S.C.I Mystery Series Volume 2 Chapter 5

The Innocent Murderer 05 - Defamation

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After hearing Gongsun's ridicule, the woman looked ugly at first, but soon returned to normal and smiled: "I heard you are just a small forensic doctor."

Gongsun rolled his eyes and continued to drink milk... His stomach hurt.

"I met Jintang in the business field. I heard that he has a boyfriend, so I came to see for myself." The woman continued, "You are much more ordinary than I thought."

Gongsun usually has a moderate temper day to day, and a bad temper when he is hungry or tired, but when he has a stomach-ache, it is very bad.

In his heart, he wondered where Bai Jintang found such a woman who ran here just to go crazy, like a wife who caught a mistress in the living room. If people found out about this, people would think that Gongsun was fighting a woman for a man. In his bad mood, Gongsun exposed his poisonous tongue. He looked the woman up and down and helplessly asked "Your Excellency is Mrs. Bai?"

The woman was a little proud, "I will be soon."

Gongsun nodded and said, "It turns out to be the future stepmother of Jintang... No, I remember Uncle Bai is quite tasteful, and you are not as pretty as Aunt Bai."

The woman's face changed for a while after hearing what Gongsun said, and she raised her hand to call the waiter, "Give me a glass of water!"

Soon, someone brought her a glass of water. The woman picked up the water and splashed it on Gongsun's face, but Gongsun did not evade, because a dinner plate quickly blocked his eyes, blocking the splash of water.

Because she used a lot of strength to splash water and the plate was very close, most of the water bounced back and splashed all over herself. The woman looked at herself embarrassedly, and looked up at the nosy person next to her. She discovered that it was not the waiter who brought her water just now.

In front of her was a young man in a suit and leather shoes, he had an ordinary face. His eyes were staring at her with a smile on his face.

"Who are you?" The woman asked the man coldly.

"A lawyer," The man said casually, "stopping you from committing a crime."

The woman curled her lips, nodded with a sneer, stood up and said to Gongsun, "Goodbye." After speaking, she turned and left.

Gongsun inexplicably watched her go madly, picked up the milk and continued to drink.

"Is everything alright?" The man sat down and said to Gongsun, "My name is Pu Shaoheng... I was sitting next to you and happened to overhear your conversation, so I got nosy."

Gongsun tilted his head to look at him, did not speak, as if he was thinking about something.

"I've heard of your name a long time ago." Pu Shaoheng was familiar with him, "I heard that you are the best forensic doctor in the country."

Gongsun stared at him for a long time, then turned his face and beckoned to the waiter to pay the bill.

Pu Shaoheng was a little embarrassed. As he was thinking about what to say, he heard Gongsun ask, "What are you looking for?"

"Uh..." Pu Shaoheng blushed, "No... it's just a coincidence."

Gongsun nodded, "Right, you just happened to follow me here from the police station?"

"I..." Pu Shaoheng blushed. At this moment, a man walked to Gongsun's side. The man was dressed in a black suit, tall and burly, with a vicious face. He stood beside Gongsun, lowered his head and asked in a low voice, "Do you need us to deal with it?"

Gongsun shook his head, "No, thank you."

The man in black stood respectfully and stood not far away... Pu Shaoheng looked around, only to find that there were two men in black in the store, and there were two outside of the store. They were both hidden, but their sights were clear; they were watching them. It seemed that if he moved rashly, it would be dealt with by them. Involuntarily swallowing, Pu Shaoheng laughed dryly and said, "I... I want to ask you for help."

Gongsun raised his eyebrows and waited for him to continue.

"This is... the photo of the corpse related to Fang Wo's murder case." Pu Shaoheng took out a few documents from his handbag and put them in front of Gongsun, "I hope you can help me look at them."

Gongsun didn't reach out to pick it up, and said lightly, "I don't operate a private clinic. If you want me to look at it, you need to follow the official procedures."

"...Fang Wo's case, I feel it's suspicious." Pu Shaoheng insisted, "I just ask you to take a look when you have time. Maybe you will find something. I just want to make the last effort for Fang Wo. Once he is convicted, it's either life in jail or the death penalty!" After he finished speaking and before Gongsun refused, he stood up, bowed to Gongsun, turned around and walked away quickly.

Gongsun sighed and shook his head. He really couldn't eat peacefully. He continued to drink the milk while he opened the documents and looked at them. The pictures of the bloody ripped body made his stomach more uncomfortable, but gradually, Gongsun's sight was attracted. He put down the cup and looked at them intently. He finally stood up with the documents and quickly walked back to the police station.

The several bodyguards looked at each other and hurriedly followed. One of them quickly sent a text message.

Bai Jintang had been so busy these days that he wanted to settle the matter quickly and get back. Da Ding and Xiao Ding were also treated humanely by him, and he was so tired that the two of them screamed. In the midst of the dire straits, Xiao Ding suddenly received a text message from the bodyguard responsible for Gongsun's safety.

Xiao Ding opened it and saw it read, "A woman came to provoke him. She called herself Mrs. Bai. She splashed water on Gongsun. He was rescued by a man. Gongsun originally planned to go home to sleep. After having a deep conversation with the man, he returned to the police station angrily."

"Puff..." Xiao Ding spit out water and handed the phone to Da Ding, who took a second sip.

Bai Jintang, who was reading a document, looked up suspiciously at the two, and saw that the twins were looking at him with sympathetic and gloating eyes...Ah, his right eyelid twitched!

……….

Bai Yutang drove Zhan Zhao to the detention centre and asked to see Fang Wo.

The prison guard arranged for the two to meet Fang Wo in a special interview room.

Contrary to the two's expectations, Fang Wo didn't look very downhearted or innocent. He appeared to be extremely stable. He sat quietly in the interview room. Although he was wearing the clothes that are for an extreme felon, he didn't look like one; instead, he was quiet and gentle.

Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao first looked at him from the observation room for a while, and Bai Yutang smiled, "Cat, he has a perverted murderous temperament!"

Zhan Zhao looked at him helplessly, and said, "It's really different."

After watching for a while, the two opened the door and walked into the interview room.

Fang Wo was sitting inside, he looked up and saw Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang coming in. With a shallow curiosity in his eyes, he watched the two sit down in front of him, his gaze traversing between the two. He seemed to be thinking about them, the identity of the people in front of him.

Bai Yutang was surprised, Fang Wo's expression clearly reflected his thoughts and emotions – judging by appearance, he should indeed be a simple person.

Zhan Zhao watched his actions, frowned slightly, and asked, "Are you Fang Wo?"

Fang Wo nodded and said nothing.

"Your lawyer suggested that we come and see you." Bai Yutang said, "Do you have anything you want to tell us?"

Fang Wo blinked and slowly said, "I've said it many times, I didn't kill anyone."

Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao looked at each other, "The axe that you usually perform with is the murder weapon."

Fang Wo nodded and said, "It was planted."

Zhan Zhao suddenly waved to the prison guard at the door. The prison guard came in and heard Zhan Zhao say to him, "Uncuff his left hand."

Both Bai Yutang and the prison guard were slightly startled, but Fang Wo's face showed a smile.

The prison guard hesitated, Bai Yutang nodded to him, and said, "Uncuff him."

The prison guard walked over and uncuffed Fang Wo, then cuffed his right hand to the chair.

Zhan Zhao reached out and tapped on the table, motioning for Fang Wo to put his left hand up.

Fang Wo did as he asked. Zhan Zhao stretched out his hand, held Fang Wo's pulse, and asked, "Did you kill someone?"

Fang Wo shook his head lightly, and said calmly, "No."

Zhan Zhao stared at Fang Wo for a while, and then asked again, "Did you kill someone?"

Fang Wo was silent for a while, then suddenly laughed, a sly look appeared in his originally cold eyes, and he lowered his voice and said grimly: "I killed them."

Bai Yutang frowned and looked at him, "What kind of nerve do you have?"

Fang Wo laughed twice, blinked at Zhan Zhao, and retracted his hand.

Bai Yutang looked at Zhan Zhao in a puzzled manner, and saw that Zhan Zhao's face turned pale. He withdrew his hand, staring at Fang Wo.

"Cat?" Bai Yutang asked Zhan Zhao, "What's wrong with him?"

Zhan Zhao was silent for a while, then said, "His pulse did not changed at all."

... Bai Yutang was stunned for a while, looking at Fang Wo, "No change?"

"Ha ha ha..." Fang Wo laughed suddenly, and said, "If I were to be tested for a lie... I would definitely not die."

"Don't even think about it!" Zhan Zhao said coldly, "Stay in jail for a lifetime." After he finished speaking, he stood up and wanted to take Bai Yutang away, but Fang Wo suddenly said, "You should want me to live, right? "

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang looked back suspiciously. Fang Wo smiled slightly, reached out and licked his hand, and slowly wrote a few words on the table – I LOVE YOU.

The two were stunned for a moment. Bai Yutang frowned, took a few steps and grabbed Fang Wo, "How do you know?!"

Fang Wo laughed and said, "If you want to know the truth, let me do a lie test."

"Ignore him!" Zhan Zhao pulled Bai Yutang, "There is a TV in the prison!" After he finished speaking, he took Bai Yutang and left. But Fang Wo said lightly from behind, "When they were cut open... they should have been alive."

At this moment, Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang stopped walking. This is something that would never appear on TV... How would he know?

"You might as well think about it," Fang Wo whispered, "Otherwise... the tragedy will not stop." After speaking, he fell silent.

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang walked out of the detention centre unconsciously, both of them a little confused. After a long time, Bai Yutang asked, "Cat... is Fang Wo the murderer?"

Zhan Zhao shook his head, "I don't know, I only know that if I don't want Fang Wo to die, I can only let him take a lie detector test, but if I let him take a lie detector test, I'm falling for his plan."

"It's hard to ride a tiger." Bai Yutang also shook his head, "Can't be led by the nose, right?"

Zhan Zhao raised his eyes to look at him, "What should I do?"

Bai Yutang thought for a while, "You can apply for adjournment of the trial, as long as we find doubts!"

"Doubts?" Zhan Zhao thought for a while, then while pulling up Bai Yutang, he said, "Go! Let's go back to the police station!"

The two drove back to the police station quickly and entered the SCI office. They asked Jiang Ping to retrieve all relevant information about Fang Wo's case. At this time, Gongsun rushed in and said, "You two are back? I have something for you!"

"Didn't you go home?" Bai Yutang was surprised.

"This is a photo of the body from Fang Wo's case!" Gongsun handed it to Bai Yutang, "Look at the details of this photo!"

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang took a look at the photo, and saw that part of the body also had fingerprints similar to the dismemberment case.

"They too..." Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang couldn't believe it, Gongsun turned over the photo and said, "Look! Look at his expression!"

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang took a closer look, and saw that the corpse's face was full of pain and fear, and his eyes were looking at his belly.

"Alive?!" Zhan Zhao was shocked.

"Could it be the same murderer?!" Bai Yutang shook his head, "How could the method of killing suddenly change?"

"At least this is common ground!" Zhan Zhao said to Bai Yutang, "Let's go to Bao Sir and take over the case, then postpone Fang Wo's trial!"

Bai Yutang nodded, and the two hurried to find Bao Zheng with the photo.

Seeing the murderous aura of the two rushing in, Bao Zheng asked incomprehensibly, "What are you doing?"

Bai Yutang put the photos of Fang Wo's case and the dismemberment case in front of Bao Zheng, and said, "Bao Sir, this is what they have in common! We want to take over. Can we apply to the court to adjourn Fang Wo's trial?"

Bao Zheng picked up the photo and looked at it for a long time, then shook his head and said, "Insufficient evidence!"

"Bao Sir!" Zhan Zhao was anxious, "Fang Wo actually knows the details of killing people and dismembering the victims, and I found that he has very strong psychological control. If a polygraph is performed, it is very likely he will pass!"

Bao Zheng was silent for a while, and said, "It's too late."

"What do you mean?" Zhan Zhao was puzzled.

"Because Fang Wo's lawyers have found a group of experts to apply for a polygraph... The group of experts headed by Lu Liang is conclusive. The court has just approved the polygraph."

"What?!" Zhan Zhao was anxious, "How could that happen?"

"Actually... a polygraph test cannot be used as evidence." Bao Zheng said, "Therefore, there is no reason to refuse the advice of a psychologist!"

"However, once he passes the polygraph test, he is likely to be acquitted!" Zhan Zhao said, "Fang Wo is very evil. It cannot be ruled out that he is the murderer and he cannot be let go!"

Bao Zheng hesitated, "But the approval has already been granted, and I can't do anything about it. The most important thing is that we don't have sufficient evidence to prove that Fang Wo is the murderer... If you really doubt him, find new evidence before the result of his trial comes out. When the time comes, he will be detained as you wish!"

Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao looked at each other and reluctantly left Bao Zheng's office.

The two returned to the office and saw Lu Fang waiting inside. He saw Zhan Zhao and said, "Xiao Zhan, just now Lu Liang and a few psychologists called and asked you to monitor the polygraph."

Zhan Zhao frowned and said coldly, "I'm not going!"

"..." Lu Fang was silent for a while and said, "Xiao Zhan, why don't you go take a look?"

"If the outside world asks about it and you can't explain it well, just say that I don't advocate polygraph tests at all!" Zhan Zhao said in a low voice, "Solving cases is about evidence, not academia!"

"Uh..." Lu Fang looked at Bai Yutang helplessly, and saw Bai Yutang nodding to him. Lu Fang reached out and patted Zhan Zhao's shoulder, "Then I will deal with it!" After speaking, he turned and left.

That afternoon, Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang took out all the case materials of that year and began to organise them in a comprehensive way. Bai Yutang found that Zhan Zhao's state was wrong, and was a little worried. Even though it was dark, Zhan Zhao didn't intend to go to eat at all.

Everyone else in the SCI office dispersed. Luo Yang felt that the atmosphere was different after he came back from school, and he whispered to Luo Tian, "What's wrong with Uncle Zhan?"

Luo Tian said in a low voice, "Don't bother your Uncle Zhan, they are busy investigating the case."

"You can't stop eating even if you're busy!" Luo Yang ran over and pulled Zhan Zhao's hand, "Uncle Zhan, let's eat!"

Zhan Zhao touched Luo Yang and said: "Yang Yang, you are a good boy, but I am busy..."

"You have to eat too, even if you are busy!" Bai Yutang stretched out his hand to Zhan Zhao, "You don't understand the truth that children understand?"

Zhan Zhao was speechless. Bai Chi also ran over and laughed, "That's right, I have changed my mind, let's go and eat."

Finally, Zhan Zhao was dragged by a group of people to the restaurant downstairs in the police station for dinner.

The group of people entered the restaurant. Luo Yang ordered delicious things for everyone, and tried hard to make Zhan Zhao laugh. After a while, everyone was amused by Luo Yang. Zhan Zhao also let go of his worries and ate dinner.

At this moment, they listened to a special program on the TV hanging above the table... It was about the polygraph test for Fang Wo the day after tomorrow.

The special guest that the host was visiting was Lu Liang, a psychology professor who has always advocated for Fang Wo's polygraph.

Lu Liang was a scholar in his forties, he looked very gentle, and his forehead was slightly bald.

"Cat, why are psychologists like this?" Bai Yutang smiled.

Zhan Zhao also laughed and continued to eat noodles indifferently. He listened to the host asking Lu Liang: "Professor Lu, I heard that the authority in criminal psychology, Dr. Zhan Zhao, was invited to monitor the polygraph test?"

"Oh... Dr. Zhan has already rejected our request today." Lu Liang smiled slightly. "The police spokesperson said he does not support this polygraph."

"Why?" The host was puzzled, "Doesn't Dr. Zhan always promote the use of psychology in criminal investigation?"

"Heh... speaking and doing are two different things." Lu Liang sneered, "No matter how Zhan Zhao is, he is also a member of the police. The scope of his psychology application is only on the premise of assisting the police, not on the side of the people. He is a high-ranking official scholar. The rest of us are just wild roads among the people, not in the elegant hall."

"But why does Professor Lu insist on Fang Wo's polygraph this time?" The host continued to ask.

"I don't care about becoming an authority. It's just that Fang Wo's case is full of doubts. We seriously doubt the police's ability to handle the case... In addition, the most important thing is that if Fang Wo is executed, the real murderer may get away with it!"

.....

In the following conversation, Lu Liang kept insinuating his dissatisfaction with Zhan Zhao's lack of support for polygraph detection. He kept ridiculing him for not being worthy of representing the authority of psychology because he was only an official spokesperson and a vigilant work dog.

Except for Zhan Zhao, everyone at that table was all pale.

At this time, they heard two young people at the next table chatting.

"Zhan Zhao, is that the author who wrote 'Psychology and Crime'? The one from SCI?"

"Yes!"

"I used to admire him quite a bit. It turns out that he is such a person."

"Oh... it's all like this. If it weren't for the upper hand, how could he become an academic authority in his twenties?!"

Before they finished speaking, they saw Luo Yang stand up and walk over to lift the dinner table the two of them were sitting at. 

Everyone was stunned for three seconds.

"Ah?! Yang Yang!" Luo Tian ran to stop Luo Yang who was full of anger.

The two guests were startled by the fierce child in front of them, and looked at him in confusion.

"Excuse me." Luo Tian hugged Luo Yang back, "Yang Yang, how could you do this?"

"They're talking nonsense!" Luo Yang pointed at the two and shouted, "I tell you; I was rescued by Uncle Zhan! None of you have ever seen him and no one is qualified to speak ill of him!"

The two young men looked at each other and faintly saw that the several people around Luo Yang were carrying guns... It was the police. The two hurriedly paid for their meal and left.

Luo Tian stretched his hand out and patted Luo Yang on the back, "Okay, stop getting angry, you scared them away."

Luo Yang turned around, grabbed Zhan Zhao and said, "Uncle Zhan, don't be angry, Yang Yang knows you are the best!"

The others couldn't help laughing. Zhan Zhao felt a little embarrassed. He reached out to touch Luo Yang's head and said, "Good boy, but next time you can't be so reckless! You have to be reasonable and not use violence." After saying that, he picked up his bowl and continued to eat his noodles.

Everyone was surprised to find that Zhan Zhao showed no negative feelings even though he was slandered.

After the meal, everyone returned to the police station. Bai Yutang stared suspiciously at Zhan Zhao, "Cat, you have a cunning look...what's your idea?"

Zhan Zhao smiled and said, "I have a clue thanks to Lu Liang reminding me."

‿︵‿︵ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ・❉・ ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ‿︵‿︵

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Translator Note

This chapter was so much longer than the others ಥ_ಥ. My word document hit 9 pages instead of the usual 7 or 8.

Please feel free to comment any mistakes I made so I can improve and do better as I go through the book.

Translated: March 12, 2021

Re-edited: August 31, 2023