zhang Jianqiang?"

Zhang Jianqiang was from the countryside, a simple and honest migrant worker. Cheng Xiangyu never would have suspected him.

"Captain Cheng, any later and I would’ve been a goner," Feng Dong gasped, scrambling up from the floor and ripping off his wig.

Zhang Jianqiang stared, utterly stunned. He’d thought something was off from the start. How could there be such a perfect coincidence?

He’d still been searching for a suitable target when this woman just happened to move in, fitting the profile perfectly.

He’d felt something was wrong, so he held off and watched her for a few days. He confirmed that she really was alone, without even a single friend.

Just as he was planning to make his move, he heard she was about to leave.

The news made him panic. It would be a waste not to take a gift that had fallen right into his lap. So, he came.

He never imagined it was a trap.

「At the police station.」

Cheng Xiangyu faced Zhang Jianqiang. "Zhang Jianqiang, why did you replicate that horrific case from all those years ago!"

Zhang Jianqiang snorted. "You people killed my son, left nothing of him behind! I won’t accept it!

If I’d known it would come to this, I would have gone after that bitch Li Xin from the start!

Back then, she promised my son! She said if he let her go, she would never turn him in!

And what happened? The bitch not only turned him in, but she also got him killed.

I’ve been waiting all these years... waiting for her to get pregnant!"

Cheng Xiangyu listened, remaining calm. He lifted his head, his gaze sharp as he looked at the man.

"Then how did you learn the exact details of the MO?"

’Even if he wanted revenge for Zhang Ze, how could a simple, honest laborer like him replicate the original case so perfectly?’

"My son’s diary had it all recorded. As for how? I practiced it for five years! All for this day!"

Zhang Jianqiang pushed himself up, his face a mask of fury as he stared at him.

Cheng Xiangyu looked at Zhang Jianqiang. He had to admit, the man’s story was flawless, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was missing.

Cheng Xiangyu left and went to the conference room. "Zhang Jianqiang claims he spent five years meticulously planning this to avenge his son, Zhang Ze.

What do you all think?"

Cheng Xiangyu scanned the room.

"It sounds plausible. Spending five years planning a crime to avenge his son."

"No, that doesn’t add up. If he wanted revenge for Zhang Ze, why go after other innocent victims? Why not just target Li Xin directly?

Even if he was using the previous victims as a smokescreen to throw us off track...

...there would still need to be a scapegoat."

Cheng Xiangyu gave his female colleague an appreciative look. "Exactly. That’s the suspicious part.

Which is why I suspect Zhang Jianqian is meant to be the scapegoat, while the real killer is still at large."

While the team in the conference room was deep in heated debate, Jiang Li was fast asleep on a nearby sofa.

The moment she opened her eyes, she saw Li Xin—the woman from the photos—trussed up and tied to a chair.

Li Xin stared ahead in terror, muffled sounds of "Mmmph! Mmmph!" escaping her lips.

Jiang Li glanced at her and smiled. At this, Li Xin’s struggles grew more frantic. A yellow liquid began to drip from below her, PITTER-PATTER.

She turned back and focused on sharpening the knife in her hands.

The sound of the blade being sharpened was deafening in the small space.

Li Xin trembled with fear. She had gotten food poisoning that afternoon and had a bad case of diarrhea. She remembered Officer Feng’s warning not to go outside.

But she was terrified for her baby and didn’t want the police to know she was leaving, so she had her husband and mother-in-law cover for her while she, bundled up to avoid recognition, went to the hospital for a checkup.

After a thorough examination, the doctor told her the baby was fine.

Standing at the hospital entrance with the report in hand, her heart began to race. The feeling of unease intensified.

’I have a bad feeling about this.’

But she left the hospital, got in a taxi, and the entire ride home was uneventful.

The taxi driver noticed her anxiety and kindly offered her a bottle of water.

She felt drowsy right after finishing it. When she woke up, she was here.

Regret twisted Li Xin’s gut.

If she had known it was really this dangerous, she would have never left the house, no matter what.

Watching the man’s back as he sharpened the knife, she shuddered in terror.

’Waaah... what the hell are those cops good for, anyway?’

’I’m already caught, and they still have no clue.’

Meanwhile, the officers staking out Li Xin’s building suddenly felt something was off. The Li Family lived on the first floor.

Even when she stayed inside, they could usually catch glimpses of her moving about. But now, there was no sign of her.

"I’m going to go ask," He Yu said, getting to his feet. He headed for the Li family’s apartment, needing to set his mind at ease.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

Li Xin’s husband answered the door.

He Yu glanced past him into the apartment. "Mr. Qian, is your wife home?"

"My wife’s sleeping. You guys can relax," Qian Wang said. After shooing the officer away, he pulled out his phone and sent Li Xin a message.

[How much longer are you going to be? The police just came asking for you!]

He Yu had no choice but to return to his post.

He Yu had barely sat down when he shot back to his feet. "Wait a minute! Li Xin didn’t even come out for dinner!"

He Yu threw open his car door and hurried back. Seeing this, his partner got out and followed.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

Qian Wang saw it was He Yu again. "Officer, relax. We’ll let you know if anything happens. My wife is still sleeping."

"Mr. Qian, please let me come in and see for myself."

"Hey, what’s with you!"

Seeing how evasive he was being, He Yu pushed him aside, went straight to Li Xin’s bedroom door, and knocked. When there was no answer, he pushed the door open.

The room was empty.

"You... how could you do this?!" He Yu stared at Qian Wang, livid. "This is a matter of life and death. How could you hide things from us and be so reckless?"

He pulled out his phone and called Cheng Xiangyu.

"It’s bad, Captain Cheng! Li Xin is gone!"