Chapter 402: Death Recording

In the image, Lu Xing looked handsome and mature, exuding a sinister air. The photograph only captured the unscarred half of his face.

'Based on the materials I found, Zhang Heng's report on the flaying case was from a few months ago. Back then, I wasn't an Underworld Live Show Streamer yet. If Lu Xing is the killer in the flaying case, he must have been operating in Xinhu before coming to Jiangcheng. What is he doing here? Is Shuangfo District really connected to the Two-Faced Buddha?' I sorted out the timeline of events in my head, but my doubts only grew. 'Zhang Heng's last published article was also about Lu Xing, but he didn't mention a word about the flaying case. Instead, he wrote, "Lu Xing, the killer behind the Jiangcheng serial murders, has appeared in Shuangfo District." I'm afraid he did this for more than just attracting public attention.'

After all, he had set the crime scene photograph from back then as his computer's desktop wallpaper. Clearly, it was the most unforgettable event of his life. I didn't know what kind of mindset drove him to do such a thing, but one thing was certain: looking at this photo every day meant he had the man in it permanently etched into his memory.

'Zhang Heng saw through Lu Xing's identity a long time ago. He knew that the killer from the Xinhu flaying case and the Jiangcheng serial murders were the same person, so why didn't he call the police?' I searched online for information about the flaying case. The most prominent line of text that caught my eye read: "Sky-High Bounty: Any citizen providing valuable clues will be rewarded with 50,000 RMB."

Earning that 50,000 might be difficult for others, but for Zhang Heng, it would have been effortless. All he had to do was hand his desktop wallpaper over to the police to help them lock down the suspect, and he would have made a major contribution.

Yet not only did he fail to do so, he actively concealed the truth, which left me deeply puzzled.

Then again, anyone who dared to use a crime scene photograph as their desktop wallpaper probably wasn't normal. I couldn't judge him by common sense.

I took out my phone, recording the computer screen as I clicked open the documents on the desktop one by one.

Most of the files were named with garbled characters and specially encrypted. Zhang Heng's actions made him increasingly impossible to read.

You could broadly analyze a person's personality from how they named their files, or even find patterns to deduce the type of data inside. Using garbled text for file names was completely beyond my expectations.

'Very professional. He doesn't seem like an entertainment gossip reporter, but rather...' A particular profession surfaced in my mind. My lips curled up into a smile, and I stopped myself from thinking further. 'It shouldn't be that coincidental.'

I didn't find anything useful on the computer, so I had to think of another way.

'He secretly filmed the killer in the act, yet didn't report it to the police and chose to investigate it himself instead. Does he think he's some kind of superhero?' I scrolled through Zhang Heng's previously published reports. The title of the article regarding the flaying case read: "Latest Developments in the Flaying Case: The Killer is Not Human, but a Punishment Sent Down by Buddha." Subconsciously, he was a spiritualist who believed in ghosts and gods. That much was obvious from the books he typically read.

'Could this guy also be a believer in the Two-Faced Buddha?' Shaking my head, I quickly dismissed the idea. Although I had never met Zhang Heng in person, the impression he gave me didn't match that of a disciple of the Two-Faced Buddha. Their modus operandi were completely different.

'Maybe he really made a major discovery in Shuangfo District, and the flaying case just happened to serve as supporting evidence. He was afraid of alerting the enemy, so he withheld the clues from the police.' I had no evidence; I could only make baseless guesses.

There were a lot of things in the bedroom. I spent two hours inspecting them one by one, but found absolutely nothing useful. This Zhang Heng was even harder to deal with than I had imagined.

'There are no perfect crimes in this world, only careless cops. I must have missed something.' I searched the place again, even tapping along the floor tiles and walls, but still came up empty-handed. 'Is this guy a reporter or a SWAT officer from the Public Security Department?'

With a helpless smile, I realized the surveillance camera mounted below the air conditioner had already recorded me. If I wanted to get away clean, I had to delete the footage on the computer. But the problem was that all the files were heavily encrypted and completely inaccessible.

Watching the sun begin its descent in the west, I decided there was no stopping halfway. I grabbed some tools from Zhang Heng's toolbox, cracked open his computer tower, removed the hard drive, and stuffed it into my pocket.

'This doesn't count as stealing. Lu Xing is ruthless, malicious, and dangerous; I'm indirectly protecting him.' After convincing myself, I restored everything to its original state and exited the bedroom.

'The files are encrypted. I wonder if anyone in the Municipal Sub-bureau's criminal investigation team can crack the password. I originally came out here to handle Li Jingyu's situation, but I ended up stirring up other trouble instead. Forget it, I'll take it one step at a time.' I checked my watch. The carpet search had wasted too much time; it was already three in the afternoon.

'I don't have much time. I have to leave before the other tenants get off work and return.' I hadn't planned on searching the living room, but upon seeing the clothes tossed haphazardly on the sofa, I walked over on autopilot.

'There's dirt on the knees of the pants. Normally, dirt wouldn't stain that specific spot. There are also tiny tears on the clothes, like something ripped them. Could he have gotten into a fight outside? Or taken a bad fall?' Looking closely, I suddenly noticed a single red hair clinging to the cuff of a sleeve.

'Smooth and bright red. It doesn't look like dyed hair. Could it be animal fur? But what kind of animal has blood-red fur?' I pulled out a piece of tissue paper, wrapped the red hair up, and tucked it safely into my pocket. Then I patted down the clothing piece by piece, and soon made another discovery.

Inside a pair of black sweatpants, I found a "fountain pen." The casing was plastic, and it weighed much less than a normal pen. Twisting off the cap revealed two tiny ports.

'A voice recorder?'

An unexpected delight. I held the pen up to my ear and flipped the switch.

The audio quality was terribly unclear. At first, I could only hear the sound of the wind. It wasn't until a dozen seconds later that I faintly heard a conversation between two men.

"Twenty years of planning, destroyed in a single day. The Buddha is very disappointed in you. He believes your fate is no longer worth usurping."

"It's not your place to tell me how the Buddha feels about me. As long as I, Lu Xing, am still breathing, you have no right to discuss my fate!"

"From nothing to something. Of the Eight Characters Divine Fiends, he holds half all to himself. Looking at it this way, the one to defy the heavens and change his fate will be him."

"Are you threatening me?"

"I'm not the one threatening you; it's that man named Gao Jian."

"Have you dug up his background yet?"

"We don't know. He's most likely the disciple of another Fate Usurper. Everyone wants to use Jiangcheng's thousand-year Grand Feng Shui Layout to ascend to the heavens. Karma obscures the heavenly secrets; those within the city cannot divine the truth. Alright, come back with me. The Buddha wants to see you too."

"Now? Do I need to bring anything? Blood offerings, I mean."

"No need. Xinhu is different from Jiangcheng; this is our territory. What you need to do right now is get your story straight. The Buddha isn't as easily fooled as I am."

"Whatever I've lost, I will take back with my own two hands. Once my injuries are fully healed, that will be the day Gao Jian dies."

The first audio clip ended. After listening to it, I stood frozen in the room for a long time.

To actually hear my own name on a stranger's wiretap... I couldn't tell if it was just a coincidence, or if some unseen force was deliberately guiding me.

I had saved Li Jingyu, who otherwise would have died on the dam. As a result of trying to help her, I unexpectedly discovered Lu Xing's whereabouts. It was as if fate were actively pointing the way.

'Xinhu is the Two-Faced Buddha's territory. I'll be in extreme danger here. Listening to their conversation, it seems they haven't given up yet and are still planning to kill me. It looks like my plan to strike first was the right call.'

After listening to the recording, I grew even more cautious. Xinhu City was far from being as peaceful as it seemed on the surface.

'This recording is far too important to me. I have to keep it safe.' Zhang Heng had handed me an unexpected surprise. I couldn't wait to rush back to Jiangcheng, find someone to crack his file passwords, and see what other secrets were hidden away inside.

While I was deep in thought, the second clip on the voice recorder began to play automatically.

It was a man's voice, muffled and slurred, as if he had something stuffed in his mouth.

"It is now three in the morning. The sound of scratching at the plaster has started up again in the room, even clearer than before. I can tell that the sound is constantly inching closer to me. This is probably a side effect of working in this profession, but I have no regrets."