Chapter 46: The Culprit (Part 2/2)
Shoutout to nyanmaru for the commission!
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“Welcome to the Night Talk program. I wonder if our enthusiastic citizens still remember the dismembered body found two months ago in the West City…”
The chilly autumn rain fell on the steps, a large black umbrella dripped raindrops, leaning against the glass cabinet. Seven-year-old Xie Shiyu sat alone in the convenience store, listening to the radio. The two hosts were chatting in an exaggerated tone:
“Wow, it’s really terrifying. This case still hasn’t reached a conclusion, whether it’s a serial dismemberment or a single murder? The police still haven’t announced the results, it’s really unsettling. I feel scared when I walk over to the West City.”
“I personally lean towards it being a serial dismemberment case. I saw on an online forum that in S City and H City, similar dismemberment cases were discovered, with the body parts tied with red plastic rope, and then disposed of…”
“Wait, S City, H City, and now our city, it’s from north to south.”
“Yeah, from what I know, serial killers don’t usually stay in one place for long. It’s easier to evade capture by committing crimes in different places.”
“Well, if there’s a serial killer who stays in one place for a long time and still hasn’t been caught, like various famous cases in history…”
“Don’t talk about history, there were no recordings, fingerprints, or DNA in the past. Nowadays, with such advanced technology…”
“Don’t talk about technology, there are still plenty of cases in advanced countries like the United States. I heard on the English radio channel a while ago about the California serial dismemberment case.”
“Oh, I heard about that too. That serial killer is terrifying, only committing crimes in one place, killing twelve adult males in succession, and with each murder, he adds more dismembered pieces, each piece tied with a special knot, and placed in different locations. The first victim was reportedly dismembered into twenty-four pieces, spelling out a sentence: ‘Can you catch me? Son of a b*tch.'”
“Wow, that’s really audacious. Wait a minute, you mentioned the special knots, could it be that the California serial killer also has a habit of tying knots on the body parts? Isn’t he also using red plastic rope?”
“No, he uses nylon rope. But thinking about it, these two major cases do have similarities. Is it possible that they’re the work of the same person?”
“I don’t think so, the most likely explanation is that it’s a copycat. After all, the California serial killer adds an insult to the police with each murder, and the most audacious thing is that he hasn’t been caught even after killing twelve. It’s been five years since the death of the twelfth victim, and I have reason to suspect that this serial killer may have… retired.”
“But, you know, a leopard can’t change its spots, sooner or later, he’ll get itchy hands again…”
“That’s something for the American police to worry about. Anyway, I hope that the serial killer in our city has moved on to somewhere else, and everyone stays safe.”
“I still hope that one day he ends up in prison, facing legal consequences.”
“Wow, be careful, maybe the serial killer is also one of our listeners. Would he target you for saying that?”
***
Drip, drip, drip.
In the pitter-patter of the rain outside, black plastic rain boots tread on the uneven cement ground, splashing water, droplets sliding down the plastic surface.
Xie Shiyu heard the footsteps, calmly turned off the radio, and switched to a childish children’s channel.
“Oh, it’s so damp. I really don’t like rainy days.”
The convenience store uncle walked in. “Thanks for helping me watch the store again, Xie Shiyu. Were you listening to the radio?”
“Yeah.”
The uncle narrowed his eyes, staring at Xie Shiyu: “It sounded like you weren’t on this channel just now.”
Xie Shiyu calmly reached out and adjusted the frequency again, the radio sputtering as it switched to the next channel:
“Because it’s all boring, so I changed the station.” Xie Shiyu jumped off the chair. “Since you’re back, Uncle, I’ll leave.”
***
Drip drop, drip drop.
The rain continued to fall, making the hallway damp and murky, mixed with the stench of garbage water.
Little Shiyu climbed up the stairs and walked back home. The tall and thin man who moved into 402 would tie peculiar knots, as would the convenience store uncle. The uncle did it because he was fencing stolen goods, marking the boxes with strange knots.
—But why did the tall and thin man do it?
Also marking? Coincidence?
Little Shiyu didn’t believe it anymore. Both the tall and thin man and the convenience store uncle were very suspicious. He stood at the door of his own 404, took out the key to unlock it, creaking as he turned it…
Clackety-clackety-clackety-clack, hurried footsteps came down from the empty fifth floor.
Little Shiyu suddenly turned around.
In a rosy pink nightgown, the auntie from 401 came down from the fifth floor and collided head-on with Little Shiyu.
The auntie’s face stiffened, becoming somewhat sinister, but the next second she softened and spoke kindly: “Oh, Little Shiyu! Are you home alone again?”
Little Shiyu turned around and smiled innocently, “Yep! Auntie, what are you doing here? Taking a walk?”
—The auntie from 401 lived in the building behind, but she always came to their building’s hallway to wander around.
“Haha.” The auntie probably thought that saying she was taking a walk wouldn’t fool a seven-year-old, and more importantly, she was afraid Shiyu would tell someone about her coming down from the fifth floor.
The auntie smiled and changed her tune, “I’m not taking a walk, actually, I came from the rooftop over there, you know…! There are some people growing vegetables on the rooftop of your building, I saw that the bottle gourd vine was doing well, so I came to pick one at someone’s request. Haha, we’re all neighbors.”
—She came to steal vegetables.
Little Shiyu looked at the auntie’s empty hands, he didn’t believe this nonsense for a second.
The unoccupied 504, it was very likely that the auntie was up to something inside.
“I’ll go in first, Auntie.” Little Shiyu smiled, pretending to believe everything.
“Alright, see you later, Little Shiyu!” The auntie hurriedly went downstairs.
When she reached the third floor, she stopped and began to listen for any movement on the fourth floor. Seven-year-old brats were the most mischievous. If this kid got curious and went up to the fifth floor, she’d have to deal with him.
Bang—
A loud closing door.
Little Shiyu had excellent hearing. He heard the auntie’s footsteps disappear on the third floor, and he knew that she was waiting downstairs for any signs from him.
—Little Shiyu did intend to investigate 504, but not now.
The auntie heard the door closing and waited for a while, but she didn’t hear the sound of it opening again. She relaxed and was about to go downstairs—
Creak, the door of 304 opened.
The auntie was startled.
Ji Shiming walked out carrying a milk crate.
There were dead knots tied with red plastic rope on the box, like twisting red maggots.
“Sis, why are you standing at my door?”
Ji Shiming said with a smile.
Although he was smiling, the aunt trembled all over.
This ordinary middle-aged man from the convenience store occasionally gave her a very creepy feeling.
The person at the convenience store was not as easily fooled as the seven-year-old brat upstairs. The aunt forced a few laughs and said, “Haha, I just came down from the rooftop where I was gardening, just… wandering around, ha…”
“Sis, you could use the cross stairs on the fourth floor if you want to leave, wouldn’t that be closer?”
—The cross stairs on the fourth floor led directly to the back building’s 401, while from the third floor, the aunt had to go to the first floor of this building, cross the courtyard, go to the first floor of the back building, climb up to the fourth floor to reach 401.
“Oh, I don’t mind walking a few extra steps, hahaha…”
As the aunt laughed, she hurriedly ran away.
Ji Shiming stared at her with a forced smile.
Little Shiyu leaned against the door of 401, hearing the sound of the aunt being caught red-handed by the convenience store uncle, scared and ran away, her hurried footsteps disappearing in the hallway.
Little Shiyu felt a sense of satisfaction in seeing a villain getting what they deserved.
Suddenly, he had an idea.
As a seven-year-old, he knew it was difficult to confront adults head-on with his size.
But among adults, they could torment each other better.
***
For the next month or two, Little Shiyu closely observed the aunt and the tall, thin man.
First grade exams were over early, and during the holidays, Little Shiyu had plenty of time. He didn’t go anywhere, just kept an eye on these two.
He found that the tall, thin man seemed to have known the aunt for a long time. They often chatted and looked like they were chatting casually. Little Shiyu eavesdropped a few times, and every time they chatted loudly about everyday matters, they would mix in a very soft and quick real conversation:
What goods to move, what customs…
Little Shiyu sorted out a few words they said, went to the Xinhua Bookstore, where there were picture books for young children on legal education. Little Shiyu looked it up and found the behavior he was looking for.
—Smuggling.
The tall, thin man was likely the aunt’s accomplice. 504 was their little warehouse.
Little Shiyu was somewhat surprised by the aunt’s audacity to directly place goods in the residential building.
***
But after he doodled a plan for the fourth floor in his diary, he understood. The aunt lived in 401, and the tall, thin man moved into 402.
403 was a drunkard who was unconscious every day, and 404 was his home, where his father only came back to beg for money when he needed drugs, and his mother often went out “hunting,” leaving only him, a seven-year-old child, at home.
And the fifth floor, no one lived there.
Instead of renting an outside warehouse, it was better to use the existing residential building. The entire fourth and fifth floors could be said to be under the control of the aunt and the tall, thin man, and they could keep an eye on them every day. They never knew when someone might climb into an outside warehouse.
The two rooms on the fifth floor were both empty. If the aunt and her group used 503 as their warehouse, over time, the drunkard in 403 might one day wake up, hear noises, start yelling, and even come upstairs to investigate, which would be bad.
So they chose to use 504 as their warehouse. Even if someone downstairs heard any noises, it would be only this seven-year-old who heard them, and no one would believe what he said.
Little Shiyu circled 504 in his doodle book. This was the aunt and the tall, thin man’s smuggling warehouse.
The aunt had been wandering around the hallway recently, probably to make people think that she just had this habit of wandering around. Later, if anyone saw her figure in this building, they wouldn’t find it strange.
At the same time, the aunt lived in 401, controlling the entire fourth floor. Through the windows, she could see any movement and monitor it every day. If anyone from the second or third floor wanted to investigate the fifth floor, she would immediately notice.
Around eleven o’clock at night, the aunt and the tall, thin man would go to the warehouse in 504. But only one of them would go upstairs, while the other would hide in their home on the fourth floor and keep watch.
Little Shiyu calculated that the only chance to go up to the fifth floor was when both the aunt and the tall, thin man went to the warehouse in 504. If they left the door open, he could slip in.
For an adult to slip in would be too conspicuous. But Little Shiyu knew that he was only seven years old, very small indeed. From the perspective of an adult, they might not even see him.
***
A month later, Little Shiyu got his chance.
Night, eleven o’clock.
Little Shiyu saw the aunt from 401 and the tall, thin man from 402 go up to the fifth floor, one after the other.
—No one was watching on the fourth floor.
At the moment when no one saw, the door of 404 quietly opened.
Seven-year-old Little Shiyu wore all black and stepped out.
His youthful figure blended with the dark night.
Little Shiyu climbed the stairs leading to the fifth floor.
Tonight, the little hunter was ready to start his hunting plan.
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