68: Pure Evil 68: Pure Evil “There are no smart devices in the cave, and it can block signals to a certain extent, making it a suitable hiding spot from pursuit.
The presence of an incense burner and a photo commemorating Meng Shi in the ice cellar indicates a deep connection between the cave’s occupant and the deceased.
Taking all this into account, it is highly likely that the person hiding in the underground drainage system is Meng Changxi,” Li Xue concluded.
Li Xue’s analysis excited all the policemen, as every cop in Xinhu was covertly searching for Meng Changxi but had not found a single clue.
If they could find Meng Changxi first, it would be a significant achievement.
Putting on gloves, Li Xue carefully removed Han Fei’s photo, “This photo was taken in the last few days, so the fingerprint residue should be relatively clear.
Also, hurry up and compare the buildings and angles in the photos, and immediately fetch the relevant area’s surveillance footage.”
“Wait a second.” After removing the photo, Han Fei saw something, behind his photo were written five words—’the last road.’
“I am Meng Changxi’s last road?
What does he mean by this?”
Upon discovering words behind the photo, Li Xue also removed the photos of He Shouye and Meng Chang’an.
He Shouye’s photo was covered in grim bloodstains, while Meng Chang’an’s photo had a time written on it.
Seeing the time written behind Meng Chang’an’s photo, Li Xue was the first to sense something amiss.
She quickly flipped through the stack of documents and soon found some peculiar items.
“Input-style Identity Information Card?
The architectural blueprint of Eternal Life Pharmaceutical’s subsidiary building?
The main venue map of Xinhu International Plaza?” After finding these items, Li Xue immediately started searching on her phone, “This afternoon at 1:30 PM, Xinhu International Plaza will host a launch event for a large-scale game, which Eternal Life Pharmaceutical and Deep Space Technology have been advertising for three weeks.
They are about to introduce the latest space-sleep Game Box.”
“If the cave’s owner is indeed Meng Changxi, is he familiar with the building’s layout to go there himself?
Xinhu Smart City District is different from the Old City District; there’s nearly a surveillance camera every few steps, and the city center Smart Brain constantly monitors for any anomalies.
The chances of him being discovered are extremely high!”
“Meng Changxi wouldn’t take such a big risk just for a game; he must have a compelling reason to go there.” Han Fei also started searching on his phone and quickly found the reason, “This afternoon’s demonstration of the latest game box by the game company was co-developed by Deep Space Technology and Eternal Life Pharmaceutical.
A top executive from Eternal Life Pharmaceutical will also be present.”
He showed the information on his phone to the surrounding officers, “Meng Chang’an is one of the representatives from Eternal Life Pharmaceutical attending the event!”
“Meng Changxi wants to kill Meng Chang’an?!” Two new officers felt that this was no small matter, they prepared to immediately report to their superiors; if a high-ranking official from Eternal Life Pharmaceutical were killed at the event, the consequences would be unimaginable.
“Stay calm!” Li Xue scrutinized the documents in the cave, “I didn’t fully believe what Han Fei said at first, all evidence pointed to Meng Changxi being the murderer.
But after seeing this cave, I truly felt that things were not that simple.
Would a murderer spend ten years meticulously gathering clues about a case?
Only someone seeking the truth would do that.”
“Meng Changxi is an exceedingly intelligent person, very patient and resilient.
Such a person would not make such an impulsive decision unless something provoked him,” Han Fei addressed the surrounding officers.
“Last night, the station received an anonymous tip-off showing ironclad evidence that Meng Changxi is the murderer in the fridge corpse case,” one of the officers hesitated for a long time before speaking to Li Xue and Han Fei.
“Ironclad evidence?” Li Xue was quite surprised, “How come I didn’t know about this?”
“You always proposed to your teacher to keep control over Meng Chang’an and to be cautious about Meng Changxi, which contradicted our overall investigation direction,” the officer shook his head, “Last night, we received some footage documenting Meng Changxi burying various animal corpses in the past, including dismembered birds, stray cats, and dogs.
Just looking at those mangled bodies, you can feel how twisted this person’s mind is.
Of course, we wouldn’t search the whole city just for animal corpses, but the crucial part is the footage at the end caught him preparing to bury a human corpse.”
Li Xue’s other former colleague also spoke, “Evidence weighs more than subjective conjecture.
After receiving that ironclad evidence, the station immediately intensified the search for Meng Changxi and began using the latest technology to scrutinize him.
He must have sensed the danger and known he couldn’t escape, which is why he decided to take a risk.”
“Is that video real?”
“After technological verification, the video is real.”
With that confirmed reply, Li Xue looked to Han Fei, she had initially taken Han Fei’s word, which led her to make those suggestions to her teacher.
But faced with solid evidence, she began to waver.
“There’s a problem!” Han Fei was still very firm, “The video you saw, does it only show the process of burying animals?
Does it show any torture of animals?”
“Even if the animal killing hadn’t been caught on camera, the mere fact he intended to bury the body is enough for us to arrest him,” the police’s reasoning was sound and irrefutable.
But just when everyone had concluded that Meng Changxi was the murderer, Han Fei clenched his teeth.
He had heard from Meng Shi that as Meng Chang’an’s behavior became increasingly deranged, his older brothers began to intervene.
Han Fei clearly remembered the elder’s words.
Meng Changshou, already working at the time, sought a psychologist for Meng Chang’an, while the second elder, Meng Changxi, helped manage the aftermath for his younger brother.
This meant that all the animal corpses that Meng Changxi buried were killed by Meng Chang’an.
What was most nauseating was that, knowing this, Meng Chang’an not only felt no remorse but secretly filmed Meng Changxi burying the animal bodies.
At such a young age, he knew how to exploit his older brother’s affection for him and shift the blame onto him.
In comparison to the handsome Meng Chang’an, Meng Changxi, with a birthmark on his face, made a poor first impression.
From the moment Meng Chang’an began chasing Butterfly, he might have already seen Meng Changxi as his scapegoat.
Realizing this, Han Fei also understood something else.
Meng Shi knew the three brothers best, so she had to die.
“The clues initially found at Meng Changxi’s home by the police must have been deliberately left by Meng Chang’an.
This demon had planned everything in advance, holding Meng Changxi’s misdeeds as leverage.
Once exposed, he would then distribute these pieces of evidence.”
The most undeniable fact was that this evidence was indeed real.
Meng Changxi had sins, but the truly unforgivable criminal was Meng Chang’an.
“Look at this!” A detective found a handmade map in the corner of the documents, marked with most surveillance locations at International Square, also outlining a relatively safe route.
“Input-type identity information cards are specifically prepared for disabled individuals, such as those whose faces are disfigured and cannot be recognized, or blind individuals who find it problematic to have their pupils identified.
Where Meng Changxi got his identity card from, if there’s an issue with the card, the system can issue a warning within a maximum of five minutes!”
“That means he only had five minutes to commit the murder after entering the venue.”
“Time-wise, the route he planned could be described as perfect.”
Upon understanding the specific action plan of the adversary, two detectives immediately took action.
Looking at the murder route, Han Fei did not leave but instead put himself in the shoes of the planner.
If it were him, he would have destroyed the plan after memorizing it, not preserved it.
“It feels like Meng Changxi deliberately left these items.
He might have prepared for this place to be discovered.
If so, the place he went must not be an address that appeared in the documents.”
“Furthermore, Meng Chang’an preemptively disclosing information and ostentatiously attending the new product launch knew that the police investigation would put great pressure on Meng Changxi, almost as if he were luring Meng Changxi to come and kill him.”
“Neither of the brothers is a fool; each could likely guess the other’s thinking.
However, Meng Chang’an used an overt strategy.
If Meng Changxi doesn’t kill him, he might lose his last chance.
In such a scenario, what could Meng Changxi use to break through?”
With these thoughts, Han Fei glanced over at his own photograph again.
“Why would Meng Changxi write ‘the last route’ on the back of my photo?”
“Could he be coming to find me?”