S.C.I Mystery Series Volume 5 Chapter 28

Witness of the Three Murderers 28 – Witness

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After Zhang Yu recognised the talisman, he went so far as to tell the crowd that the legendary Heavenly Master Hou was currently squatting in a prison cell, and the charge was – psychic fraud!

"What a high-end offence." It was the first time Zhao Hu had heard of it, "To put it simply, he's a fraud?"

"How long is the sentence?" Zhan Zhao asked.

"A long time..." Jiang Ping tilted his face, "Ten years."

The crowd was shocked.

"Ooh!" Zhao Hu's mouth opened wide, "Did this kid cheat a person out of life?"

"Indeed, a human life was lost!" Zhang Yu said, "He cheated a seriously ill patient who eventually died when he refused to take the medication and missed the treatment time, and the court convicted him of manslaughter."

"Con artists usually seek wealth, why did he harm someone's life?" Bai Yutang found it strange.

"This is indeed very strange!" Zhang Yu nodded, "Originally, psychic fraud should be one of the lighter flavours among the many playing tricks to deceive people."

Luo Tian was curious, "What exactly is a psychic?"

"To put it simply, it is a spirit medium." Zhang Yu said, "If you don't understand something, just ask the spirits! If you miss your relatives, if your career is not going well, or if you're unhappy in love, whatever you ask, the spirits will guide you. In fact, sometimes people are quite interesting, dying once is even more gold-plated than going abroad! Think about it, weren't those spirits ordinary people before they died? If you make a person study hard for ten years, he can't be all-knowing and all-powerful, but after dying once, he becomes omnipotent, where can he go?"

"So it's a kind of deception?" Ma Han asked.

"Well, God knows, and just because I haven't seen them doesn't mean there aren't any. Who knows if there is really anyone out there who can communicate with the gods? But most of them are fake, they use some kind of tricks!" Zhang Yu spread his hands.

"What kind of trick?" The crowd was curious.

Zhan Zhao, who was looking through the information, came up with, "Cold reading."

Zhang Yu snapped his fingers, "Exactly."

"Psychology?" Everyone was curious.

Zhan Zhao said, "It belongs to a kind of behavioural analysis, to put it bluntly, it is observation and reasoning. There is a character in this world who is the most proficient in cold reading techniques, you should all know him."

"Who?" Zhao Hu was curious.

Bai Yutang answered for Zhan Zhao, "Sherlock Holmes."

"Oh..." Everyone nodded in understanding.

"Regarding cold reading, it's already been extensively captured in film and television, but it's actually not easy to master. Moreover, behavioural analysis isn't just ordinary observation, it's something that requires a lot of data to base it on, and it also requires background investigations. Usually, those who investigate are behavioural analysts who respect science, and those who don't do investigations and rely on blindness are frauds."

"Then what do you rely on?" Gongsun asked Zhang Yu with considerable interest.

Zhang Yu spread his hands, "I only do funerals, I don't work as a psychic. I occasionally tell fortunes, and I never see patients."

Everyone raised their eyebrows.

"There are actually many kinds of psychics, some of them belong to well-intentioned deception, such as missing a loved one, and through deception and performance, the psychic allows the family members to communicate with the spirits of the deceased, thus fulfilling their wishes to be comforted and redeemed." Zhang Yu stroked his chin, "It's just that when everything in this world is related to money, it's hard to maintain the original simplicity of things; deception is deception, and the extent of the deception during the process is very difficult to control. If you're not careful, you'll end up killing someone, it's not a joke."

"Here's a photo." Jiang Ping found the prison mugshot of "Heavenly Master Hou". Zhan Zhao held it out to Zhang Yu for identification, and Zhang Yu nodded – It was this person.

"His real name is Wang Daping." Zhan Zhao blinked, "What a rustic name."

"Wang Daping, male, fifty-one years old, born in a farming family in a remote area, the oldest in the family, with elementary school education, and it seems that he didn't even finish elementary school. At eighteen years old, he came to S City alone to work, he did a few years of portering, and he has been renting in the low-rent area in the southern suburb of S City. After he quit his job at the construction site at the age of twenty-two, he disappeared... reappearing when he was thirty years old. He began to work as a psychic at the age of thirty, he has many aliases and has amassed countless wealth. He has properties in several of the most expensive parts of S City, several luxury cars and an eight-digit bank account, he is very wealthy... But the good times didn't last long, ten years ago, he was sued for psychic fraud, and because of the death that occurred, he was sent to jail."

"Ten years..." Zhan Zhao frowned, "so he was arrested and imprisoned immediately after Qiao Xi's kidnapping case... So there's no trace of him?"

"Looking at the time, he'll be out of prison next month." Bai Yutang frowned at his information, "Wang Daping should be a veteran, but he actually made this kind of low-level mistake and got arrested? In the Qiao Xi case, he didn't leave any leads at all, his arrest was simply a low-level mistake in comparison to that."

"Was it deliberate?" Zhan Zhao asked.

"Deliberate?" Everyone looked at Zhan Zhao.

"Was he afraid of being caught, so he deliberately went to jail?" Zhao Hu thought about it and felt that it wasn't quite right, "Even if he really got caught because of Qiao Xi's case, there's no evidence, and he may not even be sentenced to ten years!"

"Is it just simply bad luck?" Luo Tian asked.

"Hmm... it's a bit interesting, before this heavenly master is released, let's go meet him." Zhan Zhao collected the information.

Bai Yutang went to get the car.

At this time, the beep beep beep sound of backing up came from downstairs again. Everyone glanced out the window, it was a big truck.

Gongsun narrowed his eyes and watched for a while, and not a moment later, the phone rang. Jiang Ping just picked up and heard Bao Zheng's roar, "What did you guys buy again, you want me to issue a permit to let them in? This is the police station ah, don't make it look like you're buying goods every day, okay!"

Jiang Ping rubbed his ear. Next to him, Mia, who was lying on her back playing the game, also raised her head and looked at the roaring "telephone" with her eyes wide open.

Zhao Jue touched his chin and commented, "Xiao Black's menopause is intensifying, which one of you will find him a partner?"

Zhao Hu came over to gossip, "I have a few single aunts I know who are nice!"

Zhao Jue was very interested in gossiping about it, but Zhan Zhao yanked on his collar.

Zhao Jue held his collar and stared back at him, "No respect for your elders!"

Zhan Zhao walked in the direction of the elevator, "I'm going to meet that Wang Daping in jail with Yutang, if you're not coming, forget it."

Zhao Jue blinked, ditched Zhao Hu and followed Zhan Zhao into the elevator.

Seeing that there was nothing left for him, Zhang Yu also hurriedly followed into the elevator. He had to run back to the crematorium to continue his business, he was probably going to be scolded to death.

Just then, Zhan Zhao made a very strange request to Zhang Yu. He saw Zhan Zhao pointing to his jacket and saying, "Can you lend me your clothes?"

Zhang Yu was stunned...

On the side, Zhao Jue came up conspiratorially, "I also want to borrow them."

Zhang Yu opened his mouth wide.

Bai Yutang drove the car out to pick up Zhan Zhao and Zhao Jue in front of the police station and felt that something didn't seem right... When did the two of them change their clothes?

On the other hand, Zhang Yu drove to the crematorium shirtless, wondering what the hell was going on...

Bai Yutang and the others had just left when the delivery guys came up the stairs with the twins following, "The 3D printer has arrived!"

"Wow!" Everyone moved towards the door, and even Mia curiously followed them out to look.

Gongsun rubbed his hands together, what should he make?

Zhan Zhao and the others were no strangers to S City Prison, and after going through the formalities, they went to a separate interview room and waited.

Not long after, the door opened and a dark-skinned, dry and thin little old man walked in.

Bai Yutang sat at the table, where Wang Daping's file was placed along with two bags of evidence, one of which was the poisonous amulet and the other was the talismanic paper.

After Wang Daping walked in, his eyes swept over the two evidence bags on the table.

Zhan Zhao noticed his expression, it seemed that he had an impression of both items.

Wang Daping sat down opposite Bai Yutang and raised his head to lock eyes with Bai Yutang.

Zhan Zhao also sat down, and after Wang Daping finished examining Bai Yutang, he turned his face to look at Zhan Zhao.

Zhan Zhao was also looking at him. Finally, Wang Daping raised his head and looked towards Zhao Jue, who was standing by the wall and looking around.

Wang Daping turned his face to look at Bai Yutang and asked, "What does this officer want with me?"

Before Bai Yutang could say anything, Zhan Zhao asked, "How do you know he's the only one who's a police officer?"

Bai Yutang looked at Zhan Zhao.

Zhan Zhao's expression and tone of voice were both slightly frivolous, quite similar to that godly stick Zhang Yu.

Bai Yutang didn't say anything, was Zhan Zhao preparing to adopt the strategy of playing the fool?

Wang Daping smiled and asked Zhan Zhao, "Peers?"

Zhan Zhao continued to smile.

Wang Daping looked at Zhao Jue again and asked Bai Yutang, "You've brought two half-assed people to me. What is this about?"

"These two things, do you recognise them?" Bai Yutang asked.

Wang Daping said indifferently, "No matter what happened, it has nothing to do with me, right? I've been here for ten years, and that whatever you guys call it... right, my alibi is very strong."

Seeing that he was intentionally avoiding the topic, Bai Yutang felt even more suspicious of this person, so he looked at Zhan Zhao, which meant – How should I ask?

Zhan Zhao rested his chin on one hand and asked Wang Daping, "Who taught you your skills?"

Wang Daping laughed and asked, "Why, do you want to learn from a master?"

Zhan Zhao said, "You're a prisoner, but I'm making a good living, why would I want to worship you as my teacher?"

Wang Daping laughed coldly and sighed, "It seems like times have changed, in my time, being in our line of work relied on brains, now it seems like it relies on face."

Bai Yutang looked at Zhan Zhao – Cat, he said you rely on your face.

Zhan Zhao rested his chin and glanced at Bai Yutang – If I rely on my face, I can still eat very well.

Bai Yutang stifled a laugh.

Zhao Jue at this moment, slipped behind Wang Daping and continued to observe the man.

Wang Daping was always a little mindful of Zhao Jue and looked back at him.

Zhao Jue smiled faintly, "Hmm..."

"What?" Wang Daping asked.

Zhao Jue nodded and asked, "Did you find it?"

Wang Daping froze.

Across the table, Zhan Zhao placed Zhang Yu's jacket on the table, looked at Wang Daping with his hands resting on his chin, and followed up on Zhao Jue's words, "You've been searching for ten years, haven't you found it yet?"

Wang Daping opened his eyes wide and looked at Zhan Zhao... He frowned, realising that the judgement he had just made based on some details from Zhan Zhao's jacket should be wrong and that this person in front of him was not a peer.

Zhan Zhao pushed the bag of evidence in front of him aside and put away his smile as he looked at Wang Daping, "We found Qiao Xi."

Wang Daping's eyes widened a few more degrees, and his face was unusually ugly.

"You were also involved in that complicated kidnapping case back then. However, Qiao Yuanxin is not a superstitious person, so why would he ask you to get involved?" Zhan Zhao asked, "Everyone thinks that you were there to scam him for money, but from what I've observed, you don't seem to be an ordinary scammer. Who taught you cold reading? Who are you trying to find by sneaking in here at the cost of giving up ten years of freedom?"

Wang Daping stared at Zhan Zhao for a long time, before finally smiling, "I'm looking for a witness."

Bai Yutang and Zhao Jue both looked over, "A witness?"

Zhao Jue propped both hands on the table and looked at Wang Daping with an unprecedented "interest" in his eyes.

"Why are you looking for a witness?" Zhan Zhao asked.

"Aren't you the police?" Wang Daping asked Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao, "Why else would I be looking for a witness? Of course, it's to find the murderer!"

‿︵‿︵ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ・❉・ ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ‿︵‿︵

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Translator Notes

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

Translated: January 25, 2024 by Angel

Edited: April 19, 2024 by Angel