Chapter 24 Section 3

Back at the Shimadzu Police Station, the Western Police Department personally re-investigated Hongchang, and then questioned Yuanzi and others based on his confession. Yusaku was on standby in the conference room, sorting out the incoming information in his own way.Some colleagues optimistically believe that Hong Chang is the murderer, but Yong Zuo believes that things are by no means that simple. If you believe Hongchang's confession, what happened is as follows: On the night of Qiqi, Hongchang saw his father's crossbow for the first time.At that time, he didn't have any murderous thoughts in his mind, he just thought that it might be a simple weapon for killing people.

For him, the next day is the highlight. That day, he planned to go to school again in the afternoon and read in his room in the morning. When he came out of the bathroom on the second floor to go back to his room, there was a sound from the hallway.Hongchang immediately realized that the person who made the voice was his father's former secretary, Takahisa Suto. Soon, Hongchang heard Yayezi's voice, which was different from her usual tone, as if a little excited and excited.Suto asked, "Are you the only one at home?" She replied, "Well, Sonoko and Hiroshi have gone to school."

Standing on the stairs, Hongchang thought, she must have made a mistake.After breakfast, the mother and son didn't see each other all the time, so she thought that Hongchang had also gone to school. The two seemed to go up to the second floor, and Hongchang tiptoed back to the room, and then held back his breath, feeling that Ayeko and Weito passed by his room, as if they had entered Ayeko's bedroom. He was not completely unaware of the relationship between his mother and his father's former secretary, but he didn't want to think about his beloved mother and the wild man indulging in lust, so he deliberately turned a blind eye.

Hongchang imagined the drama that was going on in that bedroom.Each room has quite complete sound insulation equipment, and the whole house is silent.Even so, Hongchang still seemed to be able to hear his mother's panting and the bed's creaking and shaking. After an unknown amount of time, he walked out of the room, sneaked to the door of his mother's bedroom, knelt on the ground, and pressed his right ear against the door. "...No way." He heard Yayezi's voice first.The voice was so clear that Hongchang thought she was talking to him for a moment. Sudou said something, but couldn't hear it.

"Because, that doesn't belong to me." It was Yayezi's voice again. Then there was Sudou's voice, but it was very low, coming from the other side of the door, and it was even more indistinct. Although he didn't know what they were talking about, what Hong Chang heard was unexpected.They may be chatting after work.Hongchang quietly returned to the room as before. After a while, Ayako and Oto came out of the room next door.Hong Chang opened the door a little, and peeked at the situation outside.It seems that another guest has come to the house - Masaaki Sugai. Masaki and Oto's voices got closer and closer, so Hong Chang had no choice but to close the door.Ayako seems to have disappeared.

The two men stopped in front of Hongchang's house, but their target should be Zhiming's library opposite. "Is that woman done?" Zhengqing said. Hongchang didn't like the term "that woman". The woman he was referring to must be Ayeko.But what about "it's done"? "But it's not good to take it away?" It was Suto's voice that was heard this time. "It doesn't matter, it's mine if you take it away." "But--" "Stop talking, you just need to hug that woman. As long as someone hugs that kind of stupid woman, she will obey no matter what."

Suoto didn't reply anymore, he didn't know whether he agreed or couldn't refute. But Hongchang, who listened to their conversation through a door, was furious with Zhengqing.Judging from the tone of their conversation, it seems that Sudo and Ayeko had a relationship to make her obedient, but judging from the content of their conversation, Masaaki was manipulating this behind the scenes. Soon, Yayezi came to the second floor, and the three of them walked into the library.After more than ten minutes, Hongchang heard their voices again. "Are you really going to pay me back right away? I don't want to do anything wrong with this family again."

"Don't worry, the president won't break his promise. Well, madam, please go downstairs and rest." Under Suoto's urging, Ayeko seemed to go downstairs.Not long after, there was the sound of the door opening. "I'm right, isn't she obedient?" There was a smile in Zhengqing's voice. "But the president, I'd better go back right away—" "It doesn't matter, you don't need to care about this. As I said, all you have to do is sleep with that dissatisfied widow, and that woman is willing to go through fire and water for you. In fact, she betrayed her husband and children in this way."

"So, I feel... very uncomfortable, really very uncomfortable." Zhengqing laughed softly. "You have nothing to feel guilty about. She is a little old, so you should be patient and comfort her lonely heart." At that moment, the thought of murder welled up in Hongchang's heart.It is indeed disgusting that his most dependent mother, Hongxing, cheated, but a slap can't be slapped, and both men and women are responsible for the matter, so Hongchang never thought of killing Weito.But he couldn't forgive Zhengqing for using the relationship between the two to play with Yayezi's mind in his hands.In addition, Zhengqing called Yayezi a slut, which made Hongchang's anger burn even more intensely.

Hongchang made up his mind to kill Zhengqing. After nightfall, Hongchang first came out of the house from the balcony, then pretended to be home from university, and entered the house through the porch.Yayezi smiled and said to him, "You're back." Hongchang felt that her smile was very dirty. Zhiming's artwork will be distributed to relatives the next day, and preparations must be made this evening.After moving the paintings, Hongchang called Yuanzi to his room. "Father died of illness, and mother became like that, it's all due to that man." Hongchang told Yuanzi what happened that morning.She seemed to be as devastated as her brother.

"I want revenge, I want to kill that bastard!" "But how?" "I'm still thinking about it." Hongchang planned to hit Zhengqing from behind with the arrows from the crossbow when he was jogging to visit the grave.As long as an arrow is stabbed in the back, the policeman will definitely think that it was shot with the crossbow, and then think that no one who can't steal the crossbow can't commit a crime. "So, what should I do?" Sonoko asked. "I hope you leave school early before noon and hide the crossbow in the study. In this way, the police should have the illusion that the stolen crossbow is the murder weapon." "Understood." She responded briefly, with a strange look in her eyes. The next morning, Hongchang wrapped the arrow in paper and put it in a bag, ready to go to school.When meeting Sonoko, he asked, "Have you made up your mind?" "Yes," she replied. In fact, there should be no class at all in the morning.Hongchang has clearly made up his mind, but he still feels afraid from time to time."Don't hesitate!" he told himself. Besides, absent-mindedness in class is dangerous. "How was Guasheng Hongchang's situation that day?" "From what you said, he seemed to be in deep thought."—He had to avoid such conversations between the detective and his friends. Hongchang pretended to be calm, waiting for noon to come, and slipped out of the university after making sure everyone went out for dinner.He hadn't eaten lunch, and had no appetite anyway. It took about twenty-five minutes to drive to Zhenxian Temple.Hongchang parked the car on the side of the road which was not eye-catching, and walked from there to the cemetery.It's fine to be seen, but it's bad if someone remembers him, so he walked nonchalantly. Fortunately, no one was encountered before arriving at the cemetery.Luckily, he thought.No problem, the plan will come to fruition. The cemetery is not very big.Hongchang opened the paper bag, took out the arrow, held it in his hand, and walked forward cautiously.Ching Ching may have come. Hongchang moved forward while observing the situation around him.He almost screamed out as he passed by a tomb. He saw a strange scene - a man hugging a tombstone.He immediately realized that the man was dead, and that it was a man he knew very well. He approached the corpse with trepidation.That's right, it was Masaaki Sugai who he wanted to kill. Hong Chang took a step back.He didn't know exactly what happened, what surprised him even more was the thing stuck on Zhengqing's back.That was exactly the thing he had chosen as the murder weapon, exactly the same as the arrow he was holding in his hand at the moment.How could there be such a coincidence... Hongchang ran wildly.He thought, no matter what, he must leave here first, and think about the rest later. He wrapped the arrow in paper again, tucked it under his arm, and returned from the same way.We must get out of here quickly, and no one can find out.Unexpectedly, it was so far away from where I parked. Hongchang sneaks back to the university and drinks a cup of tea in the student cafeteria.At that time, the lunch break was just over, so no one should have noticed me. what's going on? The more he thought about it, the more unbelievable he felt, and he felt very uncomfortable.Someone actually took the first step and did what he planned to do, and he also used a crossbow. Regardless, the first thing to do is get rid of the arrows.If someone knew that he was carrying such a thing, he would be completely speechless.So he hit the arrow handle with a stone, broke the arrow into a ball, and threw it into a non-burnable trash can. By the way, Yuanzi... I don't know what's going on with Yuanzi? Hongchang pretended not to know and went home.The house was indeed in chaos.Hongchang waited until he and Yuanzi were alone before telling the whole story. "Ah? Actually, when I entered Dad's study today, the crossbow was gone, and I couldn't find it no matter how I looked. Just when I was restless and confused, the police called. I thought it was you It's up to you." Sonoko said. "It wasn't me. Someone took the first step, stole the crossbow, and then used that to kill Sugai Masaki." Hearing her brother's explanation, Sonoko rested her forehead with her hands. "It's unbelievable that this happened." "No." Hong Chang shook his head, "But if you think about it carefully, maybe it's better this way." "Hmm..." Yuanzi seemed to sense her brother's mood, and nodded, "I also think this is better. When I was in school, I wondered if there was a way to stop this plan. After all, killing people is still wrong, even if it is for Dad revenge." "I think so too." Hong Chang said. But to them, not everything is irrelevant.Even if Sugai Masaki was killed by someone else, the fact that they had planned to kill him has not changed, and it must be concealed.Therefore, they decided to prepare their respective alibi as originally planned.In fact, he really didn't have time to go home and get a crossbow. Yong Zuo believes that this confession is not a lie, and he also hopes that Hong Chang is telling the truth.Yong Zuo believes that behind this murder case, there must be a bigger mystery hidden, and he can get a glimpse of the unknown secret of Gua Sheng's family.He would not be reconciled if this murder case was ended hastily because of the boys and girls' impulsive emotions. At this time, the police had finished recording the testimony of both Wei Teng and Ya Yezi.According to their confessions, the two became close some time after Naoaki collapsed.It seems that because Wei Teng is in charge of liaising with the company, going back and forth between Guasheng's house and the company, the two gradually attract each other. "We really just like each other without any bad intentions. Although I feel sorry for President Gua Sheng, I can't suppress my love for my wife." Oto said to the detective who was in charge of hearing the testimony. In addition, regarding what Hong Chang overheard, Suto stated as follows: "President Sugai found out about the affair between me and my wife, and wanted to use it. Guasheng's family should have an old folder handed down by the first president, and President Sugai ordered me to try to get it. I asked my wife, But she told me that I have never seen such a thing. However, when Mr. Akihiko was dealing with the collection of books a few days ago, I found an old safe in the library. I thought, the things must be in there. I have reported it to President Sugai , he immediately said that he wanted to find out. When she learned that we were going to open the safe without authorization, the lady was embarrassed, but I persuaded her to open it for us. Sure enough, there was the old folder that President Sugai said. I didn’t see it The information inside, but after a glance, it seems to see the word 'computer'." Yong Zuo was very interested in the above passage.The _old folder_ that appeared here must be what Zhengqing's wife Xinghui saw. Meanwhile, Oda and Yusaku are in charge of hearing Ayako's testimony.After she learned that Hongchang was arrested because of herself, she kept crying.To the inquiry of the two, she answered more simply. "A long time ago, I found out how to open that safe by accident." She covered her eyes with a handkerchief. "Once when I went into the library, I saw a memo on the safe, which seemed to be the combination of the turntable lock. I thought, My husband probably forgot to put it away, so he tried to open the safe half-jokingly. There was only an old folder in it. I don’t like things at home that I can’t open, so I hid the memo in the Behind the dresser." As for her relationship with Oto, she admitted it negatively.Weito asked her to open the safe. Although she hesitated, she agreed, and the whole process was consistent with Weito's confession. "Mr. Suto said that he wanted to see the materials left by his husband, but he didn't seem to know what kind of materials it was. I hesitated for a while, but I thought it was not a bad thing anyway, so I opened the safe. When he said he would take it away When I asked for the documents, I also said that I would return them immediately, so I agreed." In the end, Ayeko obeyed Suto because she liked Suoto.This is completely within Zhengqing's calculations.What kind of information does Zhengqing want to obtain from Guasheng's family at all costs in playing with this method? Yuzuo is convinced that it is the fuse that triggered the murder case. Computers...what the hell is going on here? Suto said that he remembered the word "computer" written on the cover of the folder.Computer refers to computer, a term that has recently become popular in Japan as well; but given the age of that folder, it should not refer to that. Yusaku suddenly thought of this, left the conference room and went down the stairs.There is a public telephone in the reception room on the first floor.He took out his calling card, picked up the receiver, and pressed numbers while looking around.I don't know if it was because of nervousness, the hand holding the microphone was slightly sweating. After three rings, a voice came from the microphone: "Hello, this is Guasheng Mansion." The voice was very steady. Yong Zuo reported his name, paused and said, "I'm sorry to disturb you last time. You're the only one at home?" "Well, yes." Misako replied.It turned out that Yusaku had called the annex. "He... Guasheng is back?" "Just came back, in the main house." Think bravely, this call is at the right time. "I have something to ask you about Guasheng." "What's the matter?" "Why didn't he inherit his father's career and become a doctor? And he also specialized in brain medicine. Why?" The other party was silent for a long time, and Misako's confused expression seemed to appear before Yusaku's eyes. "Your question is really strange," she said. "What does that have to do with this case?" "I can't say the details right now, but it might be related." Misako fell silent again.Maybe she was thinking, what does it matter? "Where's Hongchang?" "It has nothing to do with him. There are deeper secrets hidden behind this murder case. Of course, I will tell you when the truth is revealed." Misako still didn't respond, Yusaku could only hear her breathing. "Unfortunately," she finally said after a while, "I can't answer your question, because I have no idea what he's thinking." Her tone sounded a little self-deprecating.Yusaku pressed the microphone tightly to his ear. "So, is there any connection between his work and this incident in some way? For example, what Masaaki Sugai mentioned about medicine." "I don't think there should be..." Misako seemed to have no intention of answering.But not long after, Yusaku heard her mutter. "What?" he asked immediately. "Well, although it may not be a big deal, I remembered the conversation between Mr. Sugai and my husband that night in Qiqi. The content of what they said was very strange. Mr. Xugai seemed to say that he hoped that my husband would help him in his work. My husband asked him: "Why do you want a doctor to help?" As a result, Mr. Xu Bei replied: "You are not an ordinary doctor." "Oh?" This conversation is really weird.If Akihiko wasn't an ordinary doctor, what would it be? "And what else did they say?" "Anything..."_ He felt that Misako was tilting her head in thought.After nearly a minute, she said: "By the way, they talked about that Mr. Xu Bei went to meet the professor of a certain university. I remember it was a well-known private university. Let me think about it, which one is it?" Bravely mentioned the names of several universities.When he mentioned Shugaku University, Misako reacted. "That's right, Shugaku University. He went to see Professor Maeda there." "Sugai went to see him..." Yusaku murmured.He thanked Misako, hung up the phone, then called the directory desk and asked for the phone number of Shugaku University, and pressed the button. "Hello, Xiuxue University." A middle-aged man's thick voice sounded, probably a guard.Thinking about it carefully, this is not the time for the female operator to answer the phone. After Yusaku reported his name, the tone of the man's reply changed slightly. "can I help you?" "I would like to ask a few things. I wonder if there is a Professor Maeda in your school?" "I'll look for it, please wait a moment... Ah, is that Professor Maeda? He has already gone back today." "It doesn't matter. What department is he a teacher in?" "Hmm... Department of Medicine." Yusaku felt his palms sweat slightly, and he was right. "Excuse me, do you know what kind of research he is engaged in? Like cancer cells or viruses..." In the middle of Yuzuo's speech, he heard the other party's wry laugh. "Unfortunately, I don't know. Ah, but if I want to ask what classes he takes, I might check the class schedule." "It's troublesome." Yuzuo looked at the balance of the phone card, and there was still a little time. "I only found the title of one class." The other party's answer was unexpectedly fast, "The content is unclear, and the title of the class is Neuropsychology." "Neuropsychology?" Yusaku held the microphone, repeating this unfamiliar word in his heart.