SFTD -Chapter 276 The Disappearing Evidence (Part 9)

Ji Cheng’an answered without hesitation, “I enlisted in the army in September 2010 and was stationed in Langfang. At that time, I should have been in Langfang.”

Huang Zhongsheng had expected that answer. He placed a small recorder on the table.

“Zhang Chao already contacted your former instructor and checked your whereabouts during those three days. What are you still trying to hide?”

Ji Cheng’an paused. “Oh… I was injured that winter and hospitalized for a few days, but I can’t remember the exact date.”

It was a perfectly reasonable answer. If they had never restored the surveillance footage, even Huang Zhongsheng might have been fooled.

A chill instantly appeared on Huang Zhongsheng’s face. He slammed the table with a loud bang.

“What are you playing dumb for? Would I have brought you here without evidence? You returned to Mocheng on December 8th and went to your uncle’s house.

On the morning of December 9th, you left Zhongcun Residential Complex. We used forensic technology to restore the old surveillance footage. The image quality is extremely clear. The moment your face appeared, Zhang Chao recognized you immediately.

Back then you were shorter than you are now, and your appearance was a bit different. You wore a baseball cap, a dark blue padded jacket, and army-green pants. There was a sun emblem embroidered on the sleeve of your jacket. Am I wrong?”

After Huang Zhongsheng finished speaking, Ji Cheng’an instantly fell silent. He sat there motionless for a long while.

Without giving him much time to think, Huang Zhongsheng slapped a stack of photographs onto the table.

“Come on. Lay out every single photo and tell me who these victims are.”

Slowly, Ji Cheng’an reached out and picked up the photos.

They were crime scene photographs taken back then—the ropes tied around their hands, the tape stuck across their faces, the bloodstains scattered across the floor, and the condition of each victim.

As he arranged the photos one by one and spoke their names, it felt as though he were reliving the entire tragedy again.

His fingers trembled slightly, and his eyes instantly reddened—not the redness of wanting to cry, but of overwhelming regret.

Even Huang Zhongsheng was startled when he noticed that emotion.

He tapped the table with his finger.

“Go on, introduce them. Or tell me why you appeared at Zhongcun Residential Complex that day. What were you doing there? Did you kill these people?”

Ji Cheng’an shook his head without speaking. He grabbed his hair and kept shaking his head.

Another officer knocked on the table.

“If you confess yourself now, that’s one thing. If I match your DNA first and then you talk, that’s another matter entirely. You should understand that.”

After a long silence, Ji Cheng’an finally nodded.

He looked at Huang Zhongsheng and took a deep breath.

“I really did return to Mocheng on December 8th, 2010. Around nine that night, I went to my uncle’s house.

Because on December 7th, Ji Chengxue called me and said she overheard my uncle and my father talking. They said I wasn’t my father’s biological son—I’d been adopted.

When we heard that, both Chengxue and I were overjoyed. We had liked each other for a long time, but because we were cousins, we could never be together.

Before I enlisted, she even wanted to run away with me and leave Mocheng for the south to make a living.

But just as we were preparing to leave together, my uncle arranged for me to join the army. We had no choice but to put those thoughts aside temporarily. Chengxue also felt that joining the army was a good thing. She said there was a chance I’d never return to Dongnan again. Hearing her say that made me less resistant to the idea.

On December 7th, when Chengxue told me the truth, I was ecstatic.

That day during training, I got distracted. By accident, I ended up saving a fellow soldier, but my arm was injured too—it was pierced through by a pair of iron tongs. My comrades immediately sent me to a nearby hospital.

That night, no matter what, I couldn’t fall asleep. After the comrade taking care of me left, I climbed out the window and snuck out of the hospital. In the middle of the night, I went straight to the train station.

I arrived in Mocheng on the afternoon of the 8th. I met Chengxue outside, and after discussing things, we decided to visit that night.

That evening, I went with Chengxue to her house. I said I wanted to speak with my uncle alone, so we went into his bedroom.

After I explained our thoughts, my uncle didn’t oppose us.

He only said I should focus on serving in the army first, since we were both still too young. He said that if, after my military service, we still felt the same way, he wouldn’t object.

Right then, my aunt came in. She started cursing me without restraint. My uncle kept standing in front of me trying to stop her, but judging by her posture, she looked ready to beat me up.

I don’t know where she grabbed an alarm clock from, but she threw it straight at me. My vision blurred instantly. Seeing how emotional she was, I hurriedly left.

It was already very late, and Chengxue was afraid something might happen to me if I left that night. She stuffed the key to Room 101 into my hand. After thinking about it, I just went downstairs.

When I looked in the mirror downstairs, I realized my forehead had been cut open by the alarm clock. Thinking back to how vicious my aunt had looked, I suddenly felt this trip home had been far too impulsive.

So I lay down in the secondary bedroom opposite the master bedroom and slept there. That was the only room in Unit 101 with a bed and bedding. Besides, I had a fever, so I didn’t bother moving around anymore. Dizzy and exhausted, I slept until morning.

Early the next morning, after tidying up my things, I sent Chengxue a message. When she didn’t reply, I didn’t wait any longer.

After how fiercely my aunt had opposed us the night before, I thought it was best not to show myself for the time being, so I went straight back to Langfang by train and returned to my unit.

If I had known what they would suffer that night, how could I possibly have ignored it and done nothing?

And Chengxue…”

All this time, Huang Zhongsheng had been staring into Ji Cheng’an’s eyes.

It seemed like, for the first time in years, Ji Cheng’an was finally speaking the words he had buried deep inside. The pain in his expression did not seem fake.

“When did you find out they’d been murdered?” Huang Zhongsheng asked.

Ji Cheng’an let out a long breath. Stretching both arms out against the edge of the table, he lowered his gaze slightly, absentmindedly scraping at a screw cap on the tabletop with his left index finger.

“After I returned to my unit on the 9th, I immediately resumed training. It wasn’t until December 14th, when I went to the hospital to have my stitches removed, that I secretly called Chengxue.

But the automated message said the phone was turned off.

At that moment, I froze. We had just seen each other on the 8th. Even if my aunt strongly opposed us, there was no reason for Chengxue to change her phone number.

So I called my father.

My father sounded terrible. Later, my older brother took the phone and told me everything that had happened.

At the time, I was completely stunned—consumed by endless regret.

I had been downstairs that very night, yet I hadn’t heard anything at all.

My brother said the police had already opened an investigation and told me not to worry. There was nothing the family could do anyway, so I should just focus on serving in the army properly.

Afterward, I wanted to request leave from my superiors, but it was close to New Year’s, so my request wasn’t approved.

Later on, as the case remained unsolved, I never returned out of guilt. It wasn’t until after I retired from the military that I came back to Dongnan.

Every single night, I kept thinking about why I had slept so deeply that day… why I hadn’t gone upstairs one more time to check.”

At this point, Ji Cheng’an could no longer hold back.

He collapsed over the table and burst into loud sobs.

After keeping the secret buried in his heart for so many years, finally speaking it aloud felt like a release.