There was no way around it, so I went back to check the surveillance footage again. I rewound and fast-forwarded for a while, and I noticed that Yin Tiancheng and the others had been leaving the number three crematorium intermittently throughout the night. If the defiler wanted to make a move, they would have to wait until everyone else had left, to act alone. But I watched for a long time and didn't find anyone who was alone.
A terrifying thought suddenly struck me: could the defiler have been two people, or even three?
I rewound the footage again and watched it repeatedly for a period of time. It was then that I noticed that after 2 AM, three of them had stayed in the number three crematorium for a long time. My brows furrowed. They had always been in and out frequently, but between 2 AM and 3 AM, they never came out. This time period was extremely suspicious. If I guessed correctly, they were probably doing it to Fang Ruzhu in the number three crematorium at that time…
I copied this segment of the video and confronted the three individuals again. Apart from the cleaner Yin Tiancheng, I questioned the other two again. Faced with the video evidence, the three of them still had the same expression: "We didn't do anything, don't slander us." I said sternly, "Don't think I can't see it. You always came out every ten minutes or so. But between 2 AM and 3 AM yesterday, you didn't come out at all, and you only started coming out one after another at 3:12 AM. Although you were very careful, if you look closely, you can see that you deliberately came out separately after doing something you shouldn't have!"
"We really didn't!"
Since that was the case, I had no choice but to bring in Xia Hou and Xiao Yuande to interrogate them separately. Of course, they had to be taken back to the provincial department first.
The pressure wouldn't be as great on the people at the funeral home, and it would be even harder to force them to confess.
The video evidence was enough to summon them.
When facing Yang Hong, the first crematorium worker, Xia Xiaoling, who was interrogating with me, said, "Yang Hong, don't think you're safe just because you deny everything. Your palms have already been scanned by our machines, and we'll soon find evidence on the victim!"
"How is that possible? I've washed my hands back and forth, and also…"
"Heh heh, you've made a slip-up!" I said disdainfully.
"No, you're trying to trick me into confessing, I didn't do it, I don't know anything!" Yang Hong stubbornly insisted.
"Actually, I know it wasn't you, because you all did it together. This probably isn't the first time you've done something like this. You like to find beautiful female corpses and then… rape them, right?" I stared at the scoundrel in front of me and questioned him aggressively.
Yang Hong retorted, "Don't talk nonsense. Nothing happened. Why are you slandering us like this?"
"Nothing? When the lab results come out later, you won't be able to deny it. There will be trace particles left on anyone who has touched the scene or person."
"Officer He, please don't speak to me in such a professional manner, I don't understand. Even if you find something, so what? We work in crematoriums, it's normal to come into contact with corpses."
"Heh heh, then why did you touch their private parts? Who doesn't know that you weren't doing it intentionally?"
This time, Yang Hong had no rebuttal, as if he was at his wit's end. When the results from the lab came out, they were indeed similar to the previous ones. I had Zhang Keying and the others handle the follow-up work. I was no longer interested in these crematorium workers. After all, our top priority was still to apprehend Liang Chaobang.
We had mentioned Liang Chaobang in front of these crematorium workers, but it was clear that they had no connection to him. A day later, while reviewing the confessions, I noticed a potential loophole in Yang Hong's statement.
I suddenly thought of something and immediately had Yang Hong brought back to the interrogation room.
Upon seeing that I wanted to see him again, Yang Hong asked curiously, "Officer He, I've already become a prisoner, and it's all your fault. Why do you still want to see me?"
"Yang Hong, I can offer you a chance for leniency. It all depends on your decision now."
When this was mentioned, Yang Hong became very excited, his hands trembling with anxiety. "Really? I don't want to go to jail!"
"Desecrating a corpse is a serious offense, and you can't avoid jail. But it's good if your sentence can be reduced."
"Alright, then how can I help you?"
"I've read your confession. When you mentioned Liang Chaobang earlier, your answer wasn't that you didn't know him, but that you hadn't seen him?? Did you know him before?"
"So that's what it's about. Actually, I witnessed some strange things at the time, but I thought it had nothing to do with my case, so I didn't say anything!"
"No! This might be related to the case of the woman who came back to life at your funeral home! If you can provide us with clues in this case, we can definitely get your sentence reduced, understand?"
"You mean Fang Ruzhu, right? That woman is truly a miracle. She was clearly dead and then woke up. I was also curious. In my many years at the funeral home, I've never encountered such a thing."
When Yang Hong said "she was clearly dead and then woke up," his reaction seemed genuine, as if he was encountering it for the first time. I didn't waste a second and immediately pressed, "Tell me, what exactly were the strange circumstances!"
"Can I have a glass of hot water first? I need to prepare myself, because this matter is even more terrifying than Fang Ruzhu's situation…" Yang Hong swallowed, his pupils slightly constricted, his legs trembling, and his lips dry. It seemed like a shocking scene was playing out in his mind. I quickly got him a glass of water. After drinking the warm water, Yang Hong was clearly less nervous. The human brain is like a vast orchestra; it's thanks to the concerted efforts of neurotransmitters that a joyful performance can take place. Among all "neurotransmitters," serotonin plays one of the most crucial roles. If there's not enough serotonin, one's mood can become unstable. Drinking hot water can maximize the effect of serotonin, thereby alleviating anxiety.
Yang Hong closed his eyes tightly, his brain seemingly working at high speed. He was organizing his thoughts.
After about 2 minutes, he slowly opened his mouth.
"I am a professional crematorium worker. Actually, I wasn't in this profession before. But due to circumstances, my mother fell seriously ill, my wife left, and my child was imprisoned. Isn't it very cliché, but these things really happened to me.
That year, I was introduced to Longxi Funeral Home by Director Liu, and then I started working in crematoriums."