Free Web NovelChapter 77: Chapter 77 Pretending to be Crazy_1
February 17, 7:50 a.m.
As soon as he entered the office, Zhou Ning turned on his computer.
In his inbox, there were four unread emails, each marked with a yellow warning sign—the special icon for internal priority messages. Zhou Ning opened them with a feeling of anxiety.
1. Two individuals’ DNA information was collected from the murder weapon, belonging to the 1st male and 2nd female of the submitted samples, and the blood fingerprint collected belongs to the 1st male’s DNA;
2. The urine tested positive for occult blood, and DNA from the 1st male was extracted;
3. In samples 35-174, blood from both the 1st male and the 2nd female was found;
4. In samples 3-34, only the 1st male’s blood was found;
5. Pajama samples: Blood from two individuals was extracted from the garment’s cut, blood from the 1st male was found on the pants, as well as urine from the 2nd female;
After reading the report, Zhou Ning let out a sigh of relief.
Yet the system seemed to be silent as usual, the countdown still ticking away, showing no sign of stopping. Zhou Ning blinked in confusion. The culprit was Zhang Xin, that much was certain, like a nailed down fact. Could it be that the evidence chain wasn’t complete?
At that moment, the transparent large screen displayed all these report contents, as well as the various processes analyzed by Zhou Ning, and at the bottom, there was a line of red text.
Reminder: Please note, given the insufficiency of evidence, this case requires a confession from the suspect before the task can be submitted. Reminder to binding person, 50:50 hours left for task completion!
Zhou Ning gritted his teeth, realizing that complaining was useless now—the system wouldn’t reason or negotiate with him. He had to complete the task as required. But Zhang Xin was still feigning insanity; how was he going to handle this?
At that moment, Liu Yongxin pushed the door open and, seeing Zhou Ning, blinked and asked:
"Why do you look so troubled early in the morning, kiddo? Is there a problem with the report?"
Zhou Ning shook his head.
"There’s no problem with the report."
"Then what’s with that face? Oh right, aren’t you going to tell me what illegal thing you all sneaked off to do? You’ve been hiding it from me for a whole day, all secretive."
Zhou Ning smiled sheepishly and grabbed Liu Yongxin’s arm.
"Master, don’t be anxious. If I told you, there’d be no mystery left. Rest assured, it’s definitely not something illegal or against the rules. It’s just that this move is a bit sneaky. Let’s call Xu Da and go to the Eighth Hospital. I think it’s time to check on the results.
The lab report just now made it clear; on Wen Haicheng’s wounds, there was only his blood, whereas Zhang Xin’s wounds had both their blood on them. Her pants also had Wen Haicheng’s blood, and both fingerprints and bloodstains were on the murder weapon.
Now all the evidence points to Zhang Xin, but such a case is still weak based solely on this evidence. I think we need to at least get Zhang Xin to talk. Feigning insanity won’t allow her to escape legal punishment; in fact, it might even lead to a heavier sentence. We need to force her to stop pretending to be crazy. For that, we need an ace up our sleeve."
"Wait, there’s an ace up the sleeve? What kind of structure do you have in that head of yours, setting things up one after another?"
Zhou Ning felt a bit embarrassed—he couldn’t say that he was driven to the edge by the system, that the countdown time was running low and he had to hurry up, or else he really would be struck by lightning!
Zhou Ning pulled out his phone and dialed Mr. Zhao’s number.
"Have you arrived?"
"Just got to the ground floor. Are we going now?"
"Wait for me, I’ll come down right now. Did you get the camera?"
"Don’t worry, it’s absolutely professional-grade. No dawdling, hurry up downstairs."
Zhou Ning grabbed his down jacket and ran out, while Liu Yongxin did not press the issue this time. Watching Zhou Ning leave, he just leaned against the doorframe, looking at Zhou Ning’s retreating figure.
It seemed that the sound of running stirred Xu Dayuan, who came out from next door, and seeing Liu Yongxin looking at the stairs with a smile, he approached gossipingly.
"What’s so funny? What’s up, did your son get a girlfriend?"
Liu Yongxin gave him a sideways glance.
"I’m happy just watching my apprentice. Are you jealous or what?"
Xu Dayuan laughed.
"Damn, that comeback killed me. I can’t even be envious, huh? But where did your apprentice go?"
Liu Yongxin shook his head.
"From the sound of it, he left with professional filming equipment. I don’t know what they’re up to, but rest assured, it’s most definitely beneficial to the case. That I’m sure of. The kid is too much like me when I was young!"
"You didn’t ask where they were going?"
Liu Yongxin chuckled and waved his hand at Xu Dayuan.
"Secret!"
...
15:30
The Neurology Department office at Hospital #8.
In one corner, a computer was set up, displaying the image of a hospital room with two beds. Zhang Xin lay on the bed by the window, clutching the blanket, shaking her head, and gnawing nonstop.
A doctor stood next to Xu Dayuan, smiling helplessly.
"The nurse who did the morning IV spilled the lunch on the bed, and yesterday peed while squatting on the bed. This hospital room is dirtier than a bathroom now. What exactly are you expecting, Xu Da?"
Xu Dayuan patted the doctor’s shoulder, consolingly saying,
"Just bear with it a little longer. You’ve consulted with her, right? No mental issues, right?"
"Honestly, it’s hard to tell if she’s faking or really has a mental disorder. But her continuous agitation is rather uncommon. We want to do an EEG, but it’s just not possible; she can’t cooperate! So, we can’t determine whether she’s ill or pretending. However, based on my experience, it seems like she’s faking it."
Hearing the doctor say this, Xu Dayuan’s confidence grew.
"Mr. Liu, send a nurse to wheel out our person from the bed near the door."
Mr. Liu went out to arrange it, Liu Yongxin looked confused, and nudged Zhou Ning.
"When exactly are you planning to stop keeping me in the dark, what are you guys playing at here? Am I still your mentor?" ƒгeewёbnovel.com
Zhou Ning put his hands together in a prayerful gesture, smiling as he said,
"Mentor, I didn’t mean to deceive you. It’s all Xu Da’s playful spirit, wanting to play a joke on you. Take a closer look, doesn’t the person on bed number one look familiar?"
Liu Yongxin, upon hearing this, leaned in to look closely at the monitor and was shocked.
"Isn’t that Zhang Wanshun from the Criminal Police Squad?"
Xu Dayuan chuckled twice.
"How about that, forensic doctor, this disguise is not bad, right? It’s your apprentice’s idea to disguise one of our own as a patient and swap Zhang Xin into their general ward. Then, we keep monitoring and observing to determine if she’s faking madness."
Liu Yongxin clicked his tongue and shook his head incessantly.
"That’s a bit underhanded, but it seems effective."
Seeing Zhou Ning and Liu Yongxin look toward the door, Xu Dayuan was momentarily puzzled; he turned his head and saw Zhang Wanshun sitting in the wheelchair. Xu Dayuan bit down on his molars to hold back laughter, nodding solemnly.
"Mr. Zhang, you’ve had it tough. How’s the situation?"
Zhang Wanshun, a very skinny detective, was probably chosen for his height and appearance because, after all, with a wig and a change of clothes there was no sense of incongruity. He looked exactly like a typical aunt from Qindao.
"Xu Da, if you didn’t get me out, I was about to lose it and hit someone."
Xu Dayuan slapped Zhang Wanshun’s shoulder, and Zhang Wanshun promptly tore off the wig, on the verge of crying.
"Hit me if you want, but I won’t do this again. Zhang Xin is a lunatic."
"Are you sure?"
Zhang Wanshun grunted twice before saying,
"I’m just venting. Zhang Xin is faking madness. She’s quiet for a while after lights out, secretly watching to see if I fall asleep. After midnight, she starts gnawing on the buns hidden under her pillow. Although she pees on the bed during the day, she definitely doesn’t do it at night."
Xu Dayuan breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at Zhang Wanshun.
"You go and rest, well done. Mr. Zhao, find the surveillance from the time Zhang Wanshun mentioned, see if it was captured?"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Wanshun finally flashed a grin, rushed to the doctors’ office sink, and washed off the makeup from his face. Mr. Zhao had already started working with the surveillance team to locate the footage after midnight.
Even though the lights were off, portions of the hospital doors were glass to allow close observation of patients, so the light from the corridor was sufficient to clearly see inside the room.
Indeed, at 12:34, Zhang Xin got up, crept over to Zhang Wanshun’s bed, and even deliberately patted her hand near his ear to check if he reacted. Seeing no response from Zhang Wanshun, she tiptoed back to her own bed and began to gnaw on the bun she pulled from underneath her pillow.
Mr. Liu watched the footage and tapped his finger on the desk.
"There’s no need for an EEG. This person is plainly faking madness. Her thought processes are very clear. I can provide a diagnosis soon. Of course, if she’s transferred to the procuratorate, a psychological assessment will be conducted later. There’s an evaluation center affiliated with the city bureau that can handle it."
"Thanks, we’ve caused your department enough trouble. Take care of the nurse who got hit for me. If she needs a banner of appreciation or a bonus, I’ll apply for it here. What do you think?"
"Enough talk. Just take the person away and I’ll be grateful."
Xu Dayuan waved his hand, his smile fading from his face.
"Let’s go. Forensic Doctor and Zhou Xiaozhou, you two come along. It’s time for your secret weapon to make an appearance!"
