There was silence in the conference room, and the images on the TV were still playing.
Everyone present was witnessing such cruelty for the first time. Dismembering a living person was horrifying!
How could Wen Ying not recognize Zhong Jiasheng's voice? Even though she already knew what kind of person Zhong Jiasheng was, at this moment, she still felt that her knowledge was shallow.
What kind of hard heart could one have to teach someone to dismember a person alive?
The screams continued on TV. Wen Ying couldn't help but touch her knees. She truly felt she had a tough life. She hadn't been killed by Zhong Jiasheng for so many years. He must have shown mercy!
Wen Ying rushed out of the room, held onto the door and vomited into the trash can in the corridor.
Her vomiting seemed to be a switch, followed by a series of dry retching sounds.
Lin Shuyue also vomited. She had watched countless criminal investigation films and TV series, read countless horror novels, and was familiar with numerous cases, but this was the first time she had seen anything like this.
On TV, the man lying on the operating table couldn't even moan, his legs already sawed off. Blood stained the entire operating table red.
At this moment, Hang Jiabai and the others finally understood why there was so much black blood on the operating table carried out from the Zhong family's old house.
A video clip quickly finished playing. On the operating table, only the head remained. The remaining limbs and internal organs had been discarded into a frame in a corner.
At the end of the picture, the camera flashed twice and then went black.
Captain Zheng took out the disc from the VCD. It was not until now that he discovered that there was a date written on the disc. It was filmed on December 8, 2004.
Now, Captain Zheng and his team can completely prove that the person whose body was dismembered alive on the operating table was the unknown person who still has no identity information.
Captain Zheng was silent for a moment. He looked at his subordinates lying on the ground, whose faces were turning pale. With a gloomy face, he played the next disc.
This disc seems to have been shot from a fixed camera position. A young man dressed in alternative clothes and wearing a male chastity belt on his lower body was tied up with a red sex rope by Hu Jiangrong, with a gag in his mouth and a mask on his face, and entered the operating room.
In the short distance from the door to the operating room, he had been whipped several times by the special black and red whip. As the whipping continued, two whips of different widths left crisscross marks on his back.
Lin Shuyue and Wen Ying have both returned. Wen Ying is very scared, but she still insists on watching the videotape to the end.
After being taught a lesson under the bed, the young man obediently lay down on the operating table, following Hu Jiangrong's instructions. His face flushed, and his lips, which held the gag, were tilted upwards. Clearly, he felt no pain from the blows Hu Jiangrong had just given him.
After he lay on the bed, everyone finally recognized him from the part of his face that was exposed.
Ye Xueyu: "Ah Shuai."
The people present were all normal people. This was their first time to really encountered people from the SM circle. They couldn't understand their fetishes. But those few whips just now, they felt pain just by looking at them.
Wen Ying's eyes were wide open. She didn't know how many times she was very grateful to how she was raised that she managed to escaped into Zhong Jiasheng's trap. Otherwise, she would be the one lying on the operating table wearing such bold clothes that she couldn't accept.
On the TV, Hu Jiangrong turned on the stereo in the corner. Loud music filled the room as a man pushed open the door. This time, the camera clearly saw Zhong Jiasheng's arrival. He wasn't wearing a protective suit that only exposed one eye, but a white coat. Without wearing a mask, everyone could see Zhong Jiasheng's entire face.
The subsequent scenes were extremely bloody, and Ah Shuai did not escape the same fate as the previous person.
This time no one vomited. With this videotape, they had evidence of Zhong Jiasheng and Hu Jiangrong's crime.
Captain Zheng told Hang Jiabai and the others, "We'll keep the videotape. Now, all members of your three teams, rush to Wangfu Community and find the Bailing Club that Zhong Jiali mentioned. Find more evidence to prove the connection between Zhong Jiasheng and Hu Jiangrong."
"It's six o'clock in the afternoon, and there are still three hours until Zhong Jiasheng's release. I give you until eight o'clock to find the evidence."
"Yes!" Hang Jiabai and others stood at attention and saluted. This "yes" was said with a resounding voice.
Lin Shuyue also followed him out.
Wangfu Community is very close to the Public Security Bureau. It is just a short walk down a small alley. The buildings in the entire community are all built in the style of the Anhui style, with green tiles and white walls.
Entering the community from the entrance, you'll find pavilions, towers, rockery, and flowing water. In a small pond nestled among the rockery, a cluster of water lilies grow, and yellow and white koi fish swim back and forth among the lily pads.
There was a road next to the rockery. Ye Xueyu and Jiang Zhou took two people to the left, while Zhao Youcheng took a team of police officers to the right.
Hang Jiabai and Lin Shuyue went to the property building.
The property building is a one-story building, and the interior decoration is the same as the exterior of the community, with a sense of elegance.
After showing his ID to the person at the front desk, the property manager of the community hurried over.
He must have come running, with a little sweat on his forehead.
Hang Jiabai, who was looking at the floor plan of the community in the hall, turned around.
"Hello, police officer. Hello, police officer. Come and sit down. Come and sit down." The property manager invited Lin Shuyue and Hang Jiabai to sit on the leather sofa in the reception area.
The property manager immediately yelled for Xiao Hu, the front desk clerk, to pour some water. After doing all this, he sat down across from Lin Shuyue and the others. His heart was still pounding.
God knows how he felt when he received the call saying that a group of criminal police came to the community to investigate!
Although their Wangfu community has been open for sale for four or five years, there are still many houses in their community that have not been sold. What should they do if it is involved in a murder case?
The entire community will be greatly affected!
Hang Jiabai took out photos of Zhong Jiasheng and Hu Jiangrong and showed them to the property manager. As soon as he saw the people in the photos, the manager's expression relaxed. Although the two people in the photos looked familiar, he didn't really know who they were.
Lin Shuyue has turned on the good and evil radar, and the property manager's good and evil radar has been scanned. His good and evil value is 12%, which means he has some minor evil, but not to the level of committing a crime.
"Do you know these two people?"
Just as the property manager was about to speak, Xiao Hu had already poured two cups of warm water. Seeing the two photos spread out on the coffee table, he exclaimed.
Hang Jiabai and Lin Shuyue looked at her, and the property manager also tilted his head.
"Comrade, do you know these two people in the photo?"
"There is one who looks familiar, but we've never spoken. But I've spoken to this one. He rents a shop with a basement in our community and does pet business." Xiao Hu pointed at Hu Jiangrong.
When Xiao Hu said this, the property manager remembered: "Yes, yes, he rented a pet club here. People always bring their cats and dogs to him for medical treatment and beauty treatments." People are getting richer and richer nowadays, and those who can live in Wangfu Community are not short of money.
Their pets have to be taken to the pet club every few days for a facial cleanup and grooming. The pet clinic in Wangfu Community usually does good business. Xiao Hu always sees people in smart clothes coming to the clinic to have their pets treated, bathed and their nails trimmed.
The property manager still didn't understand: "You guys are taking better care of cats and dogs than people. Twenty years ago, I wouldn't have dared to think about this."
Lin Shuyue felt physically uncomfortable when she heard the name of the pet club, because she understood better than anyone that the "pets" in this pet club must not only refer to cats and dogs.
"Can we take a look at their rental information?"
"Sure, sure." Anyway, it has come to this point, and there is no point in thinking about it anymore. The property manager enthusiastically asked Xiao Hu to get the tenant file.
Xiao Hu quickly found a rental contract. The registered name on it was Zhong Jiasheng, and the rental period was 1998. It had been six years since then.
"Can we go to that pet club?"
"Sure, sure." The property manager went to find the key to the pet club, and together with Xiao Hu, led Lin Shuyue and Hang Jiabai there.
The pet club is located at the east and west corners of the community. It is the house on the edge of the community.
Before they even reached the location, the property manager began questioning Hu Jiangrong and his team about their crimes. Hang Jiabai didn't reveal a single detail, but he did ask about the pet club's conditions, particularly regarding water and electricity usage.
Xiao Hu knows a lot more about this than the property manager. After all, everyone in the community has to go to the property management department to pay their bills. Sometimes when everyone else is too busy, Xiao Hu has to go and help out.
"Speaking of which, this pet club probably uses the most water and electricity of all the businesses in the community. On average, they use about 20 tons of water per month. As for electricity, we use residential electricity, which costs 0.4 yuan per kilowatt-hour. Their monthly electricity bill is over 900 yuan, almost 1,000 yuan. If it's a hot month, the bill can reach thousands of yuan."
Faced with such enormous water and electricity consumption, Xiao Hu and his colleagues discussed it privately several times. Zhang Shusheng, in particular, asked about it several times.
"I don't know if Zhang Shusheng has read too many novels, but he always says the water and electricity in their shop aren't working properly. I think it's quite normal. I've checked several times, and the air conditioning in their club is always set to 22 degrees Celsius. Air conditioning consumes a lot of electricity. The water usage is even more normal. I've seen them bathe cats and dogs, and those cats and dogs are disobedient, so they really use a lot of water!"
Xiao Hu muttered, while Lin Shuyue and Hang Jiabai exchanged glances: "Where is that Zhang Shusheng?"
Xiao Hu said, "He resigned at the beginning of this month, citing a family emergency. He didn't even pack his belongings, just took his ID and other important documents and left. His clothes are still piled in the utility room."
Xiao Hu was a chatterbox. Even without Hang Jiabai asking, she spilled the beans and told him everything she knew. "It's really strange, but after Zhang Shusheng returned home, he seemed to have disappeared. He didn't answer my calls or reply to my messages. If he doesn't take his personal belongings with him, we'll have no place to put them."
After hearing this, Lin Shuyue and Hang Jiabai were 100% certain that the third piece of human tissue in the pile of body parts belonged to Zhang Shusheng.
Hang Jiabai sent a message to Ye Xueyu, Zhao Youcheng and others, and the reply arrived quickly. They also found Hu Jiangrong's club.
The group finally met in front of the pet clubs in the east and west corners.
Ye Xueyu couldn't help but sneered: "It turns out that the Bailing Club we have been looking for for so long is not a red-light district, but a pet club."
Ye Xueyu felt that the three words "Bai Ling Club" above the door of the pet shop were a naked mockery of her.
Jiang Zhou also choked a little. It was a club, and it was related to the circle of SM. Who wouldn't think of it as a club in the red light district?
Hang Jiabai turned and looked at them: "Okay, stop talking nonsense. Is Sister Qi here? Let them get ready for work."
"We're here." Forensic pathologist Sister Qi, wearing a white coat and carrying a suitcase, hurried over, followed by Captain Zheng.
The property manager and Xiao Hu were so weak at the sight of this that they felt their legs weaken. The property manager gave the key to Hang Jiabai and immediately went to the side to call the person in charge of the developer.
The door of the Bailing Club opened, and a burst of dog barking was heard instantly. Lin Shuyue pressed the light on the wall, and the scene inside the store appeared in front of them.
The decor of this shop is no different from other pet stores. Cages line the sides of the store, and the cashier is at the front. Behind the cashier is a wall of cabinets lined with cat food, dog food, and pet snacks. There's also a row of shelves in the basement, stocked with cat litter and toys.
"Woof woof woof woof~~~" A burst of fierce dog barking reached everyone's ears. Lin Shuyue and others looked over and saw several large dogs kept in iron cages against the wall. Their black fur was shiny and watery.
Captain Zheng looked at the dogs and said, "These dogs have eaten meat before."
The "meat" that Captain Zheng was referring to was human flesh.
Captain Zheng had been a criminal police officer for decades, and everyone was convinced of his judgment. Newcomers like Ye Xueyu looked at him eagerly, hoping he would tell them more.
Xiao Hu, the property receptionist at Wangfu Community, has not left yet. According to the property regulations, when someone comes to visit the houses in the community, their property management will follow them throughout the whole process.
Thinking about the forensic doctor who had just come over with the box and the middle-aged man who was respected as Captain Zheng, Xiao Hu wanted to cry.
Lin Shuyue saw her expression of wanting to cry but not being able to, and patted her hands: "Don't be afraid."
Xiao Hu also wanted to not be afraid, but her calves were shaking.
Over there, Captain Zheng was giving his men a science lesson: "Ordinary dogs, especially pet dogs, have very gentle eyes. Some breeds are even naturally affectionate. But look at these dogs. Their eyes are sharp and cold. This one has its front paws still gripping the cage, its hind legs supporting itself on the ground, and its tail tucked under its buttocks. It's in a posture ready to attack at any moment."
Everyone followed Captain Zheng's gaze and found that the dog's eyes were on Xiao Hu. In other words, it regarded Xiao Hu as its hunting target.
Xiao Hu looked at Ye Xueyu and the others in confusion.
Captain Zheng blocked the dog's gaze from reaching Xiao Hu, looked at the gathered team members, and said, "Let's get to work."
"Yes." Everyone took out gloves from their pockets, put them on, and started working.
Lin Shuyue didn't move. She watched Ye Xueyu running around taking pictures of every piece of evidence. There was no movement.
"Everyone, come here." Xing Jiabai's voice came from inside. They went inside.
Behind the pet shop is where dogs are bathed and their nails are trimmed. There is dog hair on the floor that has not been cleaned up. The smell of pets mixed with some disinfectant and shampoo is very unpleasant in this small and claustrophobic space.
There was a small door on the wall. Lin Shuyue and the others pushed it open, and before them appeared a row of cement stairs leading down. Going down the stairs, a very luxurious place appeared before them.
The carpet with black irregular patterns is very soft to step on, and the walls are also soundproofed. A semicircular red sofa is placed against the wall, in front of it is a black glass coffee table, and next to the wall is a shelf with many sex toys on it.
A notebook was casually thrown on the side of the coffee table.
Jiangzhou picked up the laptop, which was out of power, but the charger plug next to it was still there, so he connected it to the power supply.
Hang Jiabai stood at the door of a partitioned room. Forensic Doctor Qi and her men were already busy in the basement.
"Even though it has been processed, you can see the blood that it's still there." Forensic Doctor Qi pointed to the corner of the wall. There were many jet-shaped black blood spots on the white wall.
"And this operating table. It looks dry on the surface, but look." Forensic Doctor Qi pinched a corner of the table with her hand. Soon, a drop of smelly blood oozed out, staining her medical gloves with red.
"This is the primary crime scene. Search thoroughly."
Captain Zheng arrived at some point.
The computer in Jiangzhou was already turned on, and he had cracked the password in a short time. He quickly browsed through the contents of the computer, and one of the tables caught his attention.
He quickly called Captain Zheng, Hang Jiabai, Lin Shuyue and others to follow.
Inside a folder was a table with a list of victims to be killed.
Zhang Shusheng, Ah Shuai and Zhong Jiali are at the front of the list, and their names are in gray.
Below Zhang Shusheng are Wen Ying, whose name is in red, and Wen Ying's sons Zhong Chao and Zhong Xi. Further down are the names in orange, and there are dozens of them in total.
Opposite the table of these names, there is a separate row with Zhong Jiasheng's name in large, red and bold color.
"We've found the primary crime scene and obtained the physical evidence. Now, we can apply for an arrest warrant."
Captain Zheng breathed a sigh of relief. Although it was inappropriate, they were still happy. They had been under too much pressure in the past few days.
The provincial police even called three times a day to ask about their situation. Now, the public security system in Pengcheng can finally report back.
"Captain Hang, we've found Bobby, Zhong Jiali, and the others," Zhao Youcheng replied, prompting everyone to head over. It was a room less than ten square meters, with two very long and large freezers against the wall. On the other side, there was a row of cages about a meter high.
Hang Jiabai and the others walked closer to see that Bobby was frozen in the freezer after his death. His hands and feet were tied, his eyes were not closed, and his eyelashes were covered with ice.
Zhong Jiali's head was right next to his, and the other two were casually thrown at his feet.
Medical Examiner Qi arrived and, upon seeing the situation, she said, "There's an 80% chance that this foreigner froze to death."
Lin Shuyue and others closed their eyes. Hu Jiangrong and Zhong Jiasheng were really too cruel.
The degree of cruelty was something they had never seen before in their lives!
•••••
By the time we left Wangfu Community, it was already completely dark. Captain Zheng was the first to leave. He had just called to say that an arrest warrant had been issued for Zhong Jiasheng.
Wen Ying stood at the gate of the residential complex, her eyes fixed on the medical examiner's car as it drove away.
Lin Shuyue stood beside her, the cold wind ruffling her hair. She asked Lin Shuyue, "Have you found it?"
Lin Shuyue knew what she was asking: "We found it. It's frozen."
"Okay." Wen Ying nodded.
Then she asked, "Is the next target going to be me? Or my child?"
Wen Ying was no fool; Hu Jiangrong's appearance was too coincidental. Adding to her understanding of Zhong Jiasheng over the past few days, she couldn't help but think about it.
"Yes."
Wen Ying smiled bitterly: "As expected, he won't let me go. He may have wanted to kill me a long time ago."
Wen Ying said, "I just found a torn piece of paper in Zhong Jiasheng's room. It was a debt collection notice. He owed a large sum of money outside, about 9 million."
"I've handed this note to the police." The room Wen Ying was referring to was the villa where they had lived before. When she saw the debt collection note from Zhong Jiasheng, she knew that if Lin Shuyue hadn't been there that night, she wouldn't have survived.
Their savings over the years, the money on the company's books, and several houses and stores add up to tens of millions.
"I even checked with the insurance company. He bought insurance for all of us. If we get into an accident, he'll be the beneficiary and he can get a huge compensation."
Lin Shuyue patted Wen Ying's shoulder: "It's all in the past. He can't get out. Live a good life in the future."
"Okay." Wen Ying touched her eyes.
She said: "I plan to bury Zhong Jiali on New Year's Day. I hope that her next life will be like New Year's Day, a new year and a new life."
"Good."
As the two walked back, a light rain began to fall from the sky.
•••••
Lin Shuyue returned home and fell asleep as soon as she hit the bed until she was woken up by Lou Fengqin.
"What time is it, Mom?" Lin Shuyue asked, rubbing her dry eyes.
"Four thirty." Lou Fengqin called, "Hurry up and get up. I made you some glutinous rice balls. I hope your trip will be a complete success. Your uncle is already up. We'll take you to the airport later."
"Okay." Lin Shuyue got up from the bed, brushed her teeth and washed her face with her eyes closed, and then ate the glutinous rice balls cooked by Lou Fengqin.
At five o'clock, Lin Shuyue and her family set off. Lin Shuyue slept in the back seat of the car all the way. Lou Fengqin saw that she was too tired and did not wake her up.
When they arrived at the airport, Hang Jiabai was standing at the door with a suitcase next to him, wearing a long cashmere windbreaker. When he saw Lin Shuyue and the others, he strode over.
Lin Shuyue was blown by the cold wind, blinked her eyes, and her sleepiness disappeared.
She looked at Hang Jiabai who was coming with the light behind him and thought he was so handsome.
Hang Jiabai walked closer, took out a red scarf from the bag on the suitcase handle and hung it around Lin Shuyue's neck: "It's cold in the morning."
Hang Jiabai has a black one of the same style around his neck.
Lou Fengqin and Bai Wenhua exchanged a glance and said, "Ah Bai, please take good care of Ah Yue. We won't be going in. Ah Yue's grandmother had an accident. She fell, and it's pretty serious. She's waiting for a car to go to the hospital for a checkup."
Lin Shuyue had heard about this when she just got up. She was also anxious: "Okay, you guys go back quickly, uncle, drive slowly. Wait until my grandma finishes the examination and call me."
"Okay. You should go quickly, it's getting late." Lou Fengqin said, and got into the car. Bai Wenhua nodded to Hang Jiabai, and drove away at Lou Fengqin's urging.
"Let's go in too. It's very cold in the morning." Hang Jiabai said to Lin Shuyue as they watched Bai Wenhua's car drive away.
Lin Shuyue nodded, and Hang Jiabai took her hand, carried Lin Shuyue's bag, and walked towards the airport.