Insights Chapter 55: Video

Chapter 55: Video

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

After reviewing Dai Xiarong’s case, the fog finally lifted, and the situation became somewhat clearer. Shen Junci and Gu Yanchen left work together, sitting in the car with Shen Junci leaning back in his seat, looking out the window. It had only been a dozen hours since they discovered the corpse. When they left this morning, it was still dark, with a light rain falling. Now it was pitch black again, with raindrops beginning to fall on the car window, making a faint sound.

It all felt like a cycle.

After such a day, Shen Junci felt unusually tired, with a slight headache. He regretted drinking so much last night.

Gu Yanchen updated him on the progress of the case, “We interrogated Fu Meng and Zhao Xiaohan again. Fu Meng claims she didn’t know anything, while the female driver admitted to taking money and framing everything on Zhang Kabei.”

These confirmations reassured them that their investigation direction was correct; indeed, someone wanted them to suspect Zhang Kabei.

Shen Junci nodded, then spoke, “I think this situation is terrifying…”

Gu Yanchen stared into the darkness ahead, “It is.”

As the investigation progressed, he became increasingly convinced that this case was similar to Lin Luo’s case. Typical culprits would disguise themselves, but this kind of disguise was more of an instinct, like a dying beast’s struggle. They wanted to evade the law, shift suspicion onto others, and absolve themselves of guilt. But in this case, the culprit was more cunning and sophisticated, even to the point where one word could describe them — professional.

Every step they took was precise. The carefully prepared scene, intentionally exposed evidence, the suspect presented to them, and even a perfect motive for murder. If you followed the path they planned for you, you would go astray. Without unraveling these surface phenomena, there was no way to find the truth.

Shen Junci turned to Gu Yanchen, “Have you heard of a cleaning company?”

Gu Yanchen didn’t understand, “What cleaning company? For cleaning?”

Shen Junci lowered his head, “I’ve heard about it from others. Some companies specialize in crime scene cleanup and crime scene disguise. Under the guise of a cleaning company, they employ planners responsible for murder, scene setters, and cleaners.”

Gu Yanchen asked, “What exactly do these people do?”

Shen Junci said, “I only know this much.”

Gu Yanchen thought for a moment, “It’s possible that these people are involved in this case.” He paused, “I hope we can find Zhang Kabei as soon as possible.”

He knew about their existence before, just didn’t know their specific name. People who wanted to hire killers, change the scene, or absolve themselves of guilt after a crime needed to find them. As long as the price was high enough, they could help those people with everything.

Today, Zuo Junming’s identity as a ghost mediator was revealed, and Gu Yanchen began to take seriously the possibility that everything before him might be their doing. The cleaning company was hired by someone, so who was the mastermind behind it? Hetu Trading Association? Even the case of Lin Xianglan and Lin Luo years ago could have been their doing.

Setting up scenes, fingerprinting, fabricating evidence, creating guided surveillance, teaching witnesses layers of lies. These people were not only confusing the police but also the public. Turning a seemingly simple case into a complex puzzle. Their purpose was not only to silence witnesses but also to create numerous false impressions for the police investigation.

As the car reached halfway, about to turn into the residential area, Gu Yanchen’s phone suddenly rang. He glanced at it. It was Bai Meng, who was on duty tonight. Gu Yanchen hurriedly hit the brakes and pulled the car over to the side of the road.

As soon as he answered, Bai Meng’s voice sounded urgent on the other end, “Hello, Captain Gu, I’m monitoring Zhang Kabei’s various online activities in real-time here. Just now, someone posted a video of a conversation with ‘her’ online.”

Gu Yanchen frowned, “Who posted it?”

Bai Meng said, “The video was posted by a popular self-media figure. We contacted him, and he provided us with an account, saying it was submitted by someone else. We traced that account, and it was hacked, with the hacker using a foreign IP. Now, this video has been widely circulated on the internet.”

Listening to this convoluted response, Gu Yanchen didn’t bother asking further, “What did Zhang Kabei say? Can we determine her location now?”

“I’ll send it to you to see.” Bai Meng said, sending a video file to their work group.

Shen Junci heard this and also opened his phone to watch. The video shook for a few seconds before Zhang Kabei appeared on the screen. She faced the camera, looking extremely haggard, pale-faced, with disheveled hair, and covered in dust, appearing very unkempt. It could be seen that she was in a desolate place, very spacious, like an old factory. Because her hands were shaking, the camera shook violently. The video was edited, removing the questioning part, making it very fragmented.

“I…I feel something’s wrong, so I hid early. I didn’t kill anyone, I really didn’t kill Old Junming. I haven’t done anything, I don’t know what’s going on…I’m being followed by someone, I don’t know who they are, they’ve been following me since two days ago, save me. No… I won’t call the police. When I was suffering from domestic violence before, I believed in them, but those police officers didn’t do anything.” Zhang Kabei cried, “I suspect those people want to kill me…”

Just as she said this, there was a sound of glass breaking outside the window. Zhang Kabei suddenly stood up and ran outside. The video ended here.

In the last few seconds, the cellphone camera captured the scene outside, showing several tall buildings with lights on in the distance. Due to Zhang Kabei’s previous domestic violence incident, she had received quite a bit of attention, and many people knew her. As soon as this video was released today, netizens discovered it and quickly forwarded it. In a short time, there were thousands of comments.

After watching the video, Gu Yanchen called Bai Meng again, “Can we locate the address from the video?”

“Based on the background analysis, we can only determine that it’s near Xiaxi Road in Binhua District.”

“I’ll head over there immediately. Notify the sub-bureau and the detective team on duty in the City Bureau to bring people over as soon as possible.” Gu Yanchen paused, “And prepare some police force as a precaution. In case there are other situations or if this is intentional deception, we still have time to adapt.”

Gu Yanchen felt that the video was strange. Zhang Kabei clearly used a phone number not registered under her name. The police hadn’t found Zhang Kabei’s location yet, so who found her first? And why didn’t they call the police but chose to post the video online? But he quickly assessed that it was better to believe in the video than to doubt it. They didn’t have any other leads right now. Even if the origin of this video was uncertain, they had to continue investigating.

Shen Junci, on the other hand, seemed to have noticed Gu Yanchen’s doubts and whispered, “Perhaps it’s a friend or relative of Zhang Kabei, who received her distress call and recorded it, but fearing implication, they edited it and gave it to the media.”

Gu Yanchen said, “Recording the screen, editing the video, logging in with a foreign IP, then hacking the account for submission and posting… this person’s network skills seem better than average.”

In the video, it was already dark, indicating that not much time had passed. The only good news was that Zhang Kabei might still be alive at the moment. Regardless, saving lives took precedence.

Gu Yanchen prepared to drive off. He looked at Shen Junci, “Doctor Shen, get out of the car.”

However, Shen Junci didn’t move. He looked at the screenshots on his phone, “I think I’ve been there before. Maybe I can help you find the place.”

Gu Yanchen looked at Shen Junci, “Do you know the specific address?”

Shen Junci said, “It’s been a while since I’ve been there. I’ll need to be on-site to recognize it.” He obviously wanted to go along, while Gu Yanchen hesitated. Shen Junci added, “Let’s go as soon as possible. I’ll guide you there.”

Gu Yanchen started the car, “You, a Lincheng native, seem quite familiar with Penang.”

Shen Junci avoided the topic, “I’ve been to Penang a few times when I was young…”

Gu Yanchen drove in the direction Shen Junci indicated, while Shen Junci watched the developments on his phone. Initially, people were discussing where Zhang Kabei might be. Some were genuinely concerned, while others doubted the authenticity of the situation, hoping for an investigation by the public security department. However, the conversation gradually shifted direction.

Some said, “I know this woman. Look at her previous posts on Weibo, she’s been saying some crazy things, claiming her ex-husband was constantly tormenting her. But later, people found out she hadn’t seen her ex-husband for months. I suspect she’s mentally unstable.”

“She might be experiencing hallucinations, a sign of schizophrenia.”

“She didn’t dare to call the police. Isn’t it because she’s guilty of something and fears being caught?”

“Yeah, I don’t believe a word she says. She claims she didn’t kill her husband, so should we believe her?”

“When she felt danger, she didn’t go to crowded places but ran to deserted places. Clearly, she’s mentally ill, right?”

“She mentioned her ex-husband’s death and said it had nothing to do with her. Yeah, right.”

“It’s obvious she’s feeling guilty. Could it be that she hired someone to kill her husband and is now trying to clear her name?”

“She was beaten like that before. I think it’s understandable that she fought back and killed him.”

“I heard it was because Old Junming had money. When Zhang Kabei was suing him, she was trying to extort money. But in the end, she didn’t get any, so she resorted to murder…”

The direction of the discussion became more and more biased.

Once the victim-blaming narrative emerged, many people forgot about helping Zhang Kabei in a dangerous situation. Looking through these comments, Shen Junci marked and screenshotted the problematic accounts and those inciting narratives. These accounts were like buoys emerging from the water one by one. Even after the incident was over, they could quickly investigate and clarify. These accounts must be saved to the bookmarks.