Good and Evil Chapter 109: Qin Yumei’s Memories, An Unexpected Discovery

On her way to the abandoned factory, Qin Yumei happened to run into Liu Maocai, who was patrolling nearby. She told him that her husband, Zhu Hongfang, had gone to the factory the previous night and had not returned. Upon hearing this, Liu Maocai decided to accompany her inside. Given that she was a woman and the factory was abandoned, there was no telling what sort of unsavory things might be lurking within. Thus, the two entered the factory together.

After searching the premises, they quickly discovered a storage room that had been locked from the outside, leading to the events that followed.

Hearing this, Xu Lang pondered for a moment before asking, "Are you saying you just happened to run into Liu Maocai while you were on your way to search for Zhu Hongfang?"

Qin Yumei nodded. "Yes. I owe a lot to Captain Liu. If it weren't for him, I don't know if I would have been able to find my husband, and even if I had, I wouldn't have known what to do about the locked door."

Xu Lang did not respond to this but continued, "When you were both searching the factory, who discovered the storage room?"

"Storage room? What storage room?" Qin Yumei asked, looking at Xu Lang with confusion.

Xu Lang, feeling somewhat speechless, explained, "The room where Zhu Hongfang was locked in."

"Oh, you mean that room. It was Captain Liu who found it first. Why do you ask?" Qin Yumei replied slowly, finally realizing what he meant.

"So, it was also Liu Maocai who called out to the people inside first?" Xu Lang asked.

"Yes. When I saw the lock, I just assumed it was an abandoned room and didn't think much of it. But when Captain Liu saw the lock, he found it strange and went over to call out to whoever might be inside."

After hearing her account, not only did Xu Lang feel that Liu Maocai was highly suspicious, but Ning Yanran, who was sitting nearby taking notes, also found him increasingly dubious. Yet, everything seemed to suggest he had no connection to the case.

First, the encounter was purely coincidental; if Qin Yumei hadn't gone to the factory, she might have met someone else instead. Second, while Liu Maocai did not follow the conventional order of opening the door before calling out, that in itself proved nothing. Third, it was Liu Maocai who chose to call the police after discovering Shen Jun's body. If he were involved, why would he alert the authorities?

Despite finding a breakthrough, the questioning of Qin Yumei only yielded more doubts and coincidences, but no concrete evidence linking Liu Maocai to the murder.

After the interrogation, Xu Lang returned to the Criminal Investigation Unit office and sat in silence, smoking. He replayed every detail of the case in his mind. The more he thought about it, the more wrong it felt. There were simply too many coincidences.

First, Liu Maocai was the security captain responsible for that area. Ordinarily, patrols were conducted in pairs for safety. It was highly suspicious that he was patrolling alone and just happened to meet Qin Yumei at the factory entrance. It felt less like a chance encounter and more like he was waiting for her.

Second, the locked storage room. While such rooms are common in factories, why was Liu Maocai so certain that room was the one in question? It was as if he knew people were trapped inside.

Third, his sequence of knocking before opening suggested he was already aware of the nature of the "two-way sealed room."

Fourth, and most damning, was a detail Xu Lang found in the investigation files. Liu Maocai was the only person who knew Zhu Hongfang, Yang Xuewen, Shen Jun, and Qin Yumei. As the local security captain, he was familiar with everyone in the area. Yet, when he was brought in for questioning, he never mentioned knowing the three men. When shown Shen Jun's body, he claimed not to recognize the victim. If Zhu and Yang hadn't identified the deceased to prove their own innocence, the victim's identity might have remained a mystery for much longer.

The suspicion against Liu Maocai was mounting. A week had passed since the incident. Xu Lang had only been brought into the case two days after the fact by Ning Yanran. The case appeared simple—either Zhu or Yang were the killers—but the lack of motive and the lingering mysteries made closing the case impossible.

Suspecting Liu Maocai, Xu Lang discovered that the man was not in S City when the police went to summon him, which only deepened his suspicion. After finishing his cigarette, Xu Lang asked Ning Yanran to accompany him to Liu Maocai's home to see if he was back.

Ning Yanran asked, "Do you really think Liu Maocai is a major suspect?"

Xu Lang nodded without speaking.

"If we go to him now, won't we scare him off?" she asked.

Xu Lang smiled faintly. "We are only going to ask about the circumstances of the day. If he has nothing to do with this, what does it matter?"

"But what if he is involved?"

"We only suspect him; we have no evidence," Xu Lang replied calmly. "If he is involved, our visit will disrupt his plans and force him to reveal a flaw. Once he does, we will be that much closer to the truth."

"You're right. Let's go."

They drove to Liu Maocai's workplace, only to be told he hadn't come in that day due to illness. They then proceeded to his home, a two-story villa in a semi-urban area. The house was locked and appeared empty. Disappointed, they were about to leave when Xu Lang, driven by his intuition, got out of the car to look over the low courtyard wall.

The yard was tidy, reflecting Liu Maocai's penchant for cleanliness. However, in the corner, Xu Lang spotted two stacked wooden boards. Upon closer inspection, he realized they resembled a door and were fitted with nails. In a flash of insight, Xu Lang understood how the two-way sealed room had been constructed, the origin of the nail holes found at the scene, and how the "fourth person" had entered and exited the room.

When Ning Yanran joined him, she was confused by his interest in the boards. Xu Lang smiled mysteriously. "Call the team to bring these boards to the crime scene. And send someone to find Liu Maocai immediately. If he escapes, this case will never be solved."

As Ning Yanran made the call, Liu Maocai suddenly appeared. He looked uneasy but forced a smile, greeting them naturally. Upon hearing that Xu Lang was a criminal investigation consultant from the Public Security Bureau, his smile froze. He glanced at the wooden boards and his expression shifted violently.

"I left something outside. I'll go look for it," he said, turning to leave.

Ning Yanran blocked his path. Liu Maocai attempted to push past her, but she performed a shoulder throw, pinning him to the ground and handcuffing him. Xu Lang, shaking his head at the commotion, returned to the courtyard to examine the boards.

Later that evening, they returned to the crime scene with the boards and the suspects. Under the glare of floodlights, a pale and trembling Liu Maocai watched as Xu Lang prepared to recreate the crime, hoping to prove that without solving the mystery of the two-way sealed room, the police had no evidence to link him to the murder.