National Forensic Doctor
Chapter 746 - 689: How Many People Have You Killed?

Chapter 746: Chapter 689: How Many People Have You Killed?

Interrogation room.

He Wei was tightly bound in the interrogation chair, yet his expression conveyed a kind of comfortable contentment, as if he were in a casual meeting with his subordinates during normal business operations.

Compared to the stone-faced police interrogators often dealing with ferocious criminals, He Wei’s demeanor was calm and collected, which gave him a rather imposing air.

"Let’s hear it, what’s your purpose in wanting to see us?" Tao Lu was not taken in by He Wei’s antics; he had seen many big shots before. He Wei had merely killed a few people and was still evasive, which might be startling but hardly intimidating in modern society.

He Wei relaxed into a smile, "Don’t be tense. I intend to confess truthfully, but before I do, I just want to confirm whether you have the ability to catch the culprit. I wouldn’t want to sell myself out only for you to close the case directly."

"Do you still not know whether we have the ability?" Tao Lu was somewhat energized. Since He Wei had mentioned this, he must be ready to spill something, even if only to amuse himself with some fabrications. And for the police, any word from a suspect was information.

"How did you find me?" He Wei’s gaze shifted toward Jiang Yuan. A police officer had briefly introduced him earlier on, and Jiang had appeared as the chief investigator.

Tao Lu spoke out of turn, "You don’t need to know that. Right now, it’s your turn to give a statement, not the other way around."

If possible, the police would rather not give the criminal suspect any information at all.

The notion of equal rights to information between parties, as seen in the legal systems of Europe and America, did not align with domestic judicial practices.

Jiang Yuan was even less inclined to educate the layperson again.

After several days of interrogation, He Wei had grown accustomed to the process and, with a laugh, said, "I don’t think I left any traces, yet you still caught up with me... However, the case that you seem so keen to pin on me involves the victim named Sha Lirong, right? You keep focusing on this case; do you think I’m behind this one?"

"Isn’t it?" Tao Lu countered.

"So... do you think that’s the only case I’ve done?" He Wei continued with another question.

This time, a chill crept up Tao Lu’s spine.

Tao Lu looked at He Wei, forced himself to wait a few seconds, then asked, "What are you implying?"

"You think this is a copycat crime, don’t you? Did you find any evidence at my home? Did you find the murder weapon?" Despite not getting an answer, He Wei kept questioning.

This time, Tao Lu pondered, then recalled the interrogation records before answering, "We found the victim’s bloodstains and the weapon you used in the crime. What’s your explanation?"

"Sha Lirong was killed by me." He Wei readily admitted, glanced at the interrogation officer, and said with a smile, "Sorry for not leaving the credit to you, but I couldn’t help it, brother, I have my reasons."

Tao Lu was somewhat surprised but seized the opportunity to ask, "Do you have any evidence?"

"I’ve already turned myself in, do you still need evidence from me?"

"We need to prove that you aren’t taking the fall for someone else."

"The details of the crime? I have them. The lethal positions were roughly here." He Wei gestured to the area over his ribs as he spoke, "Two strikes, one of them hit a bone."

Tao Lu looked toward Jiang Yuan, who gave a slight nod.

"To wrap the body, I used an old model blue tarpaulin, the kind used outdoors, from a stock clearance sale..." He Wei continued, even appearing somewhat smug.

Tao Lu and the others let him talk freely. A criminal entering such a state was the easiest to elicit a confession from. For a convict facing a predetermined death sentence, this was also a rare moment of satisfaction.

"Focus on the main points," He Wei said after a few more sentences, then suddenly stopped.

Tao Lu frowned slightly as he looked at him.

"Officer Jiang, can you guess?" He Wei wanted to speak but also hesitated, still playing coy like a person about to jump off a building, wanting to make the plunge yet feeling the need to wait a bit longer.

Jiang Yuan listened to the crime details He Wei had just described, his mind working with lightning speed.

As a forensic doctor, he naturally had a deep impression of the four victims’ bodies. Although several of the corpses were severely decomposed due to being exposed to the rain when found, the areas of trauma, the angles of penetration, and so on, could still be made out to some degree.

Jiang Yuan reflected on the wounds of these bodies, comparing them to what He Wei had said, and couldn’t help but become deeply engrossed in thought.

Because some things about the bodies couldn’t be seen anymore, but He Wei definitely didn’t know the specific conditions of the bodies, so, according to what he said, the similarity of these four bodies was a bit too high...

Considering this angle...

At this point, He Wei didn’t really wait for Jiang Yuan’s answer. After his provocation, he decisively said, "Apart from this case that you think is a copycat, the other three cases were all done by me. I imitated myself!"

"Huh?"

"Why?"

There were different voices in both the monitoring room and the interrogation room.

At this moment, He Wei stopped laughing, and his eyes turned a shade darker as he said, "The second time I disposed of a body, someone captured it on camera. They later sent me a phone with ladder and self-destructing message software installed, and used the video they took to blackmail me."

Without waiting for inquiries, He Wei continued, "The case you are now trying to pin on me, this case involving Sha Lirong, involves a person who was designated by the other party for me to kill. I intentionally imitated my own modus operandi to differentiate it from my own cases, and moreover, I deliberately left some evidence just in case I could use these one day..."

Even an experienced detective like Tao Lu was stunned, not sure where to begin with his questions.

He Wei kept talking to himself, "That guy didn’t know my exact method of killing, but he knew about my family situation, even took a video, and threatened to kill my son. I had no choice but to comply. I thought, directly using the method of murder to prove there’s someone behind the scenes would be the safest bet."

"Your thought process..." Tao Lu looked at He Wei, waited a moment, then decided to follow his narrative, and asked further, "What about the fourth victim?"

"I couldn’t hold back," He Wei paused, then asked, "You’ve found only four bodies, right?"

An electric shock shot through Tao Lu’s head.

Tao Lu asked, "How many people have you killed?"

"Following the other party’s request, I killed another person, but this person, he asked me to take into the mountains. After killing him, I buried the body." He Wei nonchalantly curled his lip, "It seems you haven’t found them."

Tao Lu with a stern face, "You didn’t look for him?"

"Looked for him, but couldn’t find him. This isn’t really my forte. I just thought, after spending money over the years and nearly running out, it’s better to turn myself in." As He Wei spoke, he glanced at Tao Lu and then at Jiang Yuan, and said, "I was planning on admitting to a copycat crime, which might not necessarily result in the death penalty. However, if you can catch Old Nine, I wouldn’t mind going down with the death penalty."

"Is Old Nine the person you mentioned who took the video? Is that his self-proclaimed title or a nickname you gave him?" Tao Lu pressed on.

"His own claim," said He Wei in a lowered voice. "He hasn’t contacted me for a year, and I’m not sure if he’s still watching me."

If it weren’t for the fact that he had killed people, his words would sound like those of a psychotic.

But for someone who had killed, even if psychotic, they still command utmost attention.