Kiyomi Tsuki und sein Fuchs

Kapitel 59

Around 4 p.m., the "experience" that Luo Fei had predicted was finally found; it was a piece of online chat history stored on Ding Zhen's laptop.

The person chatting with Ding Zhen openly used the username "Eumendies," and sent his first message at 11:35:32 AM. This was lunchtime according to Ding Zhen's schedule.

It was a death sentence notice, and unlike the written document received by the police, this notice specified the exact person to be executed.

Death sentence notice

Inmate: Ding Zhen

Crime: Intentional homicide

Implementation Date: November 7th

Executor: Eumenides

At 11:36:27, Ding Zhen replied: "Eumendies? Who exactly are you?"

11:36:53, Eumendies: "It doesn't matter who I am, it doesn't matter what I have done."

11:39:11, Ding Zhen: "Are you threatening me? I will call the police."

11:39:31, Eumendies: "You don't need to do anything extra, the police will be here soon."

11:39:43, Ding Zhen: "What do you mean?"

11:40:52, Eumendies: "If I can find you, the police can certainly find you too."

11:41:35, Ding Zhen: "I don't understand what you're talking about."

11:43:45, Eumendies: "Ten years ago, on January 12th, you killed a female college student. Then you disposed of her body, throwing most of it into the Baodai River behind your residence, and scattering the rest of the flesh, head, etc., throughout the city."

11:44:21, Eumendies: "Is there anything else you don't understand?"

11:47:12, Ding Zhen: "Are you going to kill me?"

11:47:54, Eumendies: "Yes. But maybe you'll kill yourself before I can do it."

11:48:09, Ding Zhen: "Absurd!"

11:50:38, Eumendies: "The police will find you soon, and you will be thoroughly investigated for Case 112. Meanwhile, the national media will swarm you, and the attention you receive will far exceed your former academic standing. You will also have to face the remains of the dead you abandoned—the head, and the skeletons retrieved from the riverbed—all will testify to your crimes before your eyes. At that time, I guarantee you will regret it. Because you once had a chance to escape all of this, but you refused to seize it."

11:56:21, Eumendies: "The police will thoroughly search your residence. Even the slightest trace of blood on the walls and floors will be enough to prove your crime. And the plastic bags and travel bags you used to dispose of the body, as well as the clothing you removed from the victim, have been carefully preserved by the police for ten years like precious artifacts, because they contain traces and evidence you could never have imagined: perhaps a dander of your skin, or perhaps a fiber from an object that matches the environment of your residence. In short, the police will spare no effort in using all the expensive technical means in this case, and of course, they won't hesitate to use all sorts of interrogation 'techniques' you've never heard of."

12:01:23, Eumendies: "If you do possess great mental strength and miraculous good luck, you may become a fugitive from the legal system. But you cannot escape judgment, because there is another force in this world. You will not know who I am, but you have certainly heard of Eumendies. You will ultimately bear the punishment specified on your death sentence notice."

12:03:45, Eumendes: "I know this is a difficult decision. But you don't have much time left to think about it. Once you're in the hands of the police, you won't even have the power to choose anymore."

The chat log ended abruptly there. Throughout the entire process, Ding Zhen barely uttered a word, and the latter half became entirely a monologue by the Eumendies. However, as Luo Fei read it now, he could truly feel the painful struggle Ding Zhen was going through deep inside. The Eumendies had presented him with a dark future devoid of any hope; who would have the courage to continue down such a path?

In the end, Ding Zhen made his choice: when the first police car arrived, he was already standing on the windowsill of the eighth floor. He seemed to be waiting for something, but that waiting did not change his fate.

The Fate of the Death Sentence (34)

In the following hours, the police searched every corner of the Energy Conservation Building and reviewed all the surveillance footage, but found no trace of Eumenides. It seemed that he had never been in the building at all.

Luo Fei believed that Eumenides must have already "come" through some unknown means; otherwise, it would be inexplicable why Ding Zhen would climb to the eighth-floor windowsill before confronting the police. It's important to understand that although Luo Fei and his team's analysis of the 112 massacre ultimately identified Ding Zhen as a prime suspect, the police still lacked concrete evidence of his involvement. Under these circumstances, Ding Zhen's unexpected act of voluntarily surrendering suggests that he must have experienced something before the police arrived, an experience that drove him to an irreversible state of despair.

Around 4 p.m., the "experience" that Luo Fei had predicted was finally found; it was a piece of online chat history stored on Ding Zhen's laptop.

The person chatting with Ding Zhen openly used the username "Eumenides," and sent his first message at 11:35:32 AM. This was lunchtime according to Ding Zhen's schedule.

It was a death sentence notice, and unlike the written document received by the police, this notice specified the exact person to be executed.

Death sentence notice

Inmate: Ding Zhen

Crime: Intentional homicide

Implementation Date: November 7th

Executor: Eumenides

At 11:36:27, Ding Zhen replied: "Eumenides? Who exactly are you?"

11:36:53, Eumenides: "Who I am is not important; what matters is what I have done."

11:39:11, Ding Zhen: "Are you threatening me? I'll call the police."

11:39:31, Eumenides: "You don't need to do anything unnecessary, the police will be here soon."

11:39:43, Ding Zhen: "What do you mean?"

11:40:52, Eumenides: "If I can find you, the police can certainly find you too."

11:41:35, Ding Zhen: "I don't understand what you're saying."

11:43:45, Eumenides: "Ten years ago, on January 12th, you killed a female college student. Then you disposed of her body, throwing most of it into the Bodai River behind your residence, and scattering the rest, such as pieces of flesh and the head, throughout the city."

11:44:21, Eumenides: "Is there anything you still don't understand?"

11:47:12, Ding Zhen: "Are you going to kill me?"

11:47:54, Eumenides: "Yes. But perhaps you'll kill yourself before I can do it."

11:48:09, Ding Zhen: "Absurd!"

11:50:38, Eumenides: "The police will find you soon, and you will be thoroughly investigated for Case 112. Meanwhile, the national media will swarm you, and the attention you receive will far exceed anything you ever had as an academic. You will also have to face the remains of the dead you abandoned—the head, and the skeletons retrieved from the riverbed—all will testify to your crimes before your eyes. At that time, I guarantee you will regret it. Because you once had a chance to escape all of this, but you refused to seize it."

11:56:21, Eumenides: "The police will thoroughly search your residence. Even the slightest trace of blood on the walls and floors will be enough to prove your crime. And the plastic bags and travel bags you used to dispose of the body, as well as the clothing you removed from the victim, have been carefully preserved by the police for ten years like precious artifacts, because they contain traces and evidence you could never have imagined: perhaps a dander of your skin, or perhaps a fiber from an object that fits the environment of your residence. In short, the police will spare no effort in using all the expensive technical means in this case, and of course, they won't hesitate to use all sorts of interrogation 'techniques' you've never heard of."

12:01:23, Eumenides: "If you truly possess immense mental strength and miraculous good fortune, you might escape the law. But you cannot escape judgment, for there is another force in this world. You will not know who I am, but you have certainly heard of Eumenides. You will ultimately bear the punishment specified on your death sentence."

12:03:45, Eumenides: "I know this is a difficult decision. But you don't have much time left to consider. Once you're in the hands of the police, you won't even have a choice anymore."

The chat log ended abruptly there. Throughout the entire process, Ding Zhen barely uttered a word, and the latter half became entirely a monologue by Eumenides. However, as Luo Fei read it now, he could truly feel the agonizing struggle Ding Zhen was going through deep inside. Eumenides had presented him with a dark future devoid of any hope; who would have the courage to continue down such a path?

In the end, Ding Zhen made his choice: when the first police car arrived, he was already standing on the windowsill of the eighth floor. He seemed to be waiting for something, but that waiting did not change his fate.

After reading the chat log, Luo Fei's gaze remained fixed on the computer screen, lost in thought. A moment later, he looked up and glanced around.

Yin Jian and the criminal investigation team were still examining the scene and collecting evidence. Mu Jianyun was accompanying Huang Jieyuan on the perimeter, and now only Zeng Rihua was by his side.

"Can we trace his internet address?" Luo Fei asked Zeng Rihua, pointing to the name "Eumenides" on the screen.

"This is very simple." Zeng Rihua typed rapidly on the keyboard for a while, and soon a dialog box with a string of characters popped up on the screen.

"Here, this is his internet address," Zeng Rihua shrugged. "But staring at this address is probably pointless."

Luo Fei understood what the other party meant. The police had already conducted two online searches of Eumenides. One time they found the Wi-Fi network in an office building, and the other time they found a series of botnets. Given Eumenides' capabilities, it was indeed unlikely the police could track him down through these channels. However, Luo Fei still said to Zeng Rihua, "Regardless, let's try. We shouldn't overlook any small details."

Zeng Rihua didn't have much of an objection to this. He replied, "Okay," and then turned and left the scene.

After Zeng Rihua's figure disappeared, Luo Fei's gaze returned to the computer screen. He opened the chat window between Ding Zhen and Eumenides, typed a line of text, and sent it: "Are you still there?" Then he waited quietly, his expression focused and serious.

A moment later, a dialog box popped up, bringing a reply from the other end of the network: "Who are you?"

Luo Fei took a deep breath and revealed his name: "Luo Fei."

This time, the person on the other end of the computer paused for a moment, and then praised the police's efficiency: "You acted very quickly; it took me three days to see through this guy's trick."

Luo Fei frankly wrote, "We have different amounts of resources. And during our discussions, we drew on your suggestions in some areas."

Eumenides seemed uncomfortable with this atmosphere of mutual praise, and changed his tone: "Your computer expert has already set off, hasn't he? If I don't know if he'll be as fast this time, I'll have to consider hiding."

"I'm not that optimistic," Luo Fei replied. "Since you dare to chat with me, we'll probably have a hard time finding you."

Eumenides changed the subject again: "Speaking of chatting, I also have a hunch—since Captain Luo is so relaxed, it means Ding Zhen is dead, right?"

"Yes." Luo Fei continued typing, considering his words carefully. "However, this operation doesn't suit your style."

A question mark immediately appeared on the computer.

"Ding Zhen committed suicide; he did not receive the punishment you demanded. Therefore, it seems inappropriate for your signature to appear on that 'death sentence notice.'"

Eumenides: "Does it matter who does the work? My goal is simply to ensure that those who commit crimes get what they deserve. In other words, if your police work were more perfect, I wouldn't even need to send out the 'death sentence'."

Luo Fei: "You yourself don't like violence, and you hope to solve problems in other ways?"

Eumenides neither denied nor admitted it: "It's just that in many cases, violence becomes a necessary means." His attitude seemed somewhat ambiguous.

Luo Fei pondered for a moment, then sent a new message: "Those who inflict violence will also be harmed by violence themselves. I think you've felt that yourself, haven't you?"

After sending the message, there was no reply from Eumenides for a long time. However, Luo Fei knew that this meant he was slowly gaining the upper hand in the conversation. So he struck while the iron was hot and threw out his most important statement.

"I've already met the girl."

Eumenides replied with a string of ellipses "...". Although the reply was wordless, Luo Fei could read the other party's chaotic and bewildered state of mind from each dot.

Luo Fei then wrote in the chat box: "If I were you, I would choose to stop."

This time, Eumenides finally responded in writing: "Some things have already happened, what good will it do to stop now?"

"What has happened cannot be undone, but you still have a chance to forgive."

Eumenides' replies grew increasingly slow: "Why are you telling me this?"

Luo Fei, however, acted swiftly: "Because I saw your desire to fulfill forgiveness. And I'm willing to believe that this is your true nature."

Eumenides: "What did you see? That girl?"

Luo Fei: "Yes. You're watching over her, protecting her. That's how I saw into your heart. If you had another chance, you wouldn't kill Zheng Haoming, right?"

Eumenides, however, did not do as Luo Fei had hoped. "No, you're wrong," he replied coldly.

Luo Fei persisted: "Why? Why would you kill someone who has done nothing wrong?"

"Because we are enemies on two opposing sides, it's a matter of life and death between us. So I must kill an enemy to solidify my beliefs. That way, I won't have any reservations or hesitations when facing the police in the future. There's a saying you should know: mercy to the enemy is cruelty to yourself."

Reading these cold words, Luo Fei's heart clenched. He recalled the words Yuan Zhibang had spoken during their last meeting: "We're on opposing sides. Even if we admire each other, even if we pursue the same justice, to uphold our respective rules, we can only fight to the death when we meet. You kill me, I kill you—that's the story of the cop and the assassin. To punish evil, we're both prepared to sacrifice ourselves, to protect the interests of more people. Therefore, there's no innocence in our killings."

Now, the young man on the other side of the computer was responding with the same rhetoric. A bitter, desolate feeling welled up in Luo Fei's throat. But he still refused to give up. After a long silence, he typed again: "Then I want to ask you one last question, and you must answer me truthfully."

Eumenides was reluctant to make promises lightly, but he didn't refuse either, simply saying, "You ask first."

"Now that you've killed Zheng Haoming, when you encounter police officers again, facing these so-called 'enemies,' will you truly be even more determined to raise your killing blade?"

Eumenides did not reply for a long time.

"You hesitated?" Luo Fei's spirits lifted again. "Your true state is exactly the opposite of what you just said, isn't it? That killing didn't make you more resolute; instead, it plunged you into a swamp of guilt and hesitation. Otherwise, why would you deliberately seek out that girl? Don't you harbor a motive of atonement deep down?"

"Ridiculous." Eumenides's handwriting reappeared on the screen. "You're imposing your own ideas on me."

Luo Fei immediately retorted sharply: "The person who imposed these ideas on you wasn't me, it was Yuan Zhibang! He's the one who made you kill Zheng Haoming, he's the one who instilled in you the theory of being an enemy of the police, and he's even the one who gave you the shady name Eumenides. Haven't you ever questioned why you accepted all of this? Why did you become Eumenides? It's just another person's twisted desire, why did you sacrifice everything for that desire?"

Eumenides: "That man gave me a second life. Since I accepted the life he bestowed upon me, what right do I have to reject the ideas he passed on to me?"

"Do you really think everything Yuan Zhibang gave you was a favor? Wasn't it a conspiracy?"