Deng Yao opened his mouth, not understanding You Mingxu’s words.

You Mingxu tossed out two photographs of Golden Cup vans – one taken in his courtyard, another, more blurry, seemingly shot on a highway.

Deng Yao picked up the photos, still confused.

You Mingxu smiled and said: “Chen Zhaoci…” She observed his slight change in expression, “This name must be familiar to you. He copied your methods with another girl called Liu Yisha. He even delivered Fan Jia to you. If we say his imitation was perfect, and meeting you was just a coincidence, that might barely make sense. But a year ago, the police didn’t even know what kind of vehicle you drove, so why did he use an identical van to dispose of bodies? Was that also a coincidence? You two must share one mind!”

Deng Yao’s face remained stiff. Looking at You Mingxu’s cold expression, he suddenly laughed, holding the photos and continuing to laugh.

“Planning to take the blame for him too?” You Mingxu said, “He’s free right now, while your whole family of three is in here. What are you getting out of this?”

The veins on Deng Yao’s neck bulged as he slowly said: “Little Ci… he was my elementary school classmate, my only friend. That day he just came to borrow my van.” After speaking, he kept laughing, a chilling sound.

You Mingxu stared at him coldly. Yin Feng suddenly spoke: “I didn’t expect you to be friends. I thought Chen Zhaoci wouldn’t consider anyone a friend.”

Deng Yao continued his “heh heh” laughter.

“Did he ever take you to the tunnel? That was his secret, something he wouldn’t share with anyone. You probably haven’t been there, right?” Yin Feng said.

Deng Yao looked at him: “Of course I’ve been there.”

“Then… did he take you through the tunnel to sneak into Fenjinbao Company, to peek at what those bosses were doing to the girls?” Yin Feng asked.

Deng Yao froze.

You Mingxu also raised her head.

Yin Feng smiled: “Looks like you did see. So your previous testimony wasn’t truthful. You said meeting Zhao Feier was a coincidence, leading to your first crime. I found it strange – after holding back for so many years, why did you suddenly snap? So it was because Chen Zhaoci showed you those things, and you could no longer resist or control yourself?”

Deng Yao’s gaze became extremely dark, his neck reddening.

But Yin Feng just smiled calmly: “That’s when you started.”

You Mingxu felt indescribable emotions. She had always thought it was the Fenjinbao Company people imitating the killer. She never expected that the killer’s original inspiration would come from those well-dressed but inhuman people standing above the tunnel. Where was the true source of evil? They were so similar because they originally wore the same face.

The interrogation room fell silent for a moment.

Yin Feng suddenly said: “Let’s talk about Little Ci. He’s impotent, isn’t he? Can’t get it up.”

You Mingxu was startled.

Deng Yao: “How… how do you know?”

Yin Feng smiled: “We’re all men, it’s easy to tell. He spent a long time with those people at Fenjinbao Company. I know he hated those girls to death and wanted to torture them any way he could, but never participated in what they did. In group crimes, in that environment, being a pervert himself, he couldn’t have controlled himself. Unless he was physically unable.”

You Mingxu suddenly remembered something – when Fan Jia had tried to seduce Chen Zhaoci as a test, he had fled in panic. At the time she had only found it slightly strange, not realizing this could be the reason.

Thinking of that name made You Mingxu’s heartache again.

Deng Yao laughed: “You’re a really capable police officer. He really couldn’t do it, could only watch every time, haha.”

“Every time?” You Mingxu’s mind stirred, and she glanced at Yin Feng. He still appeared gentle and harmless as he continued speaking to Deng Yao: “The Fenjinbao Company people only wanted sex, they didn’t want to deal with legal troubles or deaths. And Chen Zhaoci, being impotent, couldn’t participate or release his urges. Those emotions would build up more and more intensely. He needed a more extreme outlet. Now do you understand why he took you to Fenjinbao Company to open your eyes? Why does he support you doing those things to those girls?”

Deng Yao stared blankly.

You Mingxu also felt shocked.

Yin Feng said: “When you raped those girls, he was beside you, getting extremely excited, right? Even more aroused than you? When torturing, killing, and mutilating the bodies, he was more enthusiastic than you, correct? You always thought he was helping you, helping you get those girls, opening up a new world for you. In reality, he was using you, and he started much earlier. He’s a vicious person, but also a coward. He always needs someone to stand in front of him, so he dragged you to hell with him, just to satisfy himself!”

Deng Yao suddenly raised his head, looking at them with wide eyes, the muscles in his face twitching.

You Mingxu caught on and continued: “That’s right, you thought he was being your brother, delivering girls to you? Deng Yao, think carefully – after Liu Yisha’s death, why didn’t he secretly dispose of the body, instead of making it look like your case from a year ago? Because he wanted to protect himself and Fenjinbao Company, framing you!”

Yin Feng said: “Yes, because he can’t leave Fenjinbao Company, that rotten criminal nest. He’s already become part of it.”

You Mingxu: “That day when he pretended to surrender, taking Fan Jia out – you had arranged it together, right? To give Fan Jia to you. He even put on a show of letting you hit him with a hammer. He got away clean – not only did he escape, but even if he’s caught someday, he’d just be an accomplice. But what about you? He framed you again.”

Deng Yao slammed his fist on the table with a “bang”: “No… impossible!”

You Mingxu leaned forward, looking deep into Deng Yao’s eyes: “Are you scared? Angry? You want to know what he thinks too, right? Tell me where he might be hiding, and I’ll bring him back to you. Any questions you have, you can ask him face to face. Deng Yao, if he truly considered you a brother, now that you’re in here, he would surely be willing to share the punishment, just like what you did for him. Want to test… this brotherhood between you two?”

—

You Mingxu ran downstairs with Yin Feng, several police officers following. Everyone split into several cars downstairs, heading straight for the suburbs.

The western side of Yuefeng Mountain – this was the location Deng Yao gave. He didn’t know the more specific location because Chen Zhaoci had only mentioned there was a large abandoned air raid shelter there, in the neighboring county. This explained why it wasn’t in the police’s records when they searched the city’s air raid shelters. Reportedly, few people ever went there, and with enough food and water, one could survive there for months.