Chapter 109: The Approach Bridge to Hell

The second person to speak was Liang Zhichao.

When his restraints were removed, his expression remained one of profound panic. He spoke nervously:

"I... I have already said everything I can. You said yourself that the three of us are the ones you trust most, so you should believe me when I say I truly have no other clues."

Li Tianque scrutinized Liang Zhichao and said in a low voice:

"Lin Ya was your girlfriend, wasn't she?"

"Yes," Liang Zhichao answered quickly.

"From what I understand, the two of you had a fairly good relationship. Now that she is dead, isn't your demeanor a bit too composed? Don't you feel any sadness or grief at all?"

Liang Zhichao furrowed his brow, his expression shifting noticeably as he seemed to hesitate.

"Don't worry. I know some things may be difficult to put into words, but these are extraordinary times. The longer we take to find the killer, the more people may fall victim. I hope you can consider the bigger picture."

He glanced around at the others and spoke slowly:

"People react in a hundred different ways. Even if I were deeply saddened, it wouldn't necessarily show on my face."

"Oh? Do you believe him?" Li Tianque shifted his gaze to Ma Baoguo beside him.

Ma Baoguo cast a cold glance at Liang Zhichao and retorted sharply:

"Even a fool can see he's not telling the truth."

The room fell into a brief silence. Li Tianque gestured, causing the black substance to coalesce once more, and said quietly:

"Since you refuse to tell the truth, we are in no hurry to let you leave today."

Liang Zhichao looked at the strange, writhing black mass in Li Tianque's hand. He let out a deep sigh and said helplessly:

"Fine. Since you are forcing me to reveal the truth, I hope you will respect my personal privacy. Do not spread these matters."

Li Tianque nodded slightly, Ma Baoguo grunted, and Tudeng Nima also nodded.

Although Liang Zhichao knew such assurances held little practical value, he hoped for some psychological comfort from them and continued:

"Regarding the first murder, you already know the specific details. That night, when Lin Ya was killed, the cause of death was shock—which is, I suppose, a relatively painless way to die. But in truth, the torment she suffered before her death could be described as truly horrific. I am also deeply saddened by her tragic end, but as you might have gathered... sadness is one thing... but my feelings for her were, in a sense, very complex. I couldn't bring myself to say these things during the police statement, but now that it has come to this, and I truly want to catch the killer to prevent any further murders, I will make it public. The truth is, Lin Ya had a severe masochistic tendency. Our relationship, beyond being a romantic one, also involved that dynamic of master and slave—the kind you are likely thinking of."

"So, under such a long-term relationship, my feelings for her could no longer be called love. In my eyes, she was more like a tool to vent my emotions. Because of this, her death did not affect me deeply. Perhaps there is a slight sense of emptiness, like losing a toy that one has kept for a long time."

"On the other hand, you may have heard that she admired Professor Lu. In fact, that isn't entirely accurate. A more fitting description would be that she admired Professor Lu's theories. She always believed that humans were the supreme beings on this planet and that all other life should submit to humanity, to be driven and used at will. Because of this, she was intoxicated by the feeling of observing insects. As researchers, observing the various behaviors of insects through that glass, we could intervene in their lives at will, even dictating their life and death. This feeling made Lin Ya feel as if she were a deity. In a way, there was a streak of madness in her bones."

"And it was precisely because of this that she never got along with Bai Ruixue. Speaking of Bai Ruixue, I should mention something. That night, she wasn't in a bad mood because of her family; she was upset because she had asked Professor Lu to join the research on the *Heisuo* earwig, and he had refused. She was assigned to summarize and proofread the final materials, but she was barred from participating in the experiment itself. Professor Lu is strict and authoritarian; once he makes a decision, no one can change it. So, Xiao Xue was in a terrible mood, and in that situation, for Lin Ya to say something like 'smiling women have better luck'—anyone would be furious, I imagine."

Before Liang Zhichao could finish, Li Tianque interrupted him:

"What you are saying really has nothing to do with the case. Tell us something useful, like what secret connection Lin Ya had with the Old Patriarch? Why, in such a critical moment, did she send a WeChat message containing the words 'Old Patriarch'?"

"This... I don't understand that either. If you mean to say she was identifying the killer as the Old Patriarch, that's impossible, as the Old Patriarch was killed later. From the current situation, it is clear the Old Patriarch was not the killer; otherwise, our discussion here would be meaningless. As for their relationship, I honestly cannot think of anything unusual. After all, everyone had a good relationship with the Old Patriarch; in the month we have been here, we all got along very well."

Li Tianque couldn't be bothered to engage further and turned to Liang Zhichao:

"Do you have anything else to add?"

Liang Zhichao nodded and said:

"Yes, I would like to offer my own deduction. I have had close contact with all three of you, and through my observations and understanding, I feel that none of you three are likely to be the killer."

"Bullshit," Ma Baoguo said dismissively, shifting his gaze to Li Tianque. "I'll say it again: don't think you can clear your name by doing this. Since we are being open and honest, tell us what you've found recently, and why you and this kid were sneaking around the Old Patriarch's house the other day?"

"Fine, that's fair," Li Tianque replied readily.

Li Tianque then unblocked Tudeng Nima's mouth and began to narrate his and Liang Zhichao's investigative experiences in full. He started from the night of the second murder, recounting everything he and Liang Zhichao had gone through, including the clues and suspects discovered after Zhu Chunguang took over the investigation.

When he finished, the expressions on the faces of Ma Baoguo and Tudeng Nima turned somewhat strange.

"Now that I have finished recounting my investigation, does anyone have any questions?" Li Tianque asked.

After the two pondered for a moment, Ma Baoguo spoke first:

"If what you say is true, then Grandma Zhuoma is indeed highly suspicious. After all, the old lady satisfies both the motive and the means to kill. But this makes no sense logically. It would be impossible for her to kill two people at once. The old woman is so elderly; she couldn't possibly be agile enough to kill someone and then immediately run over to dismember and set fire to the scene. That’s impossible."

"Perhaps she dismembered them first, then set a simple timed mechanism to allow the flammable materials in the room to ignite spontaneously. That shouldn't be too complicated," speculated Tudeng Nima.

"Dismember someone, my foot! Do you think dismembering a person is as easy as taking apart a chicken? She couldn't have done it alone," Ma Baoguo said with great certainty.

Liang Zhichao thought for a moment and said:

"Regardless, if Zhuoma is the real killer, she is likely to strike again. If she wanted to commit suicide out of guilt, she could have simply thrown herself into a fire; there would be no need to go find some river."

"The possibility of her striking again exists," Tudeng Nima said, seemingly having thought of something. He continued: "To my knowledge, in the Wolf Tribe where Grandma Zhuoma belongs, water burial is considered the highest form of funeral. Their people believe that a water burial cleanses one's soul upon death and is a reflection of returning to nature and the source. Cremation, on the other hand, is the exact opposite. In the Wolf Tribe, cremation is reserved only for those who have committed heinous crimes. In their view, fire is a bridge to hell. Therefore, Zhuoma chose to use fire to punish these two people whom she deemed absolutely wicked, while she herself would never consign her own body to the flames."

After hearing Tudeng Nima's words, everyone fell back into deep contemplation.