Wang Zeyu suffered from insomnia, his mind consumed by Cao Shi all night. In the morning, someone took over the duty of protecting Zhang Ping, and Cao Shi immediately took a bus to Wende Xiaoyuan. The place seemed a bit unsettled.
Old Mr. Wende sat in a grand tutor chair by the door, with a woman in her forties, still possessing considerable charm, standing beside him. She massaged his back and said with a smile, "Little Shi, be good. If you admit you're wrong, we'll go eat."
"I'm not eating!"
A man in a suit, wearing three-piece leather shoes and with his hair slicked back with oil, sneered, "Today, the sun is rising from the west over the Forbidden City. Even you pig can be picky about your food."
The man who had seen the once prim and proper fifty-something man stood rigidly to the right of old Mr. Wende, holding a ruler.
Meanwhile, Cao Shi, whom Wang Zeyu was looking for, was kneeling on a prayer mat in the center of the courtyard, looking utterly unwilling.
If it were any other disciple, old Mr. Wende would have already started hitting him with the ruler. This Cao Shi, however, made old Mr. Wende fight the urge to laugh. At this moment, seeing Wang Zeyu push open the door, old Mr. Wende found an excuse: "The officer is here. Everyone disperse. Such trivial matters are not worth making a spectacle for the officer."
Everyone heard their master's command and dispersed. As the man with the slicked-back hair passed by, Cao Shi sneezed. The slick-backed man paid no attention, but Wang Zeyu clearly saw Cao Shi's gaze linger on him for a moment. The lady, however, concerned by Cao Shi's sneeze, asked, "Little Shi, is it cold kneeling?"
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"It's fine, Senior Sister. Please save two bowls of porridge for me, no, three."
Li Jiu did not leave, staring at his master. He saw his master tap the grand tutor chair three times with his finger thoughtfully. A smile appeared on Li Jiu's lips.
"Officer, you're looking for Little Shi, so I won't keep you. I haven't had breakfast yet. Have you eaten?"
"Yes, thank you, old sir."
Old Mr. Wende nodded and walked towards the side rooms. Cao Shi hurriedly called out, "Master, please make sure Senior Sister saves the porridge for me."
"Who gave you permission to eat?"
"If I can't eat now, I can't have it later when I can!"
Old Mr. Wende sighed, "What is to be done about this mouth!"
...
After old Mr. Wende left, Cao Shi stood up, supporting his leg, and complained to Li Jiu, "You didn't even say a word for me."
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"What's it to me?"
Wang Zeyu's patience had reached its limit. He interrupted the brothers' conversation and got straight to the point: "Cao Shi, did you push Zhang Ping into the Dragon Locking Well?"
"He wasn't pushed in. It took a lot of effort to get him stuck there so he wouldn't die, which wasn't easy either."
He admitted it. Wang Zeyu clenched his fists, his eyes wide, "Beating around the bush telling me stories. So you are the murderer."
Before Cao Shi could answer, Li Jiu snorted, "Foolish."
Wang Zeyu looked at Li Jiu with displeasure. Cao Shi explained, "My senior brother means that the murderer is foolish."
"That's not what I meant." Li Jiu was referring to Wang Zeyu as foolish, and he was displeased with Cao Shi's explanation. Black is black, white is white; there's no need to be so diplomatic.
"Senior Brother, then tell us what you mean, starting with the murderer."
Li Jiu thought for a moment, "The murderer is very foolish..."
As soon as he said this, Wang Zeyu felt a sense of relief. However, he caught a glimpse of a smug smile on Cao Shi's lips out of the corner of his eye. Wang Zeyu immediately understood. This Li Jiu was arrogant due to his perceived talent, while Cao Shi understood human interactions far better than Li Jiu.
Original text from Ta-dù Novel.
"The murderer is very foolish. His foolishness lies in believing he is the smartest person in the world. But he overlooked some common-sense errors."
Wang Zeyu was puzzled, "What are common-sense errors?"
Li Jiu smiled, "I'll ask you, how long have you been in the criminal investigation team?"
"Not too long, about a year. I used to work at the police station."
"And your partner?"
"Old Qu?"
"I don't know his name, just asking. How long has Old Qu been here?"
"Old Qu has been here for over ten years. He's an old-timer. Although he's not a leader, everyone respects and trusts him."
"And you?"
"I..."
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Wang Zeyu couldn't answer. It was unquestionable that everyone in the criminal investigation team trusted Old Qu. For instance, when Wang Zeyu told the captain that he had been drugged and knocked out for half an hour. The captain trusted him implicitly and led his team to investigate the textile factory. But upon their return, everyone, instead of sympathizing with Wang Zeyu, began to mock him because of something Old Qu said. Old Qu claimed he had to have the anesthetic for a tooth extraction twice to be effective. How could a handkerchief-like object cause someone to fall unconscious? This statement aligned with common sense and demonstrated Old Qu's experience, so everyone continued to trust him, and even felt the captain had been overly dramatic.
Seeing Wang Zeyu speechless, Li Jiu continued to educate him, "In fields such as persuasive psychology, public speaking psychology, interpersonal communication psychology, and management psychology, the phenomenon where high-credibility information elicits trusting behavior is called the halo effect."
"Halo effect?"
"The last time I visited your morgue, I noticed something. If Ms. Bai's pressure marks were not obvious and could be overlooked by the forensic examiner, it would be understandable. However, with Sister Ren San, the pressure marks were visible on her lips, and her nasal bone showed slight signs of fracture. For your forensic examiner to overlook this is highly suspicious."
"Is there something wrong with the forensic examiner?"
"What's wrong? I'm talking about the halo effect, and you're listening. I've checked, and there have been cases of suicide at No. 18 Xizhimen. One occurred in '78, and another in '85. Both of these cases were treated as suicides."
Wang Zeyu understood. Old Qu had been working here for over ten years, and he had handled the suicide cases in '78 and '85. Because of this, the forensic examiner believed Old Qu had experience in this area. Under the halo effect, the forensic examiner briefly examined the hyoid bone and confirmed that both individuals had committed suicide.
Thinking of this, Wang Zeyu squatted on the ground, his mind in turmoil. Was there something wrong with Old Qu? He was only two months away from retirement. He was a veteran detective, with both achievements and hardships in the criminal investigation team. Whoever the murderer was, why would it be Old Qu!
Cao Shi looked at the distressed Wang Zeyu and tried to comfort him, "Perhaps my senior brother is mistaken. Let's look for more evidence."
"I am not mistaken," Li Jiu stated clearly.
Original text from Ta-dù Novel.
"Senior Brother, I'm just trying to placate him. Can you stop talking?"
"Placate what? Black is black, white is white. Can't a criminal investigator be a bad person?"
Cao Shi was frantic, scratching his head! At this moment, Wang Zeyu also regained his senses, "What should I do?"
"My junior brother has already made arrangements, hasn't he?" Li Jiu said with a smile.
Cao Shi sighed and continued, "The news that Zhang Ping was rescued yesterday must be known to everyone in the criminal investigation team. As long as you go back and tell the captain that the murderer is Zhao Gang, the person hiding in the dark will surely act."
Wang Zeyu looked at Cao Shi and asked earnestly, "He will kill Zhao Gang to silence him."
"Silencing him is certain. However, your colleague has been a criminal investigator for many years and is experienced. If he directly commits murder, the possibility of him being investigated will be very high. Therefore, he will definitely use the method of substitution and frame me."
Today was the most confusing day of Wang Zeyu's career as a criminal investigator. He looked at Cao Shi, "How can Old Qu frame you?"
"Do you remember the 'Forbidden City Folktales' column? It mentioned several locations. To kill Sister Ren San, they had already arranged the grave in Dongzhimen. To save Zhang Ping, I staged the incident of him being thrown into the Dragon Locking Well. Therefore, the next ones to be used will be the phantom bus route 345 and the invisible executioner of Caishikou."
"Is this some kind of legend?"
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"What legend is this? The phantom bus route 345, it's always the last bus that disappears. The real reason isn't that the bus disappeared, but that the driver didn't follow company rules and drove straight home. And there were workers getting off their night shifts there, who often said the bus disappeared again. So, it spread and became a terrifying supernatural legend. As for the invisible executioner, it's because there was a dismemberment case there once. The murderer separated the head from the body, and then used a needle and thread to sew the head and body back together, disguising it as an ancient beheading, hence the invisible executioner." kuAiδugg
"I understand. As long as I follow your plan and go back to tell the captain that the murderer is Zhao Gang."
"Yes!"
"Will Old Qu definitely appear on bus route 345?"
"Definitely!" Cao Shi and Li Jiu said in unison.
...
Wang Zeyu inexplicably believed the words of these two brothers and thus began to suspect his colleague Old Qu. He didn't know if he was right or wrong. He felt completely dazed. However, upon returning to the criminal investigation team, Wang Zeyu immediately reported that Zhao Gang was the murderer. Upon hearing that Zhao Gang was responsible for the suicide cases in '78 and '85, the captain's brows furrowed.
"Don't tell Old Qu about this for now. And don't take any action. I'll contact the police officers from the precinct to arrest Zhao Gang."
"Captain, I'd like to get yesterday's autopsy report."
"Go ahead!"
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Wang Zeyu went to the morgue and met the forensic examiner, whose expression was somewhat awkward. "It's indeed possible that he was drugged first, and ether components were detected. I admit I was mistaken, but it's not just me, right? Even the experienced Old Qu was mistaken."
Hearing the forensic examiner say this, Wang Zeyu's heart skipped a beat, "Old Qu has seen the new autopsy report."
"Yes!"
"Where is he?"
"He probably went back to his office."
Old Qu was not notified of the arrest operation. Wang Zeyu understood that the captain probably didn't fully trust Old Qu either. However, he didn't want to take the blame, to be the one to tarnish the reputation of a veteran detective about to retire.
But fate is such that Old Qu, being a smart man, sensed it. He would surely get to Zhao Gang before the police.
Did it ultimately turn out this way?
Wang Zeyu, holding a ceramic mug, sat at his desk, saying nothing, lost in thought.
At noon, the captain walked over and whispered, "Little Wang, have you seen Old Qu? Zhao Gang wasn't apprehended. I suspect..."
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Wang Zeyu stood up and left before the captain could finish. The captain was stunned and shouted, "Where are you going?"
"I'm taking leave."
"Take... take what? Who permitted you to take leave? Wang Zeyu, come back here. If you don't come back, I'll deduct your bonus for the entire month."
A criminal investigator next to them added, "Captain, Wang Zeyu already has no bonus this month."