It’s Him – Ch38

The Additional Victim

Guo Ying was really curious about what might be in Li Xun’s mind.

She thought that Li Xun seemed to know everything. They were all human, so how could Li Xun be so clever?

At Guo Ying’s age, she believed in science, but also in supernatural events.

When she was a child, she thought Li Xun was like an adult. While they only knew how to cry, Li Xun was already explaining great truths to adults, telling them not to gouge out their eyes, teaching them how to beg for money, avoid getting hit, secretly hide things, and lie.

At that time, she acted like an adult!

If Li Xun had told Guo Ying that she was someone reincarnated with memories from several past lives, Guo Ying would have realized and found it very believable.

However, Li Xun only said, “If it’s a supernatural event, it’s a good thing.”

Her tone wasn’t melancholic or hateful; it was as if she was talking about something she herself couldn’t understand.

Guo Ying sensed something unusual about her and stopped asking further.

At that time, a group of reporters had arrived.

A large crowd of people.

The victim’s family started repeating what they had said years ago.

In the end, they cried about how hard the years had been and hoped that the real murderer would be caught, so their child could rest in peace.

Li Xun stopped looking at them. Almost everyone gathered around the victim’s family and reporters, while the memorial hall became empty.

Li Xun walked through the memorial hall. The voices from that side still floated over. It was as though Li Xun could hear the words they had said years ago in front of the police:

“We never expected something like this to happen! That damned killer, Miaomiao is so small, how am I supposed to explain this to her parents?!”

They began recounting the cause of the incident.

In the evening, the grandparents took their granddaughter out to play. The child threw a tantrum and insisted on buying a moving toy duck, but the grandparents couldn’t afford it and refused to buy it.

The child cried and fussed all the way. Unable to calm her down, the grandparents agreed to go back and buy it, but the stall had closed, and they couldn’t get it. The child didn’t understand, and threw a fit in the street, refusing to leave until they bought the duck.

The grandparents were frustrated and warned her, “The killer with the red balloon is coming! If you don’t leave, he’ll take you away.”

The two of them added details while speaking to the police.

“We were just scaring the child.”

At that time, there was no one around, so they felt safe. They thought there was no danger, but since the child refused to leave, and there was another child at home, they were desperate and walked a few steps forward while scaring the child.

“We turned around, and she was gone.” The child’s grandfather deeply regretted it.

The police didn’t know what to say. After the red balloon serial murder case, parents in Pingcheng were afraid to yell at their children in public or let them cry and fuss, fearing they might encounter the hidden killer.

How could there still be parents who left their crying children alone?

One of the police officers couldn’t hold back and asked, “Haven’t you heard about the red balloon killer?”

“We’ve heard of it, but there was no one around at that time, who could have known?”

“Who could have known? If we had known it would end up like this, I would have just carried the child home.”

One of the officers was about to say something, but the other officer stopped her.

“Don’t blame the parents. It’s painful enough that the child is lost. The parents of other children lost in similar incidents couldn’t bear the torment and ended up committing suicide, tearing their families apart.”

The child’s parents quickly returned, crying in distress. They also yelled at the older generation. The police rushed to stop them and tried to comfort them.

“Don’t worry, it might not be the serial killer. It could be that the child was taken by someone else. We will investigate thoroughly and notify you as soon as we have any news.”

The police weren’t just offering comfort. There had been several similar cases in their jurisdiction.

The serial killer had cast a deep shadow over the whole city. Whenever a child went missing, the first thought was that the serial killer had taken them. The police were immediately notified, but most of the time, it wasn’t the case.

Because of this killer, whenever people came across a child without an adult, they would immediately send them to the police station, afraid the child had been targeted by a pervert. It happened every month.

The police officer replied, “It’s also possible that the child was taken by human traffickers. Though it’s still a terrible situation, it’s better than encountering a child murderer.”

The child’s grandfather asked, “How do we know if it was the serial killer or a trafficker who took her?”

The officer answered, “If you receive any suspicious packages—whether by mail or something left at your door—don’t open them yourselves. Report it to the police immediately.”

The serial killer, after abducting a child, would send something to the family within a week. It was a pervert who enjoyed torturing both the child and the family.

The police continued to stake out the neighborhood, hoping to catch whoever might be delivering the package.

But no one came.

Four days later, the victim’s family went grocery shopping. There were many people in the market, and they didn’t notice anything unusual.

On the way back, they found a small white bag with blood inside, hidden among the cabbage bags they had bought.

It was confirmed that this case was the work of the serial killer.

This person was likely the same serial killer from years ago.

Qin Li entered the kitchen to make hot water, her mind filled with thoughts about this case.

She was from Pingcheng. The serial killer case was known nationwide, and as a local, she had once been engulfed by the fear caused by the killer’s shadow.

She remembered the panic she felt every time she went out. Whenever she carried Zhao Jingzheng’s unruly child who often screamed and cried, she feared that both she and the child would be killed by that murderer.

And now, the person she once slept beside might very well be the killer, someone who likely returned home after committing murder.

It sent a chill down her spine.

The killer seemed oblivious, speaking to her as if nothing had changed:

“Are you done with things at the shop? You don’t need to come over; I’m not incapable of taking care of myself.”

“Xiao Zheng has always had this temper. You two don’t have any grudges, just communicate well with him.”

Qin Li replied, “Can you shut up? I’ll make you some porridge.”

“I haven’t had your cooking in a long time.”

Qin Li: “…”

“I heard Xiao Zheng say that if it weren’t for you telling him about Li Yuguo, I might still be locked in the basement. After I got out, I’ve been in this condition and didn’t have time to thank you.”

Qin Li grabbed a knife and started chopping things. The sound grew louder as she chopped, clearly not intending to respond to him.

Zhao Xin didn’t notice anything odd. Qin Li always had a bad temper, so it seemed normal.

He continued, “Don’t worry about the money issue Xiao Zheng mentioned. I’m not at the point of using your money to treat my illness.”

Qin Li couldn’t hold back any longer. One, she had a knife in her hand; two, the other party’s usual hand was injured and couldn’t be used anymore; and three, she had a knife in her hand.

She couldn’t bear it anymore.

“Can you shut up? If you have so much to say, go talk to your son.”

Zhao Xin immediately raised his hands in surrender: “I won’t say anything anymore, I won’t say anything.”

When Qin Li saw him return to the bedroom, her feelings were very complicated.

She had actually thought about calling the police, but she had no evidence. It would be useless to call the police, and she was also afraid that Zhao Xin would figure out something. So, she simply chose to remain silent.

She comforted herself by thinking that the other party was being watched by the entire internet now, and it wasn’t like before when there were cameras everywhere. He should be too afraid to kill anyone.

Thinking this way, she wasn’t afraid anymore. If she offended him, so be it.

She was really full of anger right now.

In the room, Zhao Xin was not angry.

Zhao Xin actually didn’t hate Qin Li. When they were together in the past, Qin Li’s violent and fierce temperament was actually exactly what he desired.

He had always suppressed the evil inside him, forcing himself to appear peaceful and kind on the outside. In reality, he needed someone like Qin Li to handle the things he didn’t want to deal with in life.

Later, when Qin Li divorced him, he didn’t feel regretful.

Because at that time, he was obsessed with killing, and Qin Li’s existence had become an obstacle.

He remembered that once, after he had just killed someone, Qin Li started calling him madly. He had no choice but to take off his gloves and answer the phone.

“You’re not at school! I asked your colleagues, you’re not at school. Where are you? Get back here right now!”

“I don’t care if you’re visiting some student’s home or helping a student with something! Get back here right now and handle your f*** son! I’m going crazy! If you don’t come back, I’ll take him and jump off a building!”

On the other side, he could hear his son’s sharp cries and a man’s voice: “Like father, like son. I don’t see anything wrong with your son; it’s you, woman, who’s the problem!”

He put the phone down, switched it to speaker, and then put on his gloves to move the body into an iron barrel.

He could still hear his son’s piercing cry on the phone.

“I’m not talking to you, you wicked woman. I don’t want people saying I, a man, am bullying you and your son. Where’s your husband? Let him talk to me!”

Then, his wife started shouting at him again: “Are you coming back or not? If you’re not, let them kill your son, or I’ll take this plague and jump off from here, and everyone will be satisfied!”

He could only pour water into the cement while apologizing to the man on the phone: “Sorry, my son caused you trouble. I’ll be right back. Please keep an eye on my wife and don’t let her do anything foolish.”

The man on the other side sighed in relief: “Brother, I’m a reasonable person. Here’s the thing: my son and your son are in the same kindergarten. Today they were dividing apples, and your son pushed mine to the ground to grab his apple, even saying he would use a knife to cut him. This isn’t a huge deal, but I want to talk to the parents.”

He was watching the cement gradually being poured, the dim basement lit only by his area. He said, “We didn’t educate our child properly. I apologize, and when I get back, I’ll make my son apologize to yours.”

The man on the other side immediately responded generously: “I’m just looking for an explanation. It’s no big deal. We’re all parents, we can understand each other. Let’s grab a drink sometime.”

“Alright, I’ll buy you a drink then.”

The cement slowly submerged the body, and after sealing the barrel, he arranged to meet the man for a drink before leaving the basement.

He took off his raincoat, changed into his own clothes, washed his face, and headed home.

As soon as he opened the door, his wife was sitting on the couch with a stern face, and his son was kneeling on the floor.

When his son saw him, he immediately rushed over, crying and complaining.

“Dad—”

Zhao Xin began to comfort his son, then handed the dinner he had brought back to his wife and apologized: “I was wrong today. A student had an issue at home, and as a class advisor, I couldn’t just ignore it.”

“I bought you some roast duck.”

Qin Li didn’t say anything, nor did she eat the roast duck he brought back. She went straight to the bedroom, and shortly after, he heard her crying from inside the room.

At night, while Zhao Xin was sleeping, he felt like he had forgotten something, but he couldn’t remember exactly what it was.

Until the middle of the night, he suddenly woke up, and his mind quickly processed it.

Because of Qin Li’s call, it disrupted his rhythm. He had directly handled the body at that time and forgotten to prepare the gifts for the family members.

He quickly got up and left the house.

He arrived at his secret base, back in the basement.

He opened the lid.

Even though he was mentally prepared, seeing that the cement had dried still made him feel somewhat regretful.

Oh well, it couldn’t be helped.

He sealed the lid back on and headed home.

But this little deviation from the plan, though minor, still made him uncomfortable.

This incident was what made him decide to leave his marriage.

His new plan was Qin Li’s accidental death. Accidental deaths needed time to plan, but he hadn’t expected Qin Li to be the one who asked for the divorce first.

“Fine, I’ll let you go, and I’ll let myself go too.”

Qin Li had never said it, but she wasn’t someone who grew up in a normal family. She yearned for love, for marriage, and for a child, but it was all to make up for what was missing in her original family.

Now, she finally realized it was meaningless, and in fact, because of her temperament and her character, she had caused both the father and son to suffer along with her.

She decided to let everyone go.

Her son was with Zhao Xin. He had a good temper, a good character, and loved children. He didn’t care whether his son loved him. That was good for the child.

The two of them got divorced, and Qin Li left with nothing, as a form of compensation to her son.

After Qin Li proposed the divorce, people around them began to sympathize and respect Teacher Zhao even more. Additionally, because his son became more sensible and obedient due to his hatred for Qin Li, he decided to let her go.

Over the years, Qin Li’s impression of Zhao Xin had never changed. He was just a hot-tempered, brainless woman.

He never considered that Qin Li had been changing and improving. Zhao Xin still saw her as the middle-aged woman who would throw a tantrum and stomp her feet when her son upset her.

Zhao Xin didn’t pay attention to Qin Li in the kitchen. He didn’t even realize that she had already suspected him.

He was in his study, watching the live-stream of the victim’s funeral.

The black-and-white photo in the funeral center was of a little girl.

Zhao Xin had no impression of her. It was normal not to remember. First, it had been too long, and second, he had killed seven people. How could he remember what each of them looked like?

He didn’t have the habit of taking photos or videos. He even thought it was stupid to leave evidence.

He watched as the family members in the video started accusing him, but he didn’t feel anything.

He turned off the live-stream and started looking for the details of the case.

The first case stood out to him more because it was his first murder. He remembered being flustered at the time and not thinking about sending gifts to the family members. He remembered seeing the man crying and begging him.

He really regretted it.

He thought, let him regret even more.

The second case wasn’t as memorable, and when he looked at the victim’s photo, he didn’t remember what they looked like.

The third case was the child from the Qian family. This one was more memorable because the media reported it as a boy, and he initially thought they had mistaken the person. Later, he noticed that the authorities referred to the victim as a child, but the online community assumed it was a boy.

After this case, he took a break for a while.

The fourth case…

He looked at the summary of the fourth case, which was the case of the victim currently holding a funeral in the live stream.

Now it made sense!

This victim’s body was indeed one of the victims from the official statistics of the serial murders.

But, he hadn’t killed this one.