Chapter 17

Zhen Yi returned to Ecstasy once again. In the daylight, the area looked desolate, dilapidated, and even ugly. The brilliant buildings from the night before had lost their neon lights, appearing as if its flesh and blood had been stripped away, leaving only the aged bones of steel or plastic.

The streets were deserted, not a single person in sight.

Inside was dark, even with the lights on, it felt cold and gloomy.

Wearing the club's staff uniform, Zhen Yi went unnoticed by the few staff members preparing for the evening as she made her way through. She found the administrative office and, since it was the afternoon, no one was on duty.

She started searching through cabinets.

If reasoning was similar to conducting experiments, she needed to find the most objective evidence. Before coming, she had convinced Si Gui with her analysis. Currently, Si Gui was waiting outside the block.

Soon, Zhen Yi found what she was looking for. As she was carefully examining and taking photos, she heard the voice of Suo Lei behind her, "What are you doing here?"

Ignoring him, Zhen Yi continued flipping through.

"I'm talking to you! Why aren't you checking inventory in the front, slacking off here!" Suo Lei's voice became harsh.

Zhen Yi turned around.

Suo Lei was stunned, "It's you... Why are you wearing our staff uniform?"

"Conducting an experiment," Zhen Yi said.

"Ecstasy often has temporary promotions for liquor, so staff members don't pay much attention to strangers in work uniforms."

The manager was not as polite as last time, "Lawyer Zhen, what you're doing is quite inappropriate."

"I have something I want to consult again. Can we have a drink and talk?" Zhen Yi suggested, her phone hidden behind her, connected to Si Gui's recorder. Without evidence, she could only trap the suspect with words.

The manager did not suspect anything and led her to the bar in the inner hall.

With only a few lights on, the bar had a gloomy atmosphere.

Zhen Yi sat on a high stool, sneaking a glance at her phone. The information she had just taken had been sent out. She raised her head, and the manager was mixing drinks. Behind him, the tables and chairs were dimly lit. Zhen Yi casually asked, "What's the success rate of drugging someone's drink in a bar?"

Suo Lei was mixing crushed ice into the drinks, not bothering to lift his head, "It depends on the other person's level of vigilance."

"That makes sense." She nodded. "If it's Lin Ziyi, it would be challenging to drug the drink of a woman he meets in a bar."

He ignored her, shaking the cocktail shaker vigorously.

"However, if the drink itself is problematic, given to him by the bartender, then the chances are much higher..."

"What are you trying to say?" He looked up.

"You should know." Zhen Yi stared at him.

Through a blue cylindrical pendant lamp, her face appeared exceptionally fair, contours distinct. "I've checked your registration forms and sign-in logs. Each temporary employee working as a bartender stays for at least three days. However, the bartender on the day of the incident only appeared on that day. The ID number is..."

"She didn't do well, worked for only one day, and left. What's the problem?" He remained calm, pouring the mixed drink into a cocktail glass layer by layer, creating a Bloody Mary.

"Listen to me carefully." She pointed at the glass. "I've looked into your temporary employee records, and there is a lack of her ID photocopy. Or, if the police check her ID number, either it doesn't exist, or the name doesn't match."

Suo Lei pushed the glass towards her. Under the blue light, the transparent liquid turned progressively purple. "It was our negligence, and we'll correct it in the future."

"Is it possible that this negligence was committed by Tang Yu? On that day, she wore the staff uniform in the bar without attracting any customer's attention, and the person 'appearing' on the camera is Tang Yu." Zhen Yi played with the cherry stem in the glass. "Oh, if it's your girlfriend Tang Yu, we can't call it negligence but... intentional."

The bar was eerily quiet, with only the two of them present.

A cone-shaped light shone down from above her head, making her eyelashes appear unusually long. It cast a shadow in her pupils, deeper than the black behind her.

He stared at her for a while. "You have quite an imagination."

"Really?" Zhen Yi gripped her phone. "I, on the contrary, think that although the staff may not notice Tang Yu and find her suspicious, can you guarantee that none of the employees would remember her if the police show up with her photo, saying she is Tang Shang's sister?"

He maintained a poker face. "What are you trying to say?"

"I have a lot to say. One thing puzzles me: in the crime scene room of an entertainment venue, there are no fingerprints, shoe prints, skin flakes, or hair from unrelated people. Is it because the staff did their job well and cleaned everything?"

"Our cleaning staff is very professional," he replied.

"If the forensic team searches other rooms, would they also be this clean?" Zhen Yi swung her glass, and the transparent liquid changed color under the different angles of the light.

The manager didn't immediately rebut.

Zhen Yi knew well, "Suo Lei, for the crime scene room to be so clean, it's likely that everything, including the carpet, was replaced. Could the killer have achieved this without the help of internal staff?"

The man across the bar remained silent, using a dry cloth to wipe the barware without a single drop of water. "The room's decorations and equipment were old, so we replaced them with a new set."

"Oh, do the newly replaced items in the room have purchase records and invoices? For such a big job, which staff members were involved?" Zhen Yi asked.

He didn't answer, pausing for a moment. He didn't expect this lawyer's questions to be so precise!

Zhen Yi continued, "Suo Lei, the murder weapon is also strange, isn't it?"

"What's strange about it?"

"This isn't an impulsive murder but a premeditated one. Planning to kill someone without preparing the murder weapon and relying on a fruit knife in the bar? The killer was either very careless, or he knew there would be a tool available for murder at the crime scene."

The manager fell silent, wiping the glass with a dry cloth. "It seems, never underestimate a lawyer."

"Do you admit that everything I said is correct?" she asked.

He neither confirmed nor denied, focusing on her glass. "Do you want another drink?"

"I believe you wouldn't tamper with it," she raised her glass, "but caution is always good."

He took the glass from her without getting annoyed, finishing the drink in one go. "Did you tell the police about all this?"

Zhen Yi didn't answer, judging his expression.

"The killer wanted revenge, so he wouldn't make Lin Ziyi lose consciousness. Otherwise, torture and castration would lose their meaning. The victim also wouldn't be able to quietly go upstairs in an unconscious state. So the drug in Lin Ziyi's drink, instead of a sedative, was an aphrodisiac. Castrating him while he was in the throes of passion... truly creative!" Her tone and choice of words were chilling.

He arranged the glass, unexpectedly calm, listening to her continue the reasoning.

"This kind of drug is easier for you to obtain than Tang Yu, and more untraceable. But Tang Yu bought the drug, indicating that, initially, you and her didn't plan this together. After all, you don't have a strong motive to kill Lin Ziyi. I guess you helped Tang Yu clean up the scene after the incident. If that's the case, I suggest you confess with me. Self-surrender can result in a lighter sentence. If she agrees to cooperate, I'm willing to help her with the legal proceedings."

"Fine. I have nothing to say. Let's go," he spread his hands, looking as if he had accepted reality.

Beside the road, Si Gui turned to look at Tang Yu.

"Did you hear everything?" She shook her phone. "I'm not on official duty now, and you're not considered a suspect yet. If you confess now, it can be considered voluntary surrender. That's why Zhen Yi had you come with me instead of keeping you at the police station."

Tang Yu stared in disbelief, "He's lying! I didn't do anything, and I don't know anything! I bought the drug for us, I never expected to encounter Lin Ziyi that day."

Encounter?

Si Gui was shocked. Planned murders should involve the victim being present, right? Wait, the manager and Tang Yu, weren't the managers more aware of Lin Ziyi's regular visits to the bar?

Suddenly, Si Gui broke into a cold sweat, jumped out of the car, and rushed to the end of the road.

"Give me a call; I can't find my phone." Suo Lei prepared to leave with her, bending down to search under the counter.

Zhen Yi hesitated, closed the call with Si Gui, and dialed his number.

The phone rang.

"Found it," he pocketed the phone. "Let's go." He unexpectedly turned off a row of pendant lights on the bar counter, plunging the bar into darkness.

Zhen Yi, a little startled, immediately turned on the flashlight on her phone. However, in the narrow beam of light, the other side of the bar was empty, with only bottles of various heights.

She felt a slight shiver and heard a low voice behind her, "Aren't you leaving?"

She turned nervously, her heart pounding, awkwardly smiling, "I didn't expect it to be so dark during the day."

"Because the walls are thick, and there are no windows," he said, the atmosphere strangely eerie.

Exiting the small bar of the club, they walked down a long corridor, still not fully lit, creating a deep and secluded atmosphere.

"When I came, there were waiters here," Zhen Yi said, looking at the empty service counter along the corridor.

"They finished their shifts. They'll come back in the evening."

Suo Lei locked the door of the small bar. "Can I ask what made you suspect Tang Yu in the first place?"

Zhen Yi forgot to mention this earlier. "Wu Zhe."

"Wu Zhe?"

"Yes. Wu Zhe dreamed of a scene similar to the crime scene. The police think he watched 'Scream,' but I think Tang Yu sent him to the hospital. She accidentally discovered the overlap between Ecstasy and the scenes in the movie. She had planned to kill Lin Ziyi here and hinted to Wu Zhe in advance, which is why he kept having dreams. Tang Yu did this to divert attention, as the police would immediately suspect Wu Zhe."

Zhen Yi suddenly stopped, staring ahead into the darkness. She said in a twisted, hollow voice, "No, Tang Yu wouldn't want to frame Wu Zhe." She heard her own voice distort, feeling that many things were still unclear, but suddenly, she had a feeling...

A chill spread from the soles of her feet to the top of her head.

In the darkness behind her, the man's voice was low, "Oh, then how was it?"

Zhen Yi's lips trembled, unable to make a sound.

"The one who killed Lin Ziyi wasn't Tang Yu; it was... you."