I See Murders Before They Happen

Chapter 43: Chapter 41: He Got Away

As Zhao Hai spoke, he struggled, trying to rush toward Su Miaoyi.

The police officers held him back.

Su Miaoyi walked up to him and showed him the sketch Lu Zhishen had drawn on her phone.

The moment Zhao Hai saw the sketch, all the strength drained from his body.

’No wonder Zhuang Yanzheng made eight trips to Jiangcheng just to bring Lu Zhishen to Jinghai.’

’He’s incredible.’

’As long as you can describe it, he can sketch it out in no time.’

And even with just simple strokes, the sketch perfectly captured the subject’s spirit with a high degree of accuracy.

Zhao Hai stared intently at the sketch.

His body trembled uncontrollably.

Su Miaoyi asked, "Did I wrongfully accuse you? Did I frame you? Did I set you up?!"

Every word she spoke landed with force.

Zhao Hai couldn’t speak for a moment, the muscles in his face twitching.

Su Miaoyi put her phone away. She grabbed him by the collar and jerked him forward, forcing him to look at her. "She came looking for you a long time ago. For over a year, every time you felt uneasy, every time you were afraid, that was her, coming for you! Why do you think you came here today? Why do you think you ran into the police today of all days? This is your retribution!"

Zhao Hai looked into Su Miaoyi’s sharp, cold eyes. Her every word was like a knife scraping against his bones, sending excruciating pain through his entire body.

Su Miaoyi let go of him.

Zhao Hai abruptly dropped to his knees and started shouting, "AH! AH! AH! I didn’t mean to kill her! I didn’t mean to!"

His shouts made everyone glance in their direction.

Zhao Hai yelled again, "It’s not my fault! It’s not my fault! It was her! She was wandering around late at night in a short skirt, her safety shorts were even showing! It was her! She was seducing me! It’s not my fault! It’s not my fault! I was drunk! I wasn’t in my right mind! I was completely out of it."

Hearing his words, Su Miaoyi frowned, tutted, and stepped forward, about to raise her hand to slap him.

But before her hand was fully raised, she remembered Zhuang Yanzheng’s words.

’Don’t hit people.’

So she lowered her hand.

"What’s wrong with her wearing a short skirt? What someone wears is their own choice! What, does everyone have to leave the house wrapped in a down jacket?" Su Miaoyi grew angrier as she spoke.

"She was even wearing safety shorts under her skirt. When you men wander the streets shirtless in your big shorts in the summer, should we report all of you, too?"

No one spoke.

Only Chu Xingrou nodded silently from the side.

"All you know is how to make excuses. You say you were drinking? Then why didn’t you stumble into a police station and start a fight? If you weren’t in your right mind, how could you feel fear?" Su Miaoyi said. "And how did you know to dump the body and destroy the evidence after you killed her?"

Zhao Hai said, "I didn’t mean to. I didn’t mean to."

"A life for a life. Nothing you say now will make a difference." With that, Su Miaoyi turned and walked away.

’For a vile person like him, nothing else would get through. Only the words he feared most, deep in his soul, could truly shake him.’

Zhao Hai collapsed to the ground, limp and unable to make a sound.

...

The skeleton case was transferred to the branch office.

After the handover was complete, Yan Cheng, Su Miaoyi, and the others returned to the city bureau.

By the time they reached the city bureau, it was already close to 4:00 PM.

As it happened, Zhuang Yanzheng and his team were just returning from outside, and they all entered the city bureau together.

"How’s the progress on your end?" Su Miaoyi asked, naturally walking up to Zhuang Yanzheng’s side.

Yan Cheng watched their backs as they walked.

’They looked so natural together. Even their steps were in sync.’

’This scene... it was as if nothing had changed over all these years.’

’It created the illusion that no one had died in that operation a year ago.’

Zhuang Yanzheng frowned. "The suspect got away."

Su Miaoyi glanced at him.

Zhuang Yanzheng said, "Let’s eat first. The cafeteria is open again. We should try it."

Su Miaoyi’s eyes lit up. "Is it any good?"

"It’s better than before," Zhuang Yanzheng said.

"Can I eat there too?" Su Miaoyi asked.

"No, you have to pay," Zhuang Yanzheng teased without missing a beat.

Su Miaoyi: "...Then I’m not eating."

Zhuang Yanzheng glanced at her.

Su Miaoyi said, "It’s fine. It’s not like I’ve eaten lunch yet anyway. Low blood sugar is no big deal. Fainting is no big deal. Besides, with so many people at the city bureau, someone’s bound to call an ambulance for me. The siren will definitely be loud enough to reach the chief’s office."

Zhuang Yanzheng looked at her. "Are you threatening me?"

Su Miaoyi jutted out her chin and walked ahead.

After a few steps, she came back, not knowing where the cafeteria was.

Zhuang Yanzheng let out a laugh.

Su Miaoyi shot him a glare.

Yan Cheng smiled as well.

...

Once they arrived at the cafeteria.

Su Miaoyi got a portion of braised pork, a portion of beef, and a serving of rice.

Zhuang Yanzheng looked at all the meat on her tray, then got up to grab her a side of vegetables and a bowl of soup.

They had all been starving until now.

No one spoke; they just focused on eating first.

Only after they had sated the worst of their hunger did they begin to discuss the case while they ate.

"What’s the situation on your end?" Zhuang Yanzheng asked.

"The man confessed, and the case has been transferred to the branch office," Yan Cheng said. He then recounted the case in detail: Lu Zhishen’s sketch, the recovery of the skeleton, and everything Zhao Hai had said.

"The deceased is Cao Xin, thirty-one years old. Her family reported her missing a year ago. She supposedly went out for a party and never came home," Yan Cheng said. "According to the killer, Zhao Hai, he ran into Cao Xin on the street. Seeing that she was lightly dressed and having had a bit to drink himself, he had malicious intentions. He dragged her into an alley and forced himself on her. During the assault, Cao Xin screamed. Zhao Hai covered her mouth with one hand and choked her with the other. Eventually, Cao Xin stopped breathing, so he chose to dump her body by the river."

"Based on a comparison with the sketch, we’ve preliminarily identified the skeleton as Cao Xin, but we’re waiting on the DNA for confirmation," Yan Cheng said.

Zhuang Yanzheng nodded, then looked at Su Miaoyi.

Su Miaoyi met his gaze. "I didn’t hit anyone today, you know."

"I just glanced at you. What are you so guilty about?" Zhuang Yanzheng saw right through her. "You wanted to hit him, didn’t you?"

"She raised her hand, then put it down again," Qi Feng tattled quietly from the side.

Su Miaoyi shot him a look.

’Damn!’

’There’s a traitor in our ranks.’

’Oh.’

’Wait, he’s one of *their* people.’

Su Miaoyi said nothing.

’Forensic Doctor Yan is the best.’

’He didn’t tattle.’

Yan Cheng looked between them and spoke up, "How’s the progress on your end?"

Zhuang Yanzheng withdrew his gaze, paused, and said, "We’ve already been to the victim’s place. She lived alone. The scene was cleaned thoroughly. We only detected a small amount of the victim’s blood. Nothing else was found."

"What about the cufflink?" Yan Cheng asked.

"We traced the cufflink quickly. Went to the luxury counter and checked the purchase records," Zhuang Yanzheng said. "It was bought in Luo City. As soon as we got the information, we went to the suspect’s home. He wasn’t there. We couldn’t contact him either; the number’s out of service. It was disconnected a week ago. He’s almost certainly on the run."

...

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