Chapter 320: A Terrifying Woman

“Let’s start with the case in front of us.”

Sitting back down, Xiao Yu fixed his gaze on Feng Xiuyun’s face.

“What was your purpose in telling Niu Xin about that case? Did you actually commit murder—”

“No need to ask.” Feng Xiuyun shook her head, cutting Xiao Yu off mid-sentence. “It was all a story I made up, just to get the police’s attention. The murder weapon is fake. The iron blocks were thrown off the bridge three years ago. I didn’t kill anyone three years ago. I just happened to know that someone from Bincheng City went missing back then. As for how that person disappeared… I won’t say. This isn’t a threat, nor is it a negotiation. But unless my sister’s case is solved, even if you send me back to prison, I won’t tell you anything.”

Xiao Yu’s expression showed a trace of surprise.

The situation was roughly as he had suspected.

Feng Xiuyun had deliberately fabricated the horrific murder case to attract the attention of the police.

She wanted to leave prison, return to Bincheng City, and use the police to investigate her sister’s case from years ago.

She claimed there were no conditions, but in truth, she had already set them.

If the police helped her solve the case, she would reveal the truth about the missing person. If they didn’t, that missing person would remain lost forever.

Was this a threat?

It was—though not entirely.

After all, the murder case from five years ago involving her sister was still unsolved.

As the sister of a victim, was she wrong to want to participate in solving the case?

Legally speaking, the police couldn’t prevent her from seeking justice. And if Feng Xiuyun really did have clues, wouldn’t it be negligent for the police to ignore them and not pursue the truth?

So…

“Did you plan all of this in advance?”

Xiao Yu’s eyes darkened as he stared at her, his voice turning cold.

“Yes.” Feng Xiuyun nodded without hesitation. “Unless you have no intention of solving the case.”

‘What a clever woman.’ Xiao Yu couldn’t help but smile. 

“How did you know the perpetrator from the case five years ago has resurfaced?”

He was skeptical, and rightfully so.

How could someone in prison know what was happening in the outside world? Even the police weren’t certain who the perpetrator was—how could she know? Did that make any sense?

“I just know,” Feng Xiuyun replied, her tone cold and proud, as if she was shutting everyone out. “I want to investigate it myself.”

Seeing her use the most defiant tone to say the most absurd thing, Xiao Yu nearly laughed.

“Are you confused about your current situation?”

“No confusion,” Feng Xiuyun shook her head. “If I hadn’t wanted to enter prison myself, do you think I’d be here?”

Xiao Yu fell silent.

She wasn’t wrong. That was the key he couldn’t figure out. There had been no reason for Feng Xiuyun to kill her sister. Yet, she had.

There had been no reason for her to end up in prison. Yet, here she was.

“That doesn’t mean the police will let you lead us around by the nose.” Xiao Yu shook his head. “Without a valid reason, you’ll never walk out of the detention center.”

He wasn’t joking.

Without extraordinary circumstances, there was no way a prisoner would be allowed out.

Feng Xiuyun lowered her head, seemingly lost in thought. After a long moment, she suddenly raised her head and looked directly at Xiao Yu.

“Twenty-some days ago, there was a victim who didn’t report the crime. The police should investigate. She was likely hospitalized at XX Hospital. That bastard leaves the same mark on every victim he attacks.”

Xiao Yu’s expression grew colder. “What kind of mark?”

“A cross,” Feng Xiuyun said, her voice steady. “Not a tattoo. He carves a cross into the victim’s back using a knife. He cuts it directly into their skin.”

‘That’s right…’ Xiao Yu blinked slowly.

In the case from five years ago, all three female victims had a distinct mark left by the perpetrator on their backs—a carved cross. However, after those three consecutive attacks, the perpetrator seemed to vanish into thin air. The police couldn’t uncover a single lead.

And now, five years later, had the perpetrator resurfaced?

They’d know after checking.

Xiao Yu glanced at Guo Qiang, who immediately stood up and left.

Inside the interrogation room, neither Xiao Yu nor Feng Xiuyun spoke another word. 

Time ticked by slowly.

After about half an hour, Xiao Yu’s phone rang.

It was Guo Qiang. He said just one sentence: “Boss, I confirmed it, it’s true.”

Putting down the phone, Xiao Yu looked at Feng Xiuyun and slowly stood up.

“One day.”

Taking a suspect out of the detention center was simple. But taking a convicted criminal required following the proper procedures.

***

One day later, outside the detention center.

Xiao Yu coldly watched as two female officers escorted Feng Xiuyun out of the facility.

Inside the police car.

“How do you plan to investigate?” Xiao Yu turned his head to look at Feng Xiuyun, who was sitting in handcuffs between the two female officers.

“First, I’ll see the victim,” Feng Xiuyun said calmly.

‘She’s following the procedure correctly, but…’

Xiao Yu frowned and asked, “Have you studied criminal investigation?”

“To find that bastard, I studied it for two years,” Feng Xiuyun’s answer came through gritted teeth.

From her tone, Xiao Yu could hear an overwhelming sense of murderous intent. And a hatred so deep she wanted him dead.

After about twenty minutes, the police car pulled up outside a residential complex.

Shouldn’t this be a hospital?

No. The victim hadn’t just failed to report the crime, she had only stayed in the hospital for a few days before returning home, where she was now being cared for by her family.

This incident had occurred 22 days ago. So how did Feng Xiuyun, who was in prison, find out about it?

One day was enough for Xiao Yu to uncover many details.

It was indeed a coincidence.

The victim’s elder sister happened to be a convicted criminal serving time in the same prison as Feng Xiuyun. 

As for how Feng Xiuyun learned about the situation—sixteen days ago, the female convict met with her family during visitation. 

Once a criminal’s sentence was finalized, they were allowed to meet with family members. In detention centers, visitation lasted 15 minutes per session and could happen multiple times a month. In prisons, visitation was limited to 30 minutes per session, with no more than three visits per month.

During that particular visitation, the female convict learned about her younger sister’s horrific ordeal. She had been raped, abused, and left permanently injured.

The convict was devastated after the visit. She broke down in tears and told the other inmates in her cell about what had happened to her sister.

That was how Feng Xiuyun learned about it.

Fifteen days ago, she fabricated a horrific murder case and shared it with Niu Xin, another inmate in her cell.

Niu Xin reported the story to the authorities.

Ten days ago, both Niu Xin and Feng Xiuyun were transferred to the Bincheng City detention center, and the Criminal Investigation Brigade fully took over the case. Now, Feng Xiuyun had walked out of the detention center.

For a woman to go to such lengths…

It was just as Xiao Yu had said.

She was an intelligent woman. But also a terrifying one.