Chapter 8: Starting Over

All the evidence pointed squarely at Chen Gang; it seemed he had no choice but to confess, whether he wanted to or not.

Still, seeing Su Tianmu troubled, Officer Wang couldn't help but ask, "Captain Su, do you still have doubts? The evidence is so obvious—Chen Gang must be the murderer!"

Su Tianmu leaned back in his chair and reached for a cigarette, placing it between his lips. Wisps of smoke curled between his pale, slender fingers.

His eyes were half-closed, long lashes fluttering as the smoke stung them.

He coughed twice; for someone who rarely smoked, the cigarette was a bit harsh.

"Even though all the evidence seems to implicate Chen Gang, we still haven’t found the murder weapon. How was the body disposed of? What tools did he use? None of this has been clarified yet."

He paused, then pressed out the barely smoked cigarette in the ashtray.

"Besides, I have a feeling Chen Gang isn't lying. Faced with such overwhelming evidence and the intensity of our interrogation, I don’t think he has the nerves to keep up a façade."

Su Tianmu continued his analysis.

"Right—what about the garbage truck? Wasn't there a sanitation worker who mentioned seeing a suspicious garbage truck?"

Officer Wang suddenly remembered the clue.

"So, should we use this garbage truck as a new lead and question Chen Gang again?"

Su Tianmu said nothing more.

Officer Wang immediately stood up, ready to organize the next round of questioning.

Indeed, if the body had been dumped using that garbage truck, where was it now?

They had already investigated the local waste stations when this clue first arose, but nothing suspicious had turned up. As for the garbage truck that had gone off route, the company manager explained that it was due to a new employee unfamiliar with the area. Since every truck was equipped with GPS, their routes were easily checked.

Besides, even if that garbage truck had been used to dispose of the body, how would Chen Gang have gotten access to it?

These lingering questions left the case with an incomplete chain of evidence. Su Tianmu, ever cautious, would not allow the investigation to close so hastily.

Once again, they had reached a dead end.

Suddenly, Su Tianmu thought of Xia Wuyou, his unusual "partner." Perhaps she could find a new angle, a fresh clue. He picked up the phone and found her number.

He knew, of course, that asking for her help was something like buying a lottery ticket—pure luck.

Or maybe, he simply wanted to hear her voice.

“How did things turn out at your company? No more issues with the complaints, I hope?”

Su Tianmu, for once, spoke to her with a hint of concern.

This uncharacteristic warmth made Xia Wuyou feel a bit uneasy.

“Oh? Did you hit your head or something? I didn’t know you could actually care about people.”

She retorted playfully.

“Alright, perhaps I’m being nosy.”

Seeing that he didn't rise to the bait, Xia Wuyou softened her tone.

“Is the case about to be closed? That’s great! The old estate can finally be cleared of its stigma, and I can help Uncle Tian sell the house soon!”

She exclaimed, delighted.

Su Tianmu didn’t have the heart to disappoint her directly, so he probed gently.

“If the case is solved, will the ghost haunting the old house disappear?”

“Of course! The ghost lingers because her injustice in life was never redressed. If someone helps her get justice, takes revenge for her, she’ll have no more regrets in this world—she’ll go where she’s meant to go.”

She replied without hesitation.

Su Tianmu fell silent for a moment, a bold idea flashing through his mind.

“How about this? Even though the case isn’t officially closed, maybe we could comfort the deceased’s spirit in advance?”

He voiced his idea in a different way.

“That would be wonderful! I want this all to end as soon as possible too.”

Xia Wuyou agreed without a second thought.

But then a new dilemma arose: how could they arrange a meeting between the two?

In truth, Su Tianmu wanted the ghost to identify whether Chen Gang was the real murderer.

With some coaxing from Su Tianmu and Xia Wuyou’s own suggestions, they finally decided to disguise Chen Gang as a potential buyer and bring him to Uncle Tian’s house to meet the ghost. That way, the confrontation between killer and victim could occur without alarming Uncle Tian.

“Alright, it’s settled then!” Xia Wuyou said triumphantly. “See? I can do things no one else can. If it weren’t for me, how would you have made progress so quickly?”

But as she finished, she realized that she hadn’t really contributed that much to the case after all.

Before Su Tianmu could say anything, Xia Wuyou hurried to end the call.

“So, when? Tomorrow?”

She forced herself to sound calm.

“No, today. Let’s meet this afternoon. You and I will bring Chen Gang to Uncle Tian’s house together.”

Su Tianmu was in no mood for banter. Aside from his eagerness to catch the real killer, he was genuinely curious about the ghost Xia Wuyou spoke of.

In the past, she had often claimed to see her parents’ spirits, but Su Tianmu never believed her. Over time, though, he found himself trusting Xia Wuyou just a little more.

After all necessary precautions were taken, Chen Gang was brought to Uncle Tian’s old house without arousing any suspicion.

Seeing Xia Wuyou arrive with guests, Uncle Tian received them warmly. But Su Tianmu felt a twinge of anxiety.

“Uncle, my friend Mr. Chen would like to take a look at your house,” Su Tianmu introduced Chen Gang.

“Of course, of course. You’re free to look around.”

With Xia Wuyou being a regular visitor, Uncle Tian let her show them around without concern.

“All right, Uncle, don’t worry about us. I’ll show them around—if we need anything, I’ll call you.”

To avoid arousing suspicion, Xia Wuyou acted as nonchalant as possible.

After the initial pleasantries, Xia Wuyou led the group upstairs. Chen Gang, unaware of the true reason for their visit, followed along. Su Tianmu had already instructed him to keep quiet, so he tried to act calm and unaffected.

But as soon as they reached the second-floor landing, before Xia Wuyou could even look for the ghost, the atmosphere in the room changed abruptly.

The decorative lights they had just switched on flickered erratically. As they walked, objects that had been neatly arranged were suddenly knocked askew by some unseen force, scattering across the floor.

“What’s happening?” Su Tianmu, experiencing such a scene for the first time, couldn’t help but panic.

“It seems the deceased really does react strongly to Chen Gang,” Xia Wuyou said, casting a venomous glance at him.

A chill swept past the group. Though there was no sound, everyone seemed to hear the anguished wail of a woman.

“A ghost!” Chen Gang, already on edge, panicked. He broke free from Su Tianmu’s grip and bolted downstairs.

“Stop!” Su Tianmu and his fellow officer instinctively gave chase.

After regaining control of Chen Gang, Su Tianmu and the others waited downstairs for Xia Wuyou.

About ten minutes later, Xia Wuyou descended, looking dejected. Seeing her expression, Su Tianmu could guess the result.

She looked at Su Tianmu and said with disappointment, “It’s not him.”

Then, with a look of disgust at Chen Gang, she added, “The ghost may hate him, but he is not the killer.”