Chapter 10: A Frenzy of Slaughter

After a harrowing confrontation between life and death, the shaken Zhang Jun soon confessed to all his crimes.

It turned out that after the landlady had strongly supported him and allowed him to stay at the restaurant, Zhang Jun began to feel an affection for her. At first, it was simply gratitude. But as time went by, Zhang Jun discovered that not only was the landlady beautiful, but she was also gentle and kind. He found himself confiding his troubles to her, enjoying the comfort she offered.

The landlady, for her part, was fond of this young man. Besides helping him at work, she was always willing to assist him with any difficulties in his life, treating him as if he were her own younger brother.

Once, when Zhang Jun found himself alone with the landlady, he confessed his feelings for her. But she rejected him firmly. From then on, she deliberately kept her distance.

"I know she likes me too! She's just afraid of gossip," Zhang Jun insisted, lost in his own emotions.

Meanwhile, the restaurant owner was also a kind man who got along well with the young waitresses. He was charming, and rumors—though lighthearted—often swirled about him. While the owner paid these no mind, the landlady seemed to care and even quarreled with him over such jokes more than once.

Perhaps out of a sense of revenge, the landlady sometimes acted especially close to Zhang Jun in front of her husband. This only deepened Zhang Jun's mistaken belief that she shared his feelings.

"I never meant to kill anyone, it wasn't intentional! I just drank too much—I don't even know why I did it!" Zhang Jun sobbed in regret, all his former calm and composure gone.

It became clear this was not a premeditated murder.

When the restaurant closed for renovations, everyone went home for the holidays. Since Zhang Jun’s family lived in the city, he occasionally dropped by to help out. On the day in question, after their work was done, the owner invited him to have a drink in the restaurant’s basement. Zhang Jun, not much of a drinker, soon became drunk under the owner’s enthusiastic hospitality.

He not only confessed his feelings for the landlady to the owner, but also made several crude, explicit remarks about her beauty right to his face. Fueled by alcohol, the owner cursed at Zhang Jun and struck him.

Though Zhang Jun appeared mild-mannered, he was actually a regular at the gym—the sort of person who seemed slim in clothes but muscular underneath. His strength was far above average.

In a fit of rage, he grabbed a nearby weapon and struck the restaurant owner, killing him on the spot.

He never imagined that in a moment of impulsiveness, he would take a life. Blinded by fury, when the owner’s young daughter came searching for her father in the basement, he killed her too, barely thinking.

As Su Tianmu and Xia Wuyou listened to his account, their hatred grew when they heard how he had brutally smashed the little girl’s head. They wished they could execute him on the spot.

"Then why did you kill the lady of the house?" Xia Wuyou asked with undisguised disgust.

"I didn’t mean to! I really didn’t! I… I just lost control of myself…"

After killing the father and daughter, Zhang Jun went to find the landlady. Driven by pent-up emotions and intoxication, he not only killed her, but also defiled her body in an inhuman manner.

At this, Xia Wuyou’s eyes brimmed with furious tears, and she bit her lips until they turned white. If they hadn’t been in the police station—if she’d had great strength—she might have torn the monster before her to pieces.

Zhang Jun then confessed how he had disposed of the bodies. Fearing that evidence would be found on Zhao Juan’s body, he dismembered her with an axe, placed the remains and the axe in a red suitcase, and sank it in the sea.

After dealing with Zhao Juan, he found it impossible to move the other two bodies alone, so he walled the father and daughter into the restaurant’s walls. Since the renovations had no set deadline, he had plenty of time to finish the grim work.

The entire case was now clear, and the murderer was in custody. Yet Xia Wuyou and Su Tianmu felt only deep sorrow.

All because of a drunken evening, a happy family had been destroyed.

Perhaps Zhang Jun was full of regret—but no amount of remorse could undo his crimes. Perhaps Zhao Juan also regretted her kindness, trusted too easily, and gave her goodwill to the wrong person.

After leaving the interrogation room, Su Tianmu and Xia Wuyou walked in silence, unsure whether to lament the fickleness of fate or to remind themselves to be ever vigilant against the dangers lurking in everyday life.

What surprised everyone further was that, following Zhang Jun’s confession, the landlady’s body was found at the very spot where Su Tianmu had once invited Xia Wuyou to a seaside barbecue. It seemed as if the wronged soul of the victim had guided the police to the truth.

Heaven does not shield the guilty. No matter how well a crime is hidden, it will eventually come to light, and justice will be served.

"I’m truly sorry—for involving you in yet another murder case because of me," Su Tianmu apologized sincerely to Xia Wuyou.

Though it felt like an incredible coincidence, Xia Wuyou was glad to have brought justice for another wronged soul.

"It’s all right. I’m used to it," Xia Wuyou replied quietly over the phone.

"Didn’t I say it? My partner, the great Holmes Wu, is truly remarkable! If you ever need my help, just ask. I’ll give it my all."

These were Xia Wuyou’s honest feelings. Though she was small in stature, she carried a powerful universe within her heart.

"How about this—be my partner for real!" Su Tianmu said suddenly, his tone serious. "I can’t give you an official police title, but in my heart, you’ll be my true partner. From now on, we’ll be the strongest team. What do you say?"

Hearing his earnestness, Xia Wuyou couldn’t help but laugh.

"All right! From now on, I am truly Holmes Wu. Whenever you need me, just call!"

After hanging up, both of them smiled knowingly.

Thus, a brand-new, powerful partnership was born—adding a brilliant stroke to the police department’s crime-solving prowess.