Insights Chapter 144: Case 1

Chapter 144: Case 1

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

Late at night, on the top floor of Penang Mall. Shen Junci finally arrived here. Lu Ying, accompanied by several detectives, was still at the door attempting to enter the password. As soon as they saw Shen Junci, they quickly stepped aside.

Lu Ying said, “Medical examiner Shen, we’ve tried every possible combination we could think of regarding Zhen Jiaxu’s birthday. So far, nothing’s worked…”

There was a door separating them from the rooftop platform, and they were trapped here, unable to ascend. They had already tried six times, inputting not only Zhen Jiaxu’s Gregorian and lunar birthdays but also those of his parents, as well as the birthdays of his deceased wife and son.

Shen Junci stood at the door, taking the phone call from the City Bureau, synchronizing with them for the latest updates. After the call, the City Bureau’s operations had resumed. Bai Meng was in the office helping them access various data. Director Ding and the leaders of the supervisory team were handling tonight’s explosion incident in the command room while also monitoring the progress of the arrest here.

During the conversation, they heard rumbling noises from the rooftop. Lu Ying became anxious, “Could it be a helicopter? Did Huo Lei deliberately provide false information? Maybe the password isn’t a birthday?”

After pondering for a moment, Shen Junci replied, “The other information provided by Huo Lei is correct.”

If it weren’t for Huo Lei’s timely reminder, perhaps tonight would have resulted in even greater casualties.

Lu Ying asked again, “Could it be that Zhen Jiaxu himself changed his birthday slightly, like adding a month or shifting the date?”

Shen Junci shook his head again, “If it were due to poor memory changing the password, he wouldn’t have thought of using this method.”

To avoid forgetting the password, people tend to use the most intuitively memorable numbers. As people age, they often have difficulty remembering recent events but recall certain things from their teenage years very clearly. Randomly changing numbers would likely result in forgetting the pattern in the end.

So, where was the problem? The rumbling sound grew louder, approaching closer, weighing heavily on the minds of the officers.

Shen Junci lowered his head and thought for a moment. Then he suddenly looked up at Bai Meng on the other end of the phone and asked, “Bai Meng, do you remember Case 1?”

Bai Meng immediately replied, “Yes, I have the information right here!”

Previously, they had found that cases in the system had been deleted and altered by someone. They subsequently compared the cases, identified the ones that had been tampered with, and numbered them according to the order of reporting.

Case 1 was the earliest one. Throughout the investigation, they had been trying to find the reasons behind the alterations of the deleted cases. Some cases involved containers, some involved missing miners, and others involved foundations. Only this Case 1 had no associated cases found.

This case was a report of a disappearance, occurring over forty years ago. The missing person was named Dong Liangcai. From the records, the reported information was very simple. Dong Liangcai had been orphaned from a young age, raised by his grandparents. When he was around sixteen, he ran away from home. When his grandparents passed away, the village couldn’t find him anywhere.

Several years later, during a thorough investigation by the household registration police, they found that his household registration was still in the village, but he couldn’t be located. So, they reported him missing.

In earlier years, due to underdeveloped information technology, many so-called missing cases were just discrepancies in information. A missing report was filed, and the person might be found a few years later. But this Dong Liangcai disappeared completely, and no one ever heard from him again.

There was a photo of him as a teenager in the records, showing him very young and innocent.

Shen Junci had always found this case very strange. The information on this missing case was scarce, and it was from a long time ago. Why would the Cleaners notice it and proceed to delete it? Could it be that this person was the first victim killed by Zhen Jiaxu?

Zhen Jiaxu started his wrongdoing over forty years ago? How old was he then? Why did he want to cover up and modify this missing person’s information? What is the relationship between Zhen Jiaxu and Dong Liangcai?

With their previous workload being too busy and various tasks coming one after another, Shen Junci and Gu Yanchen hadn’t had time to properly analyze this case. Now, standing outside the door, Shen Junci suddenly had an idea. Could there be a possibility…

He asked Bai Meng, “What is Dong Liangcai’s date of birth?”

Bai Meng flipped through and reported a string of numbers.

Shen Junci walked up to the door, took a deep breath. The sound of the helicopter outside disappeared. Perhaps the helicopter had already landed on the rooftop. It was quiet all around. If the door didn’t open soon, they wouldn’t be able to stop Zhen Jiaxu from escaping.

Shen Junci steadied his mind, his fingers pressed down. This was the seventh time they were entering the password. If it was wrong again, they’d only have three chances left.

Input completed. The safety lock made two beeps. The door opened…

He guessed right. Zhen Jiaxu deleted that missing information because Zhen Jiaxu was Dong Liangcai. Then, Shen Junci heard a gunshot.

.

Just a minute ago, Zhen Jiaxu stood on the rooftop, welcoming the slowly descending helicopter. He stood at a safe distance, waiting for the helicopter to land and stabilize. Zhen Jiaxu stood in the darkness, intoxicated, reminiscing about his life.

His original name was Dong Liangcai. His parents died shortly after he was born due to a flood. He was left floating in a bathtub for a long time but survived. His grandfather was an alcoholic who abused him. He would often go mad and beat people. His grandmother had a sharp tongue, constantly nagging him. Other elders were also unkind to him. He could only wear old clothes and shoes given to him, enduring bullying and disdain at home.

After elementary school, he was treated as labor and worked in the fields. When he was close to sixteen, he decided to escape from that home and work elsewhere. He stole the two hundred yuan saved at home and took a bus to Penang.

The bus station at that time was still old. He was a country bumpkin who had just entered the city, feeling amazed by everything. The city had just undergone changes, recently opening up, with much to be done. The bus station was crowded with young people dreaming of making a fortune in the big city.

It was chaotic everywhere, with street racing gangs, small hair salons, and various factions. He found a cheap hotel next to the bus station that didn’t require ID registration and cost ten yuan a day, then started looking for job ads. He wasn’t yet sixteen at the time, and many legitimate places wouldn’t accept him. He stayed in the hotel for a few days, his money running out, becoming more and more anxious.

Three men lived in the room next to the hotel. He had seen them in the public restroom. Among the three, the leader was named Zhen Jiaxu, eloquent and persuasive. The other two were nicknamed Fatty and Three Sticks.

Zhen Jiaxu sensed his predicament and approached him, saying he could take him to mine for wealth together. He said the job didn’t require an ID, and his young age didn’t matter. Zhen Jiaxu claimed to know people at the mine, was skilled at the work, and promised to take him there. He said they could build a house in their hometown in three years and get married in five years.

To show sincerity, Zhen Jiaxu was very generous. After treating him to a lamb hot pot and a few bottles of beer, everyone started to get acquainted. Zhen Jiaxu told him that when they were outside, they should pretend to be fellow villagers, look out for each other, so that others would see them as a united group and wouldn’t dare to bully them.

Zhen Jiaxu bore a striking resemblance to him, repeatedly calling him his little brother, addressing each other as brothers. He even gave him a fake name, Zhen Jiaming.

Zhen Jiaxu treated him exceptionally well, buying him clothes and shoes, just like a real brother. Even among these newfound friends, he felt the warmth of family.

The day before they set off, they went to a video hall to watch a movie. They wholeheartedly accepted Zhen Jiaxu as their elder brother and decided to earn money together and make something of themselves. Filled with anticipation, he followed them to work in a mine in the north of Penang. The mine was deep in the mountains, with a deep pit.

The mine had a mining permit, but everything wasn’t quite legitimate. It had been subcontracted by a private owner without much effort, and he easily became one of the miners there, working with three other people every day.

The first time he descended into the pit, he was both afraid and amazed, but he gradually got used to it all. Food and accommodation were provided at the mine, and the wages were quite high.

After a month, he received his first paycheck and quickly became familiar with the other miners. One night, while getting up to use the restroom, he heard Zhen Jiaxu and the other two smoking and chatting outside. Curious, he eavesdropped on their conversation from a corner.

Zhen Jiaxu said, “It’s about time. Let’s get ready to act tomorrow.”

Three Sticks asked, “What’s the plan?”

Zhen Jiaxu said, “It’s dark in the mine. Anything could happen. Lead him to a deserted spot, then hit him on the head with a rock, claiming it was an accident.”

Fatty asked, “If we kill him, won’t his family come looking for him?”

Zhen Jiaxu replied, “No, I checked. He’s an orphan. Only his grandparents are at home, and he doesn’t have any documents. No one knows he’s working here. We’ll talk to the mine owner later, settle it privately for compensation, split the money, and leave. It won’t be discovered.”

Three Sticks said, “Okay, Big Brother, when you make your move, we’ll cooperate.”

The three of them discussed some details, such as how to carry out the plan, how much to extort, and how to divide the spoils. These individuals were all novices at this sort of thing.

Hearing these words, he trembled all over. He quietly crawled back and pretended to sleep. After a while, Zhen Jiaxu and the others came back, acting as if nothing had happened. He closed his eyes and digested the information. It turned out that those people were planning to kill him. It turned out that those people weren’t being kind to him for no reason. His heart was shaken, once again feeling the evil of human nature.

In their eyes, he was probably just a bag of money. He considered whether to go to the police, but would they believe him? Would they send him back home? He had also stolen money from home; his grandfather would probably kill him. He suddenly remembered a teacher in the village when he was a child. The teacher had a set of “Romance of the Three Kingdoms” comic books, which he had borrowed to read.

His favorite character was Cao Cao, a ruthless hero. Whether it was killing the family of Lu Boshe or killing the guard in his sleep, it was all decisive. He was very familiar with those stories.

In “Romance of the Three Kingdoms,” Cao Cao once said: “I’d rather betray the world than let the world betray me.” He took this sentence as his motto, so when he was in elementary school, he fought with those classmates. Now it was no different. It’s survival of the fittest. Since others wanted to kill him, he might as well strike first.

That night, he stayed up all night. As dawn approached, he made a decision.

The next day, when he went down into the pit, he deliberately worked in a crowded area. Later, Zhen Jiaxu couldn’t resist and came to call him, leading him to a deserted path. The mine was pitch black, with only the orange light from their headlamps.

He pretended to be clueless, smiling and following along. In fact, he had already picked up a pointed stone. Before they reached the spot, he suddenly jumped up and fiercely smashed the back of Zhen Jiaxu’s head.

In his heart, he silently repeated that phrase, “I’d rather betray the world than let the world betray me.”

If he didn’t kill Zhen Jiaxu, he’d be the one dead. Zhen Jiaxu hadn’t expected him to strike suddenly. After being hit a few times, he fell to the ground motionless. It was his first time killing someone. His heart was pounding rapidly. After a few minutes, he finally calmed down.

Fatty and Three Sticks, hearing no movement from this side, shouted from the mine entrance, “Brother Zhen, how’s it going?”

He imitated Zhen Jiaxu’s voice and said in a deep voice, “All done. Come in.”

The two of them walked over and saw Zhen Jiaxu’s corpse on the ground, almost wetting themselves in fright.

Summoning courage, he held a stone in his hand and said to the trembling duo, “Zhen Jiaxu wanted to kill me, but I killed him first. If you make a move now, we’ll fight, and I’ll call someone over and tell them everything. I acted in self-defense, and I’m not of legal age. I’ll be fine, but you’ll end up in prison.”

He looked at the two shaking figures in front of him and continued, “You still have another choice. Since Zhen Jiaxu is dead, you can cooperate with me in this act. Let’s go find the boss together. Zhen Jiaxu promised you a certain amount of money, and I won’t give you any less.”

After listening to his words, the two of them deliberated for two minutes and said to him, “We’re also doing this for money. Now that he’s dead, it’s his bad luck. We’ll go along with your plan.”

On that day, Fatty and Three Sticks carried out Zhen Jiaxu’s corpse. They pretended that a young man who had lost his older brother in an accident, crying so hard he couldn’t catch his breath.

The mine owner, seeing the corpse, was somewhat suspicious of foul play for money, but the deceased was the articulate and influential eldest brother of this group, clearly distinct from the usual money scams. The mine owner also feared police investigation into the mining activities, so he chose to settle the matter privately with money.

They hastily buried Zhen Jiaxu’s corpse. Standing before Zhen Jiaxu’s grave, he said, “You forced me. From now on, I will live in your place.”

They packed up Zhen Jiaxu’s belongings and left the mine. Among Zhen Jiaxu’s belongings, he found an ID card. At that time, ID cards were still the old black-and-white type, thin without fingerprints or personal information collection, and the photo on it bore some resemblance to him. Zhen Jiaxu’s family was far away, with no close relatives.

He tucked the ID card into his pocket. He needed that identification.

From that day on, a devil named Zhen Jiaxu was born. From then on, Fatty and Three Sticks followed him. They scoped out people near the bus station, scammed several mines nearby, and made quite a bit of money.

Later on, he became unsatisfied with just scamming men. He bought several vans, ostensibly for transporting goods, but in reality, for assisting in trafficking women and running a human trafficking business. He saw the guard Huo Lai killed on the island. At the moment of deciding to kill her, he remembered his past self, so he spared her life.

Fearful of being discovered, he disguised himself as a philanthropist and founded the Penang Love Foundation.

During his early years in the mine, he met several foremen and heard that there was gold in Luming Mountain, so he had people mine for gold. He was bold and smart, always ready to act on any money-making opportunity. He also put on disguises, flattered the powerful, and for a while, no one noticed the illegal activities he was involved in.

With money, he successfully married into a wealthy family, but he found out that those people called him a nouveau riche, still looking down on him. He was awakened to memories of his childhood.

Zhen Jiaxu realized that having money alone was not enough. Human desires are constantly expanding. He wanted status, to make those rich people listen to him, to build his own empire. So, he single-handedly built the Hetu Trading Association.

He supported Mu Yuwei, a thug, and had him set up a cleaning company for him to use. He transformed from a poor boy like Dong Liangcai into a business tycoon. Because of guilt, he constantly disguised himself as a philanthropist. He kept planting trees on Luming Mountain, fearing someone would find out about his past.

When he found out Lin Xianglan was investigating the events of Luming Mountain years ago, he chose to strike first. With no opponents, the Hetu Trading Association began to expand rapidly in the dark.

As the behind-the-scenes president, he wielded vast sums of money, gradually becoming powerful, manipulating events as he pleased, causing tremors in Penang with a stomp of his foot. Power and money drove him crazy. Only in the dead of night would he think of his past self, Dong Liangcai.

He had done too many wicked things. He often woke up from nightmares. When the cleaners went to clean up the cases at the City Bureau, he had them delete the missing record of Dong Liangcai. This way, no one would ever know who he really was. The once kind and simple rural youth Dong Liangcai gradually disappeared. He started out feeling joy, but later, he fell into fear.

Perhaps because he had done too many bad things, his wife and son died one after another in accidents. He lived in the world like a lone star. He was very rich, but couldn’t feel happiness. He was consumed by desires, unable to tell if he was born a devil or became one later. He wore the mask for too long, sometimes confusing himself. He would dream, dreaming that the one who died in the mine was actually Dong Liangcai, and he had always been Zhen Jiaxu. He felt like he was possessed by the deceased Zhen Jiaxu.

Suddenly, he felt scared, not wanting his true self to disappear. Every day, he repeated the name Dong Liangcai in front of the mirror, changing all his passwords back to his original birthday. In a daze, decades of his life passed…

Now standing on the rooftop, Zhen Jiaxu thought. It would be better when he left the country. Once abroad, he wouldn’t need the name Zhen Jiaxu, could forget about those things, and could start over as Dong Liangcai.

The helicopter finally landed in front of him, and he stepped forward. Just then, his phone suddenly rang. Zhen Jiaxu frowned, hesitating for a moment whether to answer the call now.

Only a few people knew this mobile phone number of his, and he worried if there was a problem from abroad, or if he should pick it up.

Gu Yanchen’s voice came from the phone, accompanied by the sound of wind, serious and cold, “Zhen Jiaxu, your arrest warrant has been issued. As a key suspect in multiple related cases, if you take one step further, it will be considered resisting arrest and fleeing. This is your final warning.”

The helicopter was right in front of him, and Zhen Jiaxu’s eyes reddened in an instant.

“I command you to raise your hands and stand still.”

Zhen Jiaxu was unwilling. He hung up the phone and took a step forward… Before his foot could touch the ground, there was a loud gunshot, and a bullet hit the ground half a meter in front of him.