The Same Fate Awaits All Sins Chapter 36

Suspicion – 06

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When Gu Yanta returned home, it was already the middle of the night. As he pushed the door open, he saw that the television was still silently flickering, and Lu Zheng was lying on his side, asleep on the sofa.

Oh, that's right! Before the operation, Lu Zheng had mentioned he would wait at home for news.

Gu Yanta gently closed the door, not wanting to wake him. The flickering television screen cast Lu Zheng's sleeping profile in alternating light and shadow. His eyelashes fluttered slightly, leaving a dense shadow under his eyelids, giving people the illusion of tenderness.

Lu Zheng had always been a poor sleeper, he found it difficult to fall asleep and often slept lightly. Yet, for some reason, at Gu Yanta's place, he always fell asleep quickly and rested deeply. Could this be what they called a sense of security?

Gu Yanta retrieved a blanket from the room and gently draped it over Lu Zheng. Just as he was about to straighten up, Lu Zheng woke up. Rubbing his eyes, which were still unfocused, he ran a hand through his messy hair. His stiff hair always caused trouble, every time he woke up, it stuck up like he had been in a war.

Lu Zheng's just-woken appearance was always very adorable, completely different from his usual self. Gu Yanta usually couldn't resist ruffling his hair, but tonight he was in a bad mood and simply sat down silently.

"You're back? How's the situation?" Lu Zheng asked in a hoarse voice.

Gu Yanta didn't respond. He pulled out a cigarette from its pack and lit it, "We'll talk in the morning. Go to bed, I'll sleep here." He gestured toward the sofa.

"Got it. The situation isn't good, right? Wang Shan is dead?" Lu Zheng asked cautiously.

Gu Yanta nodded silently, his expression briefly slipping out of control.

"This wasn't your fault, don't blame yourself," Lu Zheng said, noticing the look of guilt on Gu Yanta's face.

"If we hadn't initially focused our suspicions on these girls and instead treated them as potential victims, they might not have been harmed again." Gu Yanta took a deep drag from his cigarette and stubbed it out forcefully in the ashtray. "We were wrong..."

"It wasn't your fault, really. I'm the psychological expert, it was my misjudgment." Lu Zheng patted Gu Yanta on the shoulder as he spoke. Lu Zheng rarely initiated intimate gestures with others, and at this moment, he wasn't sure how to comfort him. Then, he froze for a moment as Gu Yanta reached out and hugged him, burying his head deeply in the crook of Lu Zheng's shoulder. Lu Zheng felt his shirt dampen slightly, and he silently placed his arms around Gu Yanta's back, offering quiet reassurance.

After a long while, Gu Yanta raised his head, his expression returning to normal. After a pause, he said, "Go to sleep, we have to work on the case tomorrow."

Lu Zheng stood up. "You sleep in your room, I'll head home."

Gu Yanta acquiesced.

Early the next morning, news came from the hospital that Bai Xiaoting had regained consciousness. Gu Yanta called Lu Zheng, and the two headed to the hospital immediately.

Bai Xiaoting's injuries weren't severe. The blow had avoided critical areas of her head, and clinical examinations showed only external wounds and a concussion. However, the young woman was naturally frail, and the fright she'd experienced caused her to faint.

When Gu Yanta and Lu Zheng entered the hospital room, Bai Xiaoting was sitting expressionlessly on the bed, her head wrapped in thick bandages. The doctor instructed them not to overly agitate the patient, and Gu Yanta nodded in acknowledgement.

"Bai Xiaoting, do you remember me?" Lu Zheng pulled up a chair and sat by the bed, asking in a gentle tone.

The young girl who had been crying uncontrollably the night before nodded her head woodenly, as if her soul had drained away.

"Last night, you and Wang Shan went to the hill behind the food factory, can you tell me what happened there?" Seeing that Bai Xiaoting wasn't reacting strongly to his presence, Lu Zheng carefully got to the point.

"It was Liu Le! It was Liu Le!" Bai Xiaoting suddenly screamed hysterically. "It's her! It's her!"

She then clamped her hands over her ears and let out a sharp scream, "Ahhhhhh!" Her legs thrashed wildly, striking the bed frame with loud thuds. Hearing the commotion, the medical staff rushed in, pushing Gu Yanta and Lu Zheng aside. After much effort, they managed to administer a sedative to Bai Xiaoting, finally calming her down.

"I told you to be careful with your behaviour and not agitate the patient, what were you thinking? Just because you're the police, does that mean you can disregard the victim's health?!" The doctor, who appeared to be Bai Xiaoting's primary physician, severely criticised Gu Yanta and Lu Zheng.

Lu Zheng spread his hands helplessly.

"Bai Xiaoting said it was Liu Le who did it," Lu Zheng remarked to Gu Yanta as they exited the hospital.

"But you and I both know that's impossible. When Wang Shan was killed, Liu Le was still at the tea house chatting with Yu Tiantian." Gu Yanta handed Lu Zheng a cigarette, lighting one for himself as well.

"It seems the relationships in their dorm were worse than we imagined." Lu Zheng took the cigarette that Gu Yanta handed over and leisurely lit it. "Typically, even if roommates don't get along, they are still young university girls with limited life experience. When someone dies and they are facing the police, it's unlikely any of them would have the mental fortitude to frame someone on purpose. It seems that they really suspect each other, unless..."

"Unless what?"

"Unless there really is a murderer among them."

"There were four people in the dorm. Now two are dead, one is injured, and the last has a clear alibi. At this point, should we still be suspecting them? Right now, every one of them is in danger, our top priority is to ensure their safety." Gu Yanta waved his hand decisively. "Liu Le is currently missing and could also be in danger, we need to find her as soon as possible!"

Lu Zheng glanced at Gu Yanta's resolute profile and knew he felt guilty over Wang Shan's death. He said nothing more, but he couldn't help feeling sceptical about Bai Xiaoting's reaction. If the killer's target was the girls in this dormitory, why did they kill Wang Shan but spare Bai Xiaoting?

The two walked in silence until they reached the city bureau, where they ran into Jiang Ziyu coming out of Director Wu's office.

"Old Jiang, where have you been?" Gu Yanta asked with some dissatisfaction. Over the past few days, Deputy Captain Jiang's presence had been scarce while they were running the case, leaving Gu Yanta perplexed.

Jiang Ziyu spoke gloomily, "Old Gu, I saw you running around for the case yesterday, so I didn't get a chance to tell you, Director Wu is transferring me to Xia County, I spent all day yesterday coordinating with the team from there."

"Isn't Xia County's criminal investigation team captain one of our alumni from the Police Academy? His name's Li... something?" Gu Yanta asked.

"Li Mingyong!" Jiang Ziyu replied, suddenly looking grim. "He was killed not long ago..."

"How come I didn't hear about this?" Gu Yanta frowned. "How did he die?"

"His car was bombed, and he was blown to ashes... Ai, since the culprit hasn't been caught yet, only internal personnel know about it." Jiang Ziyu sighed heavily. "A while ago, Xia County had a homicide case caused by a turf war between drug traffickers. Captain Li followed the trail and managed to bring down several big figures in a drug cartel. Now it's suspected that those drug traffickers retaliated out of spite, but the perpetrators still haven't been caught..."

A drug cartel? A car bombing? Why does this feel so familiar? Could it be related to the Huang Chufeng case? When Zhang Bin tried to escape, he was heading to Xia County... Gu Yanta's heart trembled.

"With Captain Li gone, Xia County's criminal investigation work has no one to lead it. Director Wu wants me to go there temporarily..." Jiang Ziyu continued.

"Go, do a good job, but most importantly, stay safe!" Gu Yanta patted his old classmate on the shoulder. "Don't be fooled by Xia County being a small place, a lot of the province's, even the country's, drugs originate from there. It's deep waters..."

"I know," Jiang Ziyu nodded solemnly. "The situation is urgent this time, so I didn't have time to say goodbye to you guys. Once I get the chance, I'll come back and treat everyone to a meal. The work here is all on you now, Old Gu!"

"Don't worry," Gu Yanta laughed. "Besides, I've got Consultant Lu here with me! Without you nagging like an old nanny, I'm sure I'll be able to do a better job!"

Jiang Ziyu gave a bitter smile and shook his head before turning to Lu Zheng. "Consultant Lu, I'm leaving Careless Gu to you."

Lu Zheng remained silent, his expression unchanged as he gave a slight nod.

‿︵‿︵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: January 13, 2025 by Angel

Edited: February 18, 2025 by Angel