MMJWQC Chapter 5

It’s trending like crazy.

The station sister, who had been monitoring the training camp base, posted a video on Weibo. It showed medical personnel carrying a body out of the training camp, and someone with their shoulder bandaged. All the trainees were taken to the police station for questioning. This shocking news quickly climbed the trending charts.

“991 Training Camp: Someone Died!”

Other talent shows might have scandals like a trainee’s dorm collapsing, a company mistreating trainees, or even rumors of inappropriate relationships between mentors and trainees. But what 991 revealed was absolutely attention-grabbing.

In the world of talent shows these days, others might lose their reputation, but in their case, they lost lives!

—Wow, 991 is something else! Others lose their fame in talent shows, but they’re losing lives!

—Who died?

—All the trainees are at the police station, so we don’t know who it is.

—Let’s wait for the results! Please, don’t let it be my brother! Praying!

—The official account still hasn’t responded; this is becoming a big issue.

—Who knows what really happened? Did a fight escalate?

—This is a matter of life and death; don’t make baseless speculations. Let’s wait for the police to provide the facts.

Today’s internet is not a lawless place; spreading rumors can get you in trouble with the police. Netizens are cautious and refrain from making unfounded guesses.

At this moment, Chu Ruochun and several others were individually questioned. No one expected that after experiencing a terrifying atmosphere, they would now face suspicion. The younger trainees, unable to bear the psychological pressure, cried with red eyes.

The police were also quite troubled. They had questioned three or four people and hadn’t obtained any useful information from them. That is until they questioned He Jun.

In the interrogation room, Detective Team Leader Zhang Dongliang stared at He Jun with a stern expression. “He Jun, how did Jiang Qiao die?”

Jiang Qiao’s body had already been sent for an autopsy. There were no obvious external injuries, so it was still unclear whether it was a homicide.

He Jun shook his head. “I don’t know. He was… he was killed by a ghost!”

Recalling the experience of being chased in the hallway, he still felt a bit scared.

But Detective Zhang didn’t believe him. He thought the child was just frightened and confused. “A ghost? There are no such things as ghosts in this world. Tell me what happened from the power outage until you called the police. What happened during that time?”

He Jun nodded. “Today, we didn’t have a scheduled recording for the program, and we were all practicing in the training room. It started raining a little after 3 PM, and suddenly, the power went out in the training room. We were recording our practice sessions, and everyone’s phones were running low on battery. We waited for a while, but the power didn’t come back on, so we decided to check the main circuit breaker. It was strange because even though it was around 4 PM, both inside and outside the building were covered in a thick fog-like mist, and it was getting denser. There were four of us going to the door, and although the exit to the staircase was nearby, we just couldn’t reach the exit to the safety door. It felt like there was a shadow chasing us, and one of our friends disappeared! I was with Jiang Qiao, and we were both very scared. We could only run forward desperately. I twisted my ankle while training today, and I felt like I couldn’t run anymore, so I knocked on the door of one of the training rooms, luckily, there were people inside, and I rushed in.”

“And then? How did Jiang Qiao enter the training room where you were?”

“He initially ran ahead of me, but I had just rested for a while when he came knocking on the door. Chu Ruochun said not to let him in, but I ignored him and let Jiang Qiao into the training room.”

“So, he was alive when he entered the training room,” Detective Zhang inquired.

“Yes, but his condition was very strange. After we let him in, he grabbed Yu Chun’s shoulders tightly and wouldn’t let go. I went forward to pull him away, but he grabbed my neck.” He Jun touched his neck, still feeling frightened.

“So, the handprint on your neck was from him?”

“Yes, the others had to exert force to pull him away, and that’s when Yu Chun and I were finally freed.”

Yu Chun was the trainee whose shoulder was bleeding.

“At this point, Jiang Qiao’s mental state wasn’t right?”

“Yes, his eyes were pitch-black, no light in them, no whites in his eyes. It was very eerie.”

“But regardless of his mental state, Jiang Qiao was alive at that time. So, when did he collapse?”

He Jun lifted his eyelids. “He collapsed after Chu Ruochun slapped his chest!”

Detective Zhang had a good memory. “You mentioned earlier that when Jiang Qiao was knocking on the door outside, Chu Ruochun also said not to let him in?”

He Jun nodded vigorously. “Yes, he said not to let anyone in, and he even said that the person outside wasn’t Jiang Qiao. But in reality, it was Jiang Qiao!”

Detective Zhang marked Chu Ruochun’s name on the list. “Are all three of you from the same company? How was Chu Ruochun related to Jiang Qiao?”

He Jun lowered his head and fiddled with his fingers. “We’re not on good terms. Jiang Qiao and Lu Qing had a fight, and the company blamed Chu Ruochun.”

Detective Zhang asked, “Are you suggesting that Chu Ruochun slapped Jiang Qiao as a form of revenge?”

He Jun didn’t dare to admit it and remained silent.

Next, Detective Zhang questioned the others. The trainees from the same training room all confirmed that Chu Ruochun indeed pushed Jiang Qiao with his palm, causing him to collapse. Alan provided the most objective response and also mentioned the drawing of symbols and what happened with Ding Zhaozhao. When questioned, the other trainees reported similar events.

In summary, the prime suspect was Chu Ruochun. Only he had physically interacted with Jiang Qiao, while the others had only tried to restrain Jiang Qiao when his mental state was unclear.

Alan said that after he made a certain gesture, Jiang Qiao became motionless and no longer posed a threat to them, making Chu Ruochun appear somewhat delusional.

“Captain Zhang, should we question Chu Ruochun immediately?” Xiao Li put away his notes from the previous trainee’s interrogation.

Captain Zhang furrowed his brow. “Not so fast. What did the forensic team find out?”

Xiao Li reported, “They couldn’t determine the cause of death. It’s just like what we saw – no signs of injury on the body, and the skin had a gray, decayed appearance as if he had been dead for days. Despite being a young man in his twenties, he looked like an eighty-year-old. The family only agreed to the autopsy after causing a scene in the waiting room.”

Captain Zhang asked, “Is their manager here?” To ensure that they had all the information necessary to make a decisive move against the suspect.

Xiao Li replied, “Yes, I can bring him over.”

After questioning Fang Ming, they reached a similar conclusion. Chu Ruochun and Jiang Qiao had a tumultuous relationship. Fang Ming also provided additional information. During their morning meeting, Chu Ruochun had emphasized that things had been arranged this way, and they would regret it.

After Fang Ming left, Xiao Li remarked, “The entertainment industry is quite ruthless. Jiang Qiao clearly started the fight, but Chu Ruochun has to apologize to the victim. Once this hits Weibo, all his previous efforts will go to waste. This company is incredibly unethical.”

Captain Zhang remained focused on the case. “Go ahead and bring Chu Ruochun in.”

The police station was filled with people coming and going, each carrying a sense of hostility or sorrow to varying degrees.

The other trainees had completed their statements and left the waiting area. Gradually, only Chu Ruochun remained, sitting cross-legged in a chair, hands forming seals, and his eyes closed in meditation. 

Xiao Li came to call him, and as he opened his eyes, he greeted Xiao Li with a faint smile. After looking at trainees with refined features all night, Xiao Li had expected himself to be immune to the charm of handsome boys. However, when Chu Ruochun looked at him, he appeared as refreshing as a gentle breeze. His facial features were exquisite and handsome, yet there was no discomfort. It was unlike the melancholic and reserved image that others had described.

His smile was so gentle, like a breath of fresh air.

However, his mentor had taught him never to underestimate anyone.

Chu Ruochun followed Xiao Li into the interrogation room. 

Following the usual procedure, Captain Zhang asked a few simple questions before getting into the real interrogation.

“From what we understand, your relationship with Jiang Qiao wasn’t good. He often bullied you at the company, and even after the incident where you were forced to apologize, did you develop any feelings of revenge or a desire to kill him?”

“Are you talking about a motive for murder? I didn’t have any. I don’t hate Jiang Qiao.”

“After you struck Jiang Qiao in the chest, he fell to the ground. How do you explain this?” Zhang Dongliang posed this question.

Chu Ruochun answered truthfully, “A malevolent spirit possessed him. I’ve learned Taoist techniques, so that strike was naturally meant to drive the malevolent spirit out of him.”

Zhang Dongliang and Xiao Li almost burst out laughing at the unexpectedness of the response. Chu Ruochun spoke in such a straightforward manner about supernatural matters.

Chu Ruochun noticed their skepticism but remained unruffled. He smiled and said, “It’s okay if you don’t believe me, Officer, but I didn’t commit murder. Besides striking Jiang Qiao’s chest, I didn’t do anything else.”

He was telling the truth.

The autopsy report hadn’t come out yet, and there were many people present at the time. Before Jiang Qiao collapsed, other trainees had even joined forces to pull him away, and Jiang Qiao had injured another trainee, leaving several bloodied holes in the trainee’s shoulder. The only blood in the training room was from him. Even the marks on He Jun’s neck were caused by Jiang Qiao.

Of course, Zhang Dongliang didn’t believe Chu Ruochun’s reason for striking Jiang Qiao. “But among everyone here, your conflict with Jiang Qiao was the most evident. Please answer our questions seriously. After you struck him, he became motionless. Why didn’t you pull him away like the others?”

Chu Ruochun replied, “Officer, I’m not lying. Perhaps you don’t believe in spirits, but that doesn’t mean they don’t exist.”

Zhang Dongliang glanced at Chu Ruochun’s nineteen years of life experience. He had just entered college when a family accident occurred, resulting in the death of both parents, leaving only a younger brother still in elementary school. Maybe the family tragedy had caused some mental issues.

“If you’re under stress, we suggest you undergo a psychological evaluation.” Zhang Dongliang couldn’t possibly believe Chu Ruochun’s claims about spirits and ghosts.

Chu Ruochun just smiled. When someone didn’t want to believe you, no matter how many times you said it, they wouldn’t believe you.

His gaze fell on Zhang Dongliang’s wrist. “Officer Zhang, do you know about Tian Shi?”

Zhang Dongliang nodded. “Of course, I know. They deal with feng shui, and fortune-telling, and focus on promoting feudal superstition. Many people have been deceived and lost a lot of money due to some fake Tian Shi. We’ve handled quite a few cases like that. The worst victims end up losing their entire families and resorting to suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning.”

Chu Ruochun shook his head while smiling, and he looked at the watch on Zhang Dongliang’s wrist. “I see the watch you’re wearing, and it doesn’t belong to you.” He spoke with great certainty.

Although his spiritual power was currently limited, he could still see a faint golden aura around the watch, indicating it had accumulated merit.

Zhang Dongliang instinctively touched the watch on his wrist, and Chu Ruochun continued, “The original owner of the watch was a righteous person, attentive to details. They were your best comrade-in-arms and your best friend.”

Xiao Li was aware that Zhang Dongliang’s watch did indeed have a history, but they had just assumed that he was sentimental and hadn’t replaced his old watch. As he observed Zhang Dongliang’s increasingly serious expression, he couldn’t help but wonder if this trainee had hit the nail on the head.

Chu Ruochun gazed into Zhang Dongliang’s eyes and continued, “This watch has been stained with blood, but it’s not yours. You hold a deep sense of remorse towards the owner of this watch, Captain Zhang Dongliang. Am I right?”

Zhang Dongliang’s grip on the pen had already betrayed his emotions, and he stared at Chu Ruochun without uttering a word. The latter didn’t seem to be intimidated.

They hadn’t told him Zhang Dongliang’s name, so how did he know it? Had he conducted a private investigation? But their phones were confiscated upon entry, leaving them with no means of contacting the outside world.

Goosebumps covered Xiao Li’s arm as he thought to himself, ‘This is quite mysterious.’