The Same Fate Awaits All Sins Chapter 40

Suspicion – 10

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What Bai Xiaoting recounted next caused Gu Yanta to feel suspicious. This had originally been a straightforward criminal case, how had it started veering into the realm of the supernatural?

A few days before they came to intern at the food factory, Wang Shan had stumbled upon a website called 'Letters to Hell'. Its premise was simple, you entered the name of someone you resented, and the site would help you exact revenge. However, you would also have to pay an equivalent price.

Wang Shan and Ouyang Xue had long harboured a deep hatred for Liu Le, who had repeatedly harassed them because of their beauty and secretly filmed them, later uploading the footage. Bai Xiaoting also despised Liu Le's behaviour, but since she was considered plain-looking, she hadn't suffered any substantial harm.

"Ting Ting, do you want to join us?" Ouyang Xue asked, pointing to the laptop. On the screen was a pitch-black webpage with a white candle lit in the centre. At the flame's tip was a field to input names, and the entire site exuded an eerie vibe.

"Come on, Liu Le is so hateful! If there's one more of us, we'll have more power, wouldn't it be great if Liu Le really disappeared?" Wang Shan chimed in enthusiastically.

Bai Xiaoting glanced at the screen and felt a chill run down her spine. Thinking about how Liu Le hadn't actually done anything to her, she shook her head and said, "Forget it, I'm a bit scared..."

"What's there to be scared of? It's not even real!" Wang Shan chewed her gum and blew a bubble with a pop. "Coward!"

Bai Xiaoting lowered her head.

"Alright, alright, forget it. If Ting Ting doesn't want to, don't force her," Ouyang Xue tried to mediate.

Hearing this, Bai Xiaoting burrowed into her quilt, covering her head tightly. She didn't want to get involved in any of this. She was nothing like them, they came from privileged backgrounds and were stunningly beautiful. In contrast, she was plain-looking, timid, and lacked presence, always an outsider within the group. She knew about Liu Le's despicable acts but didn't want to interfere. After all, she hadn't caused her any real harm...

The website explained that for the object of the grudge to suffer retribution, the user would have to pay an equivalent price. However, neither of the two girls took it seriously, and both entered their wish for Liu Le to disappear forever.

"So, you think the deaths of Ouyang Xue and Wang Shan are related to that website? And that's also why you escaped, is that correct?" Lu Zheng's face flashed with a hint of disdain.

Bai Xiaoting nodded in tacit agreement.

"But now that they're dead, how do you prove that what you're saying is true?" Lu Zheng pressed.

Bai Xiaoting bit her lip and stayed silent.

"That website is a joke if you ask me!" Gu Yanta scoffed. "The cursed person didn't die, but the ones doing the cursing ended up dead through and through!"

Bai Xiaoting suddenly panicked, her voice rising by several octaves. "Didn't you just say Liu Le committed suicide?"

"I only said she committed suicide, I never said she died," Lu Zheng replied flatly, not even glancing up. "What exactly are you hiding? What are you so afraid of?"

Gu Yanta shot Lu Zheng a meaningful look and pointed at his ear. Silently, Lu Zheng covered his ears. Sure enough, Bai Xiaoting began trembling all over and then let out a piercing scream. Medical staff rushed in at the sound, and the two men quietly stepped out of the hospital room.

"I told you there was something off about Bai Xiaoting..." Lu Zheng remarked.

"Mhmm, if she hadn't spun that supernatural story, it wouldn't have been so obvious," Gu Yanta nodded. "Do you think she really had a hand in the accidents involving the other three girls in her dormitory?"

"Even if she didn't do it herself, it's still connected to her," Lu Zheng replied. "She definitely knows something, which is why she's pretending to be crazy now."

"She wasn't in the dormitory when Ouyang Xue was murdered. She claimed to be out looking for Wang Shan, but surveillance only shows the two of them leaving together and returning together, there's no evidence to prove they were actually together during the intervening time," Gu Yanta said, frowning. "And she was at the scene when Wang Shan was murdered. All of these so-called accounts are just Bai Xiaoting's version of events, which means her alibis don't hold up at all."

"Exactly. The only time she has a solid alibi is when Liu Le attempted suicide, she was indeed at the hospital then. But we can't rule out the possibility that she provoked Liu Le through her phone or other means," Lu Zheng added.

"Liu Le's phone fell into the river during her jump from the bridge and can't be recovered, and Bai Xiaoting must have destroyed all the evidence..." Gu Yanta frowned. "For now, we'll have to wait until Liu Le wakes up to piece together the truth."

"Mhmm."

"Good thing Liu Le survived, otherwise, we'd be stuck letting Bai Xiaoting fabricate whatever story she wanted. If her conscience was clear, why would she come up with this supernatural website nonsense as soon as she heard Liu Le had died..." Gu Yanta sighed. "And to think I even felt sorry for her..."

"You, sometimes you're too kind and upright," Lu Zheng shook his head. He took a pair of sunglasses from his pocket and put them on. "Remember, there are two things in this world you can't look at directly, one is the sun, and the other is the human heart."

"Alright, alright, I get it, I'll be more careful next time. It was indeed a mistake that I should not have made as a criminal investigator," Gu Yanta rubbed the stubble on his face, which hadn't been shaved in two days, and then he shifted the topic. "But tonight, no matter what, I need a proper shower and a good night's sleep. Look at what has become of my handsome face!"

"Let's head back to the bureau first, check Liu Le's accounts and her computer's IP address to see if what Bai Xiaoting said is true." Lu Zheng made his signature boss pose, arms crossed over his chest, body leaning back against the passenger seat, and eyes closed as he began to rest. 

Seeing Lu Zheng's relaxed demeanour, Gu Yanta quickly assumed the role of driver, performing his "primary duty" with a grin. He slammed on the accelerator and sped off towards the city bureau.

City bureau.

Chen Chen sat nervously in front of his computer, eyes fixed on the progress bar on the screen. "Boss, the surveillance footage from the Prosperity Food Processing Plant wasn't missing because the cameras were broken, I found evidence of deliberate tampering. I'm trying to recover it now..."

"In that case, the footage likely captured something related to Ouyang Xue's death, otherwise, no one would have rushed to destroy it," Gu Yanta patted Chen Chen's shoulder. "All those days of training have finally come in handy."

"Boss, I can't accept that, the last time you drank yourself unconscious, who carried you up five flights of stairs?" Chen Chen protested indignantly.

"That was me!" Yu Tiantian interjected from the side.

"Right, don't forget the time I called you for help, and you pretended you couldn't hear me because the phone signal was bad," Lu Zheng chimed in.

"Chen Chen, is that true?" Gu Yanta asked, feigning anger.

"Boss," Chen Chen quickly gave Gu Yanta a sly wink and whispered, "I was just trying to create opportunities for you guys..."

Before he could finish, Gu Yanta gave him a sharp flick on the head. Clutching the bump on his forehead, Chen Chen muttered pitifully, "I... even if I don't get credit, I still worked hard..."

"Recover the footage by eight o'clock tonight to atone for your mistakes, and I'll let it slide this time," Gu Yanta tore open a pack of cigarettes, took one out, and handed it to Lu Zheng.

The two lit them leisurely.

"Boss, you and Consultant Lu look so handsome when you smoke!" Chen Chen said with an ingratiating grin.

"Brother Chen, I'm really disappointed in you..." Yu Tiantian said, pouting on the side.

‿︵‿︵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 18, 2025 by Angel

Edited: February 18, 2025 by Angel