dead innocent

Deng Jie is nearly half a hundred years old. Judging from his appearance, he is very energetic, and his body is also very healthy. His face is round and his body is thick. Maybe it is because he is working in the kitchen. At this moment when he walked out of the kitchen, his neck and bare arms were dripping with sweat. , a burst of heat steamed from the top of his hair, making him look like a sea lion with a wide heart, a fat body, and a slippery body.

Chu Xingyun was welcomed into the courtyard by the little girl's mother, only to find that the word birthday was pasted on the doorpost, and suddenly remembered that Deng Jie's information showed that it was today's birthday, so at this time, the three generations of children and grandchildren gathered together to celebrate Deng Jie's birthday up.

When seeing Deng Jie and Deng Jie's family, Chu Xingyun secretly doubted his own speculation in his heart. Although even bad killers are highly hidden, they don't necessarily hide in dirty and dark corners like bacteria, but as far as he knows Yes, most of the serial killers I have seen lack family members, or the family environment is deformed.

Incomplete family members and deformed family environment are not the only factors to identify a serial killer, but in a normal and happy family background, it is almost impossible to breed a serial killer with a different mentality than ordinary people.

This Deng Jie is charmingly naive, and even looks quite happy. Now he has a huge family, with children and grandchildren around his knees. The distance between him and the serial killer is too great.

Before coming here, Chu Xingyun had already made mental preparations, and was extremely prepared. He even thought about whether to use compulsory measures to subdue the suspect on the spot if he was arrested, but when he saw Deng Jie and the family members of Manyuan At that time, he faintly felt a sense of loss and discouragement hovering in his heart.

Deng Jie wiped his oily right hand on his apron and stretched out towards him, smiling like a Maitreya Buddha: "You are also my student? You are a bit unfamiliar."

Chu Xingyun held his hand and glanced at the crowd. They seemed to regard him as someone who came to celebrate his birthday, so everyone looked at him very warmly and earnestly.

"Police, I have a few questions I want to ask you, can you find a quiet place to chat?"

Therefore, Deng Jie took him into a living room dedicated to receiving guests on the first floor, poured him a cup of tea, and then sat cross-legged on the floor. Did you make trouble at the doctor two days ago? Hey, parents now."

Chu Xingyun also sat down cross-legged on the floor, but he was pressed for time, so he pushed the steaming teacup aside.Maybe it was a premonition that this trip was likely to be in vain, so he cut to the chase and said, "I'll just say it straight, Dr. Deng, I came to you because of a serial kidnapping and murder case 13 years ago."

He highlighted the key points concisely, briefly described the case, and then asked him if he knew anything.

During the whole process, he used his very hidden eyes to pay close attention to the transformation of every subtle expression on his face.

After hearing what he said, Deng Jie showed a little surprised expression on his face, and he didn't shake the cattail fan in his hand, and said: "I know about this case. When our family moved here, I heard about it from colleagues in the hospital. But one victim is still here. The victim’s mother used to live next to our hospital, but she moved out a long time ago. If you want to find her, you should go to the police station, I don’t know where she moved.”

Chu Xingyun calmly said: "I'm not looking for her, I'm looking for you."

"Find me?"

The doubts on Deng Jie's face deepened: "What are you looking for me for?"

Chu Xingyun silently found the cases of the two boys from the mobile phone, and then handed him the mobile phone: "These two children registered your number during your national inspection tour in 2003, do you have any impressions?" ?”

After more than ten years, Deng Jie looked at his name on the medical records and the photos of his children, frowning and recalling with difficulty: "Oh, I really don't remember. I have been a doctor for more than 30 years. Ask me to see it." There are too many sick children and parents to remember."

As he said to return the phone to him, the cattail fan in his hand started to shake again: "Comrade policeman, please tell me the truth, and let me see what the children who have been treated before are doing again."

The living room they were in was on the first floor, and outside the floor-to-ceiling windows were people gathered in the courtyard playing cards and laughing.Chu Xingyun was distracted by the laughter and frolic of several children, looked at the children running back and forth holding windmills in the yard, and said in a lower tone: "We found out that the six children who were involved in the kidnapping and murder case back then Among the victims, three children have received your diagnosis and treatment, and although the other two have no case records, I think they all suffer from the same physical disease and have registered your number during your national rounds. Moreover, During the time of your nationwide inspection tour, it is the time period when the kidnapping and murder case occurred."

He spoke so clearly that Deng Jie naturally understood the reason why the police came to the door.

Deng Jie was very angry. He threw the cattail fan on the tea table: "You suspect that I killed them? Just because I treated these children, you suspect that I killed them? Show evidence! Otherwise, I can sue you for defamation! "

In the face of possible accusations, Chu Xingyun behaved calmly and calmly. Deng Jie's anger was within his expectations. If Deng Jie was innocent, his emotional reaction when he was suspected of being a murderer should have been like this.

But now that Deng Jie was annoyed, the method of expressing affection was obviously not feasible, Chu Xingyun temporarily changed his strategy, moved back the teacup pushed to the corner of the table, took a sip of tea, raised his dark and calm eyes to look at him, He smiled very lightly, and said in a strong tone: "What I just said is the evidence I found. If you want the police to dispel your suspicions, then you must show evidence of your innocence."

Deng Jie blushed from anger: "I am not the only doctor who makes the rounds. We have a group of experts with a dozen members who traveled all over a dozen provincial capitals in 03. Why are you just staring at me?"

Chu Xingyun continued to dig him unhurriedly: "Because the victim is a child, and you are the only pediatrician."

"I see too many children! According to you, I should have killed hundreds of them!"

"But the only six children who are the same age and have the same birthday!"

Deng Jie was stunned for a moment, grabbed the cattail leaf fan and shook it again: "You, please make it clear."

Chu Xingyun put down his teacup, corrected his attitude, and sat upright, saying: "We have clues pointing to the murderer. We took advantage of the opportunity of the expert team's national inspection in 03 to pick an 11-year-old boy whose birthday was on October 29th. Dr. Deng, I need you To help recall, did you leak the patient's information to others at that time? This person must have traveled all over the country with your expert team."

Deng Jie shook his fan, fell into the trance of memories, and said to himself: "October 29?"

At this time Chu Xingyun was as nervous as him, staring at him and said: "Yes, October 29."

"Tsk, why is this day so familiar..."

Suddenly, Deng Jie stood up, went to the courtyard and had a conversation with his wife, then came back in a hurry, his face became more flustered, and when he shook the fan again, his wrists kept shaking.

"October 29—a death day!"

Chu Xingyun felt numbness in his back for no reason, and asked, "What death day."

As if suddenly feeling cold, Deng Jie dropped his fan, his face twisted unnaturally, and he said with strong doubts: "I am indeed not the only one who knows the information about those children you mentioned just now. Although I was the only pediatrician at that time One, but—"

Deng Jie hesitated to speak, and looked at him tentatively. When he saw his dark cloud-like eyes, he couldn't help but gasped: "I also brought a student with me."

Chu Xingyun said nothing, raised his hand and made a 'please' gesture.

"I took in an apprentice at the time. He graduated from a master's degree with good qualifications. I took him by my side to train him according to the requirements of the hospital. In 03, I also brought him along for the rounds."

"What does he have to do with October 29th?"

"He has nothing to do with October 29th, but his wife and children are related to October [-]th."

Chu Xingyun grasped the key point in an instant, his eyes were full of sharpness, and he said in a deep voice: "Is it the death day of his wife and children?"

"In 1992, his wife gave birth to a son for him. When his wife finished confinement, he took his wife and son back to his natal home to see his parents. His wife is a Tibetan with a very religious belief, so he took his wife and son with him. They went to Mira Mountain to hang the wind horse flag, but suddenly there was a strong wind and a sudden blizzard that day, and they were trapped on the mountain and couldn’t get up and down. Mira Mountain is so big, it’s not so easy to find a couple, and it took them nearly two weeks. A rescue team formed spontaneously by the villagers found it. Hey—poor, his wife and newborn son died, and he was the only one alive. When he was found by the villagers, he was covered in blood, kneeling in the snow, his face He went up to the dull person, and he didn’t answer any questions. He only said that his wife and child were frozen to death on the second night. The environment on the mountain is harsh, and people can really freeze to death at night. His wife’s body is weak after giving birth, and the child’s body is even weaker, so He carried it alone."

As he said that, Deng Jie looked puzzled and said puzzledly: "But I heard some rumors that his wife and child died, but the body could not be found. His family asked him where the body was? He just cried, what else did he say?" , they are not dead, with him—"

When Deng Jie talked about doubts, he stopped and fell into the memory. Chu Xingyun had to move forward: "And then?"

Deng Jie sighed: "Then he fell into a slump. At that time, he was a graduate student. After his wife and children died, he abandoned his studies and stayed at home for five or six years. Later, his family introduced another partner to him, and he slowly changed from Came out of the haze and got married again, went back to school to complete graduate studies. Originally, his life was slowly turning around for the better. He always wanted to have a child, but his second wife always couldn't conceive. , Married for nearly five years without conceiving a child. He wanted children too much. He gradually became indifferent to his wife, disinterested, and his behavior became more and more violent. Later, his wife divorced him. He happened to be a graduate student when he divorced. After graduating, I went to our unit to apply for a job. At that time, the leader of the courtyard had some relationship with his family, so I took him in. He often told me about his first wife and their children, and I was ear-pierced. Knowing that October 29th is the anniversary of the death of his wife and children."

After speaking, Deng Jie drank half a cup of tea to moisten his dry throat.

After finding the key person related to October 29th, Chu Xingyun immediately asked: "What's his name?"

Deng Jie got up and went to the wall where the photos hung in the living room, searched around, took down a big group photo, sat back in his original seat, and handed the photo to him: "It's called Feng Jingcheng, and he is standing next to the dean."

The color of the photo has faded over time, and the figure is blurred. You can vaguely see that this person is tall and straight, with an amiable demeanor, and a pair of elegant glasses on his face.

Although time has left yellow marks on his face, Chu Xingyun can still see his dark eyes, and his smile is like a crescent moon.

Feng Jingcheng——

It turned out that his name was Feng Jingcheng.

He walked out of Deng Jie's house with the photo. After the door was closed, the loud laughter behind the door was not disturbed by any external factors, and it was still going on happily.

Holding the photo, Chu Xingyun slowly squatted against the wall with some weakness, stared at the bluestone slab under his feet for a while, and then took out his mobile phone to make a call.

Before the phone was picked up, he cleared his throat vigorously, but he was still a little tired and hoarse when he spoke.

"Ok?"

He Cheng's voice came from the phone in a low voice.

"Ask you a question."

Chu Xingyun tried his best to hold up a little smile, trying to make his voice sound more relaxed and cheerful.

"Go ahead."

He Cheng said.

Chu Xingyun picked up a stone from the ground, rubbed it back and forth in his fingertips, squeezed his extremely dry lips, and asked in a hoarse voice: "What did the person who kidnapped you do to you back then?"

As soon as the words came out, Chu Xingyun felt that he was too cruel. Even if this question had to be asked, he should be by He Cheng's side. At this time, he couldn't see He Cheng, so how to appease him?How to save him?

At the same time, he felt his despicability and selfishness, and he didn't want to face these back even more than He Cheng.Because when he saw He Cheng's painful and bewildered face that was deep in memory, he would feel pain and guilt thousands of times.So he chose to 'escape', to avoid facing He Cheng and the abyss behind He Cheng.

He Cheng was silent. During the period of his silence, Chu Xingyun clearly felt that his heartbeat was getting faster and faster, becoming more and more uncontrollable, as if he was being lifted high and then fell down hard. The fall made his heart hurt like a knife.

"How—how do you know?"

He Cheng's voice was still low and calm, without any ups and downs, but Chu Xingyun could hear his trembling nasal voice.

"Have it?"

He clenched his fist to block the heart that seemed to be bleeding out, and asked.

After an unknown amount of time, he heard He Cheng smile very lightly, and his voice seemed to come from afar: "Yes, he locked me on the bed, fed me three meals a day, and asked me to call him daddy. Still holding me to sleep, every day—”

With a click, the stone in his hand was crushed, maybe it wasn't the stone, but his finger bones.But at this moment, he could no longer feel the pain. He held his forehead, and his whole body was trembling uncontrollably like winter.

"Stop it, He Cheng, please stop it."

He Cheng's voice changed into an unusually light tone, and he smiled again, then paused.

He obviously stopped him from continuing, but Chu Xingyun couldn't help asking: "So you survived?"

He Cheng took a deep breath, and said in a low voice: "Yes, they resisted, cried, and even wanted to escape - only I didn't resist, so I survived."

He Cheng's words explained Feng Jingcheng's motive for committing the crime.

After squatting for too long, his legs were swollen and numb, Chu Xingyun simply sat on the ground, supported his forehead, and closed his eyes.In the darkness, he stood on the edge of the abyss, staring deeper, testing——

October 29th was the day when Feng Jingcheng's wife and children passed away, and all the misfortunes since then had planted the seeds of suffering in the blizzard on Mira Mountain that day.

Feng Jingcheng's wife is a Tibetan. She believes in Buddhism, and reincarnation in Buddhism is a esoteric sect that all Tibetan Buddhist believers believe in. Is it possible that Feng Jingcheng also believes in Buddhism along with her wife?Believe in reincarnation?Otherwise, why would he be looking for a child born on October 29?

The day he lost his child was October 29th.

If we follow this line of thinking, then Feng Jingcheng specifically selected children born on October 11th 29 years later, and his purpose was not to kidnap or kill them.

Instead - looking for his own son.

If we can trace the source of this man's psychopathy, loss of control, and madness, it may be when his wife and children died. Deng Jie said that the bodies of his wife and children were not found, but when he was found, he was covered in blood and his vital signs were intact. , a miraculous survival.To make the most daring and cruelest idea, if Feng Jingcheng used the remains of his wife and children to survive, then he later killed the rebellious children and ate their flesh and blood, which would be traceable——

Chu Xingyun noticed that his consciousness had fallen into a bloody mess, and the deeper he thought, the more painful it became, but just now He Cheng's words played back in his mind again and again, forcing him to keep going to the ground that had been covered up and flattened Dig until you find those rotting roots and uproot them.

He Cheng has matured since he was a child, so he didn't resist, and it was his non-resistance that allowed him to survive.So Feng Jingcheng 'raised' him for more than a year. He Cheng's survival was not lucky or accidental, but Feng Jingcheng, under the pressure of being hunted down, chose to temporarily exile He Cheng, thus taking away Chen Yunan as a substitute.

Now, 13 years later, he came back, and he attacked He Cheng again like a nightmare. For him, He Cheng had already become his belongings, his prisoner in exile.

In other words, he has long regarded He Cheng as his own child.

"Are you ok?"

After not hearing Chu Xingyun's voice for a long time, He Cheng couldn't help feeling a little worried.

Chu Xingyun stood up slowly with the help of the wall, his blood-congested and numb legs seemed to be stepping on cotton, and it was difficult to apply force.There was a layer of red light in his eyes, the messy and hot colors gradually dissipated, leaving a layer of tender pity, and said with a smile: "It's okay, I found the truth."

He Cheng paused, sighed in a low voice, and said, "Hurry up and come back, I——suddenly want to see you so much."

Chu Xingyun responded, and when he was about to hang up the phone, he suddenly called out: "He Cheng."

"what happened?"

Chu Xingyun leaned against the wall, looked up at the few clouds that were blown away by the breeze, took a long breath, and said with a low and soft voice, "You know, why did I suddenly leave you Move out of the room and keep a distance from you?"

Speaking of the knot in his heart more than ten years ago, he did not expect that he was so calm and deeply happy.

He Cheng was silent for a long time, and when he spoke again he laughed, and asked, "Why?"

Chu Xingyun raised the corners of his lips, his eyes were in a daze, and the blue sky and white clouds were reflected in his pupils, making his eyes look no longer fierce and angry, but bright and clean.

As if recalling some beautiful things, Chu Xingyun laughed in a low voice: "Because my classmates made fun of you, they said that I spoil you, accompany you, treat you well, because I like you, yes Thinking of you as my bride - I was so ashamed and angry that I fought them, but when I got home that night and saw you, I couldn't hold my head up in shame and didn't know what to do with it You, so I chose to stay away from you in a very embarrassing and cowardly way. Thinking about it now, the reason why I was so angry and ashamed at that time was probably because I felt ashamed because those people broke my mind. "

Speaking, Chu Xingyun paused, lowered his head, raised the corners of his lips, and said in a gentle and incredible voice: "I love you."

He Cheng's voice was weak and trembling as if squeezed out of messy breathing, and said, "I know."

Chu Xingyun laughed lowly, raised his hand and rubbed the sore corners of his eyes, then raised his head to face the vast sea and sky above his head, and said, "No, you don't know. You said you once asked auntie if we could get married—this piece I know the thing, I was outside the door at the time, I heard your conversation, so I swore in my heart; God, this beautiful boy, he is He Cheng, he is my young master, please be sure to Bless him, and bless me, bless me to be with him and love him for the rest of my life."

He Cheng smiled. Although Chu Xingyun couldn't see his appearance, he could outline his face in the flowing clouds in front of him. At this time, He Cheng must be smiling innocently and brilliantly, with tears in his eyes.

"A lifetime is too long, now, can you appear in front of me within an hour?"

He Cheng asked with a smile.

The momentary distraction was so severe that he didn't even notice when two men wearing black hats appeared at the entrance of the alley.

Chu Xingyun squinted at their right hands hidden under their coats, turned around and walked in the same direction they came, and said calmly: "No problem, you go to the airport and wait for me first."

After finishing speaking, he hung up the phone, took a few steps and quickly turned around the alley with his mobile phone in his pocket.

The rented cars are all equipped with positioning systems. These people must have seen his license plate number and traced him to the rental car company, so they followed him all the way here.

Chu Xingyun hurriedly walked in the narrow alley, his sharp and calm eyes scanned the surrounding obstacles calmly, opened his coat and pulled out the pistol that Zheng Xihe supported him before this trip from the holster on his back waist.

Very good, the alleys here are deep and extend in all directions, walking in it is like a maze, it is an excellent location for street fighting.