The Same Fate Awaits All Sins Chapter 8
Malice – 08
Gu Yanta's phone rang again.
"Boss, I made a major discovery while investigating Huang Chufeng's roommate. I've taken a sample that needs to be sent to the material evidence team immediately!" Chen Chen said anxiously.
"Let's go! Tell me on the way!"
Chen Chen rushed to the battered Jeep, pulled open the passenger door, and was startled to see Lu Zheng sitting inside.
"Hunk... oh no, Mr. Lu, why are you here?" Chen Chen looked at Gu Yanta and gave him a wink and a thumbs up. He thought to himself, Boss really moves fast! Solving cases and flirting at the same time? Impressive!
"Cut the crap! Get in and report properly, Mr. Lu is a temporary consultant I specially invited from Yuchuan University to help us crack this case." Gu Yanta shot Chen Chen a glare.
"Yes, Boss!" Chen Chen clambered into the back seat, shaking a sample bag in his hand. "Boss, your hunch was spot on, this Huang Chufeng is definitely suspicious."
"His roommate claimed he slept soundly that night and didn't hear anything unusual, right?" Lu Zheng asked.
"Hunk... oh no, Consultant Lu, how did you know?" Chen Chen leaned forward between the front seats, only for Gu Yanta to swat him back.
"Sit properly!" Gu Yanta started the engine.
"Aiyou, Boss, take it easy, I need my head to make a living, you know!" Chen Chen groaned dramatically. "Huang Chufeng's roommate said that on the night of the incident, he returned to the dormitory around ten p.m. and Huang Chufeng was reading. He didn't pay much attention since they barely interacted, partly because Huang was always busy with his supervisor's projects, coming and going at odd hours, and partly because Huang was too proud to associate with students from less privileged backgrounds. Plus, they weren't even in the same programme, so they rarely crossed paths."
"Isn't Huang Chufeng's own family background fairly average? I heard his parents are unwell and don't have any steady income. He's relied on scholarships and outside support to study. Didn't Lu Yu even help sponsor him?" Gu Yanta glanced at Lu Zheng.
Lu Zheng nodded. "That's correct. I've never met Huang Chufeng myself, but I've often heard Lu Yu mention him. It wasn't exactly sponsorship, though. He's very proud and refuses financial aid from classmates. Instead, Lu Yu helped him secure several collaborative projects with supervisors, which eased his financial burdens. Recently, I heard his income's been pretty good."
Chen Chen continued, "According to Huang Chufeng's roommate, he had a habit of drinking a glass of honey water before bed. That night, after washing up and drinking his water, he went straight to bed. Around eleven p.m., the roommate was just getting ready to sleep when Huang was already lying down. The roommate is a deep sleeper, but that night he slept exceptionally soundly, straight through till morning. Since they were all busy with their doctoral dissertations and woke up early, the roommate saw Huang putting on his coat and leaving in the morning. Naturally, he assumed Huang had slept in the dormitory that night. After that day, Huang never returned to the dormitory, and since the doctoral dormitory is loosely managed, the dormitory supervisor didn't notice anyone leaving during the night."
"From the sound of it, Huang Chufeng definitely had the opportunity to commit the crime. The doctoral dormitory at Yuchuan University is only a ten-to-twenty-minute walk from Lu Yu's home," Gu Yanta said with a nod.
"Huang is a top student in the chemistry department. Precisely controlling a dose to make his roommate sleep deeply without oversleeping wouldn't be difficult for him," Lu Zheng added.
"So, Chen Chen, what evidence did you collect?" Gu Yanta asked.
"His roommate is a slob and never washes his cup, so I took samples from the cup and the water dispenser nozzle. Boss, praise me!" Chen Chen said proudly.
"Cunning!" Gu Yanta gave Chen Chen a thumbs up.
"Is that a compliment or an insult?" Chen Chen muttered.
Lu Zheng suddenly smiled, and Gu Yanta glanced at him before blurting out, "Smile less in the future!"
"What?" Lu Zheng was taken aback.
"No, I mean you look more dignified when you're not smiling, otherwise, people might mistake you for a student," Gu Yanta realised his slip and coughed to cover it up, quickly changing the subject. "Have you suspected Huang Chufeng for a while?"
"I am a student, I haven't graduated yet," Lu Zheng replied helplessly, going along with Gu Yanta's words. "And as you said, it's just suspicion without evidence. A few months ago, I overheard Lu Yu mention that Huang Chufeng had come to his house to fix the surveillance cameras."
"What? Why didn't you bring up such an important clue earlier? Huang Chufeng, a chemistry student, knows how to fix surveillance cameras?" Gu Yanta asked.
"Because I wasn't sure, and I couldn't deduce Huang Chufeng's motive for murder. After all, in Lu Yu's eyes, Huang Chufeng was a good person," Lu Zheng explained.
"Let's examine the physical evidence first, then find an excuse to bring him in for questioning. I don't believe he won't talk!" With that, Gu Yanta stepped on the gas and sped toward the city bureau.
City bureau.
"Boss! This 'Niu B,' is really something! Liang Shan and I have been grilling him for ages, trying every tactic, but he refuses to admit to drug trafficking. He keeps insisting the drugs and phone were planted to frame him, maybe you should take over?" Ma Qin reported with a defeated expression. Only then did he notice Lu Zheng standing next to Gu Yanta. His eyes widened. "Isn't this... the guy who filed the report yesterday?!"
"Ma Qin, can you stop making such a fuss? You're the most good-for-nothing one here! Let me reintroduce you, this is Mr. Lu, recommended by Professor Chen to temporarily serve as a psychological consultant for our team. In the future, if I'm not around and you run into any problems, feel free to ask him. He's one of Professor Chen's favourite students, absolutely brilliant!"
Lu Zheng listened to the flattery without batting an eye and said calmly, "Hello, Officer Ma, I'm Lu Zheng. I'm not that brilliant, I'm just a psychology student who hasn't graduated yet."
Ma Qin finally managed to compose himself, thinking, this young guy, a second-generation rich kid, working here at the police bureau? Back in my day, I aced my police academy exams and still threw up at my first crime scene. But then again, Professor Chen was a legend back then. If this Lu Zheng was recommended by Professor Chen, he shouldn't be too bad! For the first time, Ma Qin felt a spark of anticipation about this new consultant.
"Consultant Lu, any ideas on how to deal with this 'Niu B'?" Gu Yanta asked.
"Captain Gu, you should be far more experienced than me in handling scoundrels like this," Lu Zheng gestured for Gu Yanta to lean in, then whispered a few words into Gu Yanta's ear.
Gu Yanta felt a shudder in his ear, and suddenly, all the blood in his body seemed to rush to a certain spot. He barely registered what Lu Zheng had said, his mind spiralling. Gu Yanta ah Gu Yanta, you've lived thirty years of your life in vain! You've never felt like this before, is this some kind of oestrus period?!
"I'll use the restroom first!" Gu Yanta quickly ducked into the washroom, lit a cigarette, and didn't come out until the 'flag was lowered'.
Interrogation room.
Gu Yanta, looking every bit like an evil spirit, glared at the scoundrel drug dealer sitting opposite him.
"What's your name?"
"Niu B! Officer, haven't you already asked me that several times?"
"Niu fucking B! Believe me, today I'll turn you into Gao B!" Gu Yanta kicked Niu B so hard he fell face-first to the ground.
Niu B slowly climbed back up, wiping the blood from the scrape on his nose, and muttered, "Officer, it's already 2019 and you're still using torture? Don't think I won't file a complaint against you once I get out!"
Gu Yanta snorted coldly. "You can talk about getting out later. I'll ask again, what's your name?"
"Niu Bo, satisfied?"
"What's your relationship with Zhang Bin?"
"Zhang Bin? Which Zhang Bin? Officer, there are loads of Zhang Bins, how am I supposed to know which deity you're referring to?"
"Cut the crap! I'm talking about the Zhang Bin who buys white goods from you!"
"White goods? Officer, what kind of slang is that? I don't understand."
"Stop pretending, do you think you can deny the drugs in your house and the list of drug users found in your phone contacts?"
"Officer, I've said this so many times, I don't know anything about drugs or contact lists. My phone was on me when I got into that fight, and the local police confiscated it. Why would I leave my phone at home instead of carrying it with me? Should it be a landline? Someone must have framed me, it's definitely Sha'er, that bastard. He's jealous because I'm better-looking and stole his girlfriend, he's the one who attacked me the other day! I'm a law-abiding citizen!"
Lu Zheng pushed the door open, walked in silently, and placed a stack of photos on the table.
"Yo, here comes the good cop, Officer, I swear I don't know anything about drugs! It's all that bastard Sha'er's doing. If you don't believe me, call him in, I'll confront him face-to-face!"
"Take a look at these photos first," Lu Zheng said calmly.
Niu Bo picked up the stack, and upon seeing the images, he drew in a sharp breath. Even as a rogue gangster, he had never witnessed such gruesome scenes before. "Th-this... isn't this a traffic accident? Officer, are you trying to scare me? I'm a law-abiding citizen!"
"I'm not trying to scare you, Niu Bo. Look closely, this is Zhang Bin," Lu Zheng continued. "Zhang Bin saw something he wasn't supposed to, so they staged a car accident to silence him. Now, we've followed the trail to you, do you really think you can wash your hands of this? Once you step out of this police station, the next person in these photos will be you. I'm sure you understand the tactics those people will use."
Niu Bo broke out in a cold sweat. "Officer, this has nothing to do with me! I only sold him drugs, I don't know anything about his other dealings."
"Oh? His other dealings? Niu Bo, let me be clear, if you assist us in this investigation, we can ensure your safety, but if you keep stonewalling and refuse to cooperate, once you leave the city bureau, I can't guarantee what will happen next. Your girlfriend, the one you took from Shang'er, is pregnant, if we know this, don't you think they do too?"
Niu Bo hung his head, clearly a little shaken.
Lu Zheng pressed on, "We've confirmed that on the night Zhang Bin died, he had arranged to meet you for a handoff. If you agree to become a state witness and reveal the mastermind behind this, we can plead for leniency on your behalf in court and work towards a reduced sentence. If not for yourself, then at least think of your unborn child."
‿︵‿︵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 16, 2024 by Angel
Edited: December 8, 2024 by Angel
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