S.C.I Mystery Series Volume 5 Chapter 136

Screen Murderer 32 – The Secret Room

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As the secret room opened and Wang Meiyun appeared before everyone, her expression was somewhat dazed but not panicked.

What was even more puzzling was that Wang Meiyun’s whole body was covered in blood, her face, hands, clothes... However, considering that Wang Meiyun was still standing intact, it was unlikely that the blood belonged to her.

Everyone had seen the bodies of the four executives just now, all shot, with not much blood... and Wang Meiyun should have escaped and hidden in the secret room, so why... was she covered in so much blood?

Bai Yutang took a step aside, looking past Wang Meiyun.

On the floor of the dark room behind Wang Meiyun, there was a large puddle of blood, within which, lay a man wearing night vision goggles.

Looking at the man's chest, which had completely stopped rising and falling, it could be concluded that he had already died.

What was particularly gruesome was that the man's chest was almost torn apart, flesh and blood muddled, and in his left eye socket was an obsidian blade with gold inlay and a red jewel at the end of the handle.

In the dead man's hand lay a gun.

Bai Yutang keenly observed that the safety catch of the gun hadn't been released...

Bai Yutang's mind began to simulate the scenario that had just occurred.

So, the attackers were a total of four people, firing four shots, and killing four executives. Only Wang Meiyun managed to escape into the hidden room, but one attacker followed her in.

Then, a struggle ensued in the hidden room between the two, where Wang Meiyun killed the attacker with an antique knife.

And this armed attacker hadn't released the safety catch fully... A grown man armed with a gun, engaged in combat within a confined space against a young, slender woman wielding a knife... The man was nearly shredded, who could this woman be?

Bai Yutang found it somewhat implausible, but not entirely impossible. Perhaps Wang Meiyun underwent some kind of training... And the reason the attacker didn't release the gun's safety catch might be because they didn't intend to kill Wang Meiyun but to abduct her?

But how could they escape after abducting her? The exits downstairs were blocked, and there was nowhere to hide on the rooftop... and who moves that slowly?

Four people entered the building and shot four executives, did they spend all this time running around the building looking for Wang Meiyun? Wouldn't they leave when they saw the police arrive?

No matter how Bai Yutang analysed it, the logic didn't seem quite smooth, and he couldn't convince himself.

Behind Bai Yutang, Zhan Zhao had also approached.

Zhan Zhao first asked Wang Meiyun, "Are you alright? Are you injured?"

Wang Meiyun shook her head. She faced Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang directly, even though she could see both of them were paying attention to what was behind her, she didn't turn around.

Zhan Zhao asked her, "Can you bear with us for a bit? We need to take your statement."

Wang Meiyun nodded.

Zhan Zhao had a female officer from the forensic department and two female police officers accompany Wang Meiyun to collect evidence.

After Wang Meiyun was taken away, Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang entered the hidden room.

Before long, the forensic pathology team arrived. Ma Xin and Xiatian examined the conditions of the deceased outside, while Gongsun, carrying a toolbox, ran to the door of the hidden room, took a peek inside, and couldn't help but whistle, "Impressive!"

Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao both looked at him – Is something wrong?

"Nothing's right, okay!" Gongsun was somewhat speechless, pointing at the body on the ground, riddled like a beehive, "Did Wang Meiyun do this?"

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang estimated so, but they still needed to hear Wang Meiyun's explanation.

Gongsun shook his head vigorously, "With this fighting ability, she should join the Avengers... The key is..."

Gongsun pointed at the stone knife still lodged in the deceased's eye socket, "This raggedy knife..."

Gongsun asked Zhan Zhao, "If I give you a knife and ask you to stab it into a hole the size of an eye socket, could you do it?"

Zhan Zhao frowned and thought for a moment, then shook his head honestly, "I probably couldn't."

Gongsun nodded, "Has this Wang Meiyun received any combat training?"

"She's always acting, right? Could she have experience in this area?" Bai Yutang asked.

"But," Zhan Zhao pointed at the brutally slain attacker, "this level of injury doesn't seem like something achievable in a normal state, how many wounds are there in total here?"

Gongsun roughly counted, "Over sixty wounds."

Bai Yutang also frowned, "Just the sheer strength required is astonishing... Could Ma Xin do this?"

Gongsun shook his head, "They say that girl eats and drinks recklessly, and even exercises by lifting weights when she's free, but she probably couldn't do it either."

Bai Yutang glanced at Zhan Zhao again.

Zhan Zhao spread his hands, "We'll ask Wang Meiyun about it later."

At this moment, Bao Sir called, asking about the situation.

Bai Yutang briefed him on the aftermath, estimating it would take a while.

Bao Sir was also in a panic; the news was out, a bunch of people died at once, and all of them were high-profile figures.

......

Meanwhile, those watching the news at home also learned the outcome.

The news was quite straightforward, stating that there were six deaths at the scene, and the police were investigating.

But online news was more detailed, mentioning that four senior executives of the Dong Group and two attackers had died at the scene, while also referring to the recent poisoning of Dong Fei at the restaurant, and adding that Wang Meiyun hadn't died or been injured at the end.

Some particularly skilled individuals managed to capture images of Wang Meiyun covered in blood, walking with several police officers into a room of a high-rise near the Dong Group’s building.

Various photos flooded the internet, and conspiracy theories were all over the internet.

The current situation was that almost all of Dong Group's top executives were wiped out. Those who opposed Wang Meiyun's "ascension" and those capable of challenging her for the position were all dead, leaving Wang Meiyun as the sole survivor.

Many people were suspicious, thinking this was all just a staged act by Wang Meiyun! And why was she the only one who survived when everyone else died?

That’s how it is on the internet, sometimes even blaming the survivor rather than the perpetrator.

After completing the forensic evidence collection, Wang Meiyun was accompanied home by two female police officers, who allowed her to take a shower and change clothes before escorting her directly to the interrogation room at the police station.

Leaving the chaotic scene to the forensic team and the forensic science department, Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang briefly inspected the top three floors of the building. As they descended to the third-to-last floor, they saw a group of SWOT officers, under the command of Qin Ou and Wang Ba, lifting a door; the unfortunate attacker was crushed underneath, reportedly flattened like a pancake.

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang paid no heed to this sight, heading straight to the rooftop and boarding the helicopter belonging to the SWOT team, heading back to the police station.

In the SCI office, Ma Han and Zhao Hu had also returned.

Of the four attackers, two were alive; one was injured by Ma Han and was receiving treatment in the hospital, while the other, knocked unconscious by Bai Yutang, had regained consciousness and was being held in the interrogation room.

Ma Han and Zhao Hu were looking at the photos from the hidden room, and the brutal scene made them wonder – Did Wang Meiyun have some sort of dissociative identity disorder, with another personality being a killer or something...

Jiang Ping and Bai Chi had just returned in the surveillance vehicle.

On the way, Jiang Ping found the identities of the two attackers using photos of their "intact" faces.

Zhan Zhao frowned upon hearing this, "They're both unemployed?"

Jiang Ping nodded, "Yeah, and one of them even has a record of theft. They feel so ordinary, how could they wear such advanced equipment and do something so extreme..."

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang decided it was time to question Wang Meiyun.

As they left the office, they ran into Ma Xin, who was carrying an evidence bag containing a blood-stained garment, presumably worn by Wang Meiyun, likely for blood analysis.

Ma Xin saw Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang and hurried over, saying, "Something's not right!"

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang both looked at her, asking, "What's wrong?"

"Look at this knife!" Ma Xin took out the murder weapon from the evidence bag.

The knife was an ancient Egyptian-style obsidian blade, exquisitely crafted yet also rustic, with sharp edges and corners. The red gemstone on the handle looked as big as a pigeon's egg.

Curiously, Zhan Zhao asked, "Is this a ruby?"

Ma Xin shook her head, "The forensic department just examined it, it's not a ruby, it's a red tourmaline."

"Oh..." Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang nodded, but such a large and intact piece of tourmaline shouldn’t be cheap.

"What's wrong?" Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang asked Ma Xin.

"I went in to help Wang Meiyun wash her hands and collect evidence," Ma Xin whispered, "but there wasn't a scratch on her hands!"

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang both furrowed their brows slightly, looking at the knife.

The handle of the knife itself wasn't particularly smooth, especially the rear part with the gemstone. If someone were to grasp the knife tightly and repeatedly stab the attacker's chest, how could Wang Meiyun's hands remain unharmed?

Moreover, Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang had just noticed something rather illogical – The handle of the knife was clean, but Wang Meiyun's hands were covered in blood.

"And..." Ma Xin continued, "her clothes, the hem of her shirt and pants are soaked in blood, but her face had only a few splatters, and not much at that."

"Soaked in blood?" Zhan Zhao asked Ma Xin, "How did this kind of bloodstain form?"

Ma Xin explained, "The preliminary speculation is that she was sitting next to the deceased, and then there was another person wearing gloves who brutally stabbed the deceased, causing some of the blood to splatter onto her face. Most of the blood spilt onto the ground, and Wang Meiyun sat in the pool of blood. The most compelling evidence is that one side of her pants is soaked in blood while the other side is practically clean, indicating that she was sitting sideways on the ground, with her hands supporting her."

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang exchanged a glance. Could there have been another person at the scene?

Both furrowed their brows – Impossible... How could there be another person? Why hadn't they found anyone earlier? Did the other person escape after killing the attacker? But the route downstairs was sealed after the attacker entered, and they didn't notice anyone else when they were entering from the rooftop.

The scene was effectively a sealed room, how could another person have gone unnoticed?

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang were eager to question Wang Meiyun immediately, but Ma Xin dampened their spirits with a solemn remark, "You two need to be prepared mentally."

Both of them looked at her in confusion, "Mentally prepared for what?"

"I asked her when I was changing her clothes just now, and her answer might surprise you." Ma Xin said.

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang furrowed their brows, "What did she say?"

"She said she doesn't remember anything that happened, she doesn't even know how she entered that hidden room. She only remembers receiving a call from a senior executive of Dong Group, informing her of Dong Fei's death. She felt it was quite serious, so she called a few senior officials for a meeting to discuss how to inform the company employees about it... and the issue of crisis management..." Ma Xin roughly recounted what Wang Meiyun had told her, "And then she doesn't remember anything else. When she came to her senses, she was sitting in a pool of blood in the hidden room, facing a horribly deceased man. It was at this moment that she heard the sound of you knocking on the door."

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang furrowed their brows – This development was not promising at all...

‿︵‿︵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: May 2, 2024 by Angel

Edited: October 30, 2024 by Angel