The Brain Science Case 90

Chapter 90: 

The two were quickly taken back to the station. A search of the database quickly revealed that they each had multiple prior offenses for drug use and trafficking.

But the stabbing incident a few days ago was their first time committing such a major crime as attempted murder.

Like Wang Conghong, they must have been driven by a large sum of money.

The two were interrogated separately, and one of them was more talkative and quickly confessed that he had taken the job because he was short on money for drugs.

“Talk.” Chen Huomu slammed the table. “Who ordered you to do it? How much did you get?”

“T-Twenty thousand…”

Cai Yuwei checked the suspect’s account. The twenty-thousand-dollar “service fee” had been reduced to almost nothing in a few days.

And the person who had transferred the money to them was the same shell account.

“How did you contact the mastermind? Have you met them?”

“All by text message. I’ve never met them, so I don’t know if they’re a man or a woman.”

Chen Huomu checked their text message records. The content was brief, but the details, including the preparations and the location and time of the stalking, were very detailed.

Soon, he discovered another shocking fact. “The mastermind wanted you to stab ‘two people’?”

He nodded. “And they also said not to stab them from behind. I was in charge of stabbing the girl with the long hair and the mask, but I didn’t expect to be blocked by the tall one in the suit.”

“Do you know who you stabbed?” Chen Huomu was furious. “You assaulted a police officer? You have some nerve.” He angrily kicked the table, and the table hit the suspect in the chest. “Our most outstanding female detective almost died at the hands of a little brat like you.”

‘Ah Mu, calm down.’ Fang Zijun’s voice came through the earpiece.

Chen Huomu cursed under his breath. “I know.” He roughly put the table back and re-read the message.

It was not surprising that the mastermind had ordered the assassination of Zhou Jingxun, but the other target was truly shocking.

“Are you sure it was her?” he asked, opening the photo. “You’re not mistaken?”

He shook his head definitively. “That’s right. That’s the person I was supposed to stab.”

Fang Zijun couldn’t see the phone screen, so he had to ask again, ‘Besides the director’s daughter, was the other person Jinglin?’

“No,” Chen Huomu answered, and he couldn’t help but break out in a cold sweat at the fact before him. “How could this be…”

The person on the screen was Shi Changyun.

**

Through Zhou Jinglin, Yingli contacted Vicky, and after repeated questioning, she finally relented.

‘I accidentally heard this from another colleague.’ Her tone on the phone was cautious. ‘It’s said that Sister Shi was ‘once’ the mistress of a certain high-ranking official…’

While they were dating, Shi Changyun, who was still a student, had accidentally gotten pregnant and had had to drop out of school. The high-ranking official, out of guilt, had specially arranged a position for her and had also privately helped to raise his illegitimate daughter.

“Do you know his name?”

‘I’ll ask.’

According to the clues provided by Vicky, although she did not find any direct connection between the high-ranking official and Shi Changyun, she unexpectedly opened another window.

Yingli found a news article from three and a half years ago, about an accident that had happened at the home of a woman who belonged to SK Entertainment.

The news page included a photo of the scene. A woman was being carried out on a stretcher, with large burns on the left side of her body.

“I found a suspicious news report. Can you take a look for me, Miss Chen? There’s also a news photo in it…”

Looking up at the clock, it was already six in the evening. While waiting for Vicky to read the message, she was restless.

‘This news… is about a fire in an old, illegally constructed house. A single mother and her daughter were living together… the person on this stretcher looks like Sister Shi.’ Vicky gasped. ‘So that’s what it was. The skin graft…’

“What skin graft?”

‘Aren’t patients’ clothes usually very loose? When the nurse was changing her dressing, I noticed that she had obvious skin graft and plastic surgery marks on her left arm and shoulder. So it was caused by that fire?’

Yingli remembered Shi Changyun’s strange gesture of touching her left arm. Could it be that when she thought of her daughter, it also reminded her of this fire?

“From the time she was discharged until now, has Shi Changyun’s work been normal?”

‘Today was the rehearsal. I just went to the Taipei Arena to visit. Sister Shi looks to be in good condition, not at all like she’s recovering from an injury.’

Because she was prepared. The stabbing at the night market was very likely a self-inflicted act.

‘Teacher Tang, you’ve been digging so hard into Sister Shi and her daughter’s affairs. Don’t tell me you suspect she’s…’ Vicky was slow on the uptake.

Yingli pursed her lips. “I’m not sure yet. But your information is very helpful to the case. On behalf of Officer Zhou and Zhou Jingxun, I thank you.”

Hanging up the phone, she quickly dialed Zhou Jinglin. “Officer Zhou, I think I’ve found a motive… Shi Changyun’s motive for the crime.”

She quickly recounted the news content. “…Her daughter died in a fire three years ago. Although the cause of the fire is unknown, the timing is very sensitive. I have every reason to believe that this incident is related to the formation of Keys.”

‘Her daughter… died?’ Zhou Jinglin took a sharp breath. ‘Then… then she… she became Jingxun’s assistant? No, that’s too unreasonable.’

If her daughter had had contact with Kim Hyun-joo, and Kim Hyun-joo had later become the leader of Keys, then Shi Changyun would have probably thought that Zhou Jingxun had stolen her daughter’s chance.

But the strange thing was, if she held a grudge against Zhou Jingxun, how could she have been willing to become her assistant, and for three years?

Yingli tried to explain this point. “Perhaps seeing Zhou Jingxun go to Korea alone made her feel a sense of transference… but this hidden hatred never disappeared. Maybe someone rekindled it…”

‘Oh no… we have to tell Jingxun right away.’

“I don’t think that’s a good idea. Didn’t you say they’re as close as mother and daughter? To suddenly throw this news at Zhou Jingxun, she either won’t believe it, or she’ll be overly guarded and cause the incident to escalate.” The concert was imminent, and Zhou Jingxun lacked proper protection—she, who was ostensibly close to Zhou Jingxun, would definitely not be a target of the security personnel’s suspicion.

‘Then… then what should we do?’

“The difficult part now is that there is no direct evidence to prove that Shi Changyun is behind everything.” Her index finger pressed firmly against her glasses, and she lowered her head in thought. “The best and most direct way is to catch her in the act. There are only about three days left before Keys returns to Korea. I think she will definitely make a move.”

‘Teacher, can’t we send someone to protect her? If you explain it personally, I’m sure the director will intervene.’

“Through the director…”

Before she could even think, there was a movement from the interrogation room.

Fang Zijun led Chen Huomu and the others out. “I think we’ve finally found the mole,” he announced to everyone with confidence. “Now let’s go and bring Chen Peiqi back.”

Chen Peiqi is Vicky.

“W-Wait, Chief Fang.” Yingli stood up in a panic. “Why do you say she’s the mole?”

“The two culprits’ phones have the answer. The targets of the assassination were Shi Changyun and Zhou Jingxun, so the most suspicious, and the one who could best grasp their movements, is none other than her.”

Even though Fang Zijun was so sure, Yingli still stubbornly shook her head. “This judgment is debatable. I think Shi Changyun is more suspicious. She has a strong motive…”

“Are you suggesting that the injured assistant is the mole, Teacher? Then how did she have direct contact with the suspect?”

“Mobile phones are so convenient now. Translating simple sentences is not difficult, not to mention that South Koreans receive a Chinese education, so at least reading and writing are not a problem…”

“Do you really think someone would be so stupid as to hire a killer to assassinate themselves?” Fang Zijun’s tone was aggressive as he interrupted her. “Teacher, I respect your profession. But I’ve handled so many cases, and I’ve never heard of such a thing.”

Yingli’s lips were pressed into a thin line as if she had been slapped, and the difference of opinion between the two of them naturally drew everyone’s attention.

“Teacher…” Cai Yuwei looked at her with worry.

“Miss Chen is not a mole. She just helped me,” Yingli could only say.

“If I were the killer, I would also pretend to cooperate with the police to divert attention,” Fang Zijun answered in a low voice, and Yingli was finally speechless. He couldn’t help but show a triumphant smile. “You wait. As soon as we bring her back, the truth will be revealed.”

Many police officers followed him to the main door, but the office was unusually filled with a sense of unease.

“Ah Wei?” Xiangrong tugged at him. “Let’s go, let’s go get her.”

He withdrew his gaze. “Oh, oh.”

Yingli walked back to her seat in a daze, and it wasn’t until she heard Zhou Jinglin’s call from the receiver that she realized the call hadn’t been cut off.

‘…Teacher? Hello, can you hear me?’

“I can hear you.” She touched her forehead. “I’m sorry, there was a small incident just now…”

‘The chief doesn’t believe you, right?’ Zhou Jinglin had heard everything.

“Yes, I forgot to say, the culprit who stabbed you was found this afternoon. The two of them have multiple drug-related prior offenses… Chief Fang must have found something on their phones.”

‘Actually, I also argued that Vicky was the killer,’ Zhou Jinglin said in a low voice, ‘but after hearing the evidence you worked so hard to get, I think your deduction is right.’

At this moment, there was nothing more comforting than this. “Officer Zhou…”

‘I believe you.’ Zhou Jinglin took a deep breath. ‘There’s not much time left. By the time the chief and the others find out they’ve caught the wrong person, it will probably be too late.’

“Yes, and I’m even more worried that this news has already been reported to the director…”

‘I can’t be discharged yet. My wound still hurts…’ Zhou Jinglin hit herself in frustration.

“Don’t force it. It can’t be helped. And even if you weren’t injured, the concert venue is not a place you can easily enter.”

‘Easily enter… I have it.’ Her voice suddenly became cheerful. ‘You reminded me, Teacher. I have a legitimate way to get backstage.’

“What way?”

‘A work pass. Vicky gave me a staff pass, so now all that’s left is to get to Jingxun. Teacher, why don’t we…’

After listening to Zhou Jinglin’s bold plan, Yingli’s hand, which was holding the phone, couldn’t help but tremble. “But your body is still…”

‘What if she makes a move later?’ Zhou Jinglin’s voice was tense. ‘The concert starts tomorrow. Tonight is the final rehearsal. Are you going to bet Jingxun’s life on it?’

“Okay… I understand.” Yingli shot up. “We’ll meet at the hospital later.”