SFTD -Chapter 279 The Disappearing Evidence (Part 12)

Zhao Xinli put down the case file and glanced back at Zhou Hai.

“Nothing much. I was just trying to examine the case from the perspective they had back then. If I had been the one conducting the autopsy, how would I have judged it? After all, I’ve handled very few cases like this, so my assumptions about the killer were probably somewhat off.

For example, that pile of rope left in the living room—I truly can’t imagine why it was abandoned there. Even if I put myself in the killer’s shoes, I still can’t figure it out.”

Zhou Hai patted Zhao Xinli on the shoulder.

“The fact that you can think this way is a good thing. Only by seeing your shortcomings can you improve. Actually, Gao the forensic examiner didn’t make mistakes during either the autopsy or the scene investigation. You saw how accurately he determined the killer’s physical characteristics. The problem was that the case was immediately classified as robbery, which misled the investigation.

Although the house was indeed looted, the signs of a crime committed by someone familiar with the victims were still very obvious.”

Zhou Hai flipped another page in the file. It happened to be a photograph of Ji Chengxue. The picture had been taken from above the headboard, angled downward toward the foot of the bed.

Ji Chengxue was lying face down on the bed, her long hair spread across the sheets, hiding her face. But above the bead-like marks on the back of her neck, there was a faint imprint of a thumb and index finger.

Zhou Hai raised the report closer to his eyes. The photograph of the neck wasn’t very clear, but one could still make out a horizontal left thumbprint on the right side of the neck, along with part of an index finger print near the upper-right side of the neck. It was clearly a left-hand grip.

The victim herself could never have left marks in that position.

Which meant the marks belonged to the killer.

Thinking of this, Zhou Hai quickly flipped through the remaining photographs. In the group photo of Li Zhongzhi, the young man was raising his right hand in a V-sign beneath his chin.

Zhou Hai suddenly narrowed his eyes. It felt as though he had overlooked something important.

Unable to resist, Zhao Xinli patted Zhou Hai on the shoulder.

“Forensic Doctor Zhou, what’s wrong?”

Xu Biao immediately grabbed Zhao Xinli’s hand while Zhou Hai extended his hand toward Huang Zhongsheng.

“The interrogation video of Ji Cheng’an just now—let me see it.”

Huang Zhongsheng handed over a body camera recorder. Xu Biao thoughtfully took it and connected it to the computer, directly pulling up the interrogation footage. Zhou Hai held a pen while listening to the questioning process, constantly jotting down notes.

After watching the entire recording, Zhou Hai turned around and searched for Zhang Chao in the room.

“Zhang Chao, contact Ji Jianguo. I want to speak with him. Have him come over.”

“I’ll send someone to pick him up. That’ll be faster.”

Zhang Chao nodded and walked out of the meeting room while making a phone call.

At that moment, a burst of noisy commotion came from outside. Da Zhao dragged in a struggling man. Everyone in the conference room looked up toward the newcomers.

Da Zhao shoved the man forward.

“Brought him back. This is Li Zhongzhi.”

As soon as Da Zhao spoke, everyone subconsciously looked toward the photo pinned to the whiteboard.

Huang Zhongsheng instantly recalled what Da Zhao had said earlier—that Li Zhongzhi had changed dramatically, especially his appearance. Now he looked like the very definition of a pretty boy: bright eyes, white teeth, a tall nose bridge, the typical product of a Korean cosmetic surgery assembly line. He was almost unrecognizable from the old photograph.

Seeing everyone’s reactions, Da Zhao suppressed a laugh and slightly bowed toward Zhou Hai.

“Brother Hai, the man’s here!”

Zhou Hai looked at Huang Zhongsheng.

“Together?”

Huang Zhongsheng nodded and followed Zhou Hai into the adjacent interview room. The constantly struggling Li Zhongzhi was dragged inside as well. Da Zhao’s build was enormous—nearly 1.9 meters tall and weighing around 180 jin. He lifted Li Zhongzhi with ease, pressed him into a chair, and cuffed him.

During the entire process, although Li Zhongzhi glared furiously and kept protesting, he didn’t dare actually do anything. Da Zhao’s sheer size alone was intimidating.

Li Zhongzhi looked at Zhou Hai and Huang Zhongsheng.

“Why are you arresting me?”

Huang Zhongsheng slapped the family photo of Ji Heping’s family onto the table. The previously noisy Li Zhongzhi instantly quieted down. He looked at the photograph, then back at the two men.

Pointing at the photo, he asked: “Because of that family massacre case?”

Huang Zhongsheng nodded.

“Now think carefully and answer my questions. But before that, we’ll need to draw your blood for a DNA comparison.”

As he spoke, Da Liu entered and drew blood from Li Zhongzhi. Confusion filled his face as he stared at the people seated across from him. The atmosphere made him extremely nervous, like he was completely at their mercy. Having been pampered since childhood, he had never experienced treatment like this before.

His bluster and shouting were nothing more than manifestations of fear. Zhou Hai and Huang Zhongsheng both understood this clearly.

After Da Liu finished drawing blood and left, Huang Zhongsheng tapped the table.

“Li Zhongzhi, answer my question. When did your family rent an apartment in Building 16 of Zhongcun Residential Complex?”

Li Zhongzhi thought for a moment.

“My family moved there a little over a month before I took the college entrance exams. Around late April or early May of 2010.”

“Did you know Ji Heping’s family?”

“Of course. We lived upstairs and downstairs from each other—how could we not know them?”

“Where did you study after the college entrance exams?”

“Southeast University. I started classes in September, but I usually came home on weekends since it was nearby.”

Huang Zhongsheng took the note Zhou Hai handed him, glanced at it, and asked: “When did your family buy a house and move out?”

“I don’t remember the exact date. We’d already bought the house long ago, but at the time our old rental lease had expired while the new place still needed renovations. So we rented in Zhongcun temporarily.

But we moved out at the end of November. We only rented for half a year, so we only knew the Ji family casually—not very close.”

Zhou Hai stared directly into Li Zhongzhi’s eyes. Suddenly, he slammed the table with force.

The sudden movement and loud noise startled both Huang Zhongsheng and Li Zhongzhi.

“Not very close? Who are you trying to fool? If you weren’t close, why were you eating meals at their house? If you weren’t close, why were you staying overnight again in the old Room 101? You did all that because you ‘weren’t close’?”

Li Zhongzhi froze and quickly avoided Zhou Hai’s gaze. He felt as though those eyes could see straight through him.

Huang Zhongsheng immediately understood. Li Zhongzhi was definitely hiding something.

He stood up, walked beside him, leaned in close, and glared directly into his eyes.

“Looks like I need to explain the policy of leniency for confession and severity for resistance, huh?”

Li Zhongzhi knew he couldn’t escape today. He swallowed nervously and raised a hand.

“Officer, don’t get agitated. I’ll talk! It’s really nothing much. Ji Chengxue’s mother thought my family conditions were pretty good and wanted to introduce Ji Chengxue as my girlfriend. She also wanted me to tutor her in her studies. I figured I was free anyway, and besides, who complains about having more girlfriends? Even after my family moved away, I still often went over for meals, and occasionally stayed downstairs.”

Zhou Hai didn’t give him time to think and immediately followed up:

“Where were you on the night of December 8th?”

Li Zhongzhi glanced at Zhou Hai and let out a faint sigh.

“I knew you were going to ask me that. Back when they investigated this case before, my father cooperated with the police. I thought it over and didn’t say much, because it was a murder case, and I figured it was better not to get involved.

I really did go to the Ji family’s house for dinner that night. They had relatives visiting, and we drank a little alcohol. Then somehow I drank too much, and I don’t remember much after that.

But when I woke up, I found myself downstairs in Room 101.

The next morning, I washed up and took the earliest bus back to Southeast University.

It wasn’t until the following week, when I came back again, that I learned what had happened to the Ji family. I was terrified at the time. I kept thinking that if I’d stayed upstairs that night, maybe I’d be dead too.”

Huang Zhongsheng glanced at Zhou Hai.

“Relatives?

“What relatives?”