I See Murders Before They Happen

Chapter 4: Chapter 2: A Prime Suspect

”The deceased is Jiang Yun, female, twenty-five years old, from Yue City. She’s an only child and works as an entertainment live streamer on Platform X. Her social circle is relatively simple. She lived alone; the apartment in Jinrong District is a rental. We’ve notified her parents, and they’re on their way.”

”The victim shows signs of having been bound at the wrists and ankles, defensive wounds on the backs of her hands, and stab wounds to the abdomen, which resulted in a ruptured liver. Cause of death was hypovolemic shock, though the ruptured liver could also have been fatal. Based on postmortem signs, the time of death was approximately fourteen hours ago. We arrived at the scene at 1:30 PM, so the time of death should be around 11:30 last night.”

”There were no signs of the lock being picked or forced. Preliminarily, we believe the perpetrator was an acquaintance, or that the killer posed as a courier, food delivery person, or something of that nature.”

”We found three sets of footprints at the scene: the victim’s, the reporter’s, and those of an adult male. Size 43, with a slight limp in the left foot. He was at the scene for a long time. No suspicious fingerprints were found. The victim’s phone was also not found at the scene.”

Hearing about the limp in the left foot,

Zhuang Yanzheng looked up at the forensics officer. ”What about the surveillance footage?”

”There’s a security camera outside the victim’s residence, apartment 2001, but it broke a week ago and didn’t record anything. We’re still reviewing the elevator footage. So far, no suspicious individuals have been spotted. The cameras in the fire escape and at the building entrance weren’t operational. The victim was also the only resident on the twentieth floor; the other apartments are all empty.”

The difficulty of the investigation shot up instantly.

Zhuang Yanzheng then remembered what Su Miaoyi had said about a financial transaction between the killer and the victim. ”Look into Jiang Yun’s streaming account. Focus on the gift donations.”

”Right.”

”Have Su Miaoyi’s drug test results come back yet?” Zhuang Yanzheng asked.

”They have. It was negative. However, on her diagnosis report from today, the doctor’s preliminary diagnosis is schizophrenia.”

”She does seem mentally unstable,” Zhuang Yanzheng said, his face devoid of expression. ”Take her to the interrogation room.”

”Captain Zhuang.” Qi Feng, who had just returned from the hospital, handed a tablet to Zhuang Yanzheng. ”The surveillance footage from the east gate of the Sixth Hospital, between 11:58 and 12:02, did capture Su Miaoyi with a man.”

When Zhuang Yanzheng had left Jinrong District, he’d told Qi Feng to go to the hospital and retrieve the surveillance footage.

He took the tablet and glanced at it. The man indeed had a slight limp in his left foot, and his height and weight were a match.

”The man’s name is Wang Lang. He’s from Jinghai, thirty-six years old, and a security guard in the hospital’s inpatient department. We’ve already brought him in,” Qi Feng reported.

It was Wang Lang’s shift at the inpatient department today, so Qi Feng was able to bring him right in.

”He tried to run when we showed him our badges,” Qi Feng added.

Zhuang Yanzheng looked at the file on the tablet. ”Let’s go see this Wang Lang first.”

”Right.”

...

Interrogation Room.

After being brought into the room, Su Miaoyi was forced to let go of the hem of her shirt, which she had been holding the entire time.

She was not in a good state at all.

It wasn’t just because the hem of her shirt was now touching her skin, but also because... she had been sitting here for a very long time.

’No one has paid me any mind for a long time!’

The dizziness, nausea, and weakness were gone.

She felt no other discomfort, but her back was stiff from sitting for so long.

Su Miaoyi stared blankly at a single spot.

There was no clock in here, no change in the light.

But she could somehow tell it was past six in the afternoon...

This was just one example. Recently, knowledge she had never learned kept popping into her head.

Like her current sense of time.

Or how she could see a footprint on the street and analyze the person’s weight, height, and gait.

Or how she would go out to eat and find herself observing the micro-expressions of other diners.

Or... how she had estimated the time of death today using rigor mortis.

At this thought, Su Miaoyi let out a small laugh.

’All her life, she’d never even known what rigor mortis was. She...’

’Something was a million kinds of wrong with her.’

Finally, the door to the interrogation room swung open.

Su Miaoyi watched Zhuang Yanzheng enter.

His severe, sharp gaze swept across her face.

Zhuang Yanzheng sat down and looked over her file.

Half a day had passed, and they had long since pulled her file.

Su Miaoyi, twenty-five, a Jinghai local, graduate of Jinghai Normal University. Occupation: web novel author.

Father: Ji Sheng. Mother: Cai Qinglian.

Eldest daughter, with a younger brother named Ji Jiabao.

Zhuang Yanzheng wasn’t surprised that her surname was Su, not Ji.

The Ji Family was no minor household in Jinghai.

He had heard something about what happened to the Ji Family back in the day.

”Last night at 11:30, where were you?” Zhuang Yanzheng watched her.

’11:30 last night?’

’The time of death?’

Su Miaoyi mentally checked the time; it matched the time of death she had concluded in her head. Only then did she answer, ”At home.”

”Can anyone verify that?” Zhuang Yanzheng stared at her.

Su Miaoyi shook her head. ”No. I live by myself.”

”Did you hear any sounds?” Zhuang Yanzheng asked.

Again, Su Miaoyi shook her head.

”What were you doing at the time?” Zhuang Yanzheng never stopped observing her expression.

”Writing my novel,” Su Miaoyi said. ”I’m a web novel author. I don’t know if you’re familiar with my line of work, but it requires me to post a four-thousand-character update before 11:59 PM every single night to maintain my daily update streak. If I break the streak, I lose my spot in the recommendations, my traffic plummets, and then I have no money to live on. So, 11:30 PM is precisely when I’m scrambling to meet my deadline.”

”Is the soundproofing in Jinrong District that good?” Zhuang Yanzheng asked.

”It’s not,” said Su Miaoyi.

”And yet you heard nothing?” Zhuang Yanzheng’s gaze was sharp, as if it could see right through a person.

Su Miaoyi met his gaze.

’I should be afraid,’ she thought, ’but for some reason, this feels... familiar.’

”Between nine and midnight, I usually wear headphones,” Su Miaoyi said. ”Her streams get loud, and it breaks my concentration.”

Zhuang Yanzheng continued to watch her.

’She’s too calm.’

’Wang Lang has already confessed to everything.’

’He killed Jiang Yun.’

’But that’s what makes Su Miaoyi even more suspicious.’

’She knows everything.’

’The victim lived upstairs from her.’

’The killer works at the hospital she went to.’

’Her description of the crime matches Wang Lang’s confession.’

’It’s too much of a coincidence.’

’So much so that it’s as if she orchestrated the whole thing.’

’The schizophrenia diagnosis is like her get-out-of-jail-free card.’

”You two had conflicts because her streams were too loud,” Zhuang Yanzheng stated.

”No. Once I put my headphones on, I can’t hear a thing, so there was no reason for a conflict,” Su Miaoyi said. ”Besides, her streams were pretty fun. When I wasn’t writing, I’d occasionally listen in.”

”To what?” Zhuang Yanzheng asked.

”Thanks to Brother Wang from AAA Building Materials for the Gem GAI!” Su Miaoyi blurted out.

She pursed her lips as soon as the words were out.

’Brother Wang from AAA Building Materials has been a constant presence lately. I’ve heard it so much it’s become a conditioned reflex.’

Zhuang Yanzheng stared at her. ”...”

Su Miaoyi cleared her throat lightly.

Zhuang Yanzheng lowered his gaze, then after a pause, asked, ”At the east gate of the Sixth Hospital... why was your timeframe of 11:58 to 12:02 so precise?”

Su Miaoyi looked at Zhuang Yanzheng.

She tried to read something from his expression.

Zhuang Yanzheng seemed to sense her intention, and his left eyebrow twitched slightly.

An overwhelming sense of pressure washed over her.

Su Miaoyi lowered her eyes. ”I was looking at my phone. When I unlocked it, it was 11:58. When the screen turned off later, it was 12:02.”

”Such a good memory?” Zhuang Yanzheng said.

Su Miaoyi didn’t answer his question. Instead, she asked, ”Did you go to the hospital? Did you find him?”

”Details of an ongoing investigation cannot be disclosed,” Zhuang Yanzheng said.

Su Miaoyi said nothing.

Zhuang Yanzheng stood up to leave.

Su Miaoyi quickly called out to him, ”Aren’t you going to let me go?”

”You’re still a person of interest,” Zhuang Yanzheng said.

Su Miaoyi opened her mouth, then closed it.

’If I were the detective, I’d be suspicious of me too.’

’How could there be so many coincidences?’

”I... I...” Su Miaoyi mumbled meekly, ”I... I can’t break my update streak. My readers are waiting.”

Zhuang Yanzheng looked at her miserable expression.

Seeing that he had no intention of releasing her, Su Miaoyi added, ”Well, can I at least get something to eat? It would be a hassle for you if I starved to death in here, wouldn’t it?”

”Qi Feng, get her some food,” Zhuang Yanzheng said.

”Right away,” Qi Feng responded.

...