novelraw Chapter 448 - 268: The Suspect Emerges
Chapter 448 - 268: The Suspect Emerges
This efficiency is unbelievable.
How did they find the killer?
"Are you going to join the operation?"
"Wait for me."
Of course, he had to act. He was desperate to know who the perpetrator of the Headless Murder Case was.
"Then contact the locksmith company directly and have them go to Tianhe District with their equipment."
"Okay."
Wang Ruigang hung up the phone and immediately walked towards the office of the guidance team.
Actually, Li Xiang was already drafting the capture plan, and this time he was going to lead the team personally.
"Captain Li, I’m here."
Wang Ruigang came running, panting heavily, clearly having jogged all the way there.
"Let’s set off. We’ll discuss the situation on the way."
"Got it."
On the way to Tianhe District, Li Xiang briefed Wang Ruigang on the details of the case. The latter was simply incredulous after hearing it.
"There’s something like this? It’s inhuman."
Sponsoring poor students is an act of great kindness, yet good and evil are separated by a thin line.
The killer has not yet been caught, and they still don’t know what the motive was.
Only by catching him can the truth come to light.
The sirens echoed through Tianhe District, and some idle elderly folks ran out, curious about what the police were up to.
Knock, knock, knock ~
The urgent knocking sounded on the door of Room 301, Building 5. The neighbors peeked out, saw a group of police officers, and quickly closed their doors in fright.
"Jiao Changrong, we know you’re in there. Open the door now."
After a while of knocking, there was no response from inside.
"Has the locksmith company arrived?"
"Officer, officer, they’re here."
At this time, Wang Ruigang arrived with people from the locksmith company, and Li Xiang stepped aside for them.
The locksmith squatted down and fiddled with the keyhole for half a minute before a ’click’ was heard, and the door opened.
Li Xiang was the first to rush in, followed by an eager Wang Ruigang.
No one in the living room.
No one in the kitchen.
The master bedroom is locked.
No one in the second bedroom.
"He’s inside, keep unlocking."
"Will do."
The locksmith swiftly opened the master bedroom, revealing Jiao Changrong lying motionless on the bed. On the table beside him was a glass of water and a bottle of pills.
"Not good, he’s committed suicide out of guilt."
Li Xiang was shocked. Qi Liyan’s investigation clearly frightened him into this. After returning, Jiao Changrong had taken the pills.
"Sleeping pills, more than half the bottle is gone."
"Quick, call 120, get emergency doctors here, and prepare soapy water for gastric lavage and vomiting."
Li Xiang hoped time was on their side, that the drug’s effects hadn’t been fully absorbed. It was a race against death.
"Hello, is this 120? We need an ambulance at Tianhe District, Room 301, Building 5. The patient has taken a large quantity of sleeping pills and is currently unconscious."
Qi Liyan felt somewhat responsible, feeling her investigation was reckless, and she didn’t pay attention to the name on the report record, leading to this situation. After she detailed the situation to the 120 emergency center, she saw Li Xiang administering soapy water to Jiao Changrong.
"Cough, cough ~"
With the influx of soapy water, Jiao Changrong finally reacted and began vomiting profusely.
He threw up everything he’d eaten during the day as well, filling the scene with a foul odor.
Fortunately, the guidance team on-site were all police elites, accustomed to all sorts of scenarios, so this was nothing to them. Only Lai Jiyun, being from the judiciary and not used to front-line cases, stepped outside for fresh air.
The 120 emergency personnel quickly arrived, took Jiao Changrong to the hospital, and started professional resuscitation. Li Xiang and the others followed to the hospital.
"This patient is our key suspect. We hope you can do your utmost to save him."
"Rest assured, saving lives is our duty. We treat all patients equally."
The resuscitation continued. Jiao Changrong, after all, was 69 and physically frail. The ordeal he went through was akin to wandering at death’s door.
Fortunately, the healthcare team was competent and managed to save him before death claimed him.
"The patient is out of danger but is still unconscious. He should wake up by tomorrow."
"Thank you, doctor, for your hard work."
At night, Wang Ruigang arranged someone for the night shift to prevent any unforeseen incidents.
Early the next morning, Li Xiang received a notification from the hospital.
Jiao Changrong had woken up.
"Let’s go to the hospital."
Li Xiang led the guidance team to the hospital again, finding Jiao Changrong in his hospital room.
The task force officers greeted them, "Captain Li, you’re here."
"When did he wake up?"
"He woke up shortly after six but hasn’t spoken since."
"Alright, got it."
Li Xiang approached the bedside, noticing Jiao Changrong with his eyes shut. But the twitching eyelids betrayed his act of pretending to sleep.
"Stop pretending. We know you’re awake. Why did you kill Tian Lifen?"
After Li Xiang’s words, Jiao Changrong sighed, slowly opening his eyes.
"I am indeed guilty. Yes, I killed her."
Upon hearing Jiao Changrong’s confession, everyone felt a mix of relief and confusion, "You sponsored her scholarships for four years, why kill her?"
"My wife passed early, and I had no children. Later, I never remarried. Those years, I heard one could go to the mountains and buy a wife. I was tempted and traveled to Yunnan-Guizhou, where I met Tian Lifen chopping wood. It felt like fate. We clicked well, and she invited me home."
Jiao Changrong drifted into his memories.
"Her home was truly rundown, a straw hut patched with mud, desolate and drafty. She served me wild vegetable porridge and explained her situation. She said her father died early, her mother had remarried, and while she loved studying, her family couldn’t afford her education. Her dream was to see the big city someday."
"So I decided to sponsor her college education, covering her tuition and living expenses for four years. During those four years, I treated her well. She was very attached to me, and after finishing college, she came to Yuncheng to find me."
"And then?"
Just as it reached the critical part, Jiao Changrong stopped.
"There’s nothing more to say. I killed her; that’s the truth. I’m despicable."
"Why did you leave the head under a park bench?"
"After killing her, I was deeply remorseful and conflicted about whether to surrender. I hesitated. Eventually, I thought I’d leave it up to the police. Putting her head in the park would make them aware of a murder, and they would come for me eventually. I didn’t expect I’d wait ten years for this."
"Why dismember her? Where’s the rest of her body?"
"I couldn’t handle her whole body, so I dismembered, packed, and buried her pieces one by one."
Realizing his candid confession, Li Xiang knew the case was effectively solved. He said to Wang Ruigang, "Team Leader Wang, we’ll hand the suspect over to you, and your task force can handle the rest."
"No problem. I wouldn’t want to trouble you further. I can’t thank you enough."
"No need for thanks. We serve the people, and it’s our duty. We’ll take our leave now."
"Safe travels, Captain Li!"
Outside the hospital, Qi Liyan still found it hard to calm down, "What a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Performing vile acts under the guise of charity, ultimately murdering and dismembering. It’s atrocious. This kind of person should be shot a hundred times. By the way, Sister Yun, he’s nearly 70; can he still be sentenced to death?"
Lai Jiyun, being from the court, offered a more authoritative explanation, "Yes, generally, people over 70 can still be sentenced to imprisonment. The criminal law specifies that those over 75 who commit intentional crimes may receive lenient or reduced sentences, but if the elderly are over 75 during the trial, they may not face capital punishment, unless the death was caused with particularly cruel methods."