Chapter 128: The Killer Is Caught

Chapter 128: Chapter 128: The Killer Is Caught

After watching the security footage, everyone had a clear understanding of the madman’s route.

"Child, I want to ask you something. He followed you into the alley, but when did you notice him leave? The security footage doesn’t show him turning back," Captain Chen suddenly asked.

Of course he hadn’t turned back. Instead, she had taken him to another world.

Yun Zhen shook her head. "When I first realized he was following me, I was terrified and ran straight back to my dormitory. He didn’t chase after me. Maybe he saw where I lived and planned to make his move at night. Otherwise, why would he be lying on my dorm floor when I woke up this morning?" She took a sharp breath, still reeling from the lingering fear.

Captain Chen instructed his vice-captain, "Send someone to give Wei Dayou a full body examination and figure out why he fainted. I’ll take Mr. Zhao and this child to record their statements first."

"Understood." The vice-captain took Wei Dayou away for his medical checkup.

Yun Zhen followed Zhao Peng to the police station. Whatever the government officer asked, she answered. She was allowed to leave in less than an hour.

She wondered why they weren’t mentioning the reward money. Yun Zhen felt a bit anxious.

As they were leaving, Zhao Peng smiled at Captain Chen and said, "Captain Chen, I’m one of the directors in charge of the minor division at our organization, which makes me this child’s nominal guardian. If you need any further cooperation, feel free to contact me anytime!"

"Will do, Mr. Zhao." Captain Chen added, "Once Wei Dayou’s identity is fully verified, I’ll contact the victims’ families to transfer the reward money to the child’s account. When the time comes, there might also be a commendation ceremony that you and the child will need to attend."

Zhao Peng thought for a moment before replying, "Captain Chen, there’s no need for a commendation ceremony. This child is still a minor. If people find out she has so much money in her hands, it will inevitably attract malicious intentions. How about this? Publicly, just announce that our organization caught the killer. Please keep the child’s involvement a secret, but transfer the money to her account as planned." He gave a bitter smile and continued, "Whether as an organization director or as her guardian, I really don’t want her exposed to the public eye. It’s better to avoid unnecessary trouble. For the sake of safety, we should keep a low profile."

Captain Chen nodded. "Mr. Zhao, you’ve considered this very thoroughly. It’s all for the child’s safety.

"We’ll do as you suggested. The public will only know that the killer broke into Sister Zhang’s Charity Organization, fainted, and was apprehended by the staff. Since this child is still a minor, it truly isn’t suitable for her to be in the spotlight. However, the money will still be transferred to her card. Please leave contact information for both yourself and the child, along with a copy of her bank card number."

Yun Zhen knew that Brother Zhao’s decision was for her own good. After leaving their contact details and her bank card number, they departed.

With the killer caught, she finally didn’t have to live in constant fear. She could even go shopping at the market after work. Yun Zhen was in a fantastic mood.

"Yun Zhen, you heard what I said at the police station just now, right? The organization takes the credit, but you get the money. I did it for your own good. If people on the internet found out that an orphan like you received such a large sum of money, some would definitely get bad ideas. We have to keep this low-profile. If the outside world thinks Sister Zhang’s Charity Organization caught the killer, they’ll assume the organization took the reward money, which will spare you any trouble," Zhao Peng explained carefully.

Yun Zhen nodded. "Don’t worry, Brother Zhao. I understand everything."

Zhao Peng smiled. "I knew you were a smart kid. If the organization gains a good reputation and receives official praise, compassionate people in society will make another wave of donations, which benefits everyone here."

Yun Zhen asked, "Brother Zhao, when will the money arrive?"

"The police still need to consult with the victims’ families," Zhao Peng said. "Once both parties agree, they can transfer the funds. The official departments in our city are highly efficient. You should receive the money in no more than a week."

She thought, "A week? That’s seven days!" Yun Zhen felt her mood brighten. The reward money was a sure thing; waiting a few more days was fine.

Zhao Peng dropped her off at her dormitory building. He bought two breakfasts and handed her one. "It’s still early. You must have been terrified this morning. Go back, eat your breakfast, and catch up on some sleep before going to work. It’s only nine o’clock right now."

Yun Zhen waved goodbye. "Brother Zhao, go ahead and get back to your work."

"Bye-bye!" Zhao Peng drove off.

Yun Zhen returned to her dorm, ate her breakfast, and sprawled out on her bed to rest her eyes.

Everyone had believed her excuse from that morning. More importantly, even the heavens were helping her. The madman had time-traveled with her—something no one would ever believe if he told them, especially since he had already lied after committing murder previously.

That thing called a security camera could actually replay what happened yesterday! She had heard Sister Lin mention them several times before, but she had never understood what they were. Today had really opened her eyes.

Fortunately, the other cameras were broken. Otherwise, they definitely would have seen the footage of her vanishing. She thought, "That was too close!"

DING DONG! A message arrived.

She picked up her phone and saw it was from Su Yue.

Su Yue had sent a picture of herself at the entrance of Jiuzhou Mall: "Today is my first day working part-time. When are you coming to sell your goods?"

Yun Zhen replied with a voice message, "I can only come after two o’clock."

She didn’t know how to type, so Brother Zhao had taught her how to send voice messages. It was much simpler than typing, requiring only the press of a single button.

The two chatted for a while until it was time for Yun Zhen to go collect scrap.

The pedestrians on the street had lost the cautiousness they had displayed over the past two days.

"Did you guys hear? The killer was caught!"

"That’s wonderful news! Those violent psychopathic patients are terrifying. They’re like ticking time bombs; you never know when or where they’ll go off."

"He wiped out his own sister’s entire family! They lived in the same district as me, and now the housing prices for our entire community have plummeted. It’s so unlucky. Houses that used to go for five or six thousand a square meter can’t even sell for two thousand now!"

"I heard that mentally ill people don’t get the death penalty for murder. What if he gets locked up in a psychiatric hospital again and manages to escape?"

"Everyone, hurry up and petition on the official website for him to be sentenced to death! Otherwise, when he comes out, we’ll be the ones getting hurt again!"

Yun Zhen was shocked. She wondered how everyone was so well-informed.

She went to Red Sun District to collect scrap. The security guard, Liu Qiang, asked with concern, "Yun Zhen, are you alright? I heard that the killer from the family annihilation case broke into your organization. That’s terrifying!"

"I’m fine, Mr. Liu. The killer has already been caught," Yun Zhen said with a smile.

"It’s good that you’re fine, and it’s good that he’s caught!" Liu Qiang breathed a sigh of relief. "The police sure are efficient. Just this morning, I was scrolling through posts where everyone was panicking and guessing where the killer might have gone. A moment ago, I ran into an old lady in the district who said he’d been caught, and I thought she was talking in her sleep." He gritted his teeth and added, "A dangerous person like that should be executed immediately!"

"Has Granny Qin not returned yet?" Yun Zhen mentioned in passing.

"She probably won’t be back until the New Year," Liu Qiang told her.

"I see." Yun Zhen nodded.

"Hurry in and collect your scrap," Liu Qiang said, opening the side gate.

Yun Zhen entered and headed straight for the trash bins. There was even less scrap today than yesterday. She ended up selling it for sixty-five yuan. It was better than nothing.

At noon, she went to work at Brother Yang’s restaurant. After finishing her shift, she went out to sell her goods.

"Yun Zhen, look! The internet says the killer was caught, and it just so happens that the staff at your organization were the ones who caught him. This homicidal maniac has finally been brought to justice!" Granny Sun took out her phone to show Yun Zhen.

The killer was behind bars, and everyone was overjoyed.