S.C.I Mystery Series Volume 5 Chapter 163

Special Files – Witches 10 – Collapse

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Under Zhao Jue's "coercion", Fang Dongshun went through a rather "painful" and "detailed" process of recollection.

Finally, under Zhao Jue's relentless questioning, he felt like his head was about to explode.

About an hour later, Zhao Jue sketched a drawing and handed it to Fang Dongshun, asking him – Is this the person?

Fang Dongshun nodded and said that's him.

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang curiously leaned over to take a look, and both frowned... Indeed, as Fang Dongshun had described, this was an exceptionally ordinary college student.

Zhao Jue chuckled as he picked up the completed drawing.

Fang Dongshun watched his movements closely.

Zhao Jue glanced at the portrait, nodded, then reached out and tore it in half.

Everyone looked at Zhao Jue's action with confusion.

However, Zhan Zhao didn't seem surprised at all. Where was the problem? The problem lay in that portrait.

It was too ordinary, so ordinary... that it didn't seem real.

Why?

Typically, police sketch artists draw suspects based on verbal descriptions, and most of them tend to exaggerate, even sometimes resembling cartoons, why is that? To emphasise features!

Ask yourself, how does an ordinary person remember someone they've only briefly encountered? Naturally, they remember some specific features of their face.

For example, at first glance, they might notice a hooked nose, or perhaps the person has unusually large eyes, thick lips, prominent ears, a wide or narrow face, and so on. As long as there's one distinctive facial feature, it's the one that's remembered the most.

So, are there people with completely featureless faces? For instance, a medium-sized nose bridge, average-sized eyes, medium face shape, moderate lip thickness... Perhaps there are, but if there are, it's impossible for every ordinary feature to be remembered so accurately! Because the more ordinary, the easier to confuse, and besides, what is ordinary? How high is a moderately high nose bridge? Having only met once, it's easy to forget after a turn of the head.

When Fang Dongshun saw that everyone had seen through him, he laughed too.

At this moment... this heartless and unfaithful man finally showed his true colours. Leaning back against the bed, he said, "If you want to catch that person... I need to think carefully. In fact, I'm just an accomplice. It was Mei Wen who actually committed the murder and came up with this plan. As long as you confirm that Mei Wen is the main culprit and I'm just an accomplice, I'll recall what that person looks like."

Zhao Hu, who was ready to handcuff the guy and take him away, couldn't hold back anymore – This guy was the scum of the earth, a scum among scum, cheating on his wife and killing her... then trying to blame it on the other woman. Did this guy not have a bottom line?! Even shooting him wouldn't relieve his anger.

Bai Yutang glanced at Zhan Zhao, implying – Cat, deal with him!

Zhan Zhao raised an eyebrow – No need, he's provoking Zhao Jue after all.

Bai Yutang smiled slightly, looking at Zhan Zhao as if to say – Oh, you're quite proud.

Zhan Zhao turned away - Not at all!

After Zhao Jue tore the portrait, he slapped Fang Dongshun.

Everyone was shocked.

Even Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang were surprised – That was unexpected.

Fang Dongshun was dumbfounded.

Bai Ye tilted his head slightly, feeling something was off, resorting to violence?

"You... police brutality!" Fang Dongshun snapped back to his senses and immediately shouted.

Zhao Jue stretched out his hand, showing him his palm.

In his palm lay a dead mosquito.

Fang Dongshun stared, with five hot finger imprints on his face and the partial remains of a squashed mosquito.

Zhan Zhao glanced at Bai Yutang, as if asking – Was there a mosquito on Fang Dongshun's face just now?

Bai Yutang shrugged – Didn't notice.

Fang Dongshun covered his face and shouted, "I want a medical examination, I..."

Before he could finish his sentence, he received another slap on the other side of his face.

Fang Dongshun opened his mouth wide, and Zhao Jue showed him his other palm, where another dead mosquito lay.

Everyone was stunned... How did he do that?

Zhao Hu glanced at Ma Han behind him, knowing that when it came to eyesight, Xiao Ma Ge was probably the best.

Ma Han didn't react – Was this really about killing mosquitoes?

Bai Yutang quickly pulled Zhao Jue away... Even though this guy was despicable, beating him up wasn't the solution...

Fang Dongshun had ten finger imprints on both sides of his face, and he wasn't having it. He started making a fuss, insisting that the police had assaulted him.

Zhao Jue shook his hand and said, "Stop yelling, I'm not a cop."

Fang Dongshun paused, then angrily stared at Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao, threatening to sue them for abuse of power...

Zhao Jue casually picked up a piece of paper and started drawing, while saying, "Your son, does he often carry a dandelion recently?"

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang both looked at Zhao Jue.

Fang Dongshun paused and furrowed his brow. His eyes slowly moved, seemingly trying to recall.

Indeed, even when he went into the basement, his son was holding a dandelion, he thought he had picked it up from the grass.

Zhao Jue pulled out the photos of the corpses of Wang Aizhen and Du Ping and showed them to him.

Fang Dongshun stared at the photos and froze – because the bodies were not the same as the ones he dealt with...

"Do they feel different?" Zhao Jue asked with a smile.

Fang Dongshun looked at the bodies in the photos with some confusion...

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang had already noticed some clues when Fang Dongshun was discussing the details of the case earlier.

After Fang Dongshun committed the crime, he and Mei Wen disposed of the bodies together overnight. In the cornfield at night, for two novices at murder... it was difficult to create such a crime scene.

But they were experienced police officers and had seen too many corpses. These two bodies found in the cornfield had too many details. Whether it was some accessories, the soil in their hands, the dandelions in the soil, or the direction their faces were facing, everything gave off a feeling of careful planning.

Fang Dongshun's eyes told everyone that these bodies had been "processed" a second time.

Zhao Jue glanced at Fang Dongshun, who had gone from arrogant to reckless, then to unreasonable, and now to confused. He continued to draw on the paper.

"Do you think you're impressive?" Zhao Jue suddenly asked him. "Killing two people without batting an eye, setting up a plan to scare people, and bargaining with the police... You're quite the formidable villain, aren't you?"

Fang Dongshun furrowed slightly. In every word Zhao Jue spoke, he could hear the mockery.

Zhan Zhao and the others found this conversation quite ironic.

As Zhao Jue continued to draw, he casually said, "Do you know what a real villain looks like?"

Fang Dongshun licked his lips. Those slaps from Zhao Jue earlier had been quite harsh, his lips were even bleeding.

He stared at Zhao Jue with resentment, thinking of ways to sue him or get revenge. He couldn't swallow this insult...

Just as he was devising a plan, Zhao Jue's indifferent voice came again, slowly saying, "The real villain, upon hearing your troubles, came up with a little game to mess with you."

Fang Dongshun paused, instinctively listening attentively.

"When he heard about your son's counselling session, he devised a plan, provided you with a good idea, and set up a beautiful trap for you. You fell right into it, immersed in the joy of devising the perfect plan, and then, smack, he slapped you in the face. Little did you know, while you were planning, he was planning too. On one hand, he was enjoying your amusement, on the other, he was provoking the police and even calculated against his own guardians. Most importantly, while you were plotting to kill your lover's husband and your own wife, he had already befriended your son."

Fang Dongshun looked up suspiciously.

Zhao Jue glanced at him and smiled faintly. "What do you think your son's ideal living environment is? Would he be happy if two out of the four people were removed?"

Fang Dongshun looked at Zhao Jue with confusion, his expression beginning to subtly change.

"But you see, that person thinks your son's ideal living environment is when all four people are removed. Maybe..." Zhao Jue seemed to have finished drawing, he took out the sketch he had just made and placed it in front of Fang Dongshun, "your son thinks the same way."

When Fang Dongshun caught sight of the portrait Zhao Jue had drawn, his entire body trembled. With wide eyes, he looked at the drawing with a horrified expression.

"Need to make him look a bit younger?" Zhao Jue glanced at Fang Dongshun's expression, then made some modifications before placing the sketch back in front of him.

Suddenly, as if struck by something, Fang Dongshun realised that the portrait Zhao Jue showed him was exactly the young man he had seen that day, down to every detail. He shook his head repeatedly, unable to comprehend how Zhao Jue did it, and looked at Zhao Jue as if he had seen a ghost, "How is this possible? Who are you?"

Zhao Jue smiled, leaned closer and whispered, "What do you think he wants the most?"

Fang Dongshun's face was now contorted with fear as he stared at Zhao Jue.

With an icy tone, Zhao Jue looked at him and said, "He wants to see your despair... Moreover, he might become the only person your son trusts in the future. No one will be able to protect your son."

"Ah..."

Fang Dongshun suddenly screamed and convulsed as if having a seizure.

Yang Fan heard the commotion from outside and hurriedly ran over with a nurse. From Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang's perspective, Fang Dongshun had been completely destroyed by Zhao Jue, he had collapsed...

Zhao Hu and Ma Han exchanged a glance. The once arrogant murderer was now completely crushed.

Yang Fan instructed the nurse to hold down Fang Dongshun, who was in a fit of rage and agitation, preparing to administer a sedative.

But suddenly, Zhao Jue reached out and snapped his fingers in front of Fang Dongshun.

Instantly, Fang Dongshun calmed down. He grabbed Zhao Jue's sleeve, saying, "I'll help you catch that person! We must catch that person!"

Zhao Jue clicked his tongue and shook his head, looking at Fang Dongshun disdainfully. "Can a rabbit help a lion catch a wolf? Who do you think you are?"

Before Fang Dongshun could say anything else, Zhao Jue lightly patted his shoulder. "You're not a great villain, you're just foolish and greedy... Originally, your son could have had four people to protect him, to grow up with him... Even if we catch the murderer for you, what then? The dandelion on that corpse will forever bloom in his heart, and the murderer will have a greater impact on him than even you. Of course, you won't see his future anymore. The manoeuvres that you thought were smart have perfectly avoided all the right choices, leading to your demise."

With a devilish smirk, Zhao Jue handed the sketch to Zhan Zhao and casually strolled out with his hands behind his back.

Bai Ye shook his head and followed. In the room, there were only Ma Han, Zhao Hu, Zhan Zhao, Bai Yutang, a group of overwhelmed medical staff and Fang Dongshun, who was now howling in despair.

Everyone looked at Fang Dongshun, who had been completely destroyed by Zhao Jue, both mentally and spiritually, with complex expressions.

Yang Fan had to resort to medication to calm him down, and the nurses ushered everyone out of the room.

Before leaving, Bai Yutang took a final glance at Fang Dongshun and asked Zhan Zhao, "Why is he so broken? His son's future might not necessarily end tragically. Perhaps, away from his morally corrupt parents and under the care of other relatives, he might grow up better?"

Zhan Zhao stared at Bai Yutang and smiled, "You're really kind. Do you think he's so broken because he's worried about his son's future? If he truly cared about his son's future, he'd have hesitated before laying a hand on the child's mother."

Bai Yutang frowned, "Then... why?"

"When someone collapses, it's usually because their last straw has been broken. People like Fang Dongshun, they prioritise themselves above all else. They can easily abandon those around them because in their minds, they are the best, the most important, and the most perfect." Zhan Zhao shook his head. "Zhao Jue just made him realise that he's actually just ordinary, even mediocre and foolish. That's why he collapsed."

Bai Yutang furrowed his brow and glanced up the corridor towards Zhao Jue, who was studying the vending machine in the hallway, seemingly trying to buy a drink.

Zhan Zhao glanced at Bai Yutang and then at Zhao Jue, who was inexplicably arguing with the vending machine ahead.

"Is it really okay?"

Zhan Zhao muttered to himself.

Bai Yutang looked at him.

Zhan Zhao seemed to be seeking Bai Yutang's opinion, "Is it really okay for me to investigate the case with him, considering I might not be able to suppress him in terms of professional ability or intelligence?"

Bai Yutang seldom saw Zhan Zhao doubting himself, and he chuckled, "To be honest, I'm a bit intimidated by him too."

Behind them, Zhao Hu and Ma Han both nodded, feeling like they weren't on the same level as ordinary people...

"But," Bai Yutang changed the subject, asking Zhao Hu and Ma Han, "what do you feel?"

The two exchanged a glance, and Zhao Hu spoke up, "Great! We were holding it in, but now it feels good."

Ma Han added, "People like Fang Dongshun will never repent for their mistakes. Even if the law punishes him, restricts his freedom, or even sentences him to death, he won't feel sad or regretful."

Bai Yutang chimed in, "As a law enforcement officer, I don't endorse vigilante actions, but Zhao Jue's method of psychological impact, in my opinion, brings some form of justice to the victims. This feeling of regret and despair is what Fang Dongshun deserves."

Zhan Zhao smiled faintly and turned back, "I wasn't talking about that. I meant, if he loses control, can I restrain him... With his ability, he might hurt himself..."

As they spoke, Bai Ye walked over and grabbed Zhao Jue, who was kicking the vending machine, lifted his hand, and lightly tapped the machine's door with his fist.

With a click, a bottle dropped out.

Bai Ye bent down, retrieved the drink from the slot, opened it, and handed it to Zhao Jue.

Zhao Jue took the drink and sat down on a nearby sofa, gulping it down.

Bai Yutang whispered to Zhan Zhao, "It's okay if we can't control him, someone else can."

Zhan Zhao nodded in agreement – Indeed, there's always someone who can keep him in check.

‿︵‿︵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 31, 2024 by Angel

Edited: December 16, 2024 by Soojin