The Same Fate Awaits All Sins Chapter 3

Malice – 03

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"Does Wei Liang have any unregistered rental properties in his name?" Gu Yanta asked.

"He probably doesn't, Boss. Haibei District is an affluent area, and property rental is strictly regulated. Without ID information, it's impossible to rent a place there. In the old part of town, things are more relaxed, but there's no way Wei Liang would leave a place he already has to commute two hours each day to work. Besides, he's just a labourer, where would he get the extra money to rent a place he doesn't live in?" Ma Qin struggled to see the logic.

"That's not necessarily the case. Even a 'heavily guarded' rich area like Haibei Villa saw a robbery and murder, didn't it?"

"Right, it's possible, after all, he wasn't exactly here to work."

"Keep searching around Wei Liang's place to see if there's any other lead we can find!"

"Yes, sir!"

About an hour later, Ma Qin returned with the action team.

"Boss, we really didn't find anything. Wei Liang's place has only basic furniture, with no trace of anyone having lived there, the dust was old and thick. We contacted the renting agency, and they said they only handled the initial rental process and didn't know anything about subsequent occupancy. The registered identity information is indeed Wei Liang's, and the rental dates back to right after the Spring Festival in 2018," Ma Qin reported, puzzled.

"Did you check the nearby CCTV footage? Is there any chance that Wei Liang has already fled out of guilt?" Gu Yanta asked.

"That's unlikely. We sent people to question the neighbours, and everyone said they'd never seen anyone come in or out, let alone seen Wei Liang. I've left two interns from the tech team to monitor the footage, just in case they find something."

"Alright, it's impossible for this Wei Liang, a big living person, to be wandering the streets aimlessly," Gu Yanta muttered with a frown.

"That might not be far from the truth..." Chen Chen walked in, adjusting his gold-rimmed glasses out of habit. "Boss, let me show you some surveillance footage."

Chen Chen opened his laptop, displaying a video that he had already condensed to show several hours of surveillance footage in just a few minutes. The date displayed was between June and August 2017, and the location was the square outside the China Construction Bank.

The surveillance coverage around the China Construction Bank square was quite comprehensive, practically a 360-degree view. It showed a few scruffy vagrants sometimes gathering under a bridge at times and sometimes dispersing to beg. In some segments, Wei Liang's face was clearly visible.

"This is..." Ma Qin's eyes widened. "This is the suspect?"

"Yes, even though he's dressed in rags, it's still clear that this is indeed the suspect Wei Liang," Gu Yanta confirmed. "Chen Chen, is there more?"

"The surveillance hasn't captured Wei Liang's whereabouts since around the Spring Festival of 2018, this was precisely when he started working as a temp in Haibei Villa," Chen Chen explained.

"Boss, we can't underestimate vagrants these days. Didn't we recently see that viral PhD vagrant? Maybe Wei Liang one day just decided he didn't want to live on the streets anymore and wanted to turn over a new leaf?" Ma Qin suggested.

"Turn over a new leaf? Become a thief and murderer? He might as well have stayed a vagrant! Do you think everyone's mind works as strangely as yours?" Chen Chen scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"He might actually think prison life is more comfortable..." Ma Qin retorted defiantly.

Ma Qin and Chen Chen had always been at odds. Ma Qin couldn't stand Chen Chen's smooth talk and constant scheming, while Chen Chen thought Ma Qin was all brawn and no brains, to put it bluntly, he's a fool.

"Alright alright, both of you, stop wasting time with these wild guesses. Chen Chen, keep digging into Wei Liang's background, even if he is a vagrant, it's not possible for him to become a vagrant for no reason," Gu Yanta cut short their bickering.

"Yes, Boss!" Chen Chen didn't forget to glare at Ma Qin before heading out.

"Boss, look at him..."

"Can't you two ever just behave, every time you meet, it turns into a quarrel! Be more careful, people who don't know you might think you're a pair in some love-hate relationship!" remarked Jiang Ziyu, who had been quiet up until now.

"Me and him... Anyone who'd think that must be out of their mind!" Ma Qin nearly exploded, just shy of jumping up.

"Alright, alright, just kidding, as if anyone in their right mind would fall for a big guy like that!" Jiang Ziyu laughed but suddenly realised he might have said the wrong thing...

Gu Yanta lightly smacked Jiang Ziyu on the head. "What's that supposed to mean, Deputy Jiang? Are you being discriminatory? Who are you calling out of their mind?"

"No, I wasn't talking about you, I was just trying to keep them from bickering!" Jiang Ziyu, realising he had said the wrong thing, spoke with a hint of trepidation.

"Boss! There's a call from the Xifeng Road station for you!" Liang Shan shouted, pushing the door open.

Gu Yanta took the phone. "Hello, criminal investigation team, Gu Yanta speaking."

"Hello, Captain Gu, this is Liu Dafu, director of the Xifeng Road Police Station. We just had a deranged man come in, yelling that someone's trying to kill him. We originally thought he was mentally ill, but it turns out he's actually one of your wanted suspects. I contacted you right away, we've got him in custody, so you might want to send someone over to verify."

"Understood, we'll be right there."

"Wei Liang has shown up at the Xifeng Road station, Ma Qin!"

"Yes!"

"Liang Shan!"

"Yes!"

"Come with me to the Xifeng Road station to take him into custody!"

"Yes, Boss!"

Xifeng Road Police Station.

Gu Yanta had encountered many types of suspects in his career, the arrogant, the stupid, the reckless, and all kinds who pretended to be crazy or clueless. But this was the first time he'd seen someone so timid, cowering, and utterly spineless.

Wei Liang might not have looked like a vagrant, but his attire wasn't what you'd expect from a normal person, either.

He huddled in the corner of the station's holding cell, trembling. When Gu Yanta asked the officers to unlock the door, Wei Liang looked up, his eyes suddenly lighting up as he sprang up nimbly.

"Boss! Watch out!" Ma Qin cried, quickly pushing Gu Yanta aside.

But Ma Qin had overestimated Wei Liang's intentions, there was no attempt to resist or fight back. Instead, Wei Liang darted over and went straight to his knees!

With his head banging repeatedly against the floor, Wei Liang clung desperately to Gu Yanta's trouser leg, his gaze unfocused as he sobbed and sniffled, "Please, Officer, please save me! I don't want to die... I don't want to die..."

Ma Qin and Liang Shan looked at each other in disbelief and then looked to Gu Yanta, what was going on?

Wei Liang continued to cry, wiping his nose as he went, "Officer, please, take me to jail quickly, or the bad guys will come and kill me!"

Gu Yanta pulled Wei Liang to his feet. "Then come back to the police station with us first!"

"The police station is good! The police station is safe! The bad guys won't get me there! Haha!" Wei Liang's tears turned into laughter as he smeared a handful of snot on the door.

"Look at his mental state, he really should go to a hospital first!" Liang Shan muttered under his breath. "Look at his eyes and expressions, if he's faking, he deserves the best actor award."

"Take him back to the station first!" Gu Yanta waved his hand.

‿︵‿︵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: November 11, 2024 by Angel

Edited: November 24, 2024 by Angel