The Same Fate Awaits All Sins Chapter 10

Malice – 10

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Lu Zheng suddenly snatched the phone, startling Gu Yanta. "What are you doing?!"

"Chen Chen, listen to me, from now on, don't ask Huang Chufeng any questions related to Lu Yu's murder, wait until Captain Gu and I get there."

"Got it!"

"Let's go, Consultant Lu." Gu Yanta and Lu Zheng stood up together and headed for the door.

"Ai, this weather..."

The sky, which had been clear during lunch, was now drizzling lightly.

Black clouds loomed ominously over the city. Looking up at the overcast sky, Gu Yanta suddenly thought of the phrase 'black clouds loomed ominously over the city as though it was about to collapse.' It seemed like Yuchuan always had this kind of continuous drizzly rain around the Qingming Festival, as if mourning the grievances and injustices of the human world.

Lu Zheng's black shirt was soaked through by the rain, clinging to his body, and making his shoulders appear even thinner. His thick eyelashes were dotted with fine droplets of water. Perhaps it was the spring rain, fine as ox hair, acting as a natural filter, but Gu Yanta suddenly felt that Lu Zheng's entire aura had softened.

"Consultant Lu, shall we run?" Gu Yanta's voice seemed to soften as well.

"Sure!" Lu Zheng replied before dashing into the rain.

That faint, ambiguous feeling flickered and vanished. By the time Gu Yanta came to his senses, Lu Zheng had already run into the city bureau building, and he hurriedly strode after him.

Huang Chufeng sat calmly in the criminal investigation team's office. His appearance was somewhat mature for his age, looking around forty. With his honest and unassuming face and black-rimmed glasses, he was the kind of person you'd see in a crowd and not bother to look at twice, an appearance that couldn't be more ordinary.

"Hello, Officer Gu," Huang Chufeng stood up and extended his hand. His tone was not only calm but also exceptionally polite. "I'm Huang Chufeng, Officer Chen asked me to wait for you here."

"Hello, Mr. Huang, we've invited you here to assist with the investigation." Gu Yanta made a "please" gesture, though in his heart, he had cursed this man a hundred and eighty times already, if there was evidence, would I be speaking so politely to a murder suspect?!

Lu Zheng slipped into the adjacent monitoring room, watching the scene unfold with a cold gaze.

The television in the office was broadcasting an anti-drug awareness video, explaining the categories of drugs and their primary components.

Gu Yanta had no idea what Lu Zheng was planning.

"Mr. Huang, you must already know about Lu Yu's murder. We've asked you here today to assist with the investigation," Gu Yanta said.

"I know. I'm very cooperative, but I'd appreciate it if the officers could hurry things along. I've been helping my mentor with a project lately, and I've barely had time to rest, I've been sleeping in the lab these past few days," Huang Chufeng nodded.

"Alright, then I won't beat around the bush," Gu Yanta said, towering over Huang Chufeng. Though it wasn't an interrogation, he still needed to establish dominance. "Mr. Huang, where were you on the evening of the fourth of April?"

"Oh, I've already explained this clearly to the officers who came to investigate earlier. I was in my dormitory sleeping that night, my roommates can confirm this," Huang Chufeng replied in a flat, matter-of-fact tone, as if he wasn't being interrogated, but was recounting an ordinary event from daily life.

"You just said you've been sleeping in the lab lately because of a project with your supervisor, didn't you?" Gu Yanta questioned.

"That day, the lab equipment happened to malfunction, so our mentor gave us a day off. Since I don't have a place to stay here, of course I went back to the dormitory. Officer, are you guys suspecting me? I thought I was here to assist with the investigation, not to be interrogated." There was still no trace of anxiety in Huang Chufeng's tone.

"Calm down, don't misunderstand, this is just a routine investigation for those close to the victim, how could the police suspect anyone without evidence?" Gu Yanta lit a cigarette casually. "Want one?"

Huang Chufeng politely waved his hand, indicating that he didn't smoke.

"How was your relationship with the deceased, Lu Yu?" Gu Yanta deliberately exhaled a puff of smoke in Huang Chufeng's direction.

A flash of displeasure crossed Huang Chufeng's face, and he made no effort to hide it, waving the smoke away with his hand.

This move was an intentional provocation on Gu Yanta's part, he wanted to see if Huang Chufeng could maintain his composure.

"Our relationship, how should I put it? He did help me by recommending me to our mentor, but he was a spoiled rich kid, very different from us poor students, so we didn't interact much. Although we didn't have much in common, I'm still grateful to him." Internally, Huang Chufeng had already labelled Gu Yanta as a brute, looking down on him completely, but his gaze remained seemingly sincere.

Those eyes made even Gu Yanta doubt if he was targeting the wrong person.

Good psychological control and acting skills, Gu Yanta thought.

For the moment, he couldn't pinpoint a breakthrough. Huang Chufeng's calm demeanour felt like an impenetrable wall, leaving no openings.

"So, what you're saying is that your relationship wasn't close enough for you to come and go from his home as you please, correct?" Gu Yanta pressed further.

"I've been to his place a few times, but only to help him fix or move things. His neighbourhood may be fancy, but the property management is terrible, you could make a hundred calls and no one would show up. He was a pampered young master living there alone, so he'd occasionally run into problems, unlike people like us who've faced hardships and can solve issues on our own," Huang Chufeng answered methodically.

"Seems like you were different from his other friends. Based on what you've said, your relationship was purely transactional, he helped you financially, and in return, you did physical labour for him, he summoned you as he pleased and dismissed you just as easily. Is that an accurate description?" Leaning back, legs apart in a relaxed posture, Gu Yanta's stance subtly exerted psychological pressure on Huang Chufeng.

"That... that's not quite right. He helped me, so it was only fair to return the favour when he needed help," a flicker of anger and disdain crossed Huang Chufeng's face.

Suddenly, Gu Yanta recalled Lu Zheng's analysis of Huang Chufeng: highly self-important, extremely proud, yet deeply insecure. Perhaps provoking his pride could push him to lose control.

"Ai, to put it bluntly, you were just Lu Yu's lapdog... Got it. Mr. Huang, you can go back now." With that, Gu Yanta stood up, waving towards the door. "Chen Chen, who's next? Zhou Jing?"

Huang Chufeng glared at Gu Yanta and suddenly became emotional, his face turning crimson with humiliation and rage, veins bulging on his forehead. Through gritted teeth, he spat out, "Don't think you police officers can talk however you please! What's so great about Lu Yu? He's nothing without his family's money!"

This reaction hit the mark, just as Lu Zheng had predicted. This guy was a narcissist.

"Oh? From what I've heard, Lu Yu's grades were excellent, and he was originally the one working on the project with the mentor. He gave it to you out of sympathy for your financial struggles, didn't he?" Gu Yanta looked at Huang Chufeng disdainfully.

"Nonsense! Who told you that?! Lu Yu was nothing but a hack! He couldn't even complete the basic tasks assigned by the mentor!" By now, Huang Chufeng was seething with rage.

Gu Yanta spread his hands. "Mr. Huang, you see, we rough types don't understand these professional matters. But if you don't want to leave, let me remind you, we police don't provide accommodation."

Huang Chufeng shot Gu Yanta a fierce glare. "I'm just reminding Officer Gu to be more respectful with his words in the future! Not everyone is as easy-going as I am!" He slammed the door behind him with a loud bang as he left.

"That damn..." Gu Yanta had barely begun to curse when Lu Zheng appeared at the office door.

"Based on Huang Chufeng's micro reactions just now, I highly suspect that he and his mentor are involved in drug production," Lu Zheng remarked casually.

The calmness of this statement struck Gu Yanta's ears like a thunderclap. "What?!"

His infamous "hand of destruction" nearly shattered the ashtray beside him. Fortunately Ma Qin wasn't there, or else he would definitely have laughed at him seeing this scene,

"Huang Chufeng's income is significantly inconsistent with that of a typical PhD student assisting a mentor on projects, and I've long suspected him and his mentor of engaging in illegal activities. Today, we brought him in to assist with the investigation into Lu Yu's murder, and I intentionally arranged for anti-drug public service videos to play on the TV, aiming to test his subconscious associations between Lu Yu and drugs."

Lu Zheng, having been caught in the rain earlier, coughed a few times before continuing, "Huang Chufeng is meticulous by nature, and ordinarily, he wouldn't slip up like this. But after you provoked him into losing control of his emotions, he desperately wanted to prove himself, and he repeatedly glanced at the television while claiming Lu Yu couldn't complete tasks assigned by their mentor. His behaviour strongly suggests that these so-called tasks are related to drugs. I now strongly suspect both he and his mentor are involved in drug production."

"This... are you saying..."

Gu Yanta felt as if he had been enlightened, as if the fog had been lifted and the clouds had opened up. Thinking about it this way, if Huang Chufeng was involved in drug production and Cnclub was the city's largest drug trafficking hub, then it was highly likely Huang Chufeng knew Cnclub's owner, and he must have crossed paths with Zhang Bin. This opened up a new possibility!

It's very likely that while in the middle of the burglary, Zhang Bin had witnessed Huang Chufeng murdering Lu Yu, and Huang Chufeng recognised him.

Huang Chufeng killed Zhang Bin to silence him!?

Gu Yanta turned to Lu Zheng and found him as composed as ever, as if none of this had anything to do with him.

No hint of excitement over a breakthrough in the case, nor frustration at the lack of evidence. This guy's face seemed perpetually unchanging, except for that time he ate the pork liver.

"There's still one thing I don't understand and I'd like to ask Consultant Lu," Gu Yanta said, feigning seriousness.

"What is it?" Lu Zheng didn't even lift his eyes.

"I've been wondering why you always look so grim. Honestly, I'm starting to feel like punching you right now."

"Then you'll have to beat me first."

‿︵‿︵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 18, 2024 by Angel

Edited: December 12, 2024 by Angel