The suspect was unable to continue. This cold-blooded man who didn't hesitate to kill four people and didn't flinch even facing a dozen guns was now sobbing uncontrollably.
The stenographer couldn't write a word, tears welling up in her eyes without realizing it. Zhuang Zhen remained serious on the outside, but inside, he was far from calm. He had never expected that the behind this series of murders hid such a shocking and horrifying tragedy.
Song Rui took off his glasses and gently massaged his aching forehead, lost in thought.
Due to the suspect's extremely agitated state, the interrogation had to be temporarily suspended. However, Liao Fang and the forensic technician, who were examining the important evidence - the diary, continued to turn its pages. The later passages had fewer and fewer words, replaced by large sections of disordered symbols, splattered blood, thick black ink spots, and even knife scars.
Words like "death," "fear," "despair," and "relief" alternated in these disordered stains, clearly showing that the mental state of the diary writer had deteriorated significantly.
Liao Fang and the forensic technician's eyes were already red, and their noses were congested, they had to take a break to catch their breath. They felt that they were not reading a diary but witnessing the destruction of a person. Her body was ruthlessly destroyed, her spirit was completely extinguished, and in the end, she wasn't even a person anymore, but rather a puppet, or even a domesticated animal.
Liao Fang's hands trembled as she turned the pages of the diary, and as a bystander, she could deeply feel the pain and sorrow. How much more pain and anger must the suspect, as the only relative of the record-keeper feel?
Unconsciously, they reached the end of the diary, and a twisted and disordered line of text jumped into Liao Fang and the forensic technician's eyes: [Year XX17, June 17th, I suddenly received a text message from Yezi yesterday. I don't know how she got my phone number or who told her, but that doesn't really matter now. She said she's coming back to the country next week and wants to meet me, and said that we're best friends, and asked me not to refuse. What should I do? Why is she coming back? Why is she looking for me? Should I refuse her? Can I refuse her?]
A striking blood stain covered this page, and Liao Fang struggled to recognize the remaining contaminated passages, only to find that they were all repeating "devil."
Devil, devil, devil... after five years of settling, it seemed that the diary writer finally understood what had happened to her, and finally recognized the true face of this so-called good friend.
Liao Fang choked for a long time before she turned the next page, but found that the two pages of the diary had been stuck together by thick, sticky blood and could not be opened. At that moment, she almost blurted out, "I can't bear to read the rest of this content!" But as a police officer, she had to grasp and understand all the important evidence.
She gritted her teeth and asked, "These pages are stuck together, do you have a way to open them?" When she spoke again, she realized that her voice was unexpectedly hoarse.
"Wait a moment." The technician's voice was also dry, but he quickly brought specialized equipment, moistened two pieces of paper, and then carefully separated them with tweezers.
The last diary entry was once soaked in thick fresh blood, and even though many years have passed and the bloodstains have long dried up, the pungent, cruel, and desperate taste still clings to the pages, never to be erased. The recorder wrote with a sharp pen: "[I'm sorry, this time I want to refuse, refuse this world with you in it. Goodbye, Yezi, goodbye brother, I love you!]".
Seeing this, Liao Fang finally burst into tears, covering her mouth and choking, "Why? Why did she have to say 'I love you' to Ruan Yezi before she died?"
The technician remained silent for a long time before sighing, "You don't understand. Only by thinking of the good in Ruan Yezi will she not feel that there is no hope and beauty in the world."
"No, that's not it. She is hope and beauty herself. She's so pitiful..." Liao Fang couldn't continue, for fear that tears would fall on the diary, contaminating important evidence. She quickly stood up, raised her head high, and forced back the urge to cry.
At that moment, she suddenly remembered a sentence by the existentialist philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre - "Hell is other people." If you want to know what hell looks like, don't go to the underworld or Hades, just look inside the human heart to fully understand.
Liao Fang's heart was pounding. What made her sad was not the recorder's ordeal, but the fact that even at the brink of death, the other person didn't know how to hate. Xiao Rui had been completely controlled, brainwashed, and tamed by Ruan Yezi. Only death could give her release. However, the irony was that this tragedy could have been avoided; she had countless chances to break free from Ruan Yezi's control.
Meanwhile, the sound engineer had also stopped crying, expressing deep self-blame, "I could have saved her. I had countless chances to help her escape that hell, but I turned a blind eye to her pain and despair."
Zhuang Zhen and Song Rui did not say a word, because they knew that at this point, the sound engineer would naturally speak freely. He had nothing left to hide.
"Can you give me a cigarette?" the sound engineer wiped his face and tried to muster some spirit.
Zhuang Zhen handed him a cigarette and lit it for him.
The sound engineer took two slow puffs and continued, "During high school, my sister asked for more and more living expenses from me, from the initial four or five hundred to six or eight hundred. I provided what I could, scolding her harshly when I couldn't. I thought she was just seeking vanity and had picked up bad habits from others. I was very disappointed in her. On the year she graduated from high school, I rushed back from Guangzhou to help her with college applications, only to find that she had scored barely over three hundred points and couldn't even attend a vocational school. I was furious and heard from classmates that she had many boyfriends, was promiscuous, and never studied, just played around. I believed their words and slapped her in front of everyone, accusing her of being heartless and ungrateful for my efforts. How could I have known that for three years of high school, not a single penny of the living expenses I sent had reached her? Ruan Yezi and his family had taken it all. While they abused her without guilt, they also spread rumors about her outside, depicting her as a bad girl. Living in such an environment, was it so bad for her to score just over three hundred points in her exams? How could I have scolded and hit her?"
At this point, the sound engineer fell silent for about a minute, then continued, "On the day of college applications, I was very angry. I was a little too heavy-handed, and it was Ruan Yezi who grabbed my arm, stopping me from beating Xiao Rui again, and even spoke many good words for her. I remember sincerely thanking Ruan Yezi for her care for my sister over the past three years."
The sound engineer laughed bitterly with a hoarse voice, his expression becoming extremely intense. "Isn't it ironic? I actually thanked the scoundrel who ultimately killed my sister! I trampled on my sister's dignity and even her life. I crushed her last trace of hope for help, and also extinguished her courage to live. Who has no heart? It's me who has no heart! Who should die? Ruan Yezi? No, it's me who should die!"
He took a deep drag on the cigarette, then extinguished the burning end with his fingertips, his eyes filled with deep hatred.
The smell of charred flesh filled the confined space, making Zhuang Zhen extremely uncomfortable. Song Rui also shifted uncomfortably, seemingly restless. However, they didn't interrupt the sound engineer, as they knew he had much more to divulge.
The sound engineer continued, "I could have saved Guo Fei, I had countless opportunities to help him escape that hell, but I turned a blind eye to his pain and despair."
Zhuang Zhen and Song Rui did not say a word, knowing that the sound engineer would continue to express his thoughts freely. He had nothing left to hide.
"Can you give me a cigarette?" the sound engineer asked, wiping his face and trying to pull himself together.
Zhuang Zhen handed him a cigarette and lit it for him.
The sound engineer took long drags from the cigarette and continued, "During high school, my sister kept asking for more and more living expenses from me, starting from four to five hundred yuan, and finally reaching six to eight hundred. I provided as much as I could and scolded her harshly if I couldn't meet her needs. I thought she was just seeking vanity and had picked up bad habits from others. I was very disappointed in her. On the year she graduated from high school, I rushed back from Guangzhou to help her with college applications, only to find out that she had scored barely over three hundred points and couldn't even attend a vocational school. I was furious and heard from classmates that she had many boyfriends, was promiscuous, and never studied, just played around. I believed their words and slapped her in front of everyone, accusing her of being heartless and ungrateful for my efforts. How could I have known that for three years of high school, not a single penny of the living expenses I sent had reached her? Ruan Yezi and his family had taken it all. While they abused her without guilt, they also spread rumors about her outside, depicting her as a bad girl. Living in such an environment, was it so bad for her to score just over three hundred points in her exams? How could I have scolded and hit her?"
At this point, the sound engineer fell silent for about a minute, then continued, "On the day of college applications, I was very angry. I was a little too heavy-handed, and it was Ruan Yezi who grabbed my arm, stopping me from beating Xiao Rui again, and even spoke many good words for her. I remember sincerely thanking Ruan Yezi for her care for my sister over the past three years."
The sound engineer laughed bitterly with a hoarse voice, his expression becoming extremely intense. "Isn't it ironic? I actually thanked the scoundrel who ultimately killed my sister! I trampled on my sister's dignity and even her life. I crushed her last trace of hope for help, and also extinguished her courage to live. Who has no heart? It's me who has no heart! Who should die? Ruan Yezi? No, it's me who should die!"
He took a deep drag on the cigarette, and then used his fingertip to extinguish the burning end, his eyes filled with deep hatred.
The smell of charred flesh filled the confined space, making Zhuang Zhen extremely uncomfortable. Song Rui also seemed restless, as if unable to sit still. However, they did not interrupt the sound engineer, as they knew he still had much to say.
The sound engineer continued, "I could have saved Guo Fei. I had countless opportunities to help him escape that hell, but I turned a blind eye to his pain and despair."
Zhuang Zhen and Song Rui did not say a word, knowing that the sound engineer would naturally speak freely at this point. He had nothing left to hide.
"Can you give me a cigarette?" the sound engineer rubbed his face and tried to gather his spirits.
Zhuang Zhen handed him a cigarette and lit it for him.
The sound engineer took a few puffs and continued, "Guo Fei asked for increasing amounts of living expenses during our high school years, starting from four to five hundred yuan, and eventually reaching six to eight hundred. I gave him what I could, scolding him vigorously when I couldn't meet his demands. I believed he was just chasing after vanity and had picked up bad habits from others. I was very disappointed in him. When he graduated from high school, I came back from Guangzhou to help him with college applications, only to find out that he had scored barely over three hundred points and couldn't even attend a vocational school. I was furious, and heard from classmates that he had many girlfriends, was promiscuous, never studied, and just played around. I believed their words and slapped him in front of everyone, accusing him of being heartless and ungrateful for my efforts. How could I have known that for three years of high school, not a single penny of the living expenses I sent had reached him? Ruan Yezi and his family had taken it all. While they abused him without guilt, they also spread rumors about him outside, depicting him as a bad person. Living in such an environment, was it so bad for him to score just over three hundred points in his exams? How could I have scolded and hit him?"
At this point, the sound engineer fell silent for about a minute, then continued, "On the day of college applications, I was very angry. I was a little too heavy-handed, and it was Ruan Yezi who grabbed my arm, stopping me from beating Xiao Rui again, and even spoke many good words for her. I remember sincerely thanking Ruan Yezi for her care for my brother over the past three years."
The sound engineer laughed bitterly with a hoarse voice, his expression becoming extremely intense. "Isn't it ironic? I actually thanked the scoundrel who ultimately killed my brother! I trampled on my brother's dignity and even his life. I crushed his last trace of hope for help, and also extinguished his courage to live. Who has no heart? It's me who has no heart! Who should die? Ruan Yezi? No, it's me who should die!"
He took a deep drag on the cigarette and then used his fingertip to extinguish the burning end, his eyes filled with deep hatred.
The smell of charred flesh filled the confined space, making Zhuang Zhen extremely uncomfortable. Song Rui also seemed restless, as if unable to sit still. But they did not interrupt the sound engineer, knowing he still had much to explain.
The sound engineer began to confess the situation, saying, "I didn't intend to kill Gao Fei; I just wanted to record a video to force him to confess to what happened in the past. As you know, a diary alone is not enough to convict those scoundrels. I reported my sister's death to the police on the day it happened, but when the police went to Ruan Yezi's home to inquire, I don't know what Ruan Yezi's parents told them. When they returned, they refused to handle the case and told me that the diary could not be considered as evidence and had no legal effect. Later, I asked many lawyers and got the same answer. As a powerless ordinary person, how could I seek justice for my sister?"
"Later, I saw Gao Fei on television; he had become famous and had a good reputation, being called a high-quality idol. Isn't it ironic?"
The sound engineer laughed bitterly again, then continued with a teeth-clenched voice, "Gao Fei had a certain social influence; if I obtained a video of him confessing to his crimes, wouldn't the police take it seriously? Shouldn't they give my sister an explanation? I just wanted to abduct him, take him to a quiet place for interrogation, and then let him go. I was prepared, and I followed him to the rooftop."
The sound engineer's eyes became even redder, his tone filled with resentment. "Initially, I didn't intend to kill him, but during the confrontation, he dismissively told me that even if I revealed the past events, it wouldn't have any impact on him. He could buy off journalists and manipulate public opinion, smearing my sister's reputation, releasing her photos and videos, and portraying her as a money-hungry woman. Many former classmates knew about my sister's promiscuous behavior, which could be used against her in any interview. No one would believe me; they would only say that the diary was fabricated by me, intended for extortion. They would say that my sister deserved to die, and that I was not a good person. Gao Fei is a celebrity, and he has that kind of influence. There are always some fools on the internet who will believe him, believing those fabricated so-called 'facts'. They will just follow the crowd, without any care for my sister's death."
The sound engineer asked for another cigarette from Zhuang Zhen and continued to smoke, with a bitter smile on his face. "I'm also half a member of this entertainment circle, so I know that what Gao Fei said is true. Once public opinion takes off, even if my sister had died, they would have dug her up and beaten her. So at that moment, I was filled with rage, shaking all over, unable to think straight. When I came to my senses, I had already pushed Gao Fei off the building."
Hearing this, Xiao Li, who was in the monitoring room, became anxious, speaking into his Bluetooth earpiece, "Captain, ask him how he got on the rooftop and why the surveillance cameras didn't capture it. I've checked numerous times and can guarantee that the surveillance footage has no signs of tampering."
Zhuang Zhen then interjected with a question.
The sound engineer shook his head, "I had planned my revenge for three years, so naturally, I was well-prepared. When I went up to the rooftop, I wore rubber shoes, gloves, and a wig, so there were no traces of me at the scene. I have outstanding technical skills and also serve as the maintenance engineer for this building. I bought the surveillance equipment in the building, installed the software, wrote the code, and connected the signals. All the monitoring was under my control. I had previously recorded many videos of Gao Fei taking the elevator to the top floor. That day, he wore an old set of clothes, identical to one of the videos I had recorded, down to the socks and shoes. I saw an opportunity. I went up with him, killed him, and then, on my way down in the elevator, I took out my phone and overlaid the pre-recorded video over that day's footage. So, you only saw him going up to the top floor, with no evidence of anyone else. I used cutting-edge remote-sensing image substitution technology, with full network coverage at different times, ensuring no traces of tampering. Even the world's top hackers wouldn't be able to find a flaw, especially as I am considered one of the world's top hackers. I only have a high school diploma, and I learned hacking on my own, so no one around me knows about my ability. Naturally, you wouldn't suspect me."
The sound engineer's emotions had by now become quite calm, and he even chuckled lightly, saying, "By overriding the surveillance signal, I also feigned anxiety and rushed into the elevator, then went up to the top floor to help Cao Xiaohui and look for Gao Fei. Since the subsequent surveillance videos were recorded normally, it became my alibi, allowing me to evade your investigation. I thought, if killing one person is murder, and killing two, three, or four is still murder, what does it matter? The police couldn't provide justice for me, so I took matters into my own hands."
The sound engineer's tone grew even more calm and concise, as he went on to detail the other three murders. This provided clarity to many previously unanswered questions. He possessed top-notch hacking skills, had studied anti-detection methods, and through network investigations, found the weaknesses of his targets, making it easy for him to carry out the killings.
After clearing up all four cases, the sound engineer sighed deeply and shook his head, "I had everything planned, but the one thing I didn't expect was that Vajrala almost ruined everything for me!"
Zhuang Zhen's gaze suddenly became extremely sharp, as he pressed further, "What is your relationship with him? Did he participate in your plan?"
Song Rui, who had been keeping his head down and massaging his forehead, suddenly became alert and raised his head to keenly observe the sound engineer, waiting for his response. The appearance of Vajrala was the remaining enigma that had yet to be deciphered for him in this case.
The sound engineer had no idea how much trouble his words had caused to the members of the special task force. He smirked and said, "When I see those death warnings, what I fear most is not getting caught, but rather those people turning themselves in. My sister committed suicide. Even if they uncover the truth of that year, they would only sit in prison for a few years. If they pay money to make connections and hire the best lawyers, they might not even have to go to prison. After all, so many years have passed, much of the evidence has been destroyed, and imprisonment and torture in our country is not considered a major crime. I was worried all night and couldn't sleep, but those people didn't even consider turning themselves in, still enjoying themselves outside."
At this point, the sound engineer laughed even more triumphantly, "Do you know? What I used to hate the most was their lack of remorse, but now, what I am most grateful for is also their lack of remorse. Their refusal to turn themselves in has made my plan easier. It's not me who killed them, but they dug their own graves. They deserve it!"
The sound engineer stubbed out the cigarette butt in his hand, his tone icy, "If they had even a little bit of conscience and voluntarily went to the police station to confess, none of today's events would have happened. When I saw Vajra's third death warning, I gradually regained my sanity. I told myself—if the remaining three people voluntarily confess to the police and sincerely repent, I will definitely let them go. I also want my sister's spirit to see that this world is just as she imagined, still has love, beauty, and hope. But as you know, this screwed up world always disappoints. Forgiveness, pardon, letting go, they don't deserve any of it!"
The scalding cigarette butt burned through the sound engineer's palm, the increasingly strong burnt smell causing Song Rui's head to throb. He signaled to Zhuang Zhen with his eyes, and Zhuang Zhen took over the interrogation work alone, asking many detailed questions, then handing the prepared transcript to the sound engineer for confirmation and signature.
The case was closed, but none of the members of the special task force were happy. Two police officers were preparing to take the sound engineer to the detention center when Ruan Ye's parents suddenly burst into the criminal police brigade, kicking and beating the sound engineer, shouting that the other party should be sentenced to death.
Ruan Ye's younger brother held a knife in his hand and stabbed at the sound engineer's abdomen.
Zhuang Zhen and Liu Tao controlled Ruan's mother and father, and no one noticed Ruan Ye's younger brother's actions. Just as it seemed he was about to succeed, Yang Shengfei suddenly rushed out from behind and forcefully grabbed Ruan Ye's brother's wrist, then slammed him to the ground and handcuffed him, saying in an extremely cold tone, "You are suspected of assaulting in the police station and are under arrest!"
"I didn't kill someone else, it's the murderer who hurt my sister! Let go of me, why do you have the right to arrest me!" Ruan Ye's brother gnashed his teeth and shouted.
Yang Shengfei didn't say a word, just ruthlessly twisted off the knife, and rudely lifted Ruan Ye's brother and locked him in the interrogation room. He remained cold throughout, his eyes full of deep hatred, not directed at the sound engineer, but unleashed on the Ruan family.
Seeing their son being arrested, Ruan's parents became even more agitated. As they were high-profile intellectuals and social elites, the director and deputy director quickly came to appease them, and ordered for Ruan Ye's brother to be released. The whole family sat comfortably in the reception room, receiving VIP treatment, and even demanded an apology from Yang Shengfei, or threatened to file a complaint.
With a stern expression, Yang Shengfei looked at the family, not saying a word. The director and deputy director felt uncomfortable and ordered Yang Shengfei to hand over his police badge and gun, and suspended him from duty. At that moment, Zhuang Zhen and Song Rui entered the reception room to apologize in place of Yang Shengfei.
Ruan's father and mother, who had been arrogant, surprisingly backed down quickly. They repeatedly declared their desire for the culprit to be severely punished, then left with their arrogant son. Zhuang Zhen was only a small police officer, and the reason for their quick compromise was not out of respect for him, but due to their fear of Song Rui's authority. This person was an exemplary figure in the academic world, possessing great influence and a wide network both domestically and internationally. With just a few words, he could ruin the reputation of Ruan's father and mother in the academic world, especially since the reason for Ruan Ye's kidnapping was so ignominious.
After seeing them off, the director shook his head and said, "What a fuss. With all this effort, how come they didn't teach their daughter properly?"
"As for Xiao Fei's suspension..." Zhuang Zhen didn't finish his sentence, as the director waved his hand, uninterestedly saying, "Suspension? Why suspend him? Do you believe what I said to them. If he stabbed someone in our department, it would have been considered good of me not to send him to prison! What kind of people are they, allowing their child to commit violence in the police station? Are they even fit to be parents? Ruan Ye turned out like that for a reason. Parents like that will have children like that. They didn't educate their child properly and now try to shift the blame to us! Just wait, when their daughter is ruined, their son will have no future."
After complaining, the director patted Yang Shengfei's shoulder and left. Zhuang Zhen noticed that Yang Shengfei's chest was still heaving heavily, and his eyes were also red, as if he was feeling emotionally unsettled. He ordered him to go to the dormitory and rest before coming back to work later.
Yang Shengfei was about to refuse, when the police officer responsible for investigating the sound engineer's social background and connections came back, and said definitively, "Boss, we have checked, and Vajra and Xiao Jin indeed have no connection. Although Xiao Jin had been tracking Gao Yi Ze on the internet for three years, he only recently had contact with him in real life. During this period, Vajra had just started his solo career, had never participated in STARS group activities, and had never recorded songs at Feixiang Recording Studio with Gao Yi Ze or Sun Ying. Vajra had the support of the Vajra family, and the recording studios he worked with before were all top-notch in the industry. He looked down on small studios like Feixiang Recording Studio, which was why, even though he and Xiao Jin were in the same circle, they had no interaction."
Zhuang Zhen had not spoken yet, but Song Rui couldn't wait and asked, "Are you saying that Vajra and Xiao Jin don't even know each other?"
"Yes, they don't. The recording studios Vajra worked with before were among the top in the industry, and Feixiang Recording Studio was just a no-name small studio that he didn't care about. It's really a coincidence, if it wasn't for Vajra's solo career and his unwillingness to provide resources for the STARS group, Gao Yi Ze and Sun Ying wouldn't have worked with the cheaper Feixiang. This was a golden opportunity for Xiao Jin." The police officer sighed, "It goes to show that everything is predetermined."
Song Rui still couldn't believe this conclusion and continued to ask, "They didn't have any interactions on the internet either?"
Just as Xiaoli came out of the computer room, he quickly replied, "Captain, Dr. Song, I just checked, they also had no interaction on the internet."
"Are you sure? Remember, Xiao Jin is an internet expert and should be good at erasing traces." Song Rui was still struggling.
"I am sure. His skills are indeed good, but I am competent too and it's quite easy to trace a few social media accounts. They really had no contact." Xiaoli nodded emphatically.
"Okay, I understand." Song Rui took off his glasses, revealing a tired face. In fact, he had already realized that what the sound engineer said in the interrogation room was not a lie, and he and Vajra indeed were two people who had no connection, living on parallel lines.
In other words, Vajra was innocent from start to finish.
The long-held inner doubts finally found an answer, and Song Rui not only didn't breathe a sigh of relief, but instead felt increasingly oppressed. If Vajra and the sound engineer really had no connection, then how did he know about the other's murder plan? Was it really as he said, because of spiritual communication?
Thinking of the inexplicably bitter water and Vajra's words denying and exposing himself, Song Rui's originally restless heart churned again. He could easily see through everyone, but couldn't read Vajra, who was the biggest mystery of this case, perhaps one that he would never be able to solve.
A medium, is there really such an existence in the world that defies common sense?