After I got into the car, Wang Yuanchao took the initiative, kicking two young men straight into a pigsty. His kicks were ferocious—those hit flew like sacks of sand, immediately intimidating the others.
The leader shouted, "Charge! He's just one man; what's there to fear?"
The crowd roared and rushed at Wang Yuanchao. He knocked down several, but one swung a sickle toward his shoulder. I broke out in a cold sweat, shouting, "Uncle Wang, watch out behind you!"
Wang Yuanchao leaned back just in time to dodge the sickle. Using his shoulder, he charged and threw the attacker forward, knocking down three or four more.
Suddenly, someone struck Wang Yuanchao from the side with a club. The club broke on impact, but Wang Yuanchao remained unharmed.
Roaring like an angry lion, Wang Yuanchao grabbed the attacker's head and smashed it against the car. The man's eyes rolled back as he fainted.
I saw blood trickling down Wang Yuanchao's forehead and felt a pang of worry. I quickly contacted Huang Xiaotao. Hearing about the danger, she promised to arrive with reinforcements within half an hour.
Suddenly, with a crash, a car window shattered. A snarling man reached in to grab me. Wang Yuanchao rushed over and punched him away. Another man kicked him hard in the waist, causing Wang Yuanchao to stagger. But as the attacker prepared a second kick, Wang Yuanchao countered with a joint lock, throwing him to the ground.
Three or four more closed in, wielding iron rods, beating Wang Yuanchao's back mercilessly. I could even hear the sound of rods hitting his spine.
...
Any of them alone would be no match for Wang Yuanchao, but together they were troublesome. As the saying goes, "Two fists can't defeat four hands." Watching this, I felt distressed. Gritting my teeth, I opened the car door, lying back on the seat, then kicked the door open with all my strength, knocking over one of the attackers. Wang Yuanchao seized the moment, grabbed two others, and smashed their heads together.
He stood up, closed the door, and warned me, "Don't get involved! Protect yourself!"
Then he dove back into the fray. Seeing Wang Yuanchao fight with such fearless protection, I felt conflicted inside.
In no time, Wang Yuanchao had knocked them all down. Using his special training from the armed police, those men lay moaning in pain on the ground—probably disabled for life.
He himself was badly bruised, covered in dirt, with a bloodstain running from his forehead down to his nose.
The leader shouted, "Damn Korean, I'll fight you to the death!"
He pulled out a chopping knife and swung it wildly. Wang Yuanchao dodged nimbly. The man went mad, hacking furiously.
Wang Yuanchao grabbed the man's shirt and slammed his knee into the man's stomach several times. The man screamed and dropped the knife. After Wang Yuanchao released him, he curled up on the ground, retching and cursing, "You killed my brother! I want revenge!"
Wang Yuanchao spat blood and said, "Go tell that at the police station!"
The man shouted, grabbed the knife again. Wang Yuanchao kicked his wrist easily, sending the knife flying. The man dropped to his knees, sobbing uncontrollably.
I got out of the car, seeing Wang Yuanchao's battered state, feeling a deep pity.
Unexpectedly, he lit a cigarette and exhaled leisurely. "Just a scratch. No big deal."
After a while, Huang Xiaotao and others arrived. The scene was impressive—like a field of fallen wheat, dozens of men lay sprawled on the ground. Wang Yuanchao and I stood among them.
Sun Bingxin and Director Feng also came. Sun Bingxin hurried over anxiously, "Brother Songyang, are you hurt?"
I said, "I'm fine. Uncle Wang's injured. Do you have first aid supplies?"
Sun Bingxin examined Wang Yuanchao's forehead. "Uncle Wang, come to the car. I'll stitch you up."
Huang Xiaotao asked me, "How did it get this bad?"
I roughly explained the situation. Honestly, I didn't fully understand why they suddenly attacked us. I noticed Director Feng's eyes flickering nervously, as if hiding something. I asked him directly, "This is obviously a serial murder case. Why did you call it an ordinary homicide?"
Director Feng stammered, "I… I… have my reasons."
Huang Xiaotao snapped, "You're the director. What reasons? Is the murderer your son?"
Director Feng's face turned pale. He waved his hands frantically, "No, no, I would never cover for the killer. If I did, I'd resign."
He looked around anxiously, hesitating to speak. I told him to come somewhere private.
Director Feng confessed: This case was indeed a serial murder.
The first victim was a young, beautiful supermarket clerk, murdered two years ago in March. Her face was horribly disfigured. When found, she wore a red dress. Investigations showed she had no enemies.
Two more similar cases followed, four months apart, then two months apart. Everyone recognized the pattern.
They reported to the city bureau, which sent two experts to assist: a police officer named Zhang and a seasoned forensic doctor named Qin. The experts identified a suspect named Wu, a known pervert who stole women's underwear and had contact with two of the victims. This was considered airtight evidence at the time, and the case went to the judiciary.
Wu was executed by firing squad in January last year.
Unexpectedly, similar murders resumed shortly after Wu's death.
Director Feng was terrified. They had wrongfully executed an innocent man. If a thorough investigation exposed this, all involved would face punishment.
He reported the new cases, but the city bureau treated the latest March case as a copycat incident.
Though they said this, Director Feng and Officer Chen privately believed the murders were by the same person—certain crime details were only known to the killer.
But they couldn't say more and pretended ignorance. They hoped that since we were so skilled, we'd catch the killer whether it was a copycat or a serial murderer.
Little did they know—I already knew the truth.
After hearing this, I asked, "Airtight evidence? Without direct proof, how is it airtight? Were the victims sexually assaulted? Did Wu have an alibi?"
Director Feng explained, "The third victim was indeed raped by Wu that night; he admitted it. We also found underwear belonging to the second and third victims at his place. Detective Song, with evidence like this, what would you conclude?"
I shook my head. "That's just a rape case!"
Huang Xiaotao asked, "Who were the experts from the city?"
Director Feng replied, "A police officer named Zhang and a forensic doctor named Qin. Qin had more experience, and Zhang followed his lead. The case was closed based on Qin's conclusions."
Huang Xiaotao and I exchanged a startled look. That forensic doctor Qin was truly a ghost who wouldn't rest—brazen enough to cause such a serious miscarriage of justice and hide it for so long.