Chapter 427: The Bloodthirsty Muse

It took twenty minutes for the lawyer to return. During that time, Lin Dongxue resisted the urge to question Luo Zuyu alone, knowing that letting her guard down now could give the other side an opening.

When the lawyer finally returned, he whispered with Luo Zuyu, who was visibly agitated, repeatedly saying, “What’s the point of having you here?” and “You’re pushing me into the fire!”

“Done talking?” Chen Shi glanced at his watch. It was already nine o’clock. “Let’s continue.”

“Ask away.”

“Have you ever contacted the victim, Ling Shuangshuang?”

“No!” Luo Zuyu gritted his teeth.

“Then why is this photo on her phone?” Chen Shi presented the second piece of evidence: the photo Ling Shuangshuang had secretly taken.

Seeing the photo, the lawyer panicked, and Luo Zuyu became even more nervous. Chen Shi took a sip of water, “This is just part of the evidence found on her phone. How do you explain it?”

“The person in the photo isn’t me!” Luo Zuyu insisted.

Despite having no way out, he continued to resist, making Lin Dongxue almost laugh in exasperation. “Keep lying. Why would we have an arrest warrant without solid evidence? Your lies only add to your guilt.”

Chen Shi said, “We have one decisive piece of evidence left. Once we present it, you won’t even have the chance to redeem yourself.”

The lawyer wiped his cold sweat with a handkerchief, whispering to Luo Zuyu, whose fists were clenched tightly. He was clearly on the verge of breaking down. A little more pressure, and his composure would crumble.

Chen Shi asked, “Did you mix your songs yourself?”

Luo Zuyu’s eyes widened in shock, cold sweat pouring down his face, his lips trembling. The lawyer pressed, “What’s wrong? What mixing? Speak up so I can help you!”

“Shut up!” Luo Zuyu roared, punching the lawyer in the face. “What have you done for me? Useless! How did the police get this evidence?”

Lin Dongxue wanted to intervene, but Chen Shi stopped her. The lawyer, now nursing a swollen cheek, endured the insult for the sake of money and tried to adjust his glasses. “Calm down, let’s think of a solution together.”

“A solution? What can you possibly come up with?” Luo Zuyu screamed, “I did it! I killed her!”

His outburst brought silence to the interrogation room, save for the faint hum of the recorder. Lin Dongxue clenched her fist. They had broken him.

The lawyer’s face showed utter despair, yet he still tried to defend Luo Zuyu. “That statement doesn’t count. Without physical evidence, even a confession isn’t…”

“I did it! I did it! What will you do about it? Ha ha ha!” Luo Zuyu laughed maniacally, revealing his true self. With each confession, the lawyer’s face grew paler, realizing it was all over.

“How did you kill her?” Chen Shi asked.

Luo Zuyu stared darkly at him. “I injected her with drugs, then slit her wrists. As she bled out in the bathroom, I had sex with her…” A sick smile crept across his face as he recalled that night.

“This wasn’t your first time, was it? Killing one person or ten, the crime is the same. No need to hide.”

“Yes, I’ve killed many women!” Luo Zuyu’s smile twisted grotesquely.

“No!” the lawyer cried, but it was too late.

“You’re a seasoned killer. Why did you kill her?” Chen Shi asked.

“Because… because…” Luo Zuyu’s hands trembled with excitement. “Every time I kill, I get creative inspiration. No, killing itself is an art form. You common people wouldn’t understand! Young, beautiful bodies, sliced open by my knife, smiling as they die—such fleeting beauty can’t be matched by anything else. I pour that feeling into my music. You think my songs are about love? Ha! They’re about death, the most beautiful death!” He laughed maniacally.

His arrogance was his downfall. Even in admitting his crimes, Luo Zuyu exuded a twisted pride, as if he were a divine artist.

Chen Shi played along, “Though we stand on opposite sides, I understand your feelings…”

“You understand nothing!” Luo Zuyu screamed, his hair plastered with cold sweat to his pale forehead. “You commoners, bound by mundane rules, will never understand me… No one understands me. True art breaks free of societal norms. Laws are nothing to me. I am above all! Beauty is justice!”

Lin Dongxue was horrified by his deranged confession, but Chen Shi knew he was now completely unhinged, willing to say anything. He lowered his tone, feigning admiration, “When was your first kill?”

The lawyer covered his face with a folder, slumping in his chair, having given up entirely.

Luo Zuyu grinned, “It was my family’s maid, a plump woman. I was nineteen, working on a song for a competition. She kept cleaning, making noise. I strangled her with fishing line. Watching her struggle excited me. I had sex with her corpse over and over, then lay exhausted on the floor, my mind filled with a beautiful melody. I quickly wrote it down, using her blood when I couldn’t find a pencil! That song, you’ve all heard it, my debut hit, beautiful like heaven’s music…”

“It truly is a masterpiece,” Chen Shi praised, encouraging him to continue.

Luo Zuyu stared at the ceiling, eyes seeming to peer into the stars beyond, “From then on, I had a new faith, a bloodthirsty muse. Whenever I got high, she appeared, demanding sacrifices for the best music. I couldn’t stop. I killed girl after girl. With my fame, wealth, and looks, women flocked to me—aspiring actresses, groupies, fans fainting at my sight. To me, they were sent by my muse, chosen for sacrifice…

“Once, I killed a girl I loved, a senior from school. I cried over her body, but I needed inspiration for my first Chinese album. The pressure was driving me insane. I had to sacrifice someone I loved to my muse!” Luo Zuyu wept, “I didn’t kill those people. You did! You made me a star, forced me to write new songs every year. Critics, fans, media—you drove me mad! High up here, the price I paid, you wouldn’t understand. No one understands!”

Chen Shi watched his breakdown, knowing they had exposed his true nature.