The Mystery of the Inner Demon

Chapter 168 Completion
The sea breeze from Dongji Town blew over unhindered.

Zhong Kui stood on the beach, her long black hair flapping against her cheeks, just like the deep blue water flapping against the pier and the coast. She looked ahead, and saw dark clouds moving faintly on the horizon, and she could see a storm was about to come.

Qi Fei, who was standing beside him, picked up a stone from the ground and threw it forcefully toward the sea, also gazing at the vast expanse. "Changing the direction of investigation has indeed yielded some findings. Chen Afeng is a qualified accountant, but her husband is a gambling addict who has racked up huge gambling debts. I found a retired employee of hers who was close to her at the aquatic products company. They told me that Chen Afeng had once wavered and considered embezzling public funds to repay her husband's debts, but ultimately gave up.

Lin Suzhen had just divorced that year. Wang Lijuan had a good relationship with this young sister since childhood, and she had said many times that she wanted to help Lin Suzhen get out of the shadow of divorce.

Before Zhou Xiaomei was murdered, she was in conflict with her family over an arranged marriage, and Wu Meiling lost her young daughter that year.

"Humans always like to throw their unresolved knots to ghosts and gods. Superstition is a painkiller that the living make for themselves." Zhong Kui brushed away the strands of hair that were hanging from her face. "It's a pity that their desire to mend their out-of-control lives has become bait for the murderer."

"Then the question arises: they must have some way of knowing about this person's existence. Dongji Town, with no temples or churches, became the initial location for the 'Demon Mirror Case'?"

"Looks like we have to do our homework again..."
-
Wu Shanqiu was like a brick-moving worker, placing piles of files in front of Qi Fei and Zhong Kui.

"Brother Fei, haven't you already seen all of this..." Wu Shanqiu muttered.

"Zhong Kui and I went back to Dongji Town, and now we have a new direction, right?" Qi Fei took the file and began to read it.

The office was very quiet, and time passed by minute by minute. The three people looked through the files and found out that the five victims in Dongji Town had moved in scattered ways during their lifetime, with no connection at all.

Wu Shanqiu rubbed her temples and said, "Dongji Town is such a small place. These people's daily lives are just going to work and going home. If they went to the same place, there's no way Old Ye and Old Li wouldn't have missed it when they were tracking them down."

Her words reminded Qi Fei, and he immediately stood up and took the stack of documents from Ye Ming.

In addition to the professional ocean current analysis and Dongji Town planning map, an old newspaper of "Nancheng Daily" sandwiched in it caught Qi Fei's attention.

"Triple Wave?" Zhong Kui's words came to his ears.

Qi Fei looked at the newspaper carefully, and sure enough, he marked the title of one of the news stories back and forth with three colors of ballpoint pens.

This is the unique marking method of the two partners, Lao Ye and Lao Li. The three colors mean that when Lao Ye was investigating, at least three clues converged on this news - that is, the most important breakthrough.

The title read: The new building of Dongji Town Aquatic Products Company broke ground, opening a new chapter in the development of fisheries
"Among the victims, the first victim, Chen Afeng, was an accountant at the aquatic products company." Wu Shanqiu said immediately.

"If it was only related to Chen Afeng, Old Ye would not use the Triple Wave as a mark." Qi Fei said immediately.

He glanced at the date on the newspaper, which showed it was January 1982, 1, right at the beginning of the new year. But the content was quite ordinary, simply introducing the plans for the aquatic products company building and Dongji Town's contribution to the fishery economy.

"The aquatic products building mentioned in this report is where the Dongji Town Aquatic Products Company is now located, right?" Zhong Kui said, "This new building is quite close to the Aquatic Products Technical School."

Qi Fei and Zhong Kui had just returned from Dongji Town. He certainly remembered that the current aquatic products company was right in front of the technical school. However, this fact didn't explain Qi Fei's confusion. "But I remember this building wasn't completed until the end of 1983. When Zhou Xiaomei, the aquatic products school student who was murdered in the 'Demon Mirror Case,' was boarding at the technical school, this building was still a construction site."

"There are people at the construction site," Zhong Kui said. "Besides, the people at the construction site are mobile. This building was completed at the end of 1983. I think it would be best to check the month. Otherwise, why is Ye Ming so sure that the murderer returned to Nancheng? Is it just because of Xu Chunxiahai, or did he find other supporting evidence?" Zhong Kui's words woke Qi Fei up from his dream, and he suddenly realized: "If the murderer is related to this construction site... Chen Afeng and Zhou Xiaomei may have come into contact with people at this construction site, then what about the other three victims?"

Zhong Kui tapped a few words on the report.

When Qi Fei took a look, he saw that the beginning of the text read: This newspaper reports (by reporter Zhang Xiaohua).

"Nancheng Daily, Zhang Xiaohua, it will be easy once we have the names!" Qi Fei said.
-
In the meeting room of Nancheng Daily, an octogenarian wearing a gray woolen vest sat on a heavy sofa chair.

"Are you Teacher Zhang Xiaohua?" Qi Fei asked.

"The office told me that the police are looking for me. This is really new. You are..." Zhang Xiaohua put on his reading glasses and looked at the three people in front of him with the curiosity of a reporter in his eyes.

"We are from the Nancheng Criminal Police Brigade." Qi Fei said as he showed his ID and handed over the 1982 newspaper.

Zhang Xiaohua took the newspaper and saw his marked report. He looked even more confused. "Yes, I wrote this, but it's just an ordinary report. You're criminal police, so what is this...?"

Qi Fei and Zhong Kui looked at each other.

Zhong Kui asked directly: "Do you remember what month this building was completed?"

"November 1983, 11." Unexpectedly, more than 13 years later, Zhang Xiaohua blurted out the completion date.

This aroused Zhong Kui's curiosity: "You remember it so clearly?"

Zhang Xiaohua pushed his reading glasses up. "I can't forget it. Because that year, the Demon Mirror Case that shocked the entire Nancheng happened in Dongji Town. The day before the project was completed, the last person to die was called..."

Zhang Xiaohua frowned and tried hard to recall.

"Wu Meiling, a nurse at Dongji Town Health Center." Qi Fei reminded.

Zhang Xiaohua nodded immediately: "Yes, that's the name. When the news came, the editor-in-chief said that since I had an interview about the completion of the Aquatic Products Building, I might as well leave a day early to follow up on the Demon Mirror Case.

So I arrived in Dongji Town on November 11th, interviewed the murder case on the 12th, and the completion of the project on the 12th. I will never forget it." Speaking of this, Zhang Xiaohua sighed, "When the construction of the aquatic products building started, I remember the blast of gongs and drums, as if everyone in Dongji Town had arrived, it was very lively.

But on the day of completion, because of the demon mirror case, the whole town was shrouded in a depressing atmosphere, and all ceremonies were cancelled."

　Good night, we'll talk about the rest of the day.

　　(End of this chapter)