Chapter 249: Magic Trick Gone Wrong? The Ghost Who Killed His Own Wife

A Magician Guilty of Manslaughter?

With the current clues pointing towards this suspect, Su Ming raised an eyebrow and turned to Chen Sheng, asking, “Chen Ju, can you provide more details about this person?”

“Analyzing the Ghost’s previous methods and Lan Cai’er’s encounter, it’s indeed possible that a criminal with the unique profession of a Magician could be involved,” Chen Sheng nodded in agreement.

He quickly moved to the projection screen, pulling up the personal profile information just sent by the Criminal Investigation Technology Section to their internal group. Suppressing his excitement, he began to introduce the details.

“Team Leader Su, Captain Xu, please take a look at the information on the screen.”

“Through our Criminal Investigation Technology Section’s comparison and screening, we found that in Jiahe City’s prison, the individual meeting the previous criteria—especially having served time concurrently with the one-eyed man and Brother Long, currently released, and involved in a manslaughter case, with a characteristic of using intellect over force—”

“Initially, there were over a dozen suspects, but it quickly narrowed down to just one… Liu Su, male, thirty-six, formerly a Magician with Jiahe City’s Jinling Circus.”

“But a few years ago, during a performance of the ‘Ten Thousand Swords Piercing the Box’ trick, a severe stage accident occurred.”

“At the time, due to either a prop issue or physical discomfort, the assistant who was supposed to hide at the bottom of the box failed to do so as planned.”

“As a result, Liu Su’s sword pierced the assistant’s heart.”

“Although Liu Su sensed something was wrong immediately after the stab and withdrew the sword, calling for emergency help, it was too late. The assistant had been struck in the heart and had lost all signs of life by the time they reached the hospital, rendering surgery and further rescue unnecessary.”

Upon hearing this, Xu Changsheng, standing nearby, displayed a curious expression and spoke up.

“Chen Ju, something seems off.”

“Logically, the weapons used in such magic performances should be harmless props, not real swords.”

“Didn’t you investigate this thoroughly at the time? It seems like a simple check could have determined it was intentional murder rather than manslaughter.”

Clearly, after listening to Chen Sheng’s account and reviewing the detailed information on the screen, Xu Changsheng was filled with confusion.

In his view, there was an element of intentional murder, so why was it ruled as manslaughter?

Chen Sheng sighed and explained to Xu Changsheng’s doubts.

“Captain Xu, when this case occurred, I wasn’t the head of the Yang Liu Criminal Investigation Brigade, and it didn’t happen in this district but in the neighboring one.”

“However, a veteran detective transferred from the neighboring Binhai District told me about the investigation and inquiry at the time.”

“The ‘Ten Thousand Swords Piercing the Box’ was a regular performance at Lingling Circus, almost daily.”

“Initially, fake props were used, but due to numerous complaints, the circus manager wanted to use real swords.”

“Since there had been hundreds of performances without incident, and the box had hidden compartments and iron plates for the assistant to hide, it seemed safe even with real swords.”

“However, the proposal to use real swords was immediately opposed by Ghost—no, Liu Su.”

“He argued against risking his wife, as all magic performances could go wrong, and he wouldn’t accept the proposal.”

“The circus manager was displeased with his magician’s opposition, saying if they couldn’t perform this way, they shouldn’t perform at all.”

“Ultimately, it was Liu Su’s wife, the deceased assistant, who mediated and decided on a compromise.”

“The compromise was to use real swords for the initial two top positions, while the more dangerous spots would still use magic props.”

“After dozens more performances, the accident finally happened.”

Chen Sheng paused for a couple of seconds, then played a newly received video on the projector, shaking his head in continuous lament.

“This is the footage from the scene. You can see for yourself.”

“Initially, everything seemed normal, identical to previous recordings.”

“First, his wife entered the wooden box, then Liu Su—let’s call him Ghost—”

“Ghost would lock the box, indicating that the person inside couldn’t escape, then pick up a real sword, easily chopping a wooden block to demonstrate the weapon’s sharpness and authenticity.”

“After these hints and performances, Ghost would stab the sword into the box.”

At this moment, the footage on the screen was exactly as Chen Sheng described, but when Ghost was about to close the lid, he paused slightly.

After demonstrating the sword’s sharpness, Ghost lifted the sword parallel to his ears and dramatically stabbed it into the box with full force.

Su Ming observed Ghost’s actions intently, noticing a clear hesitation in his arms as if he felt an impact.

Yet, he didn’t release the sword immediately but slightly adjusted his wrist.

In the next second, without any hesitation, Ghost pulled the sword out, threw it to the ground, and urgently called for the staff.

The sword’s tip was visibly stained with blood.

Then, Ghost climbed onto a stool, took out a key from his pocket, his face tense and tearful, and quickly unlocked the box with trembling hands.

When the box was opened, Ghost immediately called for the staff and carried out the assistant—his wife.

In the current footage, it was clear…

Ghost’s wife had a gory wound on her left chest, with bright red blood continuously flowing out, unable to be stopped.

As the footage ended, Chen Sheng sighed deeply and explained with a sense of helplessness.

“Look at this… the panic and regret of accidentally hurting his wife are evident. There’s no sign of premeditation or intent.”

“Moreover, Ghost could have applied for probation or sought a letter of forgiveness from his wife’s family, but he didn’t.”

“He said that having killed the one he loved most, he deserved to suffer in prison. If he could feel even a fraction of his wife’s despair and pain before her death, it would be worth it.”

“It’s difficult, truly difficult.”

“This seems like manslaughter, not intentional murder.”

Having watched the footage, Su Ming narrowed his eyes, gently rubbed his chin, and shook his head, speaking seriously.

“No, Chen Ju.”

“This is actually a case of premeditated murder. In fact, I suspect that the complaints about the magic show props being too fake were likely orchestrated by him to carry out the murder…”