Our police unit first located the Long Teng Tattoo Parlor and, after a thorough search, found countless fingerprints and hairs. A comparison with the DNA of Jin Lezhi, who was present, revealed a match. However, we still couldn't prove his direct connection to the deceased.
Even the slightest missing link would prevent the chain of evidence from being closed.
For this interrogation, Liu Yuning and I planned to test Jin Lezhi's reaction.
"Jin Lezhi! Look up!" I commanded with authority.
He slowly lifted his head, gave me a look of profound confusion, and then turned to Liu Yuning.
"We've searched your tattoo parlor. It's full of your fingerprints and many of your works. But I don't understand, why would you leave those kinds of tattoos on those women?" Liu Yuning asked.
"What are you talking about? Is it wrong to like tattoos? How could I kill those women? I didn't do it!"
"Do you think we won't find out if you don't speak?" I stared at Jin Lezhi with the gaze of a detective.
"You investigate. If you had real evidence, you would have long ago figured out why I dealt with those women, haha!"
"So, you're admitting it? It's just that we haven't found the evidence!"
I seized upon a loophole in Jin Lezhi's words, trying to bluff him.
Jin Lezhi quickly shook his head. "That's not what I meant. I saw that in detective novels. Isn't that the most basic logical relationship, officer?"
It seemed this guy was quite clever. Without direct evidence, pressuring him like this probably wouldn't make him confess.
However, Liu Yuning continued, "Jin Lezhi, you're really foolish. The plots in novels are completely different from reality. We've investigated, and you knew the female victims. Because you're a tattoo artist, they were all your clients, and they even left their contact information! If I'm not mistaken, from the moment you met them, you harbored malicious intent, but just didn't have the opportunity to act, right?"
"That's right, they were indeed my clients, but I'm a tattoo artist. I don't know how many people I tattoo a day!"
"Is that so? We heard your tattoo parlor closed down not too long ago. Why was that?" I asked, intentionally trying to provoke Jin Lezhi.
I figured someone like Jin Lezhi would be very devoted to the tattoo industry, so I thought he must have been very upset about it.
Indeed, upon hearing my words, Jin Lezhi showed a hint of anger. "It's all their fault for reporting me!"
"Reported? Ah! I understand. Did those women report you, leading to your tattoo parlor being shut down? In a fit of anger, you retaliated against them? Killed them all!" Liu Yuning intentionally mused.
"You're talking nonsense! How could I kill people over something so trivial!"
I again seized upon a loophole in Jin Lezhi's words and sneered, "So, you're saying you killed them for other reasons?"
"Hmph! You dead police officers, don't think you can get me with this. I told you, I didn't kill anyone! My tattoo parlor closed because of customer feedback. The tattoos I did faded easily, and I don't know who spread rumors, but then business went downhill, I couldn't keep it going, so I had to close it and find another job!"
"Is that all?" I questioned.
"Of course. Officer He, if I can't even make a living, would I still cling to that so-called interest and ideal? If it were you, wouldn't you choose the same way I did!" Jin Lezhi replied matter-of-factly, a hint of smugness on his face.
This seemed to have actually provided Jin Lezhi with a clear explanation. This guy had strong psychological resilience, was methodical in his actions, and had extremely high counter-reconnaissance abilities. No wonder we had investigated for so long without finding any trace of him. Even now that he was apprehended, we still couldn't find enough evidence to convict him.
I temporarily left the interrogation room and walked with Liu Yuning down the long corridor.
Seeing the troubled look on my face, Liu Yuning quietly said, "It seems our consultant He is also stumped."
"Not necessarily. I need to go back to the tattoo parlor again!"
"Alright, I'll go with you this time! But it's late at night."
"It's fine. Many times, subtle clues are discovered at night!"
Leaving the police station, we immediately headed to the Long Teng Tattoo Parlor based on the previous address. The place was now sealed off by the police, with blue and white caution tape surrounding it.
We put on shoe covers and head coverings, donned rubber gloves, stepped over the caution tape, and entered the tattoo parlor.
Everything inside was made of wood, even the walls seemed to be constructed from a type of willow wood. The parlor had five rooms, with a small reception area. The walls were adorned with pictures of tattoos for customers to reference, along with prices for various services.
The cheapest tattoo cost 98 yuan, while some went up to several hundred, even over a thousand.
I noticed signs of overcharging, like fees for tea and air conditioning. Damn it! So stingy, no wonder it went out of business. If it were me, I'd leave a bad review after just one visit.
I muttered to myself and, passing through the reception area, entered the first room. Holding my flashlight, Liu Yuning and I surveyed the space. This room contained only a narrow metal-frame bed, some pigments nearby, a machine, and a wooden cabinet. I opened the cabinet and found it filled with pigments for tattooing.
It seemed unremarkable. I looked under the bed and then stood up to examine the surrounding walls. Just as I was about to check the other rooms, we suddenly heard rustling footsteps from the corridor outside.
Liu Yuning and I froze simultaneously. Wasn't this place supposed to be empty?
We drew our weapons and left the room. But the moment we stepped out, we discovered a naked woman, covered head-to-toe in tattoos, or rather, in countless layers of paint, crawling in the corridor!
Her face was a mess of complex and chaotic colors. No part of her limbs remained its original hue, as if she had fallen into a vat of dye.
She moved towards us like a demon from hell, her twisted body writhing.
We pointed our guns at her and warned, "Police! Stop right there!"
She seemed not to understand us at all, making guttural noises. I lowered my weapon and moved closer, only then realizing that the woman's tongue appeared to have been cut off, rendering her unable to speak. I quickly approached her, and she tightly embraced me again, making more sounds.