209 Goodbye

 

Humans were curious creatures. When the two questioned in unison, I knew they wanted to know my answer. And I managed to check whether my supposition was correct or not through their expressions. Captain Lee and Xiao Liu were afraid that we might capture the killer first, so they refused to share this crucial piece of evidence with us. However, humans communicated not only with words but also expressions, gazes, or even small movements.

I paused and said while I studied their expression, “You found a different DNA, different from the DNA from the first case, and this is a woman’s DNA. But the two sets of DNA are very similar. They are identical, or what we call dizygotic twins.”

Zhang Tairui, who had been standing behind the two, answered, “That’s right. In terms of hereditary study, monozygotic twins came from the same cell, so their sex and DNA are identical. They’re made from the same mold.” Zhang Tairui walked forward and added, “Dizygotic twins in comparison are different because they come from two different fertilized ova. Their DNA makeup will be different.”

I knew that since Zhang Tairui was under the impression that the killer was numerous, he would naturally think that the killer was a twin. However, he ignored the very small possibility that the killer might be a hermaphrodite.

Guan Zhenglin said as she pieced together the bowl. “But your DNA analysis shows that this is a monozygotic twin with the dizygotic property. During the fertilization process, the male Y chromosome was lost, right?”

Even though I didn’t understand the professional terms, I got the gist. Zhang Tairui nodded. “That’s right, so the killers are siblings.”

Xiao Liu added, “Wu Meng, this proves that you’re wrong. Now we have evidence to prove that there are multiple killers. We have 2 sets of DNA, and that solves the problem of the killers being suddenly male and female.” I hugged my chest and waited for Xiao Liu to continue. Xiao Liu chuckled and said, “Even though most serial killers in this world work alone, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t murderous teams. And normally, they are related by blood. You already see the result, and the killers are twins. Their actions are very similar.” Xiao Liu looked at me and explained, “So if the big brother is mentally unhinged, then the sister will most likely be crazy too. Some might call this destiny or a twin connection.”

“That’s right.” Zhang Tairui added, “Even the medical society has trouble explaining why twins behave so similarly. But since they have 99 percent similar DNA, then it’s not that surprising that they think and act similarly.

“So the killers are most likely a pair of twins.” Xiao Liu said confidently, “Also, you said you heard 3 voices in the sewer. I believe that girl is the two’s child. Since they are twins, their child will have mental problems. The family of 3 has been living underground for a long time already.” Xiao Liu concluded, “We found the bowls, mattresses used by the killer, and a toy. I believe the girl dropped the toy when she was chased by Wu Meng.”

I shook my head. “Fine, let’s assume the killer is a family of 3, but why would they go around killing people? Also, what is the purpose of the English messages left at the scenes? Can you answer that?”

Xiao Liu scratched his mustache. “The killers kill because the world cannot accept them.” Xiao Liu ordered, “Give me the map.” A member handed Xiao Liu the map. Xiao Liu looked at the map and used it to explain to us. “I believe the twins kill because these people have seen their daughter. I suspect their daughter is not only mentally challenged but also disfigured. That’s why the twins have to kill these people who have seen their daughter! When I was down in the sewers.” Xiao Liu used his finger to connect the crime scenes of all 3 stories. “These are the 3 crime scenes. It might look unrelated on the surface, but they are connected through the sewers. You can see how they are connected. We have reasons to believe that the daughter has come to the surface and has been treated as a monster by the victims. The twins were angry, so they killed these people.”

I didn’t say anything. These were the sewers, so naturally, it was connected, or else the sewer would be stuck. Xiao Liu’s explanation made sense, and it would explain why the killer chose to live underground.

“Then what about the English messages?”

Xiao Liu shrugged. “It’s clear that the messages aren’t so easily translated, many meaning will be lost in translation. For example, how would you translate Dao?” Xiao Liu paced and said, “Even Chinese have a hard time explaining it, much less explaining it in another language. If the translation is forced, then the meaning will be distorted. It’s the same when we translate these English messages. I’m afraid they are religious messages that can only be understood in English, messages like curses.” Xiao Liu sure was imaginative. “Perhaps this is a foreign religion, and they can’t be translated. Maybe they are trying to say this is an act of revenge for their daughter, or they want to tell others that their daughter is not a monster.”

My heart crumbled when I heard Xiao Liu. On the basis that the killer was a family of 3, all of his hypotheses lined up, but I still believed the killer was singular.

At this point, Xiao Liu put away the map. Before everyone else, he said, “Wu Meng, I’m afraid I’ll be catching the murderer before you do this time. When I was working under Captain Zhao, Captain Zhao always praised you but now that I’m no longer under Captain Zhao, I realize maybe I’m not so bad either.”

“What if you’re wrong?” I looked at Xiao Liu.

Xiao Liu chuckled. “We have a key evidence that you don’t, and this evidence will lead us to the killers. Wu Meng, don’t always think that you are always correct and others are wrong. You are talented, but you are never put in as much hard work as others. This time, you’ll have to admit you’ve lost.”

At this point, Gu Chen pointed at Xiao Liu angrily, “You better make sure you catch the killer or else it’ll just blow up in your face. Who knows, we might get the killer before you after all!”

“You won’t have that chance.” Xiao Liu turned to Captain Lee. “We’re going to catch the murderers now.” Captain Lee nodded.

I had no idea what this key evidence was, and clearly, Xiao Liu was not going to tell us.

Captain Lee and his people left. Soon Xiao Liu returned alone. We looked at him, and he looked at us. Xiao Liu said, “This time, the unit, who fails to catch the killers will be eliminated. No matter how much the chief favors Captain Zhao, you won’t be staying at Dong Xing City anymore.” Xiao Liu’s eyes were red. “The days I spent solving cases with you all are the happiest days of my life. However, all gatherings come to an end. Furthermore, if you can soar, why crawl? One day, I hope you can understand that.” Xiao Liu turned around, “I’m just a normal person. I am not as talented as you, but I am definitely more hardworking than all of you, and God has seen that.”

“How fake.” Gu Chen chided.

Xiao Liu walked away. He had said his last goodbye to us.