Death Notice 2 Destiny

Chapter 67

Yuan Zhibang was the first to know the truth, but he was powerless against Chen Tianqiao because, legally speaking, the man had committed no crime.

Bullets, meant to uphold justice, have become tools for committing evil. This change shattered Yuan Zhibang's faith as a policeman eighteen years ago. He no longer believed in any rules; from then on, he only believed in himself, vowing to use his own power to reform the evil that existed in this world.

Eighteen years later, Moon Sung-woo could not escape his fateful responsibility. His biological father had died in a brutal murder, an extremely evil yet absolutely "legal" murder.

"Only after listening to that tape did I truly understand the meaning of Eumenides' existence. And becoming an Eumenides had been my inescapable destiny eighteen years ago," the young man continued. "I want to thank my teacher; he left me Chen Tianqiao, a guiding light when I was lost."

Luo Fei's heart skipped a beat: Yes. Yuan Zhibang had been aware of Chen Tianqiao's whereabouts but hadn't made a move. It seemed the latter was indeed a guide Yuan Zhibang had specifically left for Wen Chengyu. At the same time, a feeling of sorrow and helplessness welled up in his heart: he had once thought he could pull Wen Chengyu away from Yuan Zhibang's controlled camp, but who knew the other party had already made meticulous arrangements? In the end, he was just a catfish growing alongside Eumenides.

Regardless, the catfish had finally caught its prey. Thinking this through, Luo Fei felt slightly relieved, though this relief was inevitably tinged with endless regret.

Having seemingly said everything that needed to be said, and after a long silence, Luo Fei took a deep breath: "Perhaps I should notify the local police."

"Didn't you bring any of your own people?" the young man asked.

Luo Fei shook his head: "I've said it before, I'm not sure where you got the police information from, so I disbanded the task force and came to Haikou with you alone. I haven't used the local police either, because I feel more comfortable operating on my own against an opponent like you."

The young man smiled with relief: "No wonder you didn't arrest me at the scene where I killed Chen Tianqiao."

"In that kind of environment, I alone wouldn't have been confident I could catch you." Luo Fei paused, then said something deep inside, "Besides, I've listened to that tape, and I think Chen Tianqiao's charge of 'intentional homicide' is valid."

"Are you condoning my behavior?" The young man's eyes crinkled slightly.

Luo Fei paused for a moment, then gave a bitter laugh: "Perhaps Yuan Zhibang was right about at least one thing: we all share the same goal, but we are on completely different sides, facing life and death."

The young man nodded silently, seemingly agreeing with Luo Fei's description. However, there was still one crucial question he needed to clarify.

"Since you didn't catch me at the scene, what kind of evidence do you intend to use to accuse me, a person with legal status?" he asked, looking intently at the other person.

"It's indeed difficult to get evidence from you," Luo Fei said hesitantly. "After you arrived in Haikou, you followed and investigated Chen Tianqiao for several days, figuring out his basic daily routine. Because Chen Tianqiao's residence was heavily monitored, you decided to act outside. So you rented a small private hotel opposite the food stall he frequented every night. The hotel was very basic, with no surveillance equipment, but your room had a clear view of everything inside and outside the hotel. Therefore, I couldn't enter the hotel and could only watch the entrance from a very secluded corner. Tonight..." But after Chen Tianqiao returned to the food stall, I saw you leave the hotel—although you were disguised, wearing a wig and beard, obscuring your face, I still recognized you from your movements. You stole a set of work clothes from the food stall, changed into them, and then assassinated Chen Tianqiao. It was rush hour, and after the murder, you quickly disappeared into the crowd, escaping along your planned route. You were incredibly fast; I even lost track of you for a moment. When I found you again on the street, you had removed your disguise and reverted to your original attire.

The young man seemed increasingly interested as he listened, tilting his head and asking again, "If that's the case—where's the evidence?"

"I wouldn't arrest you without evidence," Luo Fei smiled confidently. "I took a photo."

"A photo of the murder scene? How can you prove that the person with long, flowing hair, covering half his face, and a full beard is me?"

Luo Fei stared at the young man for a moment, then asked, "Do you remember when you ran onto the road, you took off the gloves you were wearing while committing the crime? Just then, a Nissan sedan came along and almost hit you. You nimbly dodged it, but at the same time, your right hand instinctively braced itself against the hood of the car."

"Yes." The young man nodded thoughtfully. "I remember using my index and middle fingers—I used the tips of those two fingers to support the hood of the Nissan."

Luo Fei added, "I took a picture of that moment from a high vantage point; the photo clearly shows where your fingers touched the car."

The young man understood the key points.

"Then you must have already extracted those two fingerprints, right?" he asked casually, but his gaze was somewhat serious, as if he was trying hard to think about something.

"Not bad." Luo Fei didn't hesitate to reveal his hand to the other party. "With these two fingerprints, the photo of you touching the car, plus the testimonies of the driver and eyewitnesses, I think this is enough to form an unbreakable chain of evidence."

Indeed, if such evidence is insufficient, then all criminals in the world could go unpunished.

But the young man was still able to laugh at that moment.

"Captain Luo, do you remember which hand I used back then?" he suddenly asked.

Luo Fei frowned, unsure of the significance of the question, but he still answered earnestly, "I can say with absolute certainty: it's the right hand."

"Then you really shouldn't have only handcuffed my left hand." The young man said, raising his right hand. Then, right under Luo Fei's nose, he put the very tips of his middle and index fingers into his mouth, gritted his teeth, and bit down hard.

"What are you doing!" Luo Fei's heart sank. He tried to stop him, but it was too late. Blood flowed from the young man's mouth, and when his right hand left his mouth, the joints of the two fingers had disappeared without a trace. Of course, the two fingerprints that could confirm his identity as the murderer also disappeared along with them.

Luo Fei stood there dumbfounded, watching as blood gushed from the young man's severed finger, falling into the pool like dense raindrops, instantly staining a large area red.

The young man seemed completely oblivious to the pain; he swallowed the two fingertips without even flinching.

"My name is Du Mingqiang, and I'm just an online journalist. Tong Mulin is my colleague; we share the same online account, 'Zhen Rufeng.' I did manage to infiltrate the task force through some means and planted listening devices on the team members' phones, but all of that was to satisfy my professional needs. Because I'm a journalist, I need to uncover the most hidden secrets—" As he spoke, he reverted to his smug, arrogant demeanor, and then loudly proclaimed, "And my goal is to become the best journalist in the world!"

Luo Fei looked at the other person helplessly. He wanted to smile bitterly, but he couldn't even manage the slightest bit of a smile.

(Part Two Completed)

postscript

The author's answers to several questions:

1. Regarding fingerprints

The fingerprint that directly proves Eu is the killer is no longer useful, and the other fingerprints are not definitively conclusive in accusing him of the killer (because...).

(The killer Eu had visited Du Mingqiang's house when delivering the 'death notice')

This plot point is a bit convoluted, and it seems we'll need to add a courtroom scene at the end of the film to explain it in detail. I originally wanted Eu to...

Those who were taken to prison

In short, it's impossible for Eu to escape with a clean slate, but he won't be sentenced to death (due to biting his finger).

The third part will begin with Eu's prison break.

2. Regarding sound

Eu used a frequency converter when he left behind audio data, which should be mentioned in the novel.

3. Regarding Eu being by Luo Fei's side for so long without Luo Fei noticing.

Because Eu can completely change her own demeanor, see the change when Eu and Du Mingqiang switch identities at the end.

4. Why is Du Mingqiang still free despite being under police surveillance?

Because the police were only protecting Du Mingqiang and did not have the power to coerce him, they had no right to interfere when Du Mingqiang requested to be alone or to go online.

5. Regarding Eu's final appearance, it doesn't resemble Eu.

This is the real Eu... There are no gods in this world.