Wu Xiumin then said, “Han Kuan also said that in the last academic year before graduation, the school arranges internships for students. So, he should have returned to the Golden City oil factory. However, because of some problem with his application, Han Kuan had to apply for a new work permit, so he had to wait until the second half of the year to do his internship.”
Wu Xiumin then explained, “Originally, Han Kuan planned to go back to Golden City to wait, but he happened to meet a teacher named Lang Xiangyang. After Mr. Lang retired, he and his friends started a sales company that sells teaching equipment in Beiqian. Mr. Lang thought that Han Kuan was honest and smart, so he invited him to work for his company and promised him a generous salary.”
Wu Xiumin took a breath, then said, “Han Kuan had nothing else to do at that time, and since he was attracted by the generous salary, he accepted the offer and went to Beiqian with Mr. Lang. Han Kuan said that there were several other students who went to Beiqian with them, but they were not in the same class as him. At that time, he was mainly responsible for the installation and maintenance of all of the equipment. He worked hard and was able to earn a lot of money during that time!”
Wu Xiumin paused for a moment, then continued, “But, after a busy half a year, he got his work permit, so he had to quit the job at Mr. Lang’s company to go back to work in Golden City’s oil factory!”
Wu Xiumin then said, “But, not long after he went to work there, his novel was published in a magazine, which made him a lot of money. As the work at the oil factory was not satisfactory to him at that time, he resigned and became a full-time writer!”
She then added, “Team Leader, I asked him carefully, and Han Kuan said that he has been to Yingping, Guang’an, Changping and Beiqian, which are all of the places where the victims in the Devil Case died! Moreover, the times that he visited these places were within the same period as the case! So, his chances of being the real murderer from the Devil Case are quite high! However, it’s quite strange, as if he is really the murderer, he shouldn’t have told me all of that!”
Zhao Yu also felt that Han Kuan’s confession was very strange, so he asked, “Han Kuan told these things to you himself?”
Wu Xiumin instantly confirmed this to be true, “Yes. As soon as the interrogation began, he mentioned the SARS outbreak, saying that he had been working in Beiqian during the worst of it! Team Leader, he was clearly insinuating something. Do you think that he is playing a trick on us?”
“Then… What about Zhang Jingru?” Zhao Yu asked. “What did Han Kuan say about Zhang Jingru? Did they know each other at that time?”
“No!” Wu Xiumin said. “Han Kuan said that he only knew Zhang Jingru through others’ introductions in Golden City. Apparently, Zhang Jingru attended a post graduate school in Changfeng. Although she attended school later than Han Kuan did, her school was a three-year program, so they started to work the same year.”
She then added, “Also, Han Kuan mentioned one very important thing… Zhang Jingru once mentioned that the same year of the SARS outbreak, Zhang Jingru’s parents asked her to come home early because they were worried about the epidemic’s serious impact on Beiqian. Therefore, when SARS broke out, Zhang Jingru was not in Beiqian. Because of this, the two of them never met each other in Beiqian.”
Zhao Yu was surprised by this. “Ah! She was not in Beiqian!”
Cui Lizhu shook her head, then asked, “So… Zhang Jingru has nothing to do with the case? But… We found the demon picture in Zhang Jingru’s documents. I’m confused!”
“I was afraid that Han Kuan was lying, so I called Zhang Jingru’s brother after we spoke!” Wu Xiumin said hastily. “Zhang Jingfeng confirmed it to be true. During the SARS outbreak, Zhang Jingru did indeed return to her home in Golden City. She did not return to Changfeng until the SARS outbreak was completely eradicated.”
Wu Xiumin then said, “Later, I asked about the Devil Case. Han Kuan said that he never heard of it when he was at Beiqian, but had only heard about it later through the media outlets! I closely observed his reactions, and he was very calm throughout the whole interview, even calmer than anyone else I’ve interviewed regarding the Devil Case.”
Her eyes grew wide as he adeed, “There’s another incredible thing… I asked Han Kuan about what units or schools he visited when he was in Beiqian. He said that he could not remember those details clearly. In fact, he only remembered one or two of them. When he told me the names, one of them was the Guang’an Special Education School. This is a school that is specifically for the deaf and mute!”
“Oh…” Zhao Yu was very familiar with the Devil Case, so he knew the significance of this and immediately responded, “One of the victims in the Devil Case was a teacher at that very school!”
After Zhao Yu said this, Cui Lizhu suddenly thought of something and asked Zhao Yu, “Boss, have you read about this teacher’s background? Isn’t it similar to the Headless Female Corpses Case?”
“Why would you bring up the Headless Female Corpses Case?” Zhao Yu was quite confused by Cui Lizhu’s seemingly random words.
Cui Lizhu was so excited that she opened her hands wide as she said, “The Devil Case is about bullying, right? Well, maybe it’s not just about students who bully other students! It is also possibly about teachers bullying students! The victim was a teacher at a school for the deaf and mute, so maybe the teacher had bullied some of the students, so the murderer killed this teacher! This is very similar to Li Fei’s motive for killing people!”
Cui Lizhu then said with excitement, “Then, if we stay with this motif of bullying, maybe the store owner bullied the employees, and the old lady in her sixties may have taken advantage of others in this same way. So, on second thought, I think that the Devil Case murderer’s motive was not only about campus bullying, but against all injustices! In fact, he seems to want to use the power of the devil to destroy the evil and oppression in the world. So… Who could be the murderer? Do you really think that Han Kuan is the murderer?”
After hearing this, Wu Xiumin murmured, “According to what you just said, the murderer should be similar to Li Fei! But… All of Han Kuan’s psychological traits are the total opposite of Li Fei’s!”
“The thing is…” Zhao Yu frowned and said, “Han Kuan’s confession came too easily! There’s obviously something wrong with it!”
Suddenly, Cui Lizhu exclaimed, “Would it be possible that Han Kuan is not the murderer, but that the murderer is actually a person who is very familiar with Han Kuan, such as one of his classmates? Maybe this person wanted to help Han Kuan, or seek revenge on his behalf, so he came to Yaoming to kill Laogua?”
She then added in an excited tone, “Then, this mysterious murderer followed Han Kuan to Beiqian, and so on and so on! He killed people wherever Han Kuan went, which would then mean that the real murderer from the Devil Case is actually a shadow killer!”
Zhao Yu clucked his tongue and said in a somewhat fatherly tone, “Okay now, slow down, Cui, and let me think about all of this. If there is such a shadow killer, shouldn’t there have been a similar murder in Golden City?”
Golden City? When Wu Xiumin heard this, she immediately said, “I’ll call Ba Chen and tell him to check it out!”
“My God…” Cui Lizhu’s big eyes showed tremendous panic as she asked, “If that’s the case, how many people have been killed by this shadow killer?” Cui Lizhu’s words made the atmosphere instantly ice-cold.
“Shut up!” Zhao Yu shouted at Cui Lizhu.
He then calmly said to Wu Xiumin, “Wu, firs send me the video of your interrogation last night! Then, check to see if there are any similar cases in Golden City. After you do that, write a detailed report about Han Kuan and the Devil Case, then send it to the Criminal Division to apply for an official arrest warrant. According to what we know now, we can definitely detain Han Kuan in the police station, as he’s now the biggest suspect in the Devil Case!”
Wu Xiumin then said, “Han Kuan also said that in the last academic year before graduation, the school arranges internships for students. So, he should have returned to the Golden City oil factory. However, because of some problem with his application, Han Kuan had to apply for a new work permit, so he had to wait until the second half of the year to do his internship.”
Wu Xiumin then explained, “Originally, Han Kuan planned to go back to Golden City to wait, but he happened to meet a teacher named Lang Xiangyang. After Mr. Lang retired, he and his friends started a sales company that sells teaching equipment in Beiqian. Mr. Lang thought that Han Kuan was honest and smart, so he invited him to work for his company and promised him a generous salary.”
Wu Xiumin took a breath, then said, “Han Kuan had nothing else to do at that time, and since he was attracted by the generous salary, he accepted the offer and went to Beiqian with Mr. Lang. Han Kuan said that there were several other students who went to Beiqian with them, but they were not in the same class as him. At that time, he was mainly responsible for the installation and maintenance of all of the equipment. He worked hard and was able to earn a lot of money during that time!”
Wu Xiumin paused for a moment, then continued, “But, after a busy half a year, he got his work permit, so he had to quit the job at Mr. Lang’s company to go back to work in Golden City’s oil factory!”
Wu Xiumin then said, “But, not long after he went to work there, his novel was published in a magazine, which made him a lot of money. As the work at the oil factory was not satisfactory to him at that time, he resigned and became a full-time writer!”
She then added, “Team Leader, I asked him carefully, and Han Kuan said that he has been to Yingping, Guang’an, Changping and Beiqian, which are all of the places where the victims in the Devil Case died! Moreover, the times that he visited these places were within the same period as the case! So, his chances of being the real murderer from the Devil Case are quite high! However, it’s quite strange, as if he is really the murderer, he shouldn’t have told me all of that!”
Zhao Yu also felt that Han Kuan’s confession was very strange, so he asked, “Han Kuan told these things to you himself?”
Wu Xiumin instantly confirmed this to be true, “Yes. As soon as the interrogation began, he mentioned the SARS outbreak, saying that he had been working in Beiqian during the worst of it! Team Leader, he was clearly insinuating something. Do you think that he is playing a trick on us?”
“Then… What about Zhang Jingru?” Zhao Yu asked. “What did Han Kuan say about Zhang Jingru? Did they know each other at that time?”
“No!” Wu Xiumin said. “Han Kuan said that he only knew Zhang Jingru through others’ introductions in Golden City. Apparently, Zhang Jingru attended a post graduate school in Changfeng. Although she attended school later than Han Kuan did, her school was a three-year program, so they started to work the same year.”
She then added, “Also, Han Kuan mentioned one very important thing… Zhang Jingru once mentioned that the same year of the SARS outbreak, Zhang Jingru’s parents asked her to come home early because they were worried about the epidemic’s serious impact on Beiqian. Therefore, when SARS broke out, Zhang Jingru was not in Beiqian. Because of this, the two of them never met each other in Beiqian.”
Zhao Yu was surprised by this. “Ah! She was not in Beiqian!”
Cui Lizhu shook her head, then asked, “So… Zhang Jingru has nothing to do with the case? But… We found the demon picture in Zhang Jingru’s documents. I’m confused!”
“I was afraid that Han Kuan was lying, so I called Zhang Jingru’s brother after we spoke!” Wu Xiumin said hastily. “Zhang Jingfeng confirmed it to be true. During the SARS outbreak, Zhang Jingru did indeed return to her home in Golden City. She did not return to Changfeng until the SARS outbreak was completely eradicated.”
Wu Xiumin then said, “Later, I asked about the Devil Case. Han Kuan said that he never heard of it when he was at Beiqian, but had only heard about it later through the media outlets! I closely observed his reactions, and he was very calm throughout the whole interview, even calmer than anyone else I’ve interviewed regarding the Devil Case.”
Her eyes grew wide as he adeed, “There’s another incredible thing… I asked Han Kuan about what units or schools he visited when he was in Beiqian. He said that he could not remember those details clearly. In fact, he only remembered one or two of them. When he told me the names, one of them was the Guang’an Special Education School. This is a school that is specifically for the deaf and mute!”
“Oh…” Zhao Yu was very familiar with the Devil Case, so he knew the significance of this and immediately responded, “One of the victims in the Devil Case was a teacher at that very school!”
After Zhao Yu said this, Cui Lizhu suddenly thought of something and asked Zhao Yu, “Boss, have you read about this teacher’s background? Isn’t it similar to the Headless Female Corpses Case?”
“Why would you bring up the Headless Female Corpses Case?” Zhao Yu was quite confused by Cui Lizhu’s seemingly random words.
Cui Lizhu was so excited that she opened her hands wide as she said, “The Devil Case is about bullying, right? Well, maybe it’s not just about students who bully other students! It is also possibly about teachers bullying students! The victim was a teacher at a school for the deaf and mute, so maybe the teacher had bullied some of the students, so the murderer killed this teacher! This is very similar to Li Fei’s motive for killing people!”
Cui Lizhu then said with excitement, “Then, if we stay with this motif of bullying, maybe the store owner bullied the employees, and the old lady in her sixties may have taken advantage of others in this same way. So, on second thought, I think that the Devil Case murderer’s motive was not only about campus bullying, but against all injustices! In fact, he seems to want to use the power of the devil to destroy the evil and oppression in the world. So… Who could be the murderer? Do you really think that Han Kuan is the murderer?”
After hearing this, Wu Xiumin murmured, “According to what you just said, the murderer should be similar to Li Fei! But… All of Han Kuan’s psychological traits are the total opposite of Li Fei’s!”
“The thing is…” Zhao Yu frowned and said, “Han Kuan’s confession came too easily! There’s obviously something wrong with it!”
Suddenly, Cui Lizhu exclaimed, “Would it be possible that Han Kuan is not the murderer, but that the murderer is actually a person who is very familiar with Han Kuan, such as one of his classmates? Maybe this person wanted to help Han Kuan, or seek revenge on his behalf, so he came to Yaoming to kill Laogua?”
She then added in an excited tone, “Then, this mysterious murderer followed Han Kuan to Beiqian, and so on and so on! He killed people wherever Han Kuan went, which would then mean that the real murderer from the Devil Case is actually a shadow killer!”
Zhao Yu clucked his tongue and said in a somewhat fatherly tone, “Okay now, slow down, Cui, and let me think about all of this. If there is such a shadow killer, shouldn’t there have been a similar murder in Golden City?”
Golden City? When Wu Xiumin heard this, she immediately said, “I’ll call Ba Chen and tell him to check it out!”
“My God…” Cui Lizhu’s big eyes showed tremendous panic as she asked, “If that’s the case, how many people have been killed by this shadow killer?” Cui Lizhu’s words made the atmosphere instantly ice-cold.
“Shut up!” Zhao Yu shouted at Cui Lizhu.
He then calmly said to Wu Xiumin, “Wu, firs send me the video of your interrogation last night! Then, check to see if there are any similar cases in Golden City. After you do that, write a detailed report about Han Kuan and the Devil Case, then send it to the Criminal Division to apply for an official arrest warrant. According to what we know now, we can definitely detain Han Kuan in the police station, as he’s now the biggest suspect in the Devil Case!”
