The Same Fate Awaits All Sins Chapter 20

Worship – 05

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"Alright, got it," Gu Yanta said as he hung up the phone. "We'll start investigating along the 129 bus route, focusing on shared rental properties and shanty areas."

Chen Chen sorted through the files and studied two photographs of the victims. After a moment, he suddenly spoke up. "Boss, Consultant Lu, there's something I don't quite understand. Look at these two girls, whether it's their appearance, temperament, or clothing style... they're worlds apart. If the killer's motive is the same as the Rice Killer's from twenty years ago, rape and murder, this taste disparity is just too big, isn't it?"

Chen Chen wasn't wrong, the two girls in the photos were indeed strikingly different. One was fair and delicate, while the other was dark-skinned and sturdy. Judging by appearances alone, it was hard to associate the two.

Lu Zheng took the photographs from Chen Chen's hands. Placing them side by side only accentuated the contrast. He frowned and said, "At first glance, these two girls don't look alike, but upon closer inspection, there's a hint of similarity..."

"Consultant Lu, are you insensitive to women's looks, just like our boss?" Chen Chen interrupted, grinning cheekily. "How about we switch to comparing men's looks instead, do you think I look like Boss?"

Lu Zheng studied Gu Yanta's face seriously, then turned back to Chen Chen's. Shaking his head, he said, "No, objectively speaking, your boss is much more handsome than you."

Gu Yanta burst into laughter. "Chen Chen, do you know what this is called? It's called asking for humiliation!"

Chen Chen rolled his eyes indignantly. "Consultant Lu, I'm seriously beginning to doubt your eyesight. Sure, our boss is definitely the most good-looking officer, but these days, refined types like me are more popular!"

Gu Yanta's smug expression was already overflowing. "Consultant Lu has a proper sense of aesthetics. Since when did a four-eyed pale face like you become synonymous with sophistication?"

Before Chen Chen could argue further, Lu Zheng steered the conversation back to the case.

"Speaking of which, the one confirmed victim so far hasn't been sexually assaulted." Lu Zheng held up a photo of Li Wenli as he spoke.

"That's true, but not all nine of the victims from twenty years ago were sexually assaulted," Gu Yanta said seriously, "Back then, the police suspected that the killer might have had sexual dysfunction, so only some victims were sexually assaulted. In other words, he couldn't always do it."

Lu Zheng nodded, continuing to study the two photographs in his hands. He seemed lost in thought. "I still feel there's some sort of connection between these two girls, what is it?"

"We're here." Gu Yanta hit the brakes and announced, "Get out."

In front of them stretched a filthy and messy shanty town. Crumbling walls of various heights were covered with the word "demolish". Narrow alleys filled with foul, black sludge ran between the houses, while corners were piled high with garbage. The air was thick with a stench of decay and rot. The three of them, in their clean and neat attire, stood out starkly in this grim environment. So much so that an old man dumping a chamber pot paused to stare at them for a long while.

"It reeks so much that even if there were a corpse here, we wouldn't smell it!" Chen Chen grumbled. As someone who mainly dealt with technical work and rarely went out on field assignments, his sensitivity to odours was heightened. At this moment, the stench was so overwhelming he had to pinch his nose.

"Chen Chen, next time, just stay in the office, look up information, and tinker with the computer," Gu Yanta lit a cigarette. "This is nothing, we've seen all kinds of scenes as criminal investigators."

Chen Chen silently pulled a mask out of his pocket without saying a word, speaking would require breathing in more of the odour.

After wandering through the area for ages, the three of them came up empty-handed and decided to head to their next destination.

In the early summer evening, the fading heat still lingered. The setting sun dyed half the sky a bloody red. Old Farmer Zhang, had finished a busy day of farming, and strolled along the fields after dinner. Most of the young people in the village had left for the city to work, with no one willing to return and farm, and the contracted fields lay neglected due to a lack of labour. Old Zhang shook his head at the thought. What was so good about working in the city? The government was now encouraging farming, with supportive policies in place. Staying home, tending to one's land, living without worry for food and shelter, marrying, and raising a family, that was the right way to live!

Suddenly, Old Zhang felt his foot sink slightly, as if stepping into something unusual. He'd walked this ridge for decades and knew every stone and bump by heart. Looking down, he noticed a shallow pit, as if someone had buried something. Damn it! It must be those rascals from the village again, burying stolen goods here! It stinks, too! With the parents off in the cities working, no one watches these brats and they are out of control! Furious, Old Zhang went back to his shed, grabbed a shovel, and returned to start digging.

One shovel down, and something didn't feel right, why was it so big? Could those kids have stolen livestock this time? Another shovelled scoop, and Old Zhang let out a loud "Ah!" before collapsing to the ground in shock. Sticking out of the dirt was a pale human leg.

———

When Gu Yanta and his team arrived, the police had already cordoned off the scene.

"Can you confirm the identity of the deceased? Is it Hou Rong, the missing person?" Gu Yanta urgently asked Lin Feiyu, who was busy at the site.

"Take a look for yourself. In this weather, the body is already in an advanced state of decomposition. The face was already rotten when it was dug up. But judging by the facial structure, height, and body shape, it's highly likely her. The estimated time of death is at least three days ago," Lin Feiyu covered the corpse with a white sheet. "The rest will have to wait for the autopsy. But based on the current condition, she should have been killed earlier than the previous one."

"There's more." Lin Feiyu uncovered the victim's ankle. "Look here."

Gu Yanta fixed his eyes on the area. It was another 米 carving! Even though he had mentally prepared himself, seeing it again sent blood rushing to his head.

Chen Chen retched uncontrollably nearby before asking weakly, "Boss, are we still going to search Hou Rong's place?"

"Continue to send people to investigate. This isn't the primary crime scene, which means there's a good chance her home is." Gu Yanta clenched his fists, gritting his teeth. "That bastard! We can't let him hurt anyone else!"

Chen Chen nodded and immediately arranged for additional personnel.

"Consultant Lu, can we make a profile now?" Gu Yanta turned to Lu Zheng with urgency. "If we keep dragging this on, there will only be more victims!"

Lu Zheng was still staring at the two girls' photos, lost in thought. Startled by Gu Yanta's loud voice, he snapped out of it, shook his head slightly, and said, "I understand how you feel, but right now, there are too few clues. If we make a wrong judgement, it'll only waste more time and harm more innocent people."

He pointed at the two photos. "Look, I've been trying to figure out what these two seemingly different girls have in common, now I finally see it. When you tilt the photos at a certain angle, you'll notice that their eyes are remarkably similar. Both have slightly upturned eyes with identical lines at the corners."

Gu Yanta picked up the photos and tilted them as instructed, scrutinising them for a while. Lu Zheng was right, the two girls indeed shared identical eye shapes and corner lines. Most people would evaluate someone's appearance based on overall features like face shape, facial structure, or clothing style, completely overlooking such minute details. Suddenly, Gu Yanta felt the eyes looked oddly familiar, but he couldn't recall where he'd seen such a resemblance before.

Meanwhile, the rest of the criminal investigation team and the material evidence team were combing through a couple-mile radius of the surrounding area, searching for any clues the perpetrator might have left behind.

"Boss!" Chen Chen came running from a distance, panting heavily. "No Brain called, he wants to know if we can release Li Wenli's boyfriend."

Gu Yanta took the phone only to hear Ma Qin shouting angrily, "Stupid Four Eyes, fucking call me that again!"

"Ahem... It's me," Gu Yanta coughed.

"Ah... Boss, my bad, I thought it was Four Eyes cursing me again!" Ma Qin quickly shifted the topic. "Boss, your phone's been unreachable. I wanted to ask if we can let that Xu Leixin kid go. Last night, he was at the internet café working all night, lots of people can vouch for him."

"Did he mention if Li Wenli had been seeing anyone recently?" 

"He said he and Li Wenli had already broken up, but it wasn't over money. Apparently, she had a new boyfriend," Ma Qin continued, "But none of her friends or family know about this, even Xu Leixin claims he's never met the guy. Honestly, I think the kid's just bitter and imagining things."

"Okay, got it. If there's nothing useful, let him go, keeping a minor detained isn't ideal."

"Yes, Boss!"

"Any leads?" Lu Zheng turned to ask.

Gu Yanta shook his head. "Xu Leixin has a solid alibi. He only mentioned Li Wenli breaking up with him for a new boyfriend, but no one's seen this so-called new lover. Ma Qin thinks that he was dumped and was mentally unbalanced, so he just imagined it.."

"Li Wenli's new love? That's a possibility," Lu Zheng nodded. "Twenty years ago, the perpetrator randomly chose victims, tailing them or breaking into their homes to commit the crimes. But times have changed, nowadays, people are far more vigilant, and with surveillance cameras everywhere, it's much harder to select random targets without exposing himself."

Lu Zheng's dark eyes looked exceptionally bright against the backdrop of the descending night. "Hou Rong's residence is remote and rudimentary, with a chaotic mix of people coming and going, an easy target. But Li Wenli lived in a regular neighbourhood. If the perpetrator tried to tail her there, it's hard not to be suspicious. That's why I'm more inclined to believe that the killer is selective in committing the crime. Considering our previous analysis of the victims' appearances, the killer must have studied their looks and environment before committing the crime."

"In other words, the killer intentionally approached Li Wenli from the start, gaining her trust. If that's the case, this so-called new love of Li Wenli's is a prime suspect!"

‿︵‿︵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: December 14, 2024 by Angel

Edited: January 14, 2025 by Angel