Chapter 559: Someone Else

"Zhang Enfan, look at a photo."

Meng Chengbiao sat opposite Zhang Enfan, his momentum like a rainbow.

Zhang Enfan hung his head, didn't resist, and didn't make a sound.

Confronting interrogation is also very tiring. First of all, this is a nine-to-five job. During statutory time, the police can interrogate him.

Secondly, he can despise the law, can use silence to confront the interrogation, but the police can speak, can talk to him about policies

Meng Chengbiao had carefully studied Zhang Enfan's situation and knew that he did not resist viewing evidence.

It should be said that Zhang Enfan was willing to actively understand the evidence.

Therefore, taking advantage of the moment Zhang Enfan looked up, Meng Chengbiao placed a photo of Jiao Lina in front of him.

It wasn't just any photo of Jiao Lina, but one Meng Chengbiao had found in her social media feed, which Zhang Enfan's secondary account had liked—a photo of her wearing a white dress, the hem fluttering, with a vibrant and sincere smile.

Zhang Enfan's gaze, as expected, underwent a visible change.

It was a bit fierce, a bit gloomy, like an angry wolf in a circus that wanted to bare its fangs but couldn't even pull the chain taut.

"A girl in the prime of her life shouldn't have met such a fate." Meng Chengbiao continued, placing a smiling close-up photo of Jiao Lina in front of Zhang Enfan.

The close-up also came from Jiao Lina's social media feed, a little playful, a little self-confident.

Meng Chengbiao continued: "Jiao Lina was an orphan, without the love of parents; her original hope was surely to find someone who truly loved her..."

He put down the photo of Jiao Lina's skull reconstruction.

The reconstructed photo carried the coldness unique to forensic science, lacking a smile and even more devoid of the emotions of a living person.

Zhang Enfan was stunned for a moment; this photo always made him feel a bit strange, and he couldn't help but recall something.

Meng Chengbiao put down the last photo without saying a word.

It was a photo of Jiao Lina's skull.

The bone-white skull was slightly yellowed, the empty eye sockets large and deep, the nasal cavity—having lost its bridge—was pear-shaped, and the vomer bone in the middle was thin as paper, twisted and gnarled.

Clatter.

Zhang Enfan's handcuffs and leg shackles moved.

The police officer nearby was about to scold him, but Meng Chengbiao held him back.

Meng Chengbiao gave Zhang Enfan a dozen seconds to think before saying, "Tell me, why did you strangle such a girl in the prime of her life?"

Zhang Enfan's expression was clearly stunned, and he looked straight at Meng Chengbiao.

Meng Chengbiao cursed inwardly; Zhang Enfan's expression indicated that he had provided unexpected information. What was it? Was he dissatisfied with the "prime of her life" description? Or was the description of strangulation incorrect?

The judgment of strangulation was made by Jiang Yuan; Meng Chengbiao had never doubted it, and it was impossible for Zhang Enfan not to know his own method of killing...

"She was strangled?" After many days of interrogation, Zhang Enfan spoke for the first time.

Regardless, this was already a breakthrough in the interrogation. Meng Chengbiao had mixed thoughts in his mind, but ultimately decided to trust Jiang Yuan, so he said, "It is confirmed to be strangulation."

Zhang Enfan's teeth clenched, making a clicking sound.

Meng Chengbiao forced himself not to ask any questions.

He knew that if he chose the right direction of attack now, he would have a chance to break Zhang Enfan's defenses in one go. However, Zhang Enfan's expression just now proved that choosing the right direction of attack was risky.

And if he didn't ask questions, he might have a chance to wait for Zhang Enfan to provide information again, which would help his judgment...

"They told me it was an accident." Zhang Enfan spoke again, indeed providing new information, only the volume of information was so large it was hard to know where to start.

"Who are 'they'?" Meng Chengbiao asked softly.

"My aunt," Zhang Enfan said. "My third aunt."

An image of a traditional rural woman appeared in Meng Chengbiao's mind. This must be the aunt who introduced Jiao Lina to Zhang Enfan.

"What did she say?"

"Walking on a mountain road on a rainy day, she slipped and broke her neck. I was out of town, and by the time I rushed back, she was already unrecognizable." Zhang Enfan answered concisely, but he grasped the key points well, and a look of contemplation began to appear in his eyes.

Meng Chengbiao asked, "Why didn't you call the police?"

"She was a cashier for a gambling den; she was bringing money down the mountain that day. The place where she fell wasn't far from the den, so we couldn't call the police." Zhang Enfan paused and added, "She had accounts in her name and was carrying several hundred thousand in cash. The money wasn't missing either..."

"A girl carrying money down the mountain?" Meng Chengbiao asked.

Zhang Enfan's eyes narrowed, and he said slowly, "My little nephew was with her."

Meng Chengbiao immediately recalled the relevant interpersonal relationships in his mind and said, "Is the little nephew your third aunt's grandson?"

"Yeah... my third aunt only has this one grandson. Zhang Haobin." Zhang Enfan's eyes narrowed, and after a while, he said slowly, "He's about 20 this year, tall and strong, violent and lecherous."

In the conference room, the police officers looked at each other.

A major breakthrough in the case was a great thing, but the direction of this breakthrough was truly unexpected.

Meng Chengbiao returned after finishing the interrogation, organizing the materials as he said: "Although Zhang Enfan has many reasons to kill Jiao Lina, and there are witnesses saying Zhang Enfan is decisive and likely has killed before, he has no reason to fabricate a story that damages his family's reputation and his own."

"Unless it's to get rid of his nephew, Zhang Haobin," Wang Chuanxing said.

"In the Zhang family's gang, Zhang Haobin is the type who only grows muscles and not brains; he's no threat to Zhang Enfan," Meng Chengbiao said.

"What about Zhang Haobin's third aunt's family?" Jiang Yuan asked.

Meng Chengbiao said, "About the same. And they have no basis for power struggles now; the Zhang family has been wiped out, and his third aunt's family will all have to go to prison."

Wu Junhao nodded in agreement, saying, "His third aunt handled a lot of money and was one of the operators of a small restaurant; her income was not low, but it wasn't prominent within their family."

Meng Chengbiao said, "Zhang Enfan is a very strong-willed person with perseverance. He was able to hold out for so many days without speaking, so his specific mention of Zhang Haobin being tall, strong, violent, and lecherous must be purposeful."

"Rape and murder?" Wu Junhao slowly said the answer everyone had guessed.

Meng Chengbiao nodded: "Zhang Haobin is 20 this year; three years and two months ago, he was just over sixteen, exactly the age of youthful infatuation. Jiao Lina was pretty and had a good figure; if her clothes were soaked on a rainy day, it's very likely it triggered Zhang Haobin's impulses..."

"Would he dare?" someone asked.

Meng Chengbiao sighed: "I wouldn't dare, but looking at Zhang Enfan's evaluation of Zhang Haobin, he likely thinks Zhang Haobin would dare."

"Rape, murder, then calling his parents over to secretly dispose of the body, and then notifying Zhang Enfan to bury it secretly..." Tang Jia joined the discussion, gritting his teeth: "They are bullying people too much!"

"Zhang Enfan was kept in the dark." Meng Chengbiao paused and added: "We must also be wary of Zhang Enfan trying to escape. His current charges combined will definitely still result in prison time, but if he gets linked to a homicide, that won't do."

Even if Zhang Enfan surrendered, with so many cases stacked up, as long as he participated in a homicide, it would basically be a death sentence.

Conversely, if he is cleared of the homicide, even if he has to stay in prison for a long time, he is ultimately alive.

"Interrogate them separately. Pay attention to technique." Jiang Yuan looked at Meng Chengbiao.

The body was washed before burial, and it has been more than three years; it is very difficult to lock onto someone in the Zhang family through technical means now.

And in the previous cases, several people had reasons to lie and accuse others.

When playing Werewolf or murder mystery games, one can make decisions arbitrarily, but for such a major homicide, the evidence must be able to withstand scrutiny.

The same goes for interrogation records.

Meng Chengbiao nodded slowly, his expression solemn.