Chapter 520: No Turning Back

After a thorough examination, no DNA of Zhang Hao’s father was found in the car. However, the driving records revealed multiple trips outside the city two years ago, which Chen Shi believed coincided with the time Zhang Hao disposed of the body.

Chen Shi speculated that Zhang Hao used the same method his father did to kill his grandfather. He killed his father, mixed the meat with beef paste to make meatballs, and discarded the bones in various places. A lone bone in the countryside would be hard to connect to a murder, especially if not scavenged by wild animals. This was likely why only a skull was found.

Lin Dongxue compiled all the evidence and presented it to Lin Qiupu, who then applied for an arrest warrant. By the afternoon, a stamped arrest warrant from the prosecutor’s office was handed to Lin Dongxue.

The formal arrest was scheduled for 7 PM. Lin Qiupu wanted to keep it low-profile due to the potential social impact of the case involving cannibalism.

As they got into the car, Chen Shi said, “I’ve got a funny news story for you. A restaurant owner abroad killed someone and disposed of the body using a similar method, and a customer reported it.”

“Why? Did it taste off?” Lin Dongxue asked.

“It was a vegetarian restaurant,” Chen Shi laughed.

“You heartless guy, you almost ate human flesh yourself.”

When they arrived at Zhang’s Noodle House, the alley was dark, and sobbing could be heard from upstairs. Lin Dongxue knocked on the door, and Zhang Hao’s wife answered, her eyes red from crying. The police entered the shop unceremoniously.

“Where’s Zhang Hao?” Lin Dongxue asked.

“He went out to buy something.”

“Ma’am, were you and your child crying just now?”

Zhang Hao’s wife lowered her head in silence. The child came running down the stairs, his face red and tear-streaked. He shouted, “Dad’s a bad man! Arrest him!”

“What happened?” Lin Dongxue demanded.

“He…” The wife stammered. “He was in a bad mood and hit the child. Could you please stop interfering in our family matters? I beg you.”

The child screamed, “Dad ran away! Catch him!”

“Stop talking nonsense!” the mother scolded.

Chen Shi sternly said, “What’s going on? Absconding will only make things worse. Don’t cover for him anymore.”

Frightened, the wife finally broke down and admitted that Zhang Hao had been in a foul mood all day after the morning incident. After hitting their son over a trivial matter, the son retaliated by threatening to tell the police everything. Zhang Hao then stormed out of the house.

Everyone was alarmed. Chen Shi glanced at the rack and noticed a missing knife. “This is bad. He might be after his uncle.”

“We need to find him!” Lin Dongxue urged.

“You stay here. I’ll go with the others.”

“Be careful!”

Chen Shi and the other officers headed straight to the uncle’s house. Arriving at the neighborhood, they saw a crowd gathered around an apartment building, talking about a disturbance upstairs. Someone had heard screams of “murder!”

Looking up, they saw blood-splattered curtains in a lit room with shadows moving inside.

Time was of the essence. The police rushed upstairs and kicked open the door to a chaotic scene. Zhang Kui was on the floor, covered in blood, crying and trying to stuff his intestines back into his abdomen.

Seeing the police, Zhang Kui wailed, “Help! My cousin’s gone mad!”

In the bedroom, Zhang Fa Rong was kneeling on the floor, having been stabbed multiple times. Zhang Hao was gripping his sparse hair with one hand and holding a bloody knife with the other, his eyes filled with murderous intent.

Guns trained on him, Chen Shi ordered, “Drop the knife!”

Zhang Hao roared, “Shoot me! I don’t care! You’ve ruined my life. I know I can’t escape this, but before I go, I’m taking this scum with me. I’ve had enough of him!”

“Think about it. If you harm him, we’ll shoot. You’ll never see your wife and son again. If word gets out that you were shot by the police while committing a crime, your son will be stigmatized for life,” Chen Shi reasoned, knowing that desperate people need to understand the consequences.

Hesitation flickered in Zhang Hao’s eyes. Zhang Fa Rong struggled, and Zhang Hao yanked his hair, shouting, “Don’t move!”

Zhang Fa Rong screamed in pain, and the police tensed up.

“What good is a family like mine?” Zhang Hao said mournfully. “Violence, insults, and coldness are how each generation teaches the next, under the guise of ‘tough love.’ My dad killed my grandpa, I killed my dad, and now my son is betraying me! Family only means calculation and indifference. I hate it! I hate that I have Zhang blood in me. I can’t shake the painful, helpless memories of my father beating me. I want to die! I don’t want to exist in this world anymore. It’s only brought me pain!”

“I see you differently. Though you’re a product of this tragic family, you’re not like your grandpa, dad, or uncle. You’ve reflected on yourself and tried to escape it. Deep down, you want to be a good father and husband. That chance isn’t gone yet. Don’t leave them with more painful memories,” Chen Shi urged.

Crying, Zhang Hao dropped the knife. The police rushed in to arrest him.

The injured Zhang Fa Rong and his son were taken to the hospital. Zhang Hao was put into the police car. Chen Shi handed him a cigarette. Though Chen Shi rarely sympathized with suspects, he felt a pang of sadness for Zhang Hao.

“To become the person you hate most is life’s greatest tragedy,” Chen Shi said gently. “You’ll have to serve time, but your wife and son can sell the house and move away.”

“My son will be happier without me.”

“No family is happy without a father, but it’s better than having an abusive one. It will still be tough. Your son will come of age in seven or eight years. Let’s hope he doesn’t turn out like you.”

“Do me a favor?”

“Anything.”

“I’ll confess everything. After that, I want a divorce to let my wife remarry.”

“Okay, I promise.”