Card Room

Chapter 541 - Evidence

Xiao Lou didn’t flee. He might have the light footwork card but if he ran away now, the surrounding police officers had every reason to shoot at him. He took a deep breath and calmly followed Yu Hanjiang to the police car.

No wonder Yu Hanjiang looked so surprised when he saw the owner of the strange number found by the information department at the meeting this morning. Xiao Lou had been hiding in the drawer at the time and didn’t see the number. The projector had been turned off when he climbed out of the drawer and so he didn’t know what the information department had found. He didn’t expect that the strange call received by the deceased would actually be related to himself!

Zhang Hengyu’s body appearing in the specimen room had surprised Xiao Lou.

Now that he calmed down and thought about it, he easily realized—this was framing him.

He had no grievances against people in this world. He was just a university teacher with responsibilities and didn’t know Ning Xue. He also wasn’t familiar with Zhang Hengyu. Who would frame him?

Xiao Lou guessed that this was most likely the handiwork of the hunters.

The hunters didn’t come directly to seek his life. Perhaps they used this method because the theme of this world was a ‘Hearts room’ and the hunters were also limited by certain rules. They couldn’t directly do anything to him and couldn’t borrow the hands of the police to get rid of him.

Xiao Lou’s mind spun rapidly and he carefully combed through all the details after entering the secret room. At present, Xiao Lou didn’t know how much ‘incriminating evidence’ the police had about him. He had to calm down and wait until Yu Hanjiang had interrogated him before deciding on the next plan.

The sirens kept ringing in his ears and there was an awkward silence in the police car.

There were black curtains pulled over the windows and it was impossible to see the outside world.

After an unknown time, the car stopped. Yu Hanjiang got up and asked Xiao Lou to get out of the car. Xiao Lou very cooperatively followed him all the way to the interrogation room. Yu Hanjiang closed the door and signaled for Xiao Lou to sit opposite him.

Xiao Lou calmly sat down on the chair and met Yu Hanjiang’s gaze.

The eyes of the two people met in the air. Xiao Lou didn’t panic in the slightest but appeared very calm. His eyes were as clear as water and he was calm and self-assured. No traces of weaknesses could be seen in his heart.

Yu Hanjiang also looked at Xiao Lou calmly. He pressed on the headpiece and ordered softly, “Let Xiao Wu come in.”

Half a minute later, Xiao Wu walked into the interrogation room with a stack of materials. He leaned toward Yu Hanjiang’s ear and said, “Group Leader Yu, the results of the appraisal are out. You can check them.”

Yu Hanjiang looked through the materials in an expressionless manner. It was only after looking through all of it that he spoke. “I want to ask Professor Xiao a few questions. You will record it.”

Xiao Wu agreed and sat down next to him with a pen and paper.

Yu Hanjiang also sat down. His fingers tapped gently on the table and he thought for a few seconds before saying, “Professor Xiao, what is your relationship with Ning Xue and Zhang Hengyu?”

Xiao Lou replied calmly, “I don’t know Ning Xue but Zhang Hengyu is my student. He is the class leader and often contacted me privately. The content was related to the courses. For example, he asked me to send him the PPT courseware of the class or asked me for reference materials.”

Yu Hanjiang asked, “Do you know about Zhang Hengyu and Ning Xue being together?”

Xiao Lou answered without hesitation, “I don’t know. I never ask students about their private feelings.”

Yu Hanjiang looked up at him, eyes cold and sharp. “136258965XX, is this your phone number?”

Xiao Lou was stunned. This phone number was indeed his but it was a number he used when he was in school. It had been abandoned for two years. He didn’t expect for this number to actually reappear and it would be used by hunters!

Xiao Lou was surprised in his heart but he maintained his calm on the surface. He answered slowly, “This is the number I used when I was in school. After I started teaching at the school, the school set up a group number for all teachers. We can call each other with no phone charges and there is 100G of free data every month. I thought the group phone number was more convenient so I didn’t use my original number any longer. The number I use now is 158746986XX. This should also be saved in Group Leader Yu’s phone.”

Yu Hanjiang took out his phone and opened the ‘Xiao Lou’ in his contacts. “Yes, I have your number. However, an ID card can be bound to several phone numbers. The number that begins with 136 was also purchased by your real name.” He glanced at Xiao Wu. “Xiao Wu, tell me the results of the investigation.”

Xiao Wu took out a printed report. “136258965XX, this mobile phone number was purchased by a student called Xiao Lou at the business hall of Renmin Road in Jiangzhou seven years ago. The data package was 100 yuan and it has been used for seven years. On the 1st of every month, this number will be recharged with a fixed amount of 100 yuan through Alipay. Moreover, the monthly call charges and data will be basically used up. The signal area of this number has always been in Jiangzhou.”

Yu Hanjiang looked at Xiao Lou. “Professor Xiao, how do you explain this?”

Charging the phone bill on the 1st of every month was Xiao Lou’s habit for many years. He didn’t expect that the other party would even imitate his habits.

Xiao Lou calmly replied, “Obviously, this number has been stolen. I didn’t cancel my old number when I changed numbers. This was indeed my negligence. However, I sent a message to all my relatives, friends and colleagues that I changed my number. The record is still in my phone.”

He took out his phone and placed it on the table. “Group Leader Yu, you can check it.”

Yu Hanjiang took the phone and searched through the text message records. He found that Xiao Lou indeed sent a message that said: Hello, I’m sorry to disturb you. I am Xiao Lou and this is my new mobile phone number. Please save it. The old number will be deactivated from today.”

This message was sent to all the people in this address book.

Yu Hanjiang looked at the group message and thought about it.

Xiao Lou continued, “I changed my number and the original number was stolen. Such an example isn’t uncommon. Group Leader Yu, did you identify me as the murderer just because of a phone number? Isn’t that too sloppy?”

“I naturally have other evidence.” Yu Hanjiang took out a red mobile phone, opened the album and showed it to Xiao Lou. “You said you don’t know Ning Xue. This is the mobile phone of the deceased Ning Xue. Why are there so many photos of you in her photo album?”

“……” Xiao Lou looked at the photos in the album and was speechless.

“A frontal photo of you when you are lecturing in class, your profile when you are driving, you back when you are walking… there are hundreds of single person photos from various angles.” Yu Hanjiang spoke indifferently. “It seems that Ning Xue is your little fan and likes you very much.”

Xiao Lou frowned with displeasure. “What does this mean? I was secretly photographed and had no idea.”

“According to my investigation, half a year ago, Ning Xue and her boyfriend Zhang Hengyu came to the medical university to observe your classes. After listening to your class, she fell in love with you. Thanks to this, she had a private relationship with you, right?”

Xiao Lou’s expression was cold. “My class has always been open and students from other majors often sit in. I don’t remember everyone who has come to listen to my class half a year ago, let alone Ning Xue.”

Yu Hanjiang continued, “In Ning Xue’s phone, there are many records of calls with the number 136. We restored the album data and found some screenshots of chat records she deleted. All of them are messages sent to this number to express her love. The other person also responded that they like Ning Xue but their identity was very problematic. It temporarily wasn’t suitable for making the relationship public.”

He showed Xiao Lou the restored chat screenshots. “Professor Xiao, please take a look. Are these chat records familiar?”

Xiao Lou looked at the screenshots of the chat silently and didn’t reply.

This time, the means of framing was very clever. They used a phone number he abandoned and forged the so-called truth of his private relationship with Ning Xue. Xiao Lou was really at a loss unless the person who stole his number was found.

Yu Hanjiang’s expression became extremely serious. He stared into Xiao Lou’s eyes and asked clearly, “Where were you at 9 o’clock last night?”

Xiao Lou answered, “At 7:30 last night, Liu Qiao and I were watching the finals at the gymnasium of the conservatory of music. Ye Qi finished singing and we went backstage to find him. The time should be around 9 o’clock. I also took a group photo of Ye Qi and Liu Qiao.”

Yu Hanjiang opened his phone album and found the group photo. “The time on this photo shows that it was 8:55.”

Xiao Lou’s heart thumped. At exactly 9 o’clock, the number starting with 136 called Ning Xue and Ning Xue talked to this person for five minutes. Then Ning Xue was pushed into the lake and drowned.

At 9 o’clock, he and Liu Qiao had already left the backstage area and were about to leave the gym. Due to the complicated roads of the gymnasium, the two of them were unfamiliar with the path and took several twists and turns. It took them several minutes to go out. Then they heard screams from the lake and discovered Ning Xue’s body.

It also meant that… during the critical time when Ning Xue was killed, only Liu Qiao could prove his innocence.

Sure enough, Yu Hanjiang said, “During the period from 8:55 to 9:10, only Liu Qiao knows what you did, right?”

Xiao Lou nodded with a calm face.

“Unfortunately, Liu Qiao is missing and can’t testify for you.”

Xiao Lou, “……”

Previously, he asked Liu Qiao to go to the conservatory of music to find Ye Qi before he turned and walked away. There were many plainclothes officers in the area. It was likely they wanted to arrest Liu Qiao but Liu Qiao sensed something was wrong and slipped away using her cards.

Thankfully, Liu Qiao was smart enough to run away. If Xiao Lou and Liu Qiao were arrested and brought to the police station, no one would be able to find the truth and clear the task.

The hunters wanted to frame them and naturally wouldn’t let Liu Qiao go. Xiao Lou could almost guess the next script. Liu Qiao liked Zhang Hengyu. Due to love and hatred, she joined forces with Xiao Lou to kill the couple Ning Xue and Zhang Hengyu.

It was only by making Liu Qiao a suspect that she would be unable to give Xiao Lou an alibi.

Sure enough, Yu Hanjiang asked, “Do you know the relationship between Liu Qiao and Zhang Hengyu?”

Xiao Lou shook his head. “I don’t know.”

“Liu Qiao is a student of the Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Why did she come to your forensic medicine class in the afternoon? In addition, the students said she went to the lounge to meet you after class. What did you discuss?” Yu Hanjiang folded his arms with a blank expression.

“She came to see me in the lounge because she wanted to go to the conservatory of music with me to see Ye Qi…” Xiao Lou said this and felt that his explanation was difficult to believe. He was a professor of the Department of Forensic Medicine while the other person was a student of the Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine. They went to the music conservatory together to watch a singing competition? This reason simply didn’t hold up.

Xiao Lou couldn’t explain any further and just looked at Yu Hanjiang. “Group Leader Yu, you should pay attention to evidence when handling cases. All your reasoning is based on the fact that the mobile phone number starting with 136 is my number. However, you can’t rule out the possibility that my number was stolen.”

Yu Hanjiang raised an eyebrow. “Of course. I wouldn’t lock onto you as a suspect just because of a phone number. We also went to the laboratory building to conduct a comprehensive search and found the crime scene where Zhang Hengyu was killed. Some hair was found there. The results of the DNA test have confirmed that the hair mixed in with the blood at the scene belongs to you and Liu Qiao.”

He pushed a few photos to Xiao Lou with sharp eyes. “Your phone number was stolen. Was your hair also stolen?”

Xiao Lou, “……”

Yu Hanjiang saw Xiao Lou’s face gradually turn pale and said slowly, “You have been dating Ning Xue for half a year. Unfortunately, Zhang Hengyu found out about the secret relationship between the two of you and wanted to expose you. As a professor, you actually dated a student who is 10 years younger than you. It is difficult to avoid damage to your reputation once word spreads so you decided to kill them.”

“Liu Qiao and Zhang Hengyu were in love for a period of time. We found a photo of Liu Qiao in Zhang Hengyu’s phone. Later, Zhang Hengyu fell in love with Ning Xue. Liu Qiao was jealous and wanted to get rid of these two people. Therefore, the two of you hit it off.”

“Last night, you went to the conservatory of music to watch the finals. You left at 8:50, took a photo backstage with Ye Qi at 8:55 and forged an alibi. At 9:00, you called Ning Xue and asked her to go to the lake. You used a special drug to knock her unconscious. Then Liu Qiao put on Ning Xue’s shoes, carried Ning Xue and pushed her into the lake. Then she followed you and hid to the side. You waited for someone to find the body before coming out and pretending to pass by.

“After returning to the police station to make a statement, Liu Qiao asked Zhang Hengyu to come to the laboratory building to negotiate. You hid and knocked Zhang Hengyu out. The two of you dismembered his body and turned him into specimens. Liu Qiao’s roommates confirmed that she didn’t go back to her dorm room all of last night. You also didn’t go back to the dormitory and surveillance shows you didn’t go home last night. It is because you were busy dealing with Zhang Hengyu’s body.”

“In addition, you suddenly talked to your teaching assistant this morning. You said you were going to attend an academic conference and asked him to substitute for you in class. I checked and you aren’t on the invitation list for the conference. You bought a plane ticket to go abroad this afternoon. Were you going to flee due to fear of being caught?”

Xiao Lou never bought a ticket at all but anyone could buy a ticket for him online as long as they knew his ID card.

These hunters were really caring enough and did their best to frame him. Not only did they put photos of him and Liu Qiao in the phones of the deceased but they also left his hair at the crime scene. Finally, even the flight ticket to go abroad to escape was brought for him.

Xiao Lou was amazed by such logical and meticulous framing.

If it wasn’t for Xiao Lou knowing that he didn’t kill anyone, this evidence was so overwhelming that he wouldn’t be able to wash it away even if he jumped into the Yellow River.

Xiao Lou met Yu Hanjiang’s deep gaze and his lips suddenly curved up in a slight smile. He stared into Yu Hanjiang’s eyes and asked clearly, “Group Leader Yu, do you really believe I am a murderer?”

Yu Hanjiang watched him calmly. “I don’t want to believe it but the evidence is in front of me. I can only enforce the law impartially.”

Xiao Lou smiled while his eyes were equally calm. “I have a few words I want to say to you alone. Can you turn off the surveillance of the interrogation room and ask this Officer Wu to go out for a while?”

Yu Hanjiang waved to the outside. The surveillance was turned off and Xiao Wu consciously withdrew.

Once there were only two people left in the room, Xiao Lou lowered his voice and whispered in Yu Hanjiang’s ear, “What if there is a one in ten thousand chance that I am being framed?”

Yu Hanjiang frowned. “Framed?”

Xiao Lou said, “No one saw me using that phone number and hair is the easiest thing to collect.”

Yu Hanjiang’s eyes were deep. “Who would spend so much energy to frame you?”

Xiao Lou sat back in his hair and crossed his fingers together, laying them flat on the table. He stared into Yu Hanjiang’s eyes in a calm and sincere manner. “I don’t know who that person is but they must be trying to get rid of me using your hand. I won’t confess my guilt and you won’t be able to convict me until Liu Qiao is caught.”

Liu Qiao escaped in a timely manner. It was a ‘joint crime’. Since they couldn’t catch the ‘accomplice’ Liu Qiao, the police naturally wouldn’t rush to do anything to Xiao Lou. Otherwise, based on the current ‘ironclad evidence’, Xiao Lou and Liu Qiao could be convicted and prosecuted by the police.

Yu Hanjiang looked at Xiao Lou doubtfully. “You mean that Liu Qiao was also wronged?”

Xiao Lou nodded. “Based on my current suspicions, you can formally detain me. I am just worried that someone in the police force will be unfavorable to me. Before the truth comes out, I hope that Group Leader Yu will monitor me 24 hours a day so that I won’t ‘commit suicide out of fear’ in prison.”

If there were hunters in the police force, they might really try to create the illusion that Xiao Lou committed suicide out of fear.

Xiao Lou wasn’t sure where the hunters were lurking but he could be sure that Yu Hanjiang wasn’t a hunter. There might be no memory of the Card World but the character and way of thinking of the person in front of him was the same as the Yu Hanjiang he knew. He was unselfish and firm, but he wouldn’t wrongfully accuse an innocent person.

Therefore, Yu Hanjiang was the key to breaking the situation.

Yu Hanjiang seemed to understand the deep meaning in Xiao Lou’s words and he replied in a deep voice, “Rest assured, I won’t let you have an accident before the truth is revealed. Moreover, I will be responsible if the suspect commits suicide in custody.”

Xiao Lou told him, “This case isn’t simple. If you want to find the real culprit, there are some people you need to investigate. I will give Group Leader Yu a list. I hope that you will call these people for detailed questioning. They might know some inside information.”

Yu Hanjiang nodded and handed Xiao Lou a pen.

Xiao Lou quickly wrote a series of names on the paper.

Long Sen, Qu Wanyue, Chu Huaying, Tang Ci, Gui Yuanzhang and Mo Xuemin.

Since the hunters wanted to borrow the hands of the police to get rid of Xiao Lou then Xiao Lou could borrow the hands of the police to find his teammates in this world.