Insights Chapter 73: Maze

Chapter 73: Maze

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

Late at night in Penang City Bureau, in the brightly lit Criminal Investigation Building, Gu Yanchen returned to the observation room, and Shen Junci came with the test report. Bai Meng, Lu Ying, and even Qi Yi’an came together for a meeting.

The test report was thick, Bai Meng flipped through it, not quite understanding some of the terms inside. “Doctor Shen, what does this ‘consideration factor’ mean?”

Shen Junci said, “According to the test results, the deceased had taken Digoxin or a similar drug before death. This type of medication is used to treat heart disease, but if taken in excess, it can cause cardiac arrest leading to death. Due to the decay of the internal organs of the deceased, I cannot determine the exact cause of death from the autopsy, but I believe the possibility of death from drugs cannot be ruled out.”

Qi Yi’an further explained, “It is a fact that she took this medication. How much she specifically took and whether it caused her death, we cannot know.”

Doctor Shen nodded, summarizing carefully, “So I say, she ‘may’ have died due to drug influence.”

Lu Ying followed the logical reasoning, “An overdose of Digoxin can cause death? Does that mean she was deliberately poisoned?”

Shen Junci said, “That possibility cannot be ruled out.”

The corpse was severely decomposed. If it weren’t for Shen Junci’s superb skills in extracting internal tissues and conducting tests, this secret might have remained undiscovered. With this prerequisite known, the entire Special Criminal Division began to re-examine the case. In most cases, once the perpetrator confesses, it signifies the end of the investigation. But in this case, with multiple testimonies and even the perpetrator admitting guilt, there was a twist.

Gu Yanchen shared the information he had just heard from Yin Moli with everyone.

Lu Ying pondered for a moment and said, “So, although Sun Yushi confessed to the process of killing Zhou Yingying, she cannot explain how Zhou Yingying died.”

Bai Meng also organized her thoughts, “During their struggle, when Zhou Yingying fell, Sun Yushi naturally would suspect it was her own fault. In other words, Sun Yushi probably didn’t know whether Zhou Yingying had taken an overdose of medication before her death, so she confessed to the crime of murder.”

Lu Ying said, “So the current issue becomes, who exactly killed Zhou Yingying.”

Gu Yanchen turned to Bai Meng and asked, “Can we check the medication purchase records of these female workers?”

The electronic factory provided comprehensive medical insurance for the female workers, as well as designated hospitals for medical treatment. In addition, Digoxin is a prescription drug that requires a doctor’s prescription to obtain.

Bai Meng’s fingers flew over the keyboard, and after a while, she turned and said, “Among the entire dormitory, only Tao Ya has purchased Digoxin.”

Tao Ya, it’s her again. Gu Yanchen felt that he still hadn’t figured out the relationship between the female workers. He said, “Check again for all the information related to Tao Ya and Zhou Yingying. Find out all their connections.”

The background check on the female workers had already been done once in the afternoon, but the information in the police system was not detailed. With some clues, Bai Meng still found new information. Lu Ying also made a few phone calls, asking both sides’ parents and relevant informants. In this late night, everyone who could be contacted was questioned thoroughly.

“They went to the same school in elementary, were in adjacent classes in middle school, and attended the same high school. They have known each other since middle school.”

“Zhou Yingying lived with Tao Ya’s aunt for a while, and their houses were on the same street.”

“They both entered the electronic factory through the same agency, with Tao Ya coming in half a month earlier than Zhou Yingying.”

“Tao Ya’s cousin said that they both participated in the school choir and were good friends from childhood to adulthood.”

Bit by bit, new clues emerged.

Yu Shen asked, “Could it be… Tao Ya introduced Zhou Yingying?”

Lu Ying said, “It’s very likely. If she thought it was a good job, she might have told people she knew, and some places offer rewards for referrals.”

They could introduce each other to job opportunities, appearing to be good friends, even possibly so-called best friends. Being able to enter the electronics factory was definitely a high-paying job in the eyes of the girls who graduated from high school in the town. At that time, Tao Ya didn’t know that she was pushing her good friend into a pit of fire.

Bai Meng found another piece of information on Zhou Yingying’s social media, seemingly corroborating their speculation. The caption of that social media post read: Tomorrow, I will embark on a new journey, my dear sister, I’m coming!

It was a post Zhou Yingying made before coming to the electronics factory. The photo was taken many years ago, probably during high school, showing two girls wearing choir uniforms. On the left side of the photo was the chubby Zhou Yingying, laughing freely, while on the right side was the slim and shy Tao Ya, with braided hair and a shy smile, making a peace sign with her hand.

Back then, everything seemed so beautiful under the bright sunshine. But now, one of them was forever gone, and the other became a suspect in her friend’s murder.

Gu Yanchen said, “I’ll go ask Sun Yushi again. Bai Meng, take notes.”

He turned and went back to Sun Yushi’s room, where Sun Yushi had already finished signing her confession. At this moment, her face showed no nervousness, only endless fatigue.

“Wait a moment, I have some more questions for you,” Gu Yanchen asked Sun Yushi, “How did you come up with the idea of threatening all the female workers in the dormitory by damaging the corpse?”

“How did I come up with it?” Sun Yushi widened her eyes. “It just occurred to me.”

Gu Yanchen didn’t know if she was really stupid or pretending to be. He made his question more specific, “Did anyone remind you of this idea?”

“It seems… Tao Ya?” Sun Yushi suddenly realized, “Hmm… when I was fighting with Zhou Yingying, she was nearby. It seems she reminded me to make others think that they killed someone, saying that only in this way would they not talk nonsense. And she also said to take photos of the process, so we could have evidence in our hands. It was also her idea to figure out how to destroy the body.”

Now recalling, Sun Yushi realized that although she was somewhat at a loss at the time, Tao Ya provided solutions, and she naturally incorporated those thoughts into her own mind and implemented them accordingly. After the incident, Sun Yushi restrained herself a lot and constantly hypnotized herself to forget about these things. As time passed, these memories became less clear, until Gu Yanchen asked her, and she remembered.

Gu Yanchen asked, “What else did Tao Ya do?”

“In the dormitory, she was the most proficient in electronic devices and played with her phone the most. Those photos were all with her. For a while, I was worried that things were in her hands, and she would send them to the police to report me.” Sun Yushi paused for a moment and said, “I had leverage over her, so naturally we talked, and I didn’t do anything excessive. Later, the people in the dormitory started to listen to her…”

Tao Ya slowly became the core of the entire dormitory.

Gu Yanchen continued to ask, “Did you bully Tao Ya before?”

“That was ages ago, right? Three years ago? I couldn’t stand Zhou Yingying from the start. It was Tao Ya who insisted on being a hero and helped Zhou Yingying confront me, so I started targeting her. Later, I found Tao Ya a bit easy to bully, so I teased her for a while, but one time I fell into the water, and she saved me. We weren’t in a confrontational relationship after that. That girl is cunning; she has a sharp mind. Many ideas came from her.”

“Why did you fall into the water?”

“At that time, everyone was by the shore, and I was pushed down. After I was rescued, no one admitted to being behind me.”

Gu Yanchen asked again, “Were Tao Ya and Zhou Yingying good friends?”

Sun Yushi sneered, “Good friends? What’s that? I know they’re from the same hometown, and it seems Zhou Yingying was introduced by Tao Ya. When I bullied Tao Ya in person, Zhou Yingying didn’t dare to say a word. When Tao Ya bullied Zhou Yingying, she wasn’t merciful either.”

Gu Yanchen asked, “What do you remember about that day?”

Sun Yushi grabbed her hair, “I’ve already told you everything I remember.” Then she suddenly remembered something, “That day, Zhou Yingying seemed crazy. When she was hitting me, she scratched my hand.”

This also matched the results of the medical examiner’s autopsy.

Sun Yushi’s brows furrowed tighter and tighter as she recalled, “At that time, I pushed her away, and she hit the shelf with a loud noise. Then Zhou Yingying lay on the ground panting and said to me, ‘I can’t do it anymore, Sun Yushi, you’ve killed someone!’ I thought she was just trying to scare me, but not long after, she stopped moving… I was scared stiff.”

Now recalling that scene, Sun Yushi still felt a lingering fear.

In that dim storage room, Zhou Yingying lay on the ground, blood streaming down her forehead. Her eyes were fixed on Sun Yushi, foam coming out of her mouth as she intermittently said, “You’re the murderer, your life is over…”

For the first time, Sun Yushi felt scared. She screamed and desperately shook the woman lying on the ground. “Zhou Yingying, stop pretending! I know you’re just trying to scare me! Get up!”

But Zhou Yingying’s body was heavy, her head tilted to the side, and she stopped breathing altogether. Sun Yushi couldn’t believe what she was seeing, her heart pounding as she felt as if she had died along with Zhou Yingying that night. Now, looking back, Zhou Yingying only had a cut on her head, so how could she suddenly die?

After confirming Zhou Yingying’s death, Sun Yushi started thinking about how to destroy the body, completely unaware that there might be a problem with the cause of death. 

At this point in her recollection, Sun Yushi finally felt that something was wrong. She frowned, “Could there be something wrong with Zhou Yingying’s death? Is this… related to Tao Ya?”

Gu Yanchen didn’t answer her. He stood up and walked out of the interrogation room. In the observation room, Shen Junci was still there, and he had also heard Sun Yushi’s response just now.

Bai Meng analyzed softly, “Is it possible that all of this was a trap set by Tao Ya from the beginning?”

Precise calculations, almost perfect execution—only Tao Ya could have done this. The observation room had glass on three sides, and at this moment, Tao Ya was sitting in the interrogation room on their left. Through the observation window, they could see the girl sitting with her head bowed inside. In the previous interrogations, she was the one who kept her mouth shut the most.

By now, the other twelve female workers had all completed their identification of Sun Yushi, but she had yet to give a detailed description of what happened that night. The girl had her head bowed, her hair falling on both sides, making her face look small. Through the glass, she looked like a doll in a shop window.

Qi Yi’an felt a chill down his spine. “Is it possible that on that night, Tao Ya knew in advance that Sun Yushi was going to punish Zhou Yingying, so she drugged Zhou Yingying? During the fight, Zhou Yingying died from the effects of the drug, but Sun Yushi thought she caused Zhou Yingying’s death.”

Gu Yanchen said, “It’s a clever plan, but it’s not impossible.”

Bai Meng said, “But now, there’s a new problem. If it was Tao Ya, what was her motive for killing Zhou Yingying?”

Lu Ying tried to guess, “Jealousy, money, men?”

“How can we solve the case by guessing?” Bai Meng couldn’t stand his nonsense. “Based on preliminary investigations, none of those fit!”

Gu Yanchen reasoned, “Zhou Yingying’s death is definitely related to Tao Ya. As for the motive, perhaps it’s disappointment in her former best friend, and the two girls turned against each other. Perhaps there’s some other reason.”

No one spoke, so he continued his reasoning, “Perhaps Tao Ya turned dark after being bullied, she schemed to kill her friend, and then used Zhou Yingying’s death. She took photos of each girl stabbing Zhou Yingying in the back. Those things in her hands became something every female worker in the dormitory feared. So Tao Ya took the opportunity to take control, holding Sun Yushi, and even all the female workers in the dormitory, in her grasp.”

It sounded reasonable. But is this the truth of the case? Gu Yanchen looked at the whiteboard in front of him, filled with various photos and information. He said, “But there’s still something not right.”

He overturned his own conjecture.

Shen Junci turned his head, his gaze falling on Gu Yanchen, waiting to hear his analysis. When he first encountered this case, he thought it was very simple, but now the deeper he investigated, the more strange things he found.

Gu Yanchen pointed at the whiteboard in front of him, drawing an arrow, “This incident led to Zhou Yingying’s parents being cyberbullied, accused of selling their daughter and forcing her to leave…” Gu Yanchen turned around, pressing one hand on the table, looking at the various information on the table. “Sometimes when faced with a complex case and you have no clue, the simplest analysis is to see who ultimately benefits, who achieves their desired outcome through murder or violence…”

Everyone seemed to enter a maze with his words.

Outside the Criminal Investigation Building, it was quiet, surrounded by darkness. Although it was late at night, Shen Junci’s exhaustion faded away, replaced by a kind of excitement as his brain spun rapidly. He felt as if he were surrounded by many prisms, each glass reflecting different images. The faces of the girls flashed before him one by one. Crying, confessing, grimacing, regretting.

Everyone was opening their mouths, stating different angles of testimony. Yet the truth was hidden behind these representations. Truth and falsehood, good and evil, were all mixed together. It seemed that there was an invisible hand behind them.

After a while, he seemed to finally reach the exit of the maze, one step forward and he could step out of the fog. Shen Junci finally understood Gu Yanchen’s meaning. He closed his eyes with some regret. “This is revenge and punishment.”

Gu Yanchen stood up from his chair. “I’ll go interrogate Tao Ya again.”

He wanted to hear her tell the truth of this case.