Insights Chapter 72: Food Chain

Chapter 72: Food Chain

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

After one person confessed, the police finally found a breakthrough. Subsequently, the defense of each female worker was breached one by one. Due to the large number of people, this interrogation lasted the entire day. By six o’clock in the evening, the interrogation was still ongoing. Shen Junci took a break to have dinner and then packed some for Gu Yanchen, bringing it over.

Gu Yanchen hurriedly finished his meal and resumed his battle. The testimonies were collected, and the events of that night became clearer and clearer.

“I was so scared at the time. It was Sun Yushi who threatened me to do it. I wanted to call the police, but they wouldn’t let me…”

“When I went in, I was the last one. Her back was already full of knife marks. If I didn’t act then, the others in the dormitory might have killed me too!”

“Please, I know I was wrong. Can you not tell my family?”

“I helped to deal with her clothes, cutting them up one by one. It was what they asked me to do.”

“I and two others secretly went to the open space and dug a very deep pit.”

“I and a few others wrapped her in a bedsheet and carried her out. We buried her there.”

“I didn’t mean to. I know I was wrong.”

“Do I have to go to jail for doing this?”

One by one, the young girls cried and pleaded. As soon as they left school, they entered the factory, with little legal awareness and even less social experience. In Penang, they were without relatives, confined in a factory that resembled a prison. Years of mechanized labor gradually wore down their individual will. They had become accustomed to Sun Yushi’s “rule” over them.

That night, in front of Sun Yushi, they were like “slaves,” submitting to the commands of their superiors. Perhaps under normal circumstances, in a calm state, they might have regained their senses and made the right choices. But on that day, fueled by fear, their submission and herd mentality prevailed. They became accomplices, collectively committing a heinous crime.

Gu Yanchen looked through each testimony, most of which could be matched one by one.

Moreover, the female workers recounted many details. Based on their testimonies, the police reconstructed the entire incident and the process of concealing the body. That night, Sun Yushi, Tao Ya, and another female worker brought Zhou Yingying to the storage room. A scuffle ensued, and Zhou Yingying died. They then called other female workers, threatened them, and cooperated in disposing of the corpse.

As time passed, it was already nine o’clock in the evening. Except for Sun Yushi and Tao Ya, who had not confessed yet, the testimonies of the others were complete.

Shen Junci occasionally came to check on the interrogation results. He provided them with a piece of favorable physical evidence, “The bloodstains found in Zhou Yingying’s fingernails have been analyzed. According to the identification, the DNA matches with Sun Yushi’s.”

With testimonies, physical evidence, and confessions all gathered, Gu Yanchen walked into the interrogation room where Sun Yushi was held. Sun Yushi seemed to have had a premonition, lifting her head to look at him, tears shimmering in her eyes. Gu Yanchen remained silent, placing the stack of documents on the table in front of her.

Sun Yushi had been interrogated for a long time before this, and she had been left alone in the cold for a while. Before this, she had been repeatedly pondering what she would do if someone betrayed her.

Seeing Gu Yanchen coming in again, Sun Yushi had a premonition of her fate. Her lips trembled. “They all confessed, didn’t they?”

With so many people pointing fingers at her as the culprit, she knew that no matter how she argued, it would be of no use. Her face turned pale, cold sweat had already soaked her back, and her hair in front of her forehead was damp, as if she had just experienced a downpour.

Gu Yanchen said, “Now it’s your turn to confess. I hope you tell us the whole truth about the murder of Zhou Yingying.”

Faced with various pieces of evidence, Sun Yushi’s face became even more unsightly. She paused for a moment, then spoke resignedly, “There’s nothing much to say. It was a Friday, our usual idle time. I wanted to teach Zhou Yingying a lesson, as usual, so I called two people and brought her to the storage room. Then I asked her to do some squats… But she refused, didn’t want to do it. I got angry… and slapped her. She had always been very obedient, but that day she fought back against me. We fought for a while, then her head hit a nearby shelf, cracked open, and blood flowed out. I was afraid the factory would find out about this, so I tried to stop her bleeding with tissue, but she suddenly started convulsing, her face turned pale, and she foamed at the mouth… After a while, she died. I don’t know why, maybe her brain was damaged. I didn’t intentionally kill her.”

Gu Yanchen asked, “So you conspired with other female workers to dispose of her corpse?”

Sun Yushi looked up at Gu Yanchen, tears in her eyes but a hint of fierceness in her gaze.

“She died in front of me, I couldn’t avoid responsibility. I was afraid of being sentenced… so I had no other choice but to cover it up. Otherwise, everyone would know that I did it, that I killed someone. If I wanted to hide this, I had to drag everyone else down with me…”

Perhaps fearing retribution and condemnation, Sun Yushi finally showed some remorse, lowering her head, “I’m sorry, Zhou Yingying. My recklessness caused a great disaster. It’s unfortunate that I’ve been caught. Whatever punishment I receive, I’m willing to take legal responsibility.”

As Sun Yushi confessed to the crime, Gu Yanchen let Lu Ying and others inquire about the detailed time and process. Then they proceeded with the formalities, completing the confession.

With all the steps done, the case was essentially closed. Gu Yanchen walked to the observation room, where only Bai Meng was present, and asked, “Where’s Doctor Shen?”

Bai Meng replied, “After listening to the confession, he went back to the forensic department. Doctor Shen said the lab was working overtime, and they should have the results of the blood test on the corpse tonight. He’s gone to check.”

Gu Yanchen asked, “Has the female worker named Tao Ya confessed?”

“It’s just her left. Lu Ying is questioning her. I reckon it won’t be long now.”

Now, it was only Tao Ya who remained silent, persisting without uttering a word. The psychological resilience of this female worker was extraordinary. However, as the mastermind Sun Yushi has already confessed, Tao Ya’s confession wouldn’t change the final outcome.

Bai Meng asked, “Should I inform Director Ding and issue the police notice tomorrow?” If so, they would need to start preparing tonight.

Gu Yanchen thought for a moment but shook his head. “Let’s hold off for now. Let’s wait for the final autopsy results. We’ll decide tomorrow.”

Although the case now had complete confessions, he still wanted to review everything once more. He kept thinking about the testimonies of those female workers. For some reason, this seemingly simple case made him uneasy. He felt like he might have missed some information.

Gu Yanchen walked out, intending to buy a bottle of coffee from the vending machine to refresh himself. At the end of the corridor, he saw a young girl sitting on one of the seats, her hair tied in two ponytails. She was a teenager, thin and petite, sitting upright with a phone in her hand, watching TikTok. She seemed a bit apprehensive when she saw him approaching.

Gu Yanchen had seen this girl in the dormitory before. Her name was Yin Moli, and after Zhou Yingying’s death, she had been assigned to the same bed. Last night, for convenience in questioning, she had been brought here along with the others from the dormitory. But because Yin Moli had only started working a month after Zhou Yingying went missing, she was considered to have no suspicion of involvement in the crime.

Her information had been recorded early, she had spent the night here yesterday, and today at noon, she completed the procedures and regained her freedom. The officers had arranged for her to take a taxi back on her own. However, the girl hoped to wait here for the others from her dormitory. Gu Yanchen hadn’t expected she would wait until now.

Looking at the frail girl, Gu Yanchen felt some sympathy. He walked over. “They might take a while to come out. Why don’t you take a taxi back on your own?”

Yin Moli hesitated for a moment, then whispered, “I’ll wait a little longer… until eleven tonight, then I’ll take a taxi back.”

Gu Yanchen frowned. “It’s late. It’s even more dangerous for a girl like you.”

Yin Moli paused, covering her forehead, and explained why she had been staying here. “I don’t know how to explain this to my colleagues and bosses when I go back, and I don’t want to sleep in that dormitory…”

She was afraid, having lain on the bed where someone had died for so long. Just now, she had actually hesitated about leaving earlier. But the thought of that empty dormitory, where someone had died, sent shivers down her spine. Perhaps Zhou Yingying’s ghost was still there. She felt like as soon as she opened her eyes, she would meet Zhou Yingying’s spirit…

Gu Yanchen had reviewed the information. Yin Moli had just turned nineteen this year. Now suddenly learning that her colleagues had killed a roommate, she was understandably afraid. He thought for a moment and said, “Tonight, I’ll find a place for you in the City Bureau to rest temporarily. You can stay there until tomorrow morning. You have to face all of this eventually.”

The girl nodded.

Then Gu Yanchen asked Yin Moli, “Have you had dinner?”

The girl said, “I ate a bit of bread, but I couldn’t eat anything else.”

Gu Yanchen gestured towards the nearby vending machine. “What would you like to drink? I’ll buy it for you.”

Yin Moli looked and chose a bottle of milk tea. Gu Yanchen bought coffee for himself and handed the milk tea to her. Then the two went to the nearby officers’ duty room, where there were several beds for the officers on duty to rest at night. Gu Yanchen chose one of the single rooms. He told Yin Moli how to lock the door, how to use the bathroom, and brought her disposable toothbrush and towel.

“Thank you,” Yin Moli said softly. Then she asked Gu Yanchen, “Officer, did they really kill someone?”

At this point, she still found it hard to believe. Normally, the police weren’t allowed to reveal the results during questioning, but because she was directly involved and the case was nearing its conclusion, Gu Yanchen didn’t hesitate. He made a vague acknowledgment and told her, “They all confessed. They’ve admitted it.” Then Gu Yanchen turned to Yin Moli and asked, “Has Sun Yushi ever bullied you?”

Yin Moli paused for a moment, then shook her head. “No, she’s been good to me.”

Gu Yanchen thought she might just be afraid to speak up, so he didn’t dwell on it. He continued, “Would Sun Yushi call people from the dormitory to the storage room downstairs for punishment?”

Yin Moli widened her eyes, a bit surprised. “In the year I was there, nothing like that ever happened.”

Gu Yanchen lowered his head, considering for a moment. He understood the reason behind it. After Zhou Yingying’s death, the girls were too afraid to go to the storage room, and Sun Yushi had also become more restrained. He asked Yin Moli, “What about the others? How’s your relationship with them?”

Taking a sip of her milk tea, the girl said, “In the dormitory, they’ve all been good to me. We’re like a family, helping each other out. If someone has something good to eat or something nice, they’ll share it with everyone. We gossip together. Before last Chinese New Year, we even went to watch a movie together. Earlier this year when I was sick, the people in the dormitory took turns taking care of me. They brought me food from the cafeteria and medicine. When I got better, they gave me the easiest shifts.”

Such a description was somewhat unexpected for Gu Yanchen. He took a sip of his coffee, which was bitter without sugar. This description was completely different from the hellish dormitory that Han Ziai had described to him before.

Gu Yanchen suddenly realized that now that Sun Yushi and the others had been arrested, Yin Moli had no need to lie. She was genuinely upset about her roommate’s arrest. Although it sounded like normal dormitory relationships, how could Sun Yushi and the others suddenly become harmonious and friendly coworkers, especially after the conflict between Sun Yushi and Zhou Yingying had escalated to the point of murder?

Gu Yanchen thought of a key point and asked again, “You said they would give things to Tao Ya?”

Yin Moli didn’t understand why he was so focused on this issue but answered, “Usually, Tao Ya decides on the schedules, who cleans the dormitory, and how the benefits from the factory are distributed. We all listen to Tao Ya.”

Gu Yanchen furrowed his brow even deeper. “But don’t you all listen to Sun Yushi?”

Yin Moli replied, “Sun Yushi is just the ostensible dormitory leader. In reality, Tao Ya is the one in charge. Despite Sun Yushi’s arrogance, she still helps Tao Ya buy fruits and even fetches foot-soaking water for her.”

Gu Yanchen remembered Tao Ya, who, according to Han Ziai’s story, was the first to be bullied and later became complicit in Sun Yushi’s actions. He also recalled seeing Tao Ya in the dormitory. She appeared delicate, fair-skinned, and quiet, with a jar of paper cranes

Earlier, he had inquired about the progress of the interrogation. This female worker hasn’t budged and continued to claim ignorance. However, Dong Qiaoying and others stated in their confessions that it was Tao Ya who had woken them up and sent them to the storage room to find Sun Yushi.

With Zhou Yingying’s death, the biggest beneficiary seemed to be Tao Ya. Gu Yanchen suddenly realized that although the evidence was conclusive and they had confessions from witnesses, they still hadn’t learned all the truths. From initially being the isolated lamb to blending into the flock as an ordinary sheep, and then gradually becoming a wolf, Tao Ya ended up being at the top of the dormitory’s food chain.

Gu Yanchen recalled the story Han Ziai had told him, about Tao Ya sacrificing herself to save Sun Yushi. Had Sun Yushi really fallen into the water on her own? Or had Tao Ya intentionally manipulated the situation? He had a feeling that Tao Ya was definitely not as simple as she appeared on the surface. Perhaps she was the most terrifying woman in the entire dormitory.

And they were missing crucial information.

At that moment, Gu Yanchen’s phone rang. It was Shen Junci calling, so he quickly put down his coffee and answered. Shen Junci’s voice sounded urgent. “Hey, Captain Gu, where are you right now?”

Gu Yanchen replied, “I’m in the interrogation room at the Criminal Investigation Department. I’ll head back there immediately.”

Shen Junci said, “I’m on my way over, too. The test results just came out, and there are some new developments.”

Gu Yanchen asked, “What is it?”

“We found digitoxin in Zhou Yingying’s blood. She may have taken this medication before the incident.” Shen Junci’s voice was rushed as he walked.

Gu Yanchen continued to inquire. “What kind of effects does this medication have on the body?” 

Shen Junci replied, “A small amount can treat heart disease, but an overdose can cause cardiac arrest.”