Insights Chapter 61: Wrong Case

Chapter 61: Wrong Case

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

Director Ding remarked, “It sounds like you know what you’re talking about.”

An Nan countered, “Your police investigative techniques have advanced, the internet has rapidly developed, and at the same time, people like us are also meticulously planning how to commit crimes. Do you think we would still use outdated methods from decades ago?”

His words sparked deep thought among the officers.

An Nan continued, “Nowadays, it’s no longer the era of street stabbings or even hit-and-runs with trucks; surveillance cameras are everywhere in the city. Crimes of passion, disputes between neighbors resulting in murder, all of these are lower-level evils; above them, a pyramid of sophistication has emerged.”

Director Ding asked, “So, this led to professions like yours?”

Sitting in the chief’s chair, he had also considered reform, but what the other party mentioned exceeded his imagination, leaving the old chief deeply shaken.

An Nan explained, “The underground market in Penang is much larger and more organized than you imagine. The explosion of money and technology is driving people crazy. As long as you have money, you can enjoy all kinds of services. For example, helping with murder, disguising homicides as accidents, and so on.”

Several people sat in the interrogation room, discussing calmly, more like a professional interview than an interrogation.

Among them, Bai Meng was the most nervous. She usually served as a recorder and listener, but now she wasn’t sure whether she should be noting down these words. Her family, for generations, had been police officers, but these were things she had never heard of before. She knew that if these words were leaked, it would shatter the worldview of everyone in the City Bureau’s police force, especially the worldviews of those old policemen, which would likely collapse.

Director Ding’s brow furrowed even deeper. In decades, darkness had spread to places they didn’t know existed. He now understood why it would be dangerous to speak out about what the man in front of him was saying. These were the secretive rules of the underground kingdom. Bringing these matters to light and openly discussing them would invite trouble, as those hidden individuals were extremely dangerous.

The police were just doing their job; they were individuals with families and concerns of their own. Publicizing this information would bring danger upon themselves.

Director Ding asked, “Can you elaborate more on this?”

An Nan smiled, “Your police probably wouldn’t uncover these things even after a long investigation. So, let me enlighten you.” He thought for a moment before continuing, “Let’s talk about the most basic service a planner provides: planning. Typically, the price for such services ranges around half a million, even up to millions or tens of millions.”

Director Ding inquired, “What exactly does this entail?”

“The methods of murder,” An Nan replied. “Specifically, teaching people how to kill.” He paused before giving an example, “Let’s say you want to kill an elderly lady who lives in a high-rise and hangs her laundry outside the window every day. The planner might advise you to loosen the window and the laundry rack, remind you to wipe away fingerprints, and instruct you to tamper with the elderly woman’s blood pressure and blood sugar medication. Replace the medication with vitamins or starch, changes so subtle that your medical examiners wouldn’t notice…”

Gu Yanchen imagined the process. Typically, cases like these would be handled by detectives from the local station. He anticipated the outcome.

An Nan continued, “The old lady falls from the building, and when the police investigate, the forensic examination shows no problems. It’s a neatly wrapped-up accident. Or, let’s say you want to kill someone who regularly takes the long subway stairs and often checks their phone while descending. You simply need to get them drunk, give them ill-fitting shoes, and then send harassing messages to their phone as they descend the stairs. They’ll fall to their death under surveillance, and no one can blame anyone. For those who like to drink and drive, it’s even simpler. If they’re leaving from one place, there might be a group of people leaving by car, creating obstacles in blind spots on the road, causing the drunk driver’s car to plunge into a river. Since they were drunk driving, if they crash and die, it’s entirely their fault, and no one would think it’s murder. And then there are also methods involving fires…”

In the overhead light, An Nan’s thin lips parted slightly, his appearance striking, yet chilling, resembling a beautiful but deadly skull, sending shivers down one’s spine. Facing the police, he spoke confidently, “This is the evolution of evil. Survival of the fittest. Behind the scenes, someone is always plotting. As the public, as the police, what you see is often what we want you to see. You cannot know the truth.” An Nan grinned, “This is just the most basic planning. Planners never guarantee success; they merely provide all the details. Even the transmission of information is highly confidential. We rely solely on reputation. But no one dares to offend us…If you’re willing to pay more, then a set designer will personally execute the plan.”

In the interrogation room, this eerie An Nan spoke freely. At first, he refused to answer the police’s questions, but after everyone else left, he seemed ready to confess without reservation. Director Ding couldn’t understand him.

Gu Yanchen continued to follow the interrogation process, “If you have planners plan and set designers execute, what’s the process like?”

An Nan replied, “Our first choice is usually accidental murder. For those not suitable to be disguised as accidents, we’ll pre-select a scapegoat.”

It sounded like this scapegoat would be the one to take the blame after the crime.

Gu Yanchen asked, “Similar to Zhang Kabei in this case?”

Or like Zhou Chen in the 619 case.

An Nan nodded, “The scapegoat must be weak, unable to resist, with enough motive. Specifically, we categorize them as live scapegoats and dead scapegoats. Live scapegoats have to go to court, either with a history of mental illness or being deaf and mute, or they have vulnerabilities or something we can hold over them, ensuring they won’t talk nonsense. We firmly grasp the scapegoat’s throat, guiding them so that no one can see the truth behind. Dead scapegoats are even simpler; they’re dead with no evidence against them.”

An Nan paused before continuing, “In our theory, killing a person is like knocking over a domino. Things that were difficult to advance suddenly find new opportunities, and then find a new balance point. Our world is constantly collapsing and rebuilding. So, if you want to commit the perfect crime, you need to first create a perfect story. We need to find enough motive for the scapegoat; the more valid the motive, the safer we are.”

Gu Yanchen listened intently, wondering what kind of person would come up with these ideas? But he had to admit, this theory was not wrong. A husband killed by his long-abused wife seeking revenge, or a medium murdered for double-crossing his clients.

The first story clearly aligns more with people’s common sense. If this case hadn’t been handed over to their Special Criminal Division, he wasn’t sure whether other detectives and medical examiners would have discovered the cunning and clues within it. At this point in the conversation, Director Ding furrowed his brow tightly, suddenly thinking of something. The things the person in front of him was saying made him question many cases. Is what people think is the truth really the truth?

At this moment, Shen Junci, who had been silent, spoke up, “I don’t believe these things. Is there any case that can prove what you’re saying?”

Gu Yanchen looked at him. Shen Junci’s expression remained calm, as if he were just expressing his doubts.

But Gu Yanchen understood that last night, Shen Junci had brought up the topic of the cleaning company himself. Now, by saying this, it felt like he was setting a trap for the person in front of them to extract more information. Hearing Shen Junci’s remark, Director Ding also looked at An Nan. Empty words were unreliable; he shouldn’t have trusted the man in front of him so easily.

An Nan indeed accepted the challenge. He smiled, “Then let me give you an example. There’s a case, around May two years ago, where a family of five was killed. The police later arrested a mentally ill person; that person was the scapegoat. This case might leave some traces…”

Hearing this, Director Ding quietly asked Gu Yanchen, “Is there such a case?”

Gu Yanchen reacted for a moment. “He’s probably talking about the 514 massacre case.” Although it wasn’t his case, he had paid attention to it.

Drawing from memory, Gu Yanchen continued, “It was May 14th two years ago, when corpses of a family of five were found in the Changxin community. Not far away, a man covered in blood, holding a murder weapon, was arrested in a confused state. Later investigation revealed that the man’s name was Cai Jinliang, a mental patient who confessed to the entire case.”

In a few words, he succinctly outlined the entire case. This case was significant and heinous, and the Second Sub-bureau of Penang solved it rapidly with solid evidence and smooth progress. The City Bureau even commended them for it.

An Nan’s smile widened, “Still don’t believe it? Then go and look at the files.”

The files of sub-bureau cases were backed up at the headquarters.

Director Ding cleared his throat and said, “Bai Meng, quickly go to the archive department and get the file.”

Bai Meng hurried out. After a few minutes, she knocked on the door, holding a thick stack of documents.

Director Ding quickly opened it, handing the file to Gu Yanchen. He pretended to be stern, “I want to see if there’s anything wrong with this case.”

Shen Junci sat beside him; as a medical examiner, he didn’t need text files. However, a few photos scattered out. Director Ding handed them to him to examine; they were crime scene photos and photos of the suspect.

The scene was bloody and gruesome. Shen Junci picked up one of the photos, a snapshot of Cai Jinliang when he was arrested. In the photo, Cai Jinliang, facing the camera, had his hands handcuffed, clothes torn, face expressionless, eyes empty, staring straight ahead.

Shen Junci quickly noticed some clues. He pointed them out to Director Ding, “The blood spatter pattern on the suspect’s clothes is incomplete. There’s blood splatter on the neckline, and the sleeve cuff is torn.”

When blood splatters, a streak of blood extends upward when it splashes onto the neckline, staining the neck. Even with movement or wiping, there should still be traces. This principle is similar to when painting with colors; the paint at the edge of the paper should correspond perfectly with the traces left on the table.

In this photo, although there were blood stains on Cai Jinliang’s face and hands, they looked like they were smeared on. This blood-stained clothing might have been put on later. Director Ding quickly took the photo in his hands, staring down at it, but a chill crept up his spine.

If An Nan’s words were true, then Cai Jinliang in this case wasn’t the real culprit. After the police took photos, the blood-stained clothing was seized as evidence. After medical examiners extracted and analyzed the blood stains on Cai Jinliang’s hands and body, they were cleaned. The blood type matched, coupled with his confession, it was determined that he was the culprit.

Only this photo kept the doubts alive.