Chapter 128: The Theory of Sin

This story is purely fictional.

Zhang Chi thought of the non-aggression pact he and Wang Yifa had discussed and kept his mouth shut. He glanced at Wang Yifa and noticed that he was trembling.

"Who else went to swipe the card with you?" Zhengzhe asked.

"No one. It was just me," Zhang Chi whispered.

"You were there in person for the match between Dahe and Haima. Your homeroom teacher, the one standing right next to you, was also there. Yes or no?" Zhengzhe paced back and forth. "It would be better for you to answer my questions truthfully. Before I came to your school, I had already uncovered some solid evidence. Your teacher’s laptop—his IP address contains traces of the bets you placed at the scene. Do you still intend to lie?" Wu Zhengzhe’s questioning left Zhang Chi speechless.

"So what? I lost money playing illegal bets, but the bank card was given to me by Auntie Fan. When Auntie Fan agreed to help me that day, Nian Weiyi gave her two bank cards. One of them had roughly the amount we needed, so she gave us that 200,000-yuan card." Zhang Chi finally told the truth.

"When you say 'us,' who are you referring to?" Zhengzhe asked.

"I’m sorry, Teacher, but we should just confess, so we don't have to carry the burden of murder," Zhang Chi burst into tears. "Auntie Fan’s death has nothing to do with us. Everything I’m saying is true." Zhang Chi sobbed bitterly.

Watching him, Zhengzhe did not think he was lying.

Wu Zhengzhe took Zhang Chi and Wang Yifa into custody on suspicion of murder for further interrogation.

Xiao Jin, having suffered a massive blow, had not slept for two nights; he looked haggard and exhausted.

Distraught at home, Xiao Jin could not contain his rage. Thinking about how his daughter, Xiao Yi, was not his own child, his eyes were bloodshot. He looked at the fake painting his immediate superior had given him and, fueled by fury, grabbed a hammer from the storage room and smashed it against the painting.

The hammer tore a hole in the canvas, and the painting fell from the wall to the floor, the frame shattering into pieces.

Looking at the chaotic shards on the floor, Xiao Jin noticed something reflecting light.

He picked up the glowing fragment and realized it was a miniature camera lens. His teeth ground together in hatred. It turned out that everything in his life had been under Ma Shengwei’s surveillance.

Xiao Jin thought of another painting in his bedroom, also a gift from Ma Shengwei. "Could it be that he installed a camera in my bedroom too?"

Xiao Jin rushed to his bedroom and took down the painting. Sure enough, his bedroom was also under Ma Shengwei’s watch.

Thinking of the moments he had tried to be intimate with his wife—especially the day she kicked him out of bed—Xiao Jin frantically pulled his service pistol from the drawer.

He chambered a round, aimed at a spot on the wall, and then walked out.

Ma Shengwei was staring blankly in his office. He realized that Wu Zhengzhe had essentially solved the murder of Auntie Fan and would likely close the case as soon as possible. He did not want the truth about his younger brother to be exposed, so he had to do everything in his power to stop Zhengzhe’s investigation. "Do you have time now? I have something to discuss with you. I’ll be waiting in my office."

Wu Zhengzhe arrived at the director’s office. Upon meeting him, Ma Shengwei was all smiles. "Zhengzhe, come in, come in! Congratulations on solving the Fan Wei and Auntie Fan murder cases. You are truly a genius in the Dahe police force. I admire you! I really do!"

"The Fan Wei case hasn't made any progress yet; it’s only the murder of Auntie Fan that has come to light. It was Teacher Wang Yifa from the Hexi Vocational School who killed her for money. As for Fan Wei’s case, I’m afraid it will take more time," Wu Zhengzhe replied.

"Killed for money? Auntie Fan was just an ordinary citizen. How much money could she have had to make Wang Yifa kill her?" Ma Shengwei asked.

"Auntie Fan didn't have much money herself, but Nian Weiyi, the head coach of the Dahe team, gave her a sum of money on the day of the incident. No, to be precise, it was two sums. One was to pay off the gambling debts of Fan Wei’s childhood friend, Zhang Chi, and Wang Yifa. The other was for Auntie Fan’s living expenses. Wang Yifa heard Auntie Fan and Nian Weiyi talking by the bedside and learned about the money. After dropping Zhang Chi off at a karaoke bar, he went to Auntie Fan’s house alone, intending to steal the money and flee. However, Auntie Fan had hidden the card in a secret compartment behind the wall near the headboard. Wang Yifa searched everywhere but couldn't find it, so he simply killed her. He has already confessed to the entire crime. We identified the skin remnants under Auntie Fan’s fingernails; they matched the scratches on Wang Yifa’s arm."

"Oh, I see," Ma Shengwei said, puffing on his cigar, lost in thought.

He set the cigar down in the ashtray. "The provincial authorities are highly concerned about the Fan Wei case and have called multiple times to ask for updates. They want us to solve it as soon as possible. Now that Wang Yifa is the killer of Auntie Fan, why not just pin Fan Wei’s death on Zhang Chi and Wang Yifa as well? Just use your head, think of a way—frame Fan Wei’s death as an act of manslaughter, and we can close both cases and be done with it," Ma Shengwei said coldly.

"But the killer in Fan Wei’s case is clearly someone else. I have already found clues and have a specific suspect in mind. So, I cannot close the case yet," Zhengzhe said.

"Let me put it this way: I know who you suspect—the boss of the Duhao Company, right? I know your professional standards, and I know you are upright and unyielding. But what can you do? Mayor Bian just called me to say we should look after and protect Duhao. Duhao is a flagship enterprise of Dahe; it cannot fall, and it must not be allowed to fall. So, don't be so rigid. You need to understand the intentions of your superiors! One more murderer or one less—it doesn't matter. Murders happen every day anyway. You are a smart man; don’t you understand? Evil has never had eyes or ears." Ma Shengwei spouted his twisted logic in front of Wu Zhengzhe.

"That is your opinion. I have never believed that evil lacks eyes and ears. I am a defender and protector of the law. My duty is to force evil and crime to open its eyes, clear out its ears, and see if it can still act recklessly in the face of fair justice. I want all evil to prick up its ears and listen to the funeral knell the law rings for it. I want to see what becomes of the criminals who despise and trample upon the law," Zhengzhe declared righteously.

"Hahaha, hahaha! What am I to do with you? Let me tell you, do you know the famous maxim about the law?" Ma Shengwei asked with a mocking smile.

"Are you referring to the one that says the law operates independently, transcending all other factors? Is that the one?" Wu Zhengzhe smiled.

"I didn't expect you to know that one. Exactly. So what if you catch the criminal? For those with money, that is the most classic quote. But for those without, there is no escape from the law. Isn't that right?" Ma Shengwei remarked glibly.

"Are you saying that if you have money, you can defy the majesty of the law? I beg to differ. Excuse me, I’m leaving." Zhengzhe rose to leave the office.

"Wait. Don't you want to think about your brother, who is currently struggling with money?" Ma Shengwei suddenly interjected.

Wu Zhengzhe stopped in his tracks and turned to look at the director. He had never realized before how despicable and dirty his superior was, using his own brother to blackmail him. "What do you mean?"

"Your brother, Chi Zhaoming, who works at the TV station—you know he’s involved in underground betting, right?" Ma Shengwei asked.

"What does his betting have to do with you? You just said he was struggling with money. Does that have anything to do with you?" Zhengzhe asked.

"It’s precisely because it does that I’m talking to you. Chi Zhaoming embezzled 500,000 yuan in public funds from Duhao. If you let go of Duhao’s Lu Jiahui, we can call it even. I’ll have other colleagues close the Fan Wei case. What do you think?"

"Do you think 500,000 yuan in public funds is comparable to one, or perhaps several, human lives? One thing has nothing to do with the other. We will resolve Chi Zhaoming’s debt ourselves, and I will pursue the Duhao matter to the end," Zhengzhe said.

"If you keep investigating, your brother will face prison. If you don't believe me, feel free to try," Ma Shengwei said coldly.

"Are you threatening me?" Wu Zhengzhe asked.

"Think of it however you like. Before you make your decision, you’d better think clearly. I’ll give you one day. Let me know once you’ve decided," Ma Shengwei warned.

Wu Zhengzhe walked out of Ma Shengwei’s office without looking back.

His mood was terrible. He wanted to find Chi Zhaoming and ask about the situation, but he couldn't get through to his phone.

Alone, Wu Zhengzhe bought a few cans of beer at a street shop. He walked listlessly under the dim streetlights, sat down in a quiet spot, opened a beer, took a few sips, and stared blankly at the sky.

Ma Shengwei’s words echoed in his ears: "Don't you want to think about your brother, Chi Zhaoming, who works at the TV station? Don't you want to think about..."

That Chi Zhaoming had gotten involved in betting again was something Wu Zhengzhe had not expected. After Chi Zhaoming had lost all his family's assets the last time, he had borrowed money from everyone he possibly could. That time, it was over 300,000 yuan, but now, suddenly, another 500,000 yuan in embezzled public funds had surfaced. He had no idea if Chi Zhaoming had other debts as well. (To be continued)