Card Room

Chapter 84 - Extremely Quick Train 17: Seven Girls

This case completely refreshed Xiao Lou’s three views.

They found Zhao Quan in the toilet had been tortured and his organ cut off. His face also had a palm print, making them reason that a woman was more likely to commit the crime. The murderer and Zhao Quan must’ve had an emotional dispute.

Immediately after, they found Zhao Quan’ ‘train to hell’ photo on his phone and that Zhao Quan read a large number of harem novels. It was inferred that Zhao Quan might’ve had ambiguous relationships with several girls and stepped on N boats, capsizing them. He was murdered by a girl venting her anger.

The USB disk in Zhao Quan’s backpack provided a very important clue. He collected photos of seven girls that he apparently had an affair with. More importantly, the seven girls were all on the train at this time. It couldn’t be a coincidence!

Xiao Lou carefully recalled the seven girls on the train, picked up a pen and paper and quickly drew a picture.

The train’s carriage distribution was: Front, 9th carriage, 8th carriage, 7th carriage... 6th carriage, toilet, dining carriage, 4th carriage, toilet... 3rd carriage...

A train generally headed in two directions. After arriving at the terminal, the position of the front was changed and they can reverse their direction. The 9th carriage at the front would become the furthest from the front.

The carriage had two doors, one at the front and one at the back. The way the seats were distributed, the first row was close to the front door and the 15th row was close to the back door.

Due to the passengers getting on or off at the front and back door, the last 15th row faced the door.

At the starting station, Zhao Quan and his girlfriend sat on the 8th row after first boarding. The group of female friends was sitting on the 15th row and didn’t need to pass by Zhao Quan’s seat. Therefore, Zhao Quan didn’t know that two of his girlfriends were sitting behind him.

Xiao Lou drew a map of the carriage seats, marking the positions of Zhao Quan and his girlfriends with circles.

He spoke to Yu Hanjiang, “Zhao Quan probably didn’t know his girlfriends were gathered together before he died. Based on the seat distribution, Zhao Quan, his younger brother and his girlfriend Yue Xiaoquan sat in the 8th row while the five female friends sat in the 15th row. They are far away from each other. The times they got on the train were also staggered and they didn’t meet directly.”

At 21:30 last night, Zhao Quan sent his girlfriend to the 6th carriage which happened to be on the left. The three girls were on the right side near the back door and he missed his chance to see them.

Yu Hanjiang frowned. “Last night when the train stopped at Cangzhou Station, Yu Lin was in the 6th sleeper carriage. She was the first to get on and closed the door to the room. Zhao Quan sent his girlfriend to the 6th carriage and naturally couldn’t see who was in the sleeper carriage room with the door closed. Then Si Yi, Yan Ruru and Cheng Mu got on at the back door of the 4th carriage. All of them were perfectly staggered with Zhao Quan.”

“When Zhao Quan came back from sending his girlfriend, perhaps he didn’t notice that a few girls on the carriage are very familiar. After all, they were too far away. I remember that when Cheng Mu and Yan Ruru got up, they covered their faces with their hates to sleep. It was only 9:30 but I thought they were too tired. It seemed they were afraid of being found early.”

If Zhao Quan had found out in advance that all seven of his girlfriends were on the train, he would’ve been shocked and alert. He wouldn’t have followed one of them to the toilet to play the bondage game.

Apparently, Zhao Quan didn’t know that the seven girls had come to attend his burial before he died.

Yu Hanjiang nodded. “This is a well-planned murder and all seven people participated in it. Even if they didn’t do it themselves, I’m guessing that they have a WeChat group or Q group. A girl is coordinating everyone’s actions in a unified way so that everyone can avoid the opportunity to get in contact with Zhao Quan and not warn Zhao Quan.”

For example, at the starting station, if the group of female friends had come earlier than Zhao Quan then it was likely they would be seen by Zhao Quan. On the journey, Zhao Quan might’ve faced one of the girls on the way back from the toilet.

However, these incidents didn’t happen. It couldn’t be a coincidence. Someone was in charge of coordinating Zhao Quan’s actions. If Zhao Quan suddenly went to the toilet, they could shout ‘Zhao Quan is coming over’ in the group chat and Liu Xiaoyan and Song Xiaoyu could avoid him.

Who would be able to accurately grasp all of Zhao Quan’s actions? Only his current girlfriend Yue Xiaoquan sitting next to him!

Xiao Lou opened his mouth. “It seems likely that Yue Xiaoquan is the spy. She reported Zhao Quan’s movements to prevent Zhao Quan having direct contact with the other girls. That’s why Zhao Quan and the girls didn’t meet despite being in the same carriage.”

Yu Hanjiang had solved many cases but it was the first time he saw seven girlfriends join forces to kill a scum man.

The even more terrible thing was that these seven people should be enemies yet they were united. It was unlike general cheating cases where they would tear at the other person. It must be something that Zhao Quan did to make the seven girls hate him so much.

Xiao Lou held his temple. “If Yue Xiaoquan planned this murder, many doubts can be explained.”

Yu Hanjiang whispered, “Zhao Quan wouldn’t be stupid enough to tell his other girlfriends where to go and where to sit. It is obvious that Zhao Quan’s ticket information was leaked to the other six people by Yue Xiaoquan travelling with him.”

Xiao Lou looked back at Zhao Zheng. “Was it Yue Xiaoquan who proposed that the four of you go to the concert together?”

Zhao Zheng heard this and his expression was extremely ugly. He clenched his fist and roared, “Shit! Yue Xiaoquan, that abnormal person! Did she kill my brother? I’ll call her over&#k2026;”

Yu Hanjiang coldly interrupted him. “Don’t rush to conclusions. Tell us, was it Yue Xiaoquan who proposed this concert?”

Zhao Zheng was silent for a moment before nodding stiffly. “Yes, Yue Xiaoquan said her favourite singer is the goddess and the goddess only holds a concert once every three years. This year, it happened to be held on a holiday and she didn’t want to miss it. Then Ranran also wanted to go and I told my brother. After discussion, the four of us decided to go together.”

Xiao Lou then asked, “I remember that you and Mo Jiaran argued because you didn’t buy the sleeper carriage tickets. Were you going to buy the sleeper tickets?”

Zhao Zheng also sensed something was wrong and his expression darkened. “I originally planned to buy the sleeper tickets. Just as I was about to buy it, Yue Xiaoquan suddenly sent me a message. She told me not to rush to buy it. She might need to do experiments on holiday and the specific departure time wasn’t determined. I had to wait for her... as a result, she only told me the time had been set a week before departure. Then when I wanted to buy it, the sleeper carriage tickets were gone and I could only buy the hard seats.”

He had felt it was very unjust when Mo Jiaran scolded him but he couldn’t say to ‘blame Yue Xiaoquan for not deciding the time.’ His brother would be angry, Yue Xiaoquan would be angry and Mo Jiaran would feel he was shirking his responsibilities. He could only admit his mistake.

He was scolded by his girlfriend due to this matter but in fact, he couldn’t be blamed at all.

Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang glanced at each other and the clues were linked together. It was no wonder why Zhao Zheng and Mo Jiaran had a big fight over their seats.

The cause of Zhao Zheng not being the sleeper carriage tickets was Yue Xiaoquan!

She said there was no certainty about the timing but this definitely didn’t have to do with mere experiments. More likely, she was coordinating the time with the other six girlfriends!

Once all six people had determined the time, she informed Zhao Zheng to buy the tickets. The result was that Zhao Zheng could only buy hard seats and it was convenient for the other girls to buy tickets for the same train.

Xiao Lou wondered, “Did you send the tickets to Yue Xiaoquan after you bought them?”

Zhao Zheng nodded with a calm face. “The four of us built a WeChat group to facilitate communication when travelling. I directly sent the ticket information to the group.”

IN order to prove that he wasn’t lying, he took out his phone and showed Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang the chat records.

The earliest records could be traced back to a month ago. The four people discussed going to the concert. Yue Xiaoquan had pulled everyone into the group called ‘Goddess Concert’ and this group chat was mostly about planning this trip. Yue Xiaoquan proposed, “Since we are all going out to play, it is the AA system right? All costs are shared equally.”

Zhao Quan replied, “How can I let a girl pay? I will be in charge of the cost of this trip and the two of you can just play.”

Mo Jiaran wondered, “Is that okay? You are also a student. How can you have so much pocket money?”

Zhao Quan spoke calmly, “I worked with a few students on the development of a small software and a buyer has been found. The copyright fee is a few million so this time I will treat you.”

Mo Jiaran praised, “Big brother is so good. Thumbs up!”

Yue Xiaoquan only sent a smiley face.

Later, the four people discussed the departure time. Due to Zhao Quan being busy recently, Zhao Zheng took the initiative to do the chores of booking the tickets and the hotels.

It was originally scheduled to buy the tickets on July 1st. They would set out on July 20th and play in the City of the Moon for a few days before seeing the concert. As a result, Zhao Zheng opened his private chat record with Yue Xiaoquan. “On June 30th, Yue Xiaoquan came to find me in private.”

Yue Xiaoquan said, “Zhao Zheng, I’m sorry. I might have to do experiments on the holiday and I’m not sure if I can leave on the 20th. You don’t have to rush to buy tickets. I will determine the time with my teacher as soon as possible.”

Zhao Zheng didn’t have any doubts and simply said he would wait for her news. After that, Zhao Zheng urged her twice to have her confirm it as soon as possible. It wasn’t until July 17th that she said, “I finish the experiment on the 24th. Can you start on the 25th?”

Zhao Zheng was worried. “The concert is on the 29th. If we depart on the 25th then we will arrive on the 28th. Isn’t this time too tight?”

“There is no way. The earliest I can go is the 25th. We can rest for the night and see the concert the next day. The other plans can be postponed a few days. I have already told your brother so I have to trouble you.”

Since his brother had no opinion, Zhao Zheng had to agree.

His chat with Yue Xiaoquan about the booking proved that he didn’t lie.

Yu Hanjiang touched his chin. “These seven girls are mostly university students and the summer vacation time is abundant. However, Si Yi and Liu Xiaoyan seem to be working and it isn’t convenient for them to take leave. Yue Xiaoquan postponing the departure time to the 25th should be to coordinate the time so that all seven girls can catch this train.”

Xiao Lou nodded in approval. “Her words about doing experiments must be a lie.”

Yu Hanjiang added, “Only Yue Xiaoquan can clearly grasp Zhao Quan’s movements and inform the others.”

Xiao Lou added, “In addition, Yue Xiaoquan is studying clinical medicine. She is familiar with human anatomy and can do the 29 knife wounds while avoiding fatal injuries until the final killing blow. In addition, she changed her clothes today. Was it because her clothes last night were stained with blood?

Based on the current clues, the real girlfriend Yue Xiaoquan was indeed the most suspicious one. But...

Thinking of the girl’s appearance, her indifferent expression and her look that always said ‘outside matters have nothing to do with me,’ Xiao Lou couldn’t believe that she would go to the extremes of killing her boyfriend.

Zhao Zheng shivered. “I can’t see it. How can Yue Xiaoquan be so perverted?” He turned, wanted to go and hit the other person. Then he was calmly stopped by Yu Hanjiang. “Don’t be too agitated. This is just our initial reasoning and there is no evidence that she is the murderer.”

Zhao Zheng was angry. “Isn’t it obvious? She suggested that my brother go to the concert and knew my brother’s seat number. Only she can reveal our travel plans to the other girls!”

Xiao Lou smiled. “Yes, she must be involved in this matter and responsible for coordinating the travel time, but it can’t be determined that she is the one to deal the final blow.”

Yu Hanjiang stated, “Don’t forget, your brother died before having sex with the person. Where was Yue Xiaoquan?”

Zhao Zheng’s face changed slightly. “Didn’t she change to the 6th carriage?”

Xiao Lou analyzed. “Your brother had his hands and feet tied up. He seemed to be participating in bondage play with the person in the toilet. This is more like the thrill of sneaking around... Yue Xiaoquan and him are a couple and she slept in the 6th carriage last night. It might not necessarily be her.”

Zhao Zheng’s face was red and white. “What do you mean?”

Yu Hanjiang declared coldly. “Your brother stepped on N boats and offended many girls. At present, Yue Xiaoquan’s suspicion is the largest but the other six people also have motive and opportunity.”

Zhou Zheng, “...”

Xiao Lou added, “We also can’t rule out the possibility of a joint crime.”

Zhou Zheng, “......”

Yu Hanjiang told him, “I hope you remain calm and don’t go to find any girl impulsively. Now please go to the 9th carriage to hide for a day. We will let you know the results of the investigation.”

Without Zhao Zheng’s agreement, Yu Hanjiang gently held Zhao Zheng’s shoulder and forcefully took him to the 9th carriage.

Zhao Zheng’s face was dazed and his senses still hadn’t returned. How could his brother be such scum and shocked seven women enough that they came to bury him. It was horrible. Thinking of the tragic scene in the toilet, Zhao Zheng felt cold.

He was going to have nightmares!

***

After sending away Zhao Zheng, Yu Hanjiang and Xiao Lou returned to the office and were silent.

All seven suspects had a motive and the case was more complicated than the death of Li Zhemin in the 6th carriage.

Yu Hanjiang closed his eyes to organize his thoughts. “At present, we are still lacking some key clues. What happened to the rope that tied up Zhao Quan’s hands and feet? The murderer’s clothes are certainly stained with blood from killing Zhao Quan. Where did she hide it? Finding these two clues will definitely help our reasoning.”

The biggest advantage of the train was that it was a closed space where evidence was difficult to destroy. The evidence must remain on the train.

Xiao Lou nodded. “First ask Yue Xiaoquan.”

The two people returned to the carriage. Yue Xiaoquan and Mo Jiaran were holding a phone and watching a TV drama together. They saw the train attendants and Mo Jiaran looked up. “Where did you take Zhao Zheng?”

Xiao Lou smiled at her. “Zhao Zheng didn’t sleep well last night and isn’t feeling good. I had him go to the 9th carriage to sleep for a while.”

Mo Jiaran smiled. “The train attendants are very sweet.”

Yu Hanjiang requested calmly, “Miss Yue, please come with us. Your boyfriend is looking for you.”

Yue Xiaoquan gently raised her eyebrows and got up to follow them. The two people took her to the toilet. Xiao Lou stood outside while Yu Hanjiang took her into the crime scene and closed the toilet door.

Yue Xiaoquan saw Zhao Quan on the ground and immediately covered her mouth, screaming, “Ahhh—”

Her pupils were tight and her face was shocked.

Yu Hanjiang carefully observed her expression and whispered, “Isn’t this your boyfriend? Do you know who killed him?”

Yue Xiaoquan shook her head. “I-I don’t know! I changed to the 6th carriage at 9:30 last night and watched TV until midnight. Then I slept until dawn. I sent him a message and he didn’t reply, but I thought his battery was dead.”

Yu Hanjiang frowned. “Can anyone prove that you didn’t leave the 6th carriage last night?”

“Ranran was on the bed next to me. When we went to bed last night, we locked the door of Room 5 from the inside and I didn’t go out all night.”

She looked at the blood and white liquid on the ground and turned her head, covering her mouth to suppress the urge to vomit.

Yu Hanjiang took her out of the crime scene and brought her to the office, letting her calm down. Once the girl no longer felt like vomiting, Yu Hanjiang asked, “You are studying medicine and should be able to see that Zhao Quan experienced cruel abuse before he died. Do you know who has such a big feud with him?”

Yue Xiaoquan shook her head. “I don’t know, he rarely mentions his private affairs to me.”

Yu Hanjiang stared into her eyes and directly asked, “You are the other six girls, do you still have the WeChat group you built?”

Yue Xiaoquan’s expression became extremely ugly.

Yu Hanjiang spoke lightly. “The chat records must’ve been deleted. In the WeChat group, apart from you, there should be Yu Lin, Liu Xiaoyan, Song Xiaoyu, Si Yi, Yan Ruru and Cheng Mu. Am I correct?”

Yue Xiaoquan, “......”

The frightened expression on her face proved that Yu Hanjiang had touched on their secret. They thought their plan was seamless but they hadn’t expected Zhao Quan to have a hobby of collecting photos of his girlfriends. He also put everyone’s photos on the USB disk.

We have been blessed with more fan art by the lovely chuna.