Chapter 37

Chapter 37: Murderous Joy (37)

"I really didn’t know there was a basement down there! When I came to the glass factory, the whole factory had already moved to the east side!"

"My father has already retired and his health isn't good, so can you stop bothering him? He doesn't know! Who knows why there would be a basement there!"

The criminal investigation team gathered the executives and old workers of the glass factory to ask about the old workshop's basement. The existence of a basement there was highly unusual. Why was it built? How did the killer know about it? The answers could only be found from people who knew about the basement. However, these people stood there with sorrowful expressions, saying they didn't know.

The basement was large, indicating that it had been modified when it was built. Most of the construction workers had come from other areas, worked for money, and left without any registration, so it was nearly impossible to find them now.

An old worker said, "It must have been built by the old factory manager. Our generation thought the underground was safer than above."

Hai Shu had heard people mention the old factory manager Li Yun several times. He was the one who, due to superstition, decided to move the factory. It was also him who invited Liang Lan Jun and Zhao Yue to Zhou Ping Town. It was likely he who built the basement. But he was already dead, and many mysteries were buried because of that.

The old worker's words had some credibility. Their generation had experienced war, and many places had underground defense structures back then.

Hai Shu handed the questioning work over to others and stood aside, thinking. She had originally thought that a small group of people at the glass factory would know about the basement. Since the killer dared to hide the bodies there, it indicated that the killer was very familiar with the old workshop and the basement. The killer was either among those who knew about the basement or had a close relationship with them.

But after investigating, everyone claimed they didn’t know. What they said didn’t matter much to Hai Shu because anyone could lie, but their eyes and micro-expressions showed that they likely didn’t know.

If the senior workers at the glass factory didn’t know, it was even less likely that the younger people did.

While thinking, Hai Shu kept seeing the silent faces of Liang Lan Jun and Zhao Yue. They were invited by Li Yun. Would Li Yun have told them about the basement?

Hai Shu then thought of someone—Guang Yong Guo.

Hai Shu made a call to the detention center. Guang Yong Guo’s voice sounded similar to what it had been before, but when Hai Shu mentioned the basement in the old workshop, his speech became faster. "That was built by the old factory manager."

Hai Shu asked, "Why did he build such a place?"

Guang Yong Guo replied, "It was just the old factory manager's personal preference. You know, back then, everything was decided by the factory manager."

Hai Shu asked again, "Did you ever go down there?"

Guang Yong Guo said, "I went to check it out when it was being built. The old factory manager said he didn’t want the people in the town to know about it. All the workers there were from other places, and I was sent to supervise. Once it was finished, I never went back. That place is like the underworld, why would I go?"

Hai Shu asked, "Did you mention it to anyone else?"

Guang Yong Guo said, "No, the old workshop wasn’t even fully finished before we moved. No one else mentioned it, and I don’t remember it either."

The search area in Zhou Ping Town was expanding, and the glass factory had almost stopped working. People were starting to get suspicious, watching their coworkers and neighbors, thinking that one of them might be the killer.

Liang Lan Jun and Zhao Yue were brought to the police station and separated into different interrogation rooms.

Hai Shu pushed open one of the doors. Zhao Yue looked up when she saw her, and her shoulders tensed slightly. "Officer Hai."

Hai Shu sat down, and another team member adjusted the camera.

"You know what happened, right?" Hai Shu asked casually.

Zhao Yue nodded, "They’re all talking about it."

Hai Shu asked, "Are you afraid?"

Zhao Yue smiled awkwardly, "I trust the police. The police will definitely catch the killer."

Hai Shu then said, "I’m not asking if you’re afraid of the killer committing another crime."

Zhao Yue looked confused. "Huh?"

Hai Shu said, "What I mean is, do you feel scared now that you know there are many bodies buried in the old workshop?"

Zhao Yue froze, and after a few seconds, her eyes shifted. "This..."

"I’ll help you remember," Hai Shu placed her hands on the table. "Before the Spring Festival, you and Liang Lan Jun drove to the old workshop in the middle of the night to burn paper. You didn’t come back until dawn. I don’t mean to offend your deceased loved ones, but I thought about that scene—early in the morning, before sunrise, the time when many superstitions say ghosts are most active. You were waiting for your loved ones to come and 'collect money.' Just one wall away, the bodies of the victims were lying there, two of them even chopped into pieces. Now that I think about it, don’t you feel scared?"

Zhao Yue instinctively tightened her arms, and her face turned pale. "Yes, it’s really scary."

Hai Shu then changed her tone, "But it shouldn’t scare you. After all, you knew Wan Ze Yu killed Yuan Zhong there, and you still dared to go there in the middle of the night to burn paper."

Zhao Yue immediately said, "Officer Hai, I’ve explained this to you. Every year, Liang Lan Jun and I go there to burn paper because it’s quiet."

Hai Shu said, "You go there every year. Did you ever notice the basement?"

Zhao Yue shook her head, "No, we don’t go in."

Hai Shu stared at her but didn’t continue with the next question. Zhao Yue clearly didn’t want to make eye contact and shifted her gaze away.

"I heard the basement was secretly built by the old factory manager," Hai Shu said. "When he invited you and Liang Lan Jun here, did he mention the basement?"

Zhao Yue gave a wry smile, "Since it was built secretly, how could he tell outsiders like us? Officer Hai, I think you misunderstood something. My husband and I weren’t invited by the old factory manager. ‘Invite’ is too formal. Actually, he knew our story and pitied us, so he gave us a place to live peacefully."

Hai Shu said, "Yes, your story. I’ve always wanted to know your story, but you won’t tell me. If it weren’t for the investigation into Gong Zhao and Ju Ning, I’d still think it was justifiable that Liang Lan Jun was expelled for hurting someone."

Zhao Yue looked at the table, not responding.

Hai Shu said, "What about you? You must have a similar hidden reason for being expelled, right? That’s probably why you ended up together."

They were husband and wife, yet they didn’t seem like a married couple.

After a moment, Zhao Yue looked up and gave Hai Shu a small smile, "My story really has nothing to do with the bodies you found. Officer Hai, please don’t waste any more time on me."

"Every effort we make to solve the case is not a waste of time," Hai Shu shifted the conversation forward, "I suddenly thought of something. The day you and Liang Lan Jun went to the old workshop for another reason, even if you knew it was a crime scene, now that you know there are bodies in the basement, you wouldn’t feel scared, would you?"

Zhao Yue's pupils contracted slightly.

"The police recently discovered that the old workshop is where Wan Ze Yu killed Yuan Zhong. The old workshop has entered the police’s sights, and it is no longer a safe place." Hai Shu spoke slowly, her gaze fixed on Zhao Yue’s face. "For the killer, the old workshop was the perfect place to hide the bodies, but once the police discovered the basement, everything was over. So, they kept an eye on the police. Once they saw the police retreat from the old workshop, they quickly took the risk and went."

"I guess their original plan was to move the bodies, dispose of them, but the task was too big, too time-consuming. They could only execute their second plan—clear away their traces in the basement. But even so, it took them the whole night. To explain their actions, they burned paper outside the old workshop. But unfortunately, on their way back to the town, they ran into me."

Zhao Yue let out a long, sharp breath, her eyes filled with tears, "We didn’t! We really just went to burn paper! Officer Hai, why would my husband and I kill someone? We didn’t even know who they were!"

Hai Shu took out three printed photos, placing them one by one in front of Zhao Yue, "Ping Sheng, Xue Ning Lin, Li Hui."

Zhao Yue just kept shaking her head.

Hai Shu said, "They have a characteristic similar to Gong Zhao."

Zhao Yue made a violent gesture, "So you think my husband and I are seeking revenge?" As she spoke, tears began to fall one after another, looking like someone from the bottom of society crushed by an unfair fate, "No! How dare we!"

The questioning was temporarily interrupted. As Hai Shu was leaving the interrogation room, she heard a team member sigh beside her. Hai Shu turned to look at him, "Empathizing with Zhao Yue?"

The team member quickly denied but said, "She really looks pitiful."

Hai Shu said, "Empathy is fine, but we cannot overlook the suspicions just because of it. Do you think her behavior of burning paper before dawn makes sense?"

The team member said, "It’s very far-fetched."

Hai Shu said, "Exactly. This is why we, the front-line detectives, must be cold-blooded when necessary. We have to tear off the outer layers of empathy and hold on to the parts that don’t add up."

In another interrogation room, Liang Lan Jun was much quieter than Zhao Yue. He said he didn’t know anything about the basement, and for other questions, he either said he had already answered or remained silent.

Sui Xing said, "They’re betting that the police will never find any evidence."

Hai Shu asked, "What does the work record say?"

"On July 10th, October 12th, and December 3rd, there’s no record of them going to the city. But I heard from the workers that the record is kept casually. If they remembered, they wrote it down. If not, it’s forgotten."

"What about the car?"

"We’ve arranged for the investigation, no abnormalities."

Hai Shu said, "There must still be blind spots we haven’t noticed. Keep searching!"

At this moment, a call came from the city bureau. A retired professor from Hui Yong University heard that the police had investigated Zhao Yue's expulsion during the Spring Festival and had come to the city bureau to speak with the female officer who visited that day.

Sui Xing couldn’t leave Zhou Ping Town, so he asked a colleague from the city bureau to help with a video call for the elderly lady. On the screen appeared an elderly woman with white hair, surnamed Huang. Her demeanor and clothing indicated she was an intellectual, but there was a faint regret in her eyes.

She looked at Sui Xing and softly asked, "Are you the police officer who came to our college?"

Sui Xing nodded, "Professor Huang, I want to know why Zhao Yue was expelled. What really happened?"

Professor Huang sighed, "Zhao Yue was a very promising child. She was harmed by those people. At that time, I thought about myself and my family, and I didn’t dare to help her. I let her down by betraying her trust."

In Professor Huang’s memory, Zhao Yue was cheerful and hardworking. She often participated in school activities and studied at the library. Her grades were excellent. When classmates asked her questions, she answered everything she knew, and when she didn’t know, she figured it out and shared it with them. Unlike the showy girls in the department, Zhao Yue had many friends but no romantic relationships.

Back then, many people in the university were talking about relationships, but Zhao Yue really hadn’t been involved with anyone, and her roommates could testify to that.

So later, one day, when the news of Zhao Yue’s pregnancy spread, everyone found it unbelievable.

Zhao Yue’s mental state was not good, and it didn’t seem like she was in a relationship that was naturally progressing. Having a boyfriend was one thing, but getting pregnant was a big matter. The rumors spread throughout the academy, and the teachers realized that Zhao Yue might have been forced, so they arranged for a female teacher close to her to talk to Zhao Yue.

Professor Huang was one of the teachers who went to talk to her.

“Little Zhao, if you’re in trouble, just tell me. I’m a woman too, I understand. You’ve been hurt, right? Who did it, tell me, our academy will definitely stand up for you!”

Zhao Yue shook her head while crying, her words incoherent. Sometimes she said it was voluntary, other times she said the academy couldn’t do anything about it.

Professor Huang was patient, and after the first attempt failed, she went to talk to Zhao Yue several more times.

But during this time, the rumors about her pregnancy were enough to ruin a female university student. Soon, students from other departments began to gossip about Zhao Yue’s lack of propriety. She was pregnant but still wouldn’t reveal who the father was—was it true love? Some even said Zhao Yue had climbed into the bed of some big professor and could easily earn a PhD.

The latter rumor put the academy in an extremely awkward position. The school also applied pressure, demanding the issue be resolved quickly to minimize the impact. The academy conducted a self-examination, and all male professors wrote guarantees denying the rumors, while Zhao Yue also said no teacher was involved.

But debunking the rumors had no effect. The more they denied it, the more the students believed it was true and the louder the calls to expel Zhao Yue became.

The academy had no choice. At this point, they seriously considered expelling Zhao Yue. However, they also said that if Zhao Yue revealed who was responsible, at least the academy’s reputation would remain intact, and the issue could be discussed further.

Professor Huang was once again sent to persuade Zhao Yue. This time, Zhao Yue was clearly on the edge of breaking down, crying in her arms, claiming she was innocent.

“Little Zhao, tell me, there’s nothing to be afraid of. We’ll figure out a way together.”

Maybe it was because of Professor Huang’s sincerity, or maybe Zhao Yue just couldn’t bear it anymore, but on that rainy night, she finally revealed the misfortunes she had suffered for the past six months.

Zhao Yue came from a single-parent family, having no father since childhood. Her weak yet strong mother raised her. After Zhao Yue entered university, her mother’s health deteriorated, but she refused to get treated. To stop spending her mother’s money and save for her treatment, Zhao Yue started working part-time from her first year of university. She was good at foreign languages and, while working part-time at Yongheng Group, caught the attention of the female executive, Qian Ying, who assigned her some translation work.

At first, she was very happy. Yongheng Group was one of the most famous companies in Hui Yong City, and Qian Ying was like a gentle older sister to her.

But the good times didn’t last. She soon realized that what Qian Ying valued was not her language ability but her body.

Qian Ying was in her forties but single. People outside said no man was worthy of such a strong woman. When she brought Zhao Yue to the side of her large bed in her villa, Zhao Yue realized the truth. Qian Ying liked women!

Zhao Yue had heard of homosexuality but never thought she would encounter it herself. She struggled desperately but was eventually sent to the hospital. Her resistance made Qian Ying even more determined not to let her go. Zhao Yue was just a poor university student, while Qian Ying was the cousin of the chairman of Yongheng Group, in front of Qian Ying, she was like a tiny ant.

Qian Ying said if Zhao Yue agreed to be with her, her mother’s illness could be cured. Zhao Yue had almost no choice. She stayed with Qian Ying for two months, enduring all kinds of torment.

At that time, Qian Ying’s other female companion returned from abroad, with status and wealth similar to Qian Ying. Zhao Yue thought she was about to escape from the hell she was in, but the reality she was met with was even more filthy and unbearable.

She was raped because the other woman hated her for stealing her love. Qian Ying despised men, and now that Zhao Yue had been tainted by men, in Qian Ying’s eyes, she was nothing but trash.

Not only did Qian Ying not help her, but she allowed her companion to threaten her, telling her that if she ever spoke out, neither she nor her mother would survive.

At that time, Hui Yong City still had underground forces, and many people knew that Yongheng Group was the biggest underground force in the city. How could a tiny ant like her stand up to them?

She was too innocent and her knowledge of biology was shallow. She thought that after taking the medicine, she wouldn’t get pregnant. But fate seemed to target the unfortunate, and she still became pregnant.

Professor Huang listened to the whole story, stunned into silence. She never imagined that this incident would be connected to Yongheng Group. Not to mention her, even the entire academy could not afford to offend Yongheng Group! And that female executive, Qian Ying, was rumored to have climbed to her current position because of several lives on her hands!

Zhao Yue continued crying, as though shedding all her grievances and despair from the past. Professor Huang became more and more uneasy. If she had known it was like this, she would never have accepted the academy’s task.

Zhao Yue wiped her tears, and hope sparked in her eyes, “Professor, you will help me, right?”

Professor Huang hastily nodded and fled in a panic. When the academy asked how the persuasion had gone, she and the dean had a long talk behind closed doors. When the dean heard about Yongheng Group, he was also shocked and quickly decided to treat today’s events as if they had never happened.

Soon, the academy expelled Zhao Yue, and Professor Huang never saw her again.

"I later found out she was selling things outside the school. I couldn’t face her anymore." As she spoke, tears began to glisten in Professor Huang’s eyes. She clasped her hands together, "Please convey my apologies to her. I am sorry for her."

Sui Xing, who had been deep in thought in the corner, was a local. She had heard of Yongheng Group since she was a child. In elementary school, the boys who performed poorly in class often said, “Studying is useless. When we grow up, we’ll go to Yongheng Group. You all work, and I’ll collect protection money from you.”

It was clear how rampant Yongheng Group had been back then.

So, Zhao Yue didn’t dare to speak out, and the academy didn’t dare to take any action. Until now, Yongheng Group had already vanished into thin air, and the female executive Zhao Yue spoke of, Qian Ying, had already spent a lifetime in prison. Zhao Yue was no longer willing to discuss that matter.

Hai Shu walked over and leaned against the wall opposite Sui Xing.

"Do you know how Yongheng Group fell?" Sui Xing didn’t look at Hai Shu, staring at the wall.

Hai Shu said, "I know."

An underground force as deeply rooted as Yongheng Group, openly doing business, providing massive tax revenue and employment opportunities to the local area, while secretly involved in murder and human trafficking, was a monster that everyone knew was criminal, but with such widespread power, what could anyone do about it?

Until the resilient and powerful female detective team leader, Xun Susu, came to Hui Yong City and single-handedly uprooted the giant tumor that had been entrenched in the land. Hui Yong City is what it is today because of her unparalleled determination and courage.

Hai Shu extended her hand to Sui Xing. Sui Xing looked at her hand, then shifted her gaze to her face, feeling a bit lost.

Hai Shu smiled, "Now it's our turn."

Rounds of investigation were ongoing, and the Criminal Investigation Team had basically determined that the culprits were Liang Lanjun and Zhao Yue. They had sufficient motives and the ability and time to commit the crime. However, the lack of evidence was a challenge; the traces in the basement had been destroyed, and there was no direct or indirect evidence at their homes or on the vehicles they used.

At this point, both the evidence and the suspects' confessions were crucial.

Initially, the police only investigated the vehicles used by Liang Lanjun and Zhao Yue—They owned a gray minivan, the same one Hai Shu had encountered, and they also frequently used a Santana and a white minivan from the factory. Later, Cheng Wei went ahead and checked every vehicle used by the workers at the factory.

"Do all the factory vehicles get parked here after use?" Cheng Wei asked, pointing to the cars parked outside the workshop, "Is there a record for every use?"

The workers said that the vehicles were all parked here, but there wasn't always a record. The keys were passed around; it had been like that for decades, and no one minded.

But suddenly, one worker spoke up, saying that some people parked the vehicles closer to their homes for convenience.

At this remark, everyone laughed awkwardly.

Cheng Wei immediately thought of the vehicle he had seen near Liang Lanjun's house and quickly asked, "Have you ever seen Liang Lanjun drive a different car?"

After thinking for a while, someone said, "At the end of last year, I saw Liang Lanjun come back early in the morning driving a black Santana, but Liang Lanjun didn’t notice him. After that, he never saw Liang Lanjun driving that car again."

Most of the vehicles in the factory were minivans and Santana models, which were also commonly seen on the streets of Zhou Ping Town. Cheng Wei returned to Liang Lanjun's house and confirmed that there was no black Santana around, reporting this information to Hai Shu. Hai Shu immediately said, "Go to areas far away from Liang Lanjun's house and search as far as possible! Also, pay special attention to those cars covered in dust and leaves, looking like they haven't been moved in a long time!"

Liang Lanjun and Zhao Yue had been interrogated multiple times. Zhao Yue seemed much more haggard now, looking at Hai Shu, "Officer Hai, can't you let us go back yet?"

Hai Shu replied, "I want to talk to you about two things."

Zhao Yue warily clenched her fingers and forced a smile, "What do you want to talk about?"

Hai Shu asked, "Liu Xiang was your and Liang Lanjun's spiritual anchor, right? When you saw her, it was like seeing the hopeful version of yourselves when you were young."

Zhao Yue smiled, "It's not that complicated. We just sponsored a female student. Officer Hai, I’ve already explained this."

But Hai Shu continued on her own, "You both thought her suicide was because she was treated the same way as you were. I guess she might have told you something, like mentioning the name of a certain girl."

Zhao Yue became uneasy, "No, she wasn't that close to us."

Hai Shu said, "You and Liang Lanjun both misjudged the cause of her death. She wasn't harassed because of her sexuality. She was a victim in another one of our cases."

Zhao Yue's shock was difficult to conceal. "Another… another case?"

Hai Shu continued, "The second thing I want to tell you is that Professor Huang, whom you once sought help from, contacted us. She told us about what you shared with her on that rainy night, as well as her fears and evasions."

Zhao Yue’s expression became cold and almost numb.

Hai Shu said, "She wants to apologize to you."

Zhao Yue's eyes reddened, the first time since her contact with Hai Shu. But she smiled and covered her eyes, "What's the use of saying these things now?"