Chapter 488: Another Qixi Festival

Wu Xu continued his calm narration. “I took her bank card to withdraw money. She had over three hundred thousand yuan in her account. To be honest, I was a bit disappointed. I thought she’d have millions after selling herself for so many years. Oh well, three hundred thousand is three hundred thousand. It was the most money I had ever made in my life! I didn’t get carried away, just transferred the money to a prepared account and went back to deal with the woman.

“I didn’t expect Xiao Fatty to have stripped her naked. He wanted to have his way with her. I was speechless. This idiot had no ambition. If the police found his semen, we’d both be dead! From that moment, I knew he’d be the death of me. I planned to ditch him sooner or later. So, we were extra cautious with the second woman…”

“And the first victim?” Chen Shi asked.

“Of course, we killed her,” Wu Xu said with a grin. “I did it! One blow to the temple, and she was dead. Blood splattered all over Xiao Fatty. He screamed at me, but I ignored him. I told him to clean up the body. I didn’t trust this coward, so I supervised him the whole time. He was so pathetic, vomiting while dismembering the body. He begged me to help, but I refused. It took him all night, cutting and chopping, to dismember the body. We packed the bones and burned them in the outskirts, ground the meat and flushed it down the drain, then cleaned the scene three times. She vanished without a trace, like she evaporated.”

Wu Xu smiled proudly, as if he had achieved something remarkable.

“Do you know what I thought at that moment? I regretted it! Killing someone was so easy. The next day, everything was the same. Nobody cared about a missing prostitute. Thinking back, I realized how stupid I was when I stabbed someone ten years ago, ran away, and got caught by the police. If I had known killing and dismembering was so easy, I wouldn’t have gone to jail.”

Lin Dongxue felt a chilling fear. The pride and smugness in his voice as he recounted the murders revealed a deeply corrupted soul. He had no human emotions. Killing was as easy as hunting an animal for him.

Wu Xu asked for a cigarette and exhaled a long breath, staring at the ceiling as he continued describing the next two murders. His account was horrifying.

“…I realized I couldn’t keep Xiao Fatty around. This idiot would get me killed. I needed to get rid of him and blame everything on him. That way, the police would keep chasing him, and I could escape with the money to take care of my mom. This method was taught to me by a death row inmate. Mix hydrochloric acid and cyanide, and you get toxic gas. You can steal these from an electroplating factory…”

Lin Dongxue glanced at the evidence, which included surveillance footage from the factory showing a thief who resembled Wu Xu.

“I set the trap, clogged the drain with some garbage. Xiao Fatty, clueless, was upstairs grinding the meat and flushing it down. Of course, it overflowed, and people gathered around. I called Xiao Fatty, told him to look downstairs, that something was wrong, and he should kill the woman and throw her in the water tank on the roof.

“I had already removed the lock from the nearest water tank. I wore a gas mask and hid nearby. Xiao Fatty fell for it, opened the lid, and within seconds, he was poisoned. I locked the lid and left through another exit, watching you guys investigate from a distance…”

Chen Shi asked, “The first time we met you was about two hours after the police were called. Why were you still hanging around the neighborhood?”

Wu Xu said, “I wanted to see if I missed anything. Then…” He looked at Lin Dongxue, “I saw you. I wanted to see you again, just to look at you a bit more. Before I knew it, two hours had passed. That day, after talking to you, I was so happy. I know it’s like a toad wanting to eat swan meat, but I just wanted to see you more.”

Lin Dongxue felt nothing but disgust and didn’t want to look into his eyes.

Chen Shi asked, “What did you think you missed?”

“The plan was perfect. I just shouldn’t have shown up so often and made you suspicious,” Wu Xu said, oblivious to his own fault.

Chen Shi shook the evidence in his hand. “You don’t even realize how much evidence you left. Once we found Zhang Xiao’s body, it was only a matter of time before we caught you. Your guilty conscience brought you here early.”

Wu Xu pressed his lips together, frowning. “What evidence did I leave?”

Chen Shi sensed something in his tone and said, “You don’t think you’ll get another chance, do you?”

“I know I’m a dead man. Does it matter? When I get to prison, I’ll tell everyone about my exploits. Next time someone uses this method, they’ll do it better, make fewer mistakes, haha… hahaha…”

Wu Xu laughed maniacally. Lin Dongxue shook her head in pain. Chen Shi said, “We’ve asked everything. Details can wait for the scene identification.”

Chen Shi signaled Lin Dongxue to leave. As they reached the door, Lin Dongxue turned back. “Did those women deserve to die? You claim society abandoned you, so you kill those even weaker than you?”

“Those prostitutes, weak?” Wu Xu jabbed his chest. “I’m the weak one with no money, no power, no status. Society owes me. Killing anyone is justified! Lin Dongxue, let’s not hide it. If I had successfully drugged you that day, guess what I’d have done to you? Too bad, heaven didn’t give me the chance!”

Lin Dongxue clenched her fists in anger. Chen Shi placed a hand on her shoulder, signaling not to waste words on him.

In the empty interrogation room, Wu Xu, once arrogant, suddenly shed tears. “Nobody respects me. I’m just trash. One day, I’ll make them all pay!”

“People who give up on themselves are beyond saving,” Lin Dongxue said, walking down the hallway. She noticed the bustling scene outside the window and turned to Chen Shi. “Hey, isn’t today…”

“Yes, it’s Qixi. Look how lively it is outside… The case is finally over. Let’s go for a walk.”

“Come with me!”

Lin Dongxue pulled Chen Shi to Lin Qiupu’s office. Old Zhang and Xu Xiaodong were there. Chen Shi sensed a strange atmosphere, as if something big was about to happen.

Lin Qiupu stood up, saying, “Everyone, tonight… is Qixi again!”

His tone was heavy, and everyone looked uneasy, except Chen Shi, who was puzzled. “What’s going on?”

“On Qixi, a girl will be killed in this city,” Lin Dongxue frowned. “It’s the shame of the second team, a long-unsolved serial murder case!”

Chen Shi smiled confidently, “This year, I’m here!”