CHAPTER 47: CHAPTER 8 SENSING SOMETHING WRONG (PLEASE FAVORITE, VOTE FOR THE MONTH)

"Why did you kill Wang Fu?" Yang Su sharply interrogated.

Zhang Meng, somewhat losing control of his emotions, said, "I don’t even know anyone named Wang Fu, I have no idea what you are talking about. I don’t even know what I’ve done, I was just taken away inexplicably."

"Don’t know Wang Fu? What a claim, you don’t know Wang Fu, yet you tricked him into coming all the way to Ningjiang County, and you say you don’t know him?" Yang Su narrowed his eyes at Zhang Meng.

Seeing Zhang Meng say nothing, Yang Su continued sternly, "You called Wang Fu, deceiving him by saying he could earn money here in Ningjiang County. On the 24th, you and Wang Fu took a bus together to Ningjiang County. You say you don’t know Wang Fu? Zhang Meng, I advise you to cooperate with us, the police, and seek a lenient punishment."

Zhang Meng’s face showed a conflicted expression. After a while of inner struggle, Zhang Meng seemed resigned and said softly, "I’ll tell you, I’ll confess everything."

Seeing Zhang Meng voluntarily confess, Yang Su was delighted and immediately asked, "First, tell us why you killed Wang Fu. As far as we know, you and Wang Fu had no prior interaction, nor any deep hatred."

"Yes, I had no grievance or enmity with him. We hadn’t even met before I called him. It’s just his bad luck," Zhang Meng said calmly.

Yang Su frowned and asked, "What do you mean?"

Zhang Meng glanced at Yang Su and continued, "I was gambling back home, losing a lot of money, much of it borrowed from relatives and friends. Later, they began constantly seeking me out for repayment. I was at my wit’s end, so I started thinking about how to make quick money."

"It was sheer coincidence that one day I was watching a movie at home, the one starring Wangcheng called ’Coal Mountain.’ I saw how two criminals in the film would lure people to coal mines, kill them, and claim the compensation money. It made me wonder if I could do the same."

"At first, it was just a fleeting thought, but it became persistent over the next few days, dominating my mind day and night. I even dreamed of getting rich this way and building a house back home."

"The more I thought about it, the more it intrigued me. On the night of August 16th, I could no longer resist. Curiously, I picked up my phone and randomly dialed a number."

"On the other end was Wang Fu. At the time, I didn’t know what he did for a living, so I planned to feel him out. If he had money, I’d proceed; if not, I would hang up. I asked if he wanted to make money, and Wang Fu was initially puzzled, thinking I was joking. I said I had some goods and asked if he was interested in buying."

"Wang Fu mistook me for someone selling yams, claiming he buys yams and even listed the prices of various kinds. Realizing Wang Fu dealt in yams, I figured he must have money. So I went along with it, telling him I had a batch of wild Pine and Fir Ganoderma mushrooms, weighing around two to three hundred pounds, and asked if he could handle them."

"Wang Fu said he wanted to see the goods first, and I said okay. Truthfully, I had no such reishi on hand. We set a time and place, intending to meet in the town, but Wang Fu insisted on meeting in their village, so I had no choice but to agree."

"Having set the time with Wang Fu, I borrowed two thousand yuan from a relative and went to the city, spending over a thousand on some wild Pine and Fir Ganoderma mushrooms. Then I bought a ticket to Guang Province to find Wang Fu."

"When I met Wang Fu in the village, I expected him to look like a wealthy businessman in the yam trade, but he looked like a farmer, not at all like someone with money. I regretted it a bit, but since I had come so far, I decided to proceed with my plan just to test it out. I showed Wang Fu the wild Pine and Fir Ganoderma mushrooms I bought. Wang Fu recognized them but said he couldn’t afford so much."

"I asked how much he could take. If Wang Fu didn’t have much money, I thought of just going home. It wasn’t worth the crime for a small amount. But then Wang Fu said he had one hundred thousand yuan. A hundred thousand, I thought I could do something with that."

"That’s when I told Wang Fu about my plan. I explained the Pine and Fir Ganoderma mushrooms were picked by a distant relative of mine in the mountains, around two hundred pounds or so. My relative didn’t know their value, so I planned to buy them at a low price from him."

"But I didn’t have that much money, so I was looking for someone to partner with to buy from my relative and then resell the lot."

"Wang Fu’s first reaction wasn’t to be suspicious but to ask how much I’d pay this relative. Seeing his greedy appearance, I knew Wang Fu had taken the bait."

"When I told Wang Fu I planned to buy the Ganoderma mushrooms at three to four hundred per unit from my relative, I saw him start drooling."

"Wang Fu then asked how we’d split the profits. I told him seven-three to avoid suspicion. Wang Fu thought it was too little, saying he was putting up a hundred thousand and a fifty-fifty split would be fairer. I argued that the opportunity was mine, and the seller was my relative, he had no risks. At the end of a mock negotiation, we settled on sixty-forty, me sixty, Wang Fu forty."

"Afterwards, we set the time and bought tickets to Ningjiang County. I had been to Ningjiang County once before for a decoration project, staying for three months. It’s far from Guang Province, and I’m somewhat familiar with this area. And crucially, this place also has wild Pine and Fir Ganoderma."

"We arrived in Ningjiang County on the 24th. Early the next morning, Wang Fu and I went to the bank to withdraw money. I told Wang Fu my relative lived on the mountain and never used a phone, so we needed cash. Wang Fu didn’t doubt it."

"Wang Fu kept pushing me to meet this supposed relative with the Pine and Fir Ganoderma. I took Wang Fu to the back mountain of Wuyi Town. I lived in Wuyi Town when working on decorations, having climbed this mountain twice. It was remote and sparsely populated, the ideal place to act."

"Up in the mountains, once I ensured we were alone, I took out the knife I had purchased and stabbed Wang Fu fiercely from behind. Worried one stab wouldn’t be enough, I stabbed him three times until he slowly fell."

"To prevent the police from identifying Wang Fu, I picked up a rock and smashed it against his face until it was a bloody pulp, ensuring the police couldn’t recognize him. Then I left with Wang Fu’s bag."

"That’s the entire process of my crime, not hiding a thing," Zhang Meng said despondently.

Beside him, Luo Fei, who had been taking notes, felt that something was amiss. He couldn’t pinpoint what it was, but it all seemed too smooth.