Chapter 674: Guidance from the Shadows

“Hey, stop that, what are you doing?” Lin Dongxue shouted.

Chang Juan ignored her and spewed a string of curses at Chen Shi in a monotonous, recitative manner, like reciting poetry. Chen Shi, intrigued rather than angered, found the girl incredibly strange and wanted to understand the reason behind her behavior.

After Chang Juan finished cursing, Lin Dongxue said, “Do you know what you’re doing? False reporting and insulting others—I can arrest you right now.”

Chang Juan stared blankly at Lin Dongxue for a few seconds and then said to Chen Shi, “Sorry.” Her tone was as indifferent as when she was cursing.

“I’ll reserve my judgment on that. Let’s get to the point. What do you know about Chunqin’s murder?” Chen Shi asked.

“The incident happened on the night of November 18th last year. My husband and I were sleeping when an intruder broke into our home. My husband yelled, ‘Who’s there?’ and was immediately punched, then dragged under the bed. I was terrified and curled up on the bed without saying a word. They fought in the dark for a long time until my husband suddenly stopped moving. Then, the intruder came over and turned on the light…” Chang Juan narrated calmly.

It seemed she was still insisting that she was Chunqin. Chen Shi decided not to pursue that matter for now. He asked, “What’s your husband’s name?”

“Li Tiezhu, nicknamed Tiedan.”

“What’s your dog’s name?”

“Heizi, though it was a yellow dog.”

“What does your house look like?”

“Two bedrooms, one living room, and a courtyard. It’s a single-story house, about…” Chang Juan hesitated, “over a hundred square meters.”

Lin Dongxue was stunned. These details were spot-on, known only to someone very close to the victims. She couldn’t help but ask, “Who are you really?”

Chang Juan pointed at herself and said, “The person talking to you from this body is Chunqin.”

“If you keep joking like this, I’ll lose my patience!” Lin Dongxue was getting irritated.

“I told you the truth, but you don’t want to believe it,” Chang Juan replied calmly, as if reciting from memory. “I can continue telling you the details of the case until you believe me.”

“Fine, you said the intruder turned on the light. Did you see his face?” Chen Shi asked.

Chang Juan nodded.

“What did he look like?”

“I can’t remember. It’s been too long.”

“That was the last face you saw before you died,” Chen Shi assumed she was indeed the victim. “You saw that face for two hours. How can you not remember?”

“He wasn’t in front of me the whole time. I was raped, but he mostly did it from behind. When he did face me, I didn’t dare look into his eyes because I was too scared.”

“Convenient excuse!” Chen Shi sneered. “You must remember some details, like any distinguishing features.”

After a moment of silence, Chen Shi suddenly thought that Chang Juan’s pauses felt like she was receiving instructions.

Chang Juan continued, “He was very pale, like he was covered in powder. He wasn’t wearing clothes. At first, I didn’t realize, but now I recall he didn’t take his clothes off inside the house; he was already naked when he came in. His body was covered in hair, but it was all shaved off. During the rape, I could feel the stubble on his legs and chest.”

The details were so vivid that Lin Dongxue felt uncomfortable. She remembered a case detail—white powder was found at the scene, identified as calcium carbonate from a nearby workshop that made century eggs.

How could Chang Juan know these details? Lin Dongxue wondered if she had been to the scene or met someone involved in the case.

After another pause, Chang Juan added, “He had a long scar on the back of his right hand, and the skin on his thumb looked different, like it was grafted. I remember clearly because he made me lick the scar and suck his thumb. His skin felt like sandpaper, and his fingernails smelled like a mix of animal guts and oil.”

Lin Dongxue was shocked. These were intimate details only a victim would know.

Then she reconsidered; these could be fabricated details. There was no way to verify them. It must be fake!

Chen Shi, however, was listening intently. He asked, “Do you remember his voice?”

“Yes, it was very deep, like a smoker’s voice. My father-in-law had a similar voice, always sounding like he had phlegm in his throat.”

“Any accent?”

“He had a bit of a drawl. I can’t mimic it.”

“What was your husband doing while you were being raped?” Chen Shi suddenly asked.

As expected, Chang Juan paused again, her eyes unfocused, as if receiving instructions. She then said, “He was tied to a nearby pillar, forced to watch. He cried the whole time.”

Chen Shi observed her hair-covered ears and hands, but saw no signs of an earpiece. Could it be her glasses?

A voice only Chang Juan could hear whispered, “The police advisor named Chen is watching you. Act natural!” and “Get up and close the window so he doesn’t notice you’re spacing out.”

“Sorry, I’m a bit cold,” Chang Juan smiled, got up to close the window. Taking the opportunity, Chen Shi whispered to Lin Dongxue, “I suspect someone is guiding her!”

Lin Dongxue raised an eyebrow in surprise as Chang Juan returned, saying naturally, “Shall we continue discussing the case?”

Chen Shi gestured for her to proceed.

Chang Juan touched her neck. “I was terrified because no one could protect me. My only thought was to satisfy him so he wouldn’t hurt us further. The ordeal was excruciatingly long. Just when I thought it was over, a rope suddenly tightened around my neck. He pulled hard, making me arch my neck. My head felt like it would explode. My consciousness faded… and then, I died!” She looked up, staring into Chen Shi’s eyes.

Listening to this calm narration, Lin Dongxue felt a chill. Chen Shi said, “You claim to be Chunqin, but why do you speak as if recounting someone else’s story? Chunqin wouldn’t be so calm.”

“You don’t understand. Without a body, emotions like hate, anger, and pain don’t exist,” Chang Juan replied.

“If so, why report the crime? You have no hatred,” Chen Shi challenged.

“I finally have a chance to communicate through this girl’s body. I want to do something meaningful, like catching the criminal and preventing more victims,” Chang Juan smiled faintly.