S.C.I Mystery Series Volume 5 Chapter 161

Special Files – Witches 08 – Time

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Bai Yutang glanced at the somewhat chagrined Zhan Zhao beside him, his eyes inquiring – What was the flaw Zhao Jue mentioned?

Zhan Zhao moved his lips, and from their shape, he seemed to say two words – the time!

Bai Yutang thought for a moment and then immediately understood – Right!

Bai Yutang also felt a bit helpless. It was evident that Zhao Jue had known who the culprit was from the very beginning, but while discovering the problem, he had deliberately misled Zhan Zhao...

Both Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao sighed.

Behind them, Bai Ye gently patted the two of them.

They both looked at Bai Ye – Uncle Ye! We need some comfort!

Bai Ye thought for a moment and said, "You'll get used to it."

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang were deflated – Not comforted at all!

Meanwhile, Fang Dongshun, who was sitting on the hospital bed opposite Zhao Jue, was still full of doubts.

Zhao Jue looked at him and spread his hands slightly, "Perhaps some films and shows are too exaggerated, giving the illusion that not all serial killers are highly intelligent, and that not everyone commits crimes with a strong sense of ritual. On the contrary, many serial killers are just brutal and despicable, not smart."

Fang Dongshun hesitated for a moment and then said, "We were forced!"

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang both shook their heads.

Zhao Jue, however, was amused by this statement, "So, you still want to proceed with the original plan?"

Fang Dongshun frowned. Although he tried to remain calm, a flash of panic crossed his eyes.

"Alright," Zhao Jue signalled Fang Dongshun to continue performing, "tell me. How you were coerced?"

Fang Dongshun took a deep breath, thinking Zhao Jue was just bluffing, and said, "We both know Aizhen and Du Ping were killed. We only helped to dispose of the bodies, we didn't kill anyone! The murderer kidnapped my son and then made us dispose of the two bodies... because of that, we were also involved in the murders, so..."

Zhao Jue nodded.

Seeing Zhao Jue's perfunctory nod, Fang Dongshun's narrative came to a halt.

Zhao Jue gestured to him, "Continue."

Fang Dongshun had no choice but to continue, "Later, he drugged the two of us. When we woke up, we were already in the hospital... that's it!"

"Oh, that's it?" Zhao Jue asked.

Fang Dongshun nodded, seemingly angered by Zhao Jue's attitude, "We are the victims! Are you really a police officer?! Shouldn't you be arresting the murderer of Aizhen and Du Ping? Why are you focusing on us?!"

"Then you must have seen the murderer?" Zhao Jue asked. "What does the murderer look like?"

"He's my child's psychiatrist!" Fang Dongshun sighed. "He said he did all this for my son, claiming we were incompetent parents..."

At the door, Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang were both standing with their arms crossed, sulking. This guy, Zhao Jue had misled them from the beginning, right in line with Fang Dongshun's plan...

Feeling both indignant and a bit annoyed, they thought they should have noticed this earlier. Seeing this, Bai Ye reached out and patted their heads.

Both Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang were taken aback by the head pat and turned to look at Bai Ye.

Bai Ye said, "Actually, if you two had asked a few more questions, you definitely would have figured it out."

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang stared at Bai Ye for a moment, then glanced at each other – Uncle Ye really is the best!

In the room, Zhao Jue had already rolled his eyes three times in a row, though it wasn't clear at whom.

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang looked into the room.

Zhao Jue leaned against the armrest of the sofa and hooked his finger at them.

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang were a bit puzzled.

Zhao Jue said, "You two ask, I can't be bothered, this idiot is too unchallenging."

With that, Zhao Jue gave Fang Dongshun a contemptuous glance, "Low-IQ criminals can't commit high-IQ crimes."

Fang Dongshun was furious. Although he had a tough upbringing, he had always done well in school and started a successful business at a young age. He had a high opinion of himself, and Zhao Jue had insulted him twice today...

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang walked into the ward and stood at the foot of the bed.

Zhan Zhao asked, "According to you, after the murderer forced you and Mei Wen to help dispose of Du Ping and Wang Aizhen's bodies, he took you back to the basement of the villa, drugged you, and then left, right?"

Fang Dongshun nodded.

"What's the name of your child's psychiatrist?" Zhan Zhao asked.

"Ding Liying." Fang Dongshun replied.

"A female doctor?"

"No, he's a man, in his forties, short and chubby..."

Before Fang Dongshun could finish, Zhan Zhao showed him Ding Ying's photo and asked, "Is this him?"

Fang Dongshun nodded, "Yes, that's him!"

The photo Zhan Zhao showed Fang Dongshun was from Zhao Jue's file, a slightly younger-looking picture, but at least it was of a living person.

"How long were you locked in the basement?" Zhan Zhao asked.

"I'm not sure, what's the date today?" Fang Dongshun asked.

Zhan Zhao smiled, "It's the fourteenth."

Fang Dongshun replied, "Yesterday."

"Heh."

Behind Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang, Zhao Jue chuckled.

"The dosage of the anaesthetic, the arm injury from being hung in the cabinet, and the sedative on the child's body couldn't have occurred more than twenty-four hours ago." Zhan Zhao said, "So everything happened within a day."

Fang Dongshun nodded, seeming to not understand what was wrong with this.

Bai Yutang then pulled out another photo—a picture they took in the cornfield of Ding Ying's corpse.

He showed the photo to Fang Dongshun.

Fang Dongshun looked at the photo and froze.

"This deceased has definitely been dead for more than twenty-four hours," Zhan Zhao reminded him. "So, do you know where your flaw lies?"

Fang Dongshun opened his mouth, hesitated for a while, and then said, "Perhaps it was someone else!"

Zhan Zhao, however, shook his head, "You had everything planned out. Although there were no cameras near the villa, we collected fingerprints from your car, the driver's seat and the car keys in advance. Do you want to check whose fingerprints they are?"

Fang Dongshun suddenly froze at the bedside as if struck by lightning.

Zhan Zhao picked up the phone and called the forensic department.

"Have the fingerprints been confirmed? Mhmm... hmm."

After hanging up the phone, Zhan Zhao said to Fang Dongshun, "The fingerprints on the car belong to Ding Liying because he helped you park the car in the garage. You must have planned this scenario long ago, so when renovating this villa, you even included a basement under the garage. With this kind of structure, as long as the car is parked above the iron gate, the basement is completely sealed off, no one can get out or come in. In other words, you couldn't have locked yourself in the basement; only the murderer could have locked you in and then blocked the iron gate with the car. You were convinced that this was ironclad evidence that couldn't be debunked, so you staged this case. But what you never expected was that the scapegoat you found would end up dead, becoming the absolute evidence that exposes your lie."

Zhan Zhao recounted the entire process of his crime, "You killed Du Ping and Wang Aizhen a few days ago, and hid their bodies in the cornfield. Later, for some reason, you took your psychiatrist near the cornfield, even letting him get out of the car to ask for directions. Your car was covered in mud to leave a strong impression on the villagers, but you parked it far away from surveillance to avoid being seen or recognised. You designed the basement to look like a living space because you planned to live there with Mei Wen and the child for a few days. However, you also knew it wouldn't be too long because these days are when the corn is harvested. Farmers would soon discover the bodies and report them to the police. Once the identity of the bodies was confirmed, they would find you at the villa and naturally rescue you. As soon as you heard the police arrive, you would start to act, first drugging the child. The police would search the entire villa first before looking for hidden rooms, so it would take them some time to find you. During this time, you could create the illusion of being drugged and hung in the cabinet. As for the most critical part, the car blocking the entrance to the hidden room, it's actually quite simple! You know some secrets about this psychiatrist, he just had to be lured to the villa, the three of you hid in the garage basement in advance, with the car parked outside the garage but not locked. When Ding Liying arrived at the villa and saw the painting on the wall, he was nervous, and he would immediately call to check if you were safe. You just need to tell him that you encountered danger and needed to hide, but you rushed too much, so you asked him to help you park the car in the garage. In this way, the perfect... or rather, what you consider a perfect loop, is formed. Moreover, you knew that Ding Liying couldn't be found by the police. His secret would make him flee and disappear, so he's a perfect scapegoat. You can push all the blame onto him. That's your perfect plan, isn't it?"

Fang Dongshun lowered his head, listened to Zhan Zhao, and suddenly chuckled. His laughter was hoarse, tinged with madness.

"Fate, it's all fate..." Fang Dongshun seemed somewhat on the verge of a breakdown. "Fate is not on my side. Oh, dear God, you're so unfair to me!"

Bai Yutang was somewhat speechless and asked him, "What's going on exactly? Tell the truth!"

Fang Dongshun sighed heavily, leaned back against the bed, and stared at the ceiling, muttering to himself, "I wanted to kill her for a long time. She ruined my life."

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang frowned at him, asking, "Who? Your wife, Wang Aizhen?"

Fang Dongshun nodded.

Bai Yutang felt it was intolerable. "Your wife has undoubtedly contributed to your successful career today. When drinking water, remember the well digger. Your wife has been quietly supporting you for so many years, and yet you were able to lay your hands on her..."

"She doesn't deserve me at all!" Fang Dongshun shouted. "If it weren't for my poor background and being so poor in the early stages of my struggle, I wouldn't have been with her at all! To her, I'm just an investment. I've paid her back several times over for the money she invested in me! I achieved what I have today through my own efforts, not because of her!"

Zhan Zhao, Bai Yutang, and the other officers outside the door all looked at him with disgust. This man, despicable, selfish, arrogant, foolish, heartless... His late wife, who had given her youth for him and was ultimately killed by him, was truly pitiful.

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang suppressed their anger, trying not to judge this man's character too harshly, and waited for him to finish his story. After all, this case wasn't that simple. Although it started with a despicable murder, the consequences were severe... Ding Ying's death was definitely not straightforward.

They listened as Fang Dongshun continued.

When Wang Aizhen, this devoted wife, was wholeheartedly supporting his comeback and envisioning a bright future, she certainly didn't expect that the man lying beside her, with a heart as cruel as a beast's, was growing more and more disgusted with her every day. As Fang Dongshun became more successful, he felt more and more cheated. He felt he shouldn't have spent his life with such an "ordinary" woman, but should find someone younger and prettier... Soon, he started an affair with his secretary, Mei Wen. At that time, Mei Wen was still very young, and Fang Dongshun's business hadn't succeeded yet, so he couldn't leave his wife for the time being. It was at this time that Mei Wen became pregnant. Fang Dongshun was the kind of person who would only live for himself, unwilling to change his plans for anyone or take even the slightest risk. So Mei Wen, who was pregnant out of wedlock, had to marry Du Ping, an older man without children, and give birth to the child.

Everything afterwards went according to Fang Dongshun's desired direction. He finally succeeded in his career and could get rid of Wang Aizhen.

However, getting rid of his original wife wasn't easy, because he had cheated first. Besides the time and effort it would take for a divorce, there would also be significant financial losses, which he couldn't allow. Moreover, things weren't going well with Wang Aizhen and Du Ping either because Du Ping doted on his stepson so much that the child had a particularly good relationship with his father and couldn't even accept Fang Dongshun as his biological father.

To deal with this issue, he built the villa, allowing the mother and son to live as close to him as possible, and hired a psychiatrist for the child, hoping to rebuild the father-son relationship.

At this point, Fang Dongshun had almost formed an idea. He began to plan how to get rid of the two stumbling blocks in his life once and for all, Wang Aizhen and Du Ping.

But such a plan had to be meticulous. He first conceived a plan to exonerate himself in a hidden room, which then developed into a detailed scheme involving serial killings, with himself and Mei Wen set up as victims, framing a scapegoat...

However, constructing such a case wasn't easy. Murder requires motive, and in this mundane world, where could he find a serial killer?

While struggling with this, he received a call from his child's psychiatrist, coincidentally Ding Liying, also known as Ding Ying after changing his name.

Ding Ying probably didn't expect that after raising eagles for so many years, he would be pecked by one.

Fang Dongshun's son was receiving psychological counselling from Ding Ying. Ding Ying noticed some dark elements in the child's drawings, and the child's emotions were also not quite right, so he suspected that marital conflicts might be affecting the child. If a child of this age has psychological issues, these negative emotions could accompany him throughout his life, so Ding Ying called the parents.

When Fang Dongshun arrived at the psychiatry clinic and saw the drawings his son had made, a dark plan began to form in his mind. At the same time, he discovered a secret about Ding Ying, which filled him with joy and anticipation.

And so, the arrogant and despicable Fang Dongshun began to execute his plan.

But what he didn't know was that while he was including the seemingly ordinary psychiatrist in his plan as prey, in some dark corner, another pair of even more crazed eyes was sizing him up.

His deranged plan not only sealed his own fate but also unleashed a true monster...

‿︵‿︵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 30, 2024 by Angel

Edited: December 10, 2024 by Soojin