Chapter 51: The Theory of Victim Blaming

Inside the compartment, which could barely hold four or five people, water stains were everywhere.

At a glance, it looked as though the entire place had been washed down.

In this situation, water was not a good sign.

Any fingerprints, shoe prints, or other traces left by Zhuang Dong in this compartment would be washed away by the water, making the cause of his death even more inscrutable.

The amusement park staff rushed over. Taking in the scene inside the compartment, they froze in shock: "Officer, this has nothing to do with us!"

"We clean the Ferris wheel cabins on a regular schedule. We never clean them before the designated time, and even when we do, we never hose them down directly with water."

Wen Ke frowned slightly.

Just then, Wen Ke noticed a small detail: none of the water stains looked like pure water. Stepping on them left a faint, sticky sensation on the soles of her shoes.

Sticky?!

Wen Ke squatted down, put on a pair of white gloves, and touched the moisture on the ground. When she pulled her fingers away slightly, it formed thin, viscous threads. She brought it up to her nose and caught a faint, barely perceptible foul odor.

"This isn't water."

Wen Ke's eyes narrowed.

The liquid components throughout the compartment were not water, but a sticky substance. Wen Ke could not immediately figure out what it was; it would require forensic analysis to identify.

Wen Ke stood up and looked at the amusement park staff: "Who is the ticket taker for the Ferris wheel? Can I speak with them?"

Hearing this, the staff member breathed a sigh of relief and beckoned to a female employee in the distance: "Zhou Hui, come over here. The police want to ask you some questions."

The female employee looked panicked. On her way running over, she tripped over her own feet and almost fell: "Hello, officers."

Wen Ke looked Zhou Hui up and down: "You're the Ferris wheel ticket inspector?"

Zhou Hui nodded.

"Do you have any impression of the deceased?"

Wen Ke's question was direct.

Zhou Hui's face turned pale, and her speech became somewhat stuttering: "I...... remember him. He bought...... two tickets by himself. I told him he only needed one, but...... he insisted. He forced...... me to check two tickets for him."

"His expression...... at the time was very panicked, as if...... something was chasing him. I even asked him if he...... wasn't feeling well?"

Zhou Hui had a deep impression of Zhuang Dong.

Today was a weekday.

The number of visitors to the amusement park wasn't very large, and those who liked to ride the Ferris wheel were usually young couples, coming in pairs. Someone like Zhuang Dong riding the Ferris wheel all by himself was extremely rare.

From Zhou Hui's expression, Wen Ke could tell she was not lying: "Was he alone at the time?"

"Yes."

"Just him alone!"

Zhou Hui nodded earnestly.

Wen Ke instructed Old Zhang to take her aside to continue questioning.

The rest of the colleagues were also questioning other staff members at the amusement park. After a thorough interrogation, combined with the account given by plainclothes officer Old Zhang, it was confirmed that Zhuang Dong had boarded the Ferris wheel entirely alone.

The Ferris wheel cabin was a closed space.

Especially once the Ferris wheel started running, the door of every cabin was secured with a safety lock to prevent tourists from falling out.

Given this, it seemed there was only one possibility.

That was suicide.

Zhuang Dong had opened the cabin door himself and then jumped when the Ferris wheel reached its highest point.

Not only did Wen Ke think this, but almost all the colleagues who understood the sequence of events thought so as well.

Wen Ke returned to the scene of Zhuang Dong's death. Blood and shattered internal organs were everywhere, enough to turn anyone's stomach, yet Zhuang Dong's face had been preserved remarkably well.

On Zhuang Dong's face, an expression of extreme terror was clearly visible.

What was he afraid of?

Did he regret it halfway through the jump and wish he hadn't jumped?

Wen Ke remained silent.

A moment later.

The forensic doctor handed a preliminary autopsy report to Wen Ke: "The cause of death is very clear—massive bodily trauma caused by a high-altitude fall."

Actually, an autopsy wasn't even necessary.

Falling from such a height made the cause of death self-evident at a glance.

However, out of a forensic investigator's sense of duty, they had examined Zhuang Dong's body and ultimately reached the expected conclusion.

"Send Zhuang Dong's body back to the police station and conduct a more meticulous autopsy," Wen Ke ordered.

She felt that Zhuang Dong's death was not that simple.

With that done, Wen Ke called Old Zhang over: "Old Zhang, you have very sharp observation skills. Before Zhuang Dong died, was there anything unusual about him?"

Originally, the task of tailing Zhuang Dong had been assigned to Xiao Wang, but Xiao Wang was a rookie who would easily be spotted by Zhuang Dong. Back and forth, the task of tailing fell to Old Zhang.

Old Zhang was a seasoned veteran at the police station, having even spent a period working undercover when he was young, and was exceptionally skilled in surveillance and observation.

Hearing Wen Ke's question, Old Zhang frowned and thought for a moment: "There weren't any anomalies. Ever since I started following him, his behavior was quite normal."

"If I really have to name something unusual, it would be that last night, Zhuang Dong met with Lu Yuan."

A meeting?

And with Lu Yuan?

Wen Ke froze.

"What did they talk about?"

Wen Ke didn't want to suspect Lu Yuan, but various signs made it very difficult for her not to.

Old Zhang shook his head: "I didn't dare get too close at the time and could only hide around a street corner. Judging by their facial expressions while talking, it didn't seem like a very harmonious conversation."

"After talking for about ten minutes or so, Zhuang Dong left."

Wen Ke vaguely sensed that the crux of the matter lay right here.

Perhaps the conversation between Lu Yuan and Zhuang Dong last night was the primary reason for Zhuang Dong's death today.

At this thought, Wen Ke took a deep breath: "I need to step away for a bit. Make sure you secure the scene, and contact me immediately if any issues arise."

"Yes, Team Leader Wen!"

Everyone chorused in unison.

Wen Ke got into her car and drove toward Lu Yuan's psychological clinic.

Along the way.

Wen Ke appeared distracted and preoccupied.

On the other side, Lu Yuan had no idea Wen Ke was looking for him. After leaving the amusement park, Lu Yuan had lost all mood for anything else and only wanted to find a good meal.

Zhuang Dong's death was indeed gruesome, but compared to the things seen in the dream realm, such a straightforward dead body no longer caused much emotional fluctuation in Lu Yuan.

"Die anywhere you like, why did you have to die at the amusement park?"

"And right when I happened to go there."

"What terrible luck!"

Lu Yuan sighed.

He wasn't too surprised by Zhuang Dong's death. Zhuang Dong had been desperate to enter the dream realm, and the simplest way to do that was suicide.

Lu Yuan figured Zhuang Dong must have grown impatient to enter the dream realm and thus chose to end his own life.

It was just that the location Zhuang Dong chose for his suicide was a bit strange.

Why would it be an amusement park?

Lu Yuan was quite puzzled.

Lu Yuan found a restaurant near the psychological clinic. Just as he sat down and before he could even order, Wen Ke hurried over and sat down directly across from him.

Lu Yuan felt a helpless sigh welling up inside.

It seemed he wouldn't be able to catch a break for a while longer.

"What did you talk to Zhuang Dong about last night?"

Wen Ke's eyes burned with intensity.

Lu Yuan remained silent for a moment. Naturally knowing that Wen Ke suspected him, he could only select a few things from last night's conversation that were safe to share: "He asked me about An Shi's whereabouts."

"He had an urgent matter to find An Shi for, but I didn't know where An Shi was and couldn't tell him, so he became somewhat agitated and impatient."

"Fortunately, there were plainclothes police following us at the time, otherwise I felt he might have attacked me."

Casting himself as the victim first.

This was a habitual logic used to clear oneself of suspicion.