Chapter 129 The Darkness of the Orphanage

Long Hao and Liu Fengxia both looked at the hair in his hand.

"Put it in a sealed bag first."

Chen Mo handed it to Liu Fengxia.

The three of them immediately began their analysis.

This hair was very thin; similar hair was often seen on the heads of many balding old men.

Until this moment, Chen Mo was unwilling to think the worst.

Because that thought was too terrifying.

"So, Cui Shengli wasn't the only one who came to this basement? He brought others here too?"

A look of contemplation appeared on Long Hao's face.

Theoretically, the orphanage belonged to Cui Shengli, and the office was his too.

Whomever he wanted to bring had nothing to do with the police.

However, the timing of these visits was highly suspicious.

They couldn't help but let their minds wander.

But at this moment, everyone tacitly refrained from speaking out loud.

"With current technology, we can't identify this person based on a single hair."

"We still need the Director's cooperation."

A moment later.

The three of them returned to the surface.

"I'll ask you one last time."

"When Cui Shengli came, was anyone with him?"

"Who was this person!"

Chen Mo spoke to Shang Yuan word by word, his face stern.

"I..."

Shang Yuan looked nervous; no one could remain indifferent under such interrogation.

"Mr... Mr. Liu."

Mr. Liu?

Everyone looked at each other; none of them had seen this person in Cui Shengli's files.

"Who is he?"

"Mr. Liu is the supermarket's largest supplier. The reason Shengli Supermarket can sell at lower prices than anywhere else is because of Mr. Liu."

Chen Mo nodded, gesturing for him to continue.

"I don't know Mr. Liu's full name; that's just what everyone calls him. He's in his forties, balding with a buzz cut, and wears glasses."

Shang Yuan gave a rough description of the man's appearance.

But his words still hadn't touched on the main point.

Was he truly flustered?

Or were there things he wanted to hide and didn't want to say?

At this moment, everyone leaned toward the latter.

"So, what was he doing here?"

"You are the Director here; don't tell me you don't know."

Chen Mo issued a cold warning.

*Gulp.*

The sound of swallowing saliva came from Shang Yuan.

"To... to..."

He repeated the start of the sentence several times but couldn't bring himself to finish it.

His behavior caused Chen Mo and the others' hearts to sink.

The worst-case scenario had been confirmed.

A big boss coming to an orphanage in the middle of the night, and the Director was afraid to speak of it.

The purpose was obvious.

"You knew all of this, yet you don't realize what your actions entail?"

Chen Mo grabbed him by the collar and let out a cold shout!

Pedophilia!

Damn it!

This guy was actually the Director.

If he was aiding such crimes, there was no telling how many children had suffered!

"Speak!"

—Thud.

Chen Mo punched Shang Yuan in the corner of the mouth.

The man, who had been standing, collapsed to the ground instantly.

These children were already orphans with no parents, pitiable enough as it was.

To think they were also being victimized by people like this.

The level of depravity was simply appalling!

"I..."

Shang Yuan wanted to defend himself, but all that came out was a bitter smile.

He wiped the blood from his mouth with his hand.

"Sun Yi, notify the Xinghan police and have them assist us in interrogating him first."

Sun Yi nodded and turned to leave in a huff.

"Did Cui Shengli have that fetish too?"

Long Hao crouched down and looked at Shang Yuan.

If that were the case, then his purpose for opening the orphanage was too horrific.

The image of a charitable person was all for his own selfish desires!

"No, Mr. Cui wasn't that kind of person, but Mr. Liu is."

"As I said before, Mr. Liu is the largest supplier for Shengli Supermarket; he has the lowest prices in the country."

"Mr. Cui needed to curry favor with him and cater to his tastes."

Realizing he could no longer hide anything, Shang Yuan spoke.

His answers were no longer as sluggish as before.

He adopted the posture of someone ready to tell all, answering questions rapidly.

"Then do you know who his killer is?"

"I mean, among the children in this orphanage, who is most likely to have killed him?"

The situation was now very clear.

Cui Shengli had done terrible things to the children.

There was a high probability that a child had sought revenge after growing up.

This orphanage was established in '92.

And the man died in '99.

Seven years was enough for a child to grow up.

More importantly.

If the killer was a child.

Then the modus operandi seemed to make sense.

Initially, they thought the single-stroke throat-slitting was a technique developed by an assassin after killing many people—the fastest way to kill.

But if the killer was a child raised in the orphanage.

Then the single-stroke throat-slitting didn't mean they were a master of killing who simplified the complex.

It meant they didn't know any other moves at all.

They only knew this one move and had practiced it for years.

"There are too many children, I don't know."

"And before Mr. Liu arrived, I would give the children sedatives to make them sleep soundly."

"Theoretically, the children would only feel physically unwell and wouldn't know what happened."

"The doctor would also tell them they just had an upset stomach or something."

Shang Yuan shook his head nervously, indicating he couldn't guess.

—Thud.

Shang Yuan, who had just sat up, was punched back to the ground by Chen Mo.

It was said that police shouldn't hit people.

But surely no one would object to hitting a beast!

*Hiss.*

Shang Yuan curled his body, covering the wounds on his face with both hands. He didn't dare make a sound of pain, only daring to stifle it.

He now wished he were an ant, so small that no one could see him.

That way, he wouldn't be beaten anymore.

Walking out of Cui Shengli's office.

Chen Mo had also calmed down.

"The most important thing now is to bring that Mr. Liu into custody."

"Also, we need to get that list."

...

About half an hour later.

Based on Shang Yuan's account, a list of children who were between 16 and 18 years old in '99 and capable of killing was recorded.

It wasn't many.

Only eight children.

It included their current situations.

After these children left the orphanage, considering their mental health and social adaptation.

Special personnel would be sent to conduct regular follow-up visits.

Of the eight children now, the youngest was 19 and the oldest was 21.

Three years ago, they all possessed the capability to kill.

"Were all these children victims of abuse?"

"Yes, these are the ones I know of. Mr. Cui has other orphanages."

"I don't know anything beyond that."

As Shang Yuan's words fell, everyone realized the gravity of the situation.

Cui Shengli had invested in and built seven or eight orphanages.

Over the years, he had helped more than ten thousand children in total.

This orphanage was just the tip of the iceberg of his crimes.

"How did you ever pass your political background check!"

Everyone looked at Shang Yuan, feeling it was preposterous.

"Hahaha!"

Just then, Shang Yuan suddenly burst out laughing.

"What could I do? If I didn't listen to him, I'd lose my job!"

"And then I'd be thrown into the river!"

He put heavy emphasis on the words 'thrown into the river'.

"If you had investigated, you'd know my two predecessors both died after resigning!"

"One in a car accident, the other accidentally fell into the river."

"So, Officers, if I refused him, I was dead. If I didn't refuse him, I had to go against my conscience. You tell me, what was I supposed to do?"