Chapter 196: The place that Zhang Ning calls her home

Time: 2:30 PM. Nine hours left.

I said, "You returned last year."

I heard Zhang Xiulan's voice. "Not exactly last year. Six months back. When we returned, Yusheng introduced me to the jailor, Uncle Wu."

"That man we met when Xin Lei and I sneaked in the police headquarters."

"Yup. I met him through Yusheng, and Uncle Wu arranged to give me a job as a barmaid."

"And as a waitress in the tea shop too."

She chuckled. "Yes. He assured they were safe jobs for me, and Zhang Chao wouldn't get any whiff about my presence."

From my side, Liao Huifang asked, "Wait a minute. How did you fool him when you were not in Scotland?"

"Body double. Yusheng arranged a body double for me, who looked exactly like me. She went to the doctors in place of me and faked to get treatment from them. Zhang Chao's spies were giving information about her whereabouts till now. But, after the incident in Tianjin, I knew they would suspect something was wrong, so we pulled her out of the scene and made her flee the country. She looked like me, so nobody knows how she actually looks anyway."

"Ah…"

"And here, you two began planning your revenge," I said.

"Yes. We targeted both the Yi and Zhang family at once. They are enemies anyway. It was easier to attack them that way through each other. I helped Yusheng weaken the Yi family while he was investigating the Zhang family."

A question was bugging my mind for a long time.

"Why didn't you say anything when we first met?"

I heard her let out a deep breath. "Because honestly, I didn't even know your investigation was related to Ning. You were investigating the case about Fu Meili, which at first, was a normal kidnapping case for everyone. Even you didn't know at that point that it was connected to the Zhang family."

That was true, indeed.

"It was when the truth about all those victims and their deaths in the Natural Park came to light that I began to suspect Ning because that area falls under Zhang Chao's jurisdiction. One kidnapping, I didn't find anything wrong, but so many people buried in that park...that ticked off my alarm. And when I heard how those victims died with such brutality, I instantly knew it was Ning. It couldn't be anyone other than her. I felt it in my bones. That just fucking shocked me out of my wits."

I sensed Liao Huifang gasp, "So, you were unaware about her gang?"

"Yes. I knew she was sick in the head, but to this point that she will create her own gang on such a big scale just to kill people was even beyond my imagination. Yes, that bitch killed Mom and had tortured me in those years, but we were still family. She had her own messed up reasons like she felt Mom thought she was crazy and loved me more, and I snatched Mom away from her. So, for her, it was justifiable to hurt us. But, complete strangers who she didn't know at all? I never knew she would go that far."

I rubbed my chin. "I guess I know how it happened. Until you were eighteen, you were in the Zhang residence, so Zhang Ning didn't have to find anybody else to satisfy her thrill to torture people. She gained that through you. But that changed when Zhang Chao sent you to Scotland."

Liao Huifang said, "Wasn't Zhang Ning saying that she didn't want him to send her away?"

I nodded. "That was exactly why. She didn't want to lose her toy. But Zhang Xiulan was gone, and she didn't know what to do anymore."

Zhang Xiulan laughed. "Right. It is the same that Yusheng and I concluded when we learned all those deaths."

"Since the time you went away, Zhang Ning didn't have any outlet. She lost the source of her entertainment, and she had no idea what to do all these years to satisfy herself. Until last year, when perhaps she finally lost control and decided to target other people. It wasn't easy to set up her gang because she is a politician's daughter too. She has her image to maintain. That is why, too, she remained quiet till now."

"Then she found out about the dark web."

"Yup. She might have searched online about such a community of people who were just like her who were sadists. She found them on the dark web, and she also found her perfect place to hide and have fun at the same time. She became CrimsonInstinct. She set up the gang, the members of it, how to fool the victims and bring them to her. She made it like a business."

Liao Huifang shifted a bit. I heard her gnashing her teeth and sensed her anger. "She had no fear that those families would try to find out what happened!"

I slowly nodded. "She was careful to choose such people that didn't have much family background or nobody to question their disappearance, certainly not enough to stick to the investigation like you. And even if they did, she had Duan Deming on the cop's side to stop them from doing anything."

"She killed my sister…that bitch killed my sister…"

I patted her head as I heard her sobbing. Her small body was quivering.

"Ah…" Zhang Xiulan spoke, "Your sister, huh...I envy you so much. You must have had a good relationship with her that you came this far to get her justice."

She sniffled. "Yes. Sis was the best sister in the whole world. She was awesome. No, she is. She is still alive in my heart. She...she did so much for me, but I-I couldn't do anything for her…"

I felt her crying hard and pulled her in my arms.

I never had a sibling, and spending all this time with her the past few days made me feel as if I now had a little sister too. Our bickering reminded me how Xin Lei and Xin Zhen fought petty fights.

As a big brother, how could I see her cry?

I smiled. "Liao Chuntao is awesome, no doubt. She didn't cry to Zhang Ning's torture until the very end."

Silence.

"Is that so?" Zhang Xiulan gently asked, and I nodded.

"She was brave, indeed. Not everybody could pull off what she did if she didn't bend to Ning's will. That requires a really strong heart and mind."

"I admire your sister," I heard Zhu Yusheng say, feeling his seriousness.

I sensed Liao Huifang calm down. I felt my way towards her face and wiped her tears.

"Don't cry. I can imagine how ugly you must be looking now. I don't want to have an ugly little sister."

I felt her slightly freeze, but then she chuckled.

"Big brothers spoil their little sisters like princesses, not make fun of them."

"Do you see Xin Zhen spoiling Xin Lei?"

She suddenly went silent.

"I will be that kind of brother so that you don't disturb Xin Lei and my naughty time."

"You...are impossible."

I grinned. "I take that as a compliment."

I felt the mood lift a little bit. 

I said, "You attacked her twice but didn't succeed."

I heard her snort. "Unfortunately, your friends came just when I was about to shoot her again in Tianjin, and I had no idea you were going to come to the hospital, so I missed my chance again. I had to withdraw."

"We had followed you to the warehouse where you had left your clothes."

"We know. Yusheng and I saw you two. I thought we could have a little reunion, and I tell you the truth about Ning, but there were Zhang's family's guards, too, who were following your way. So, I didn't come forward. Now, tell me. How did you find out about Yusheng?"

I smiled. "There is a competent young man who is expert with technology and hacking stuff. He can practically break through anything."

"He is my friend. We study at the same University. He is a technology major. He also found out about the dark web and even showed us the app forum."

"We learned about Zhang Ning's online identity and her gang through that."

"Impressive…" Zhang Xiulan softly said. "For us, we had to do a lot of digging," she sighed, "why didn't we know this guy before? What about Xin Lei?"

"She figured Zhang Ning's identity when we were in the Zhang residence. She was away for a few minutes, and that's when she was kidnapped."

"I see. It seemed that you got a clue. I followed you to that old man's house because I figured that you figured out about Zhang Ning."

"Yup, I had."

"So, you also know her real base."

"Pretty much."

"Which is?"

"I think you know it too."

She chuckled. "I heard your conversation with the couple. It is the Imperial School. Once a prestigious school but just an abandoned, old building now."

I shut my eyes and tried to be calm. "Yes. The place that she calls her home because that's where she first learned the thrill of spilling blood by killing a rabbit."