Chapter 32 On the verge of breaking out

The suspect reached out and pulled out the boning knife on the counter. Li Ran clasped his hands together and shook his head, then the two sides started fighting.

The suspect was very agile. With his skillful kung fu, he was able to use the boning knife in many ways. For a moment, Li Ran was forced to fall behind and retreat step by step. Su Chen watched for a while and said, "I've finished. It's OK."

After saying this, Li Ran picked up the wooden chopping board on the table with one hand and slammed it horizontally. The huge force not only blocked the boning knife, but also covered the suspect's face. The boning knife fell to the ground, and the suspect kicked Li Ran's head twice. Li Ran stood still and took the kick. His head tilted, and a big hand grabbed the suspect's calf like a pair of pliers and swung it on the freezer. Taking two steps forward, Li Ran grabbed the suspect's head and smashed it against the freezer like a basketball, making a hole in the freezer with just one hit. The suspect fell to the ground limply.

Just when Li Ran was about to pick up the suspect, something was placed on Su Chen's neck.

Li Ran turned around and saw a man wearing a black tight suit, a mask and a headscarf made of temporary torn strips of cloth. He held half a small stone in his left hand, and the sharp end of the stone was pressed against Su Chen's throat.

Su Chen's ten sweat drops converged into one sentence: "Brother, calm down, calm down."

Such simple attire and such ridiculous weapons made Li Ran feel as if he was facing a formidable enemy. The masked man held Su Chen hostage with his left hand and typed on his phone with his right hand. It was obvious that he did not take Su Chen seriously and was not worried about Su Chen's struggle and counterattack at all.

The masked man raised his phone. Li Ran took two steps forward to look at the phone screen, then looked at the masked man again, and did not give in. The masked man continued to type: Qi Sha owes you a favor, and will give you an explanation on this matter.

Su Chen immediately prepared to die: "Brother, can you do me a favor?" Favors from Qi Sha are very rare. One favor can save a life, except for the main target.

Li Ran took out his cell phone and made a call: "Drive the car to the back door of the cafeteria."

After hanging up the phone, Li Ran picked up the suspect like a chicken, and the masked man took Su Chen back. Li Ran went out, turned right and went out the back door. There was a black car outside the door, and a female student wearing a mask and training uniform stood next to the car. The female student was not panicked at all when she saw this scene, she opened the trunk, threw the key to Li and left.

Li Ran put the suspect in the trunk, and took out the cable tie handcuffs from behind to tie up the suspect's hands and feet. He closed the trunk, opened the rear door and stepped aside. The masked man and Su Chen got into the back seat, and Li Ran got in the driver's seat and drove away from the bodyguard academy. The surveillance camera on the road captured the vehicle and Li Ran, but no one stopped the vehicle from leaving.

The car drove for 20 minutes and then stopped. During this time, Su Chen was still talking nonsense, but the masked man didn't say a word, and Li Ran didn't say a word either. The masked man held out his cell phone, Li Ran took a look, got out of the car, opened the trunk, threw the suspect to the side of the road, and then drove back to the bodyguard academy.

When the car returned to the back door of the cafeteria, it was already five in the morning and the sky was dim. The masked man invited Li Ran into the kitchen, took away their mobile phones, pushed Su Chen into the kitchen, closed the door, and used two mobile phones to jam the buckle so that they could not open it.

Li Ran and Su Chen were not in a hurry to open the door. Su Chen patted the wrinkles of his suit on his chest, opened a drawer, took out a box of black tea, placed two bowls on the table, and began to boil water to make tea.

Li Ran asked: "Do you know who it is?"

Su Chen: "The clothes are not his. He is one size smaller than the owner of the clothes. He has a mouthful of wild grass with a smell of soil in his mouth. Something has been done to the soles of his feet. It is impossible to tell whether it is to increase or decrease height. But one thing is certain, he did these things in a hurry."

Li Ran asked: "Seven Kills?"

Su Chen: "It's likely."

Li Ran asked: "Could it be Cui Jian?" Two blue cards, one is an investigator, and the other should not be a good person either.

"There are at least twelve suspects who meet the physical characteristics, and Cui Jian is among them, but I think the probability that he is the masked man is not high." Su Chen explained: "From the time he took me hostage to the time we made a round trip and came back, it took nearly an hour. During this hour, the masked man was very focused. He remained alert for an hour without relaxing for a moment."

Li Ran agreed: "I haven't found his weakness, so I don't dare to act rashly."

Su Chen: "Based on my understanding of Cui Jian, his concentration is average. When I played the prisoner's dilemma during the interrogation, he quickly let himself go. The same was true during class. He couldn't help looking around after a few minutes. As for him, I want to say that he didn't accept my 200 million. I don't think there is a big problem with his character. You can consider adding him to the team."

Li Ran didn't care about this topic and continued to ask: "Assuming that the murderer is Qi Sha, the singer, why did she sing in the middle of the night? Why did she lurk in the kitchen? Why did she spend so many days to kill a minor character?" Su Chen: "Old Fu said that when you eliminate all impossible situations, no matter how unbelievable the remaining situation is, it is the fact."

"Which Laofu?"

"Holmes."

Li Ran: "What is the fact?"

Su Chen: "She is mentally ill."

Li Ran admired: "You are worthy of being a detective. You can get an answer to any question, no matter how unbelievable the answer is."

Su Chen ignored Li Ran's sarcasm and said, "Every killer in the Seven Killers has experienced the darkest moment in their lives. It's not surprising that they have mental illness. But please note that this may be the first time in decades that the Seven Killers have lost control. Based on my understanding of the Seven Killers, I have thought of a possibility. The other Seven Killers have experienced the darkest moment. They either have the ability to completely control their emotions or can turn hatred into strength. In other words, the darkest moment is a memory for them, which cannot destroy and torture their will. Only such people can become the real Seven Killers."

Su Chen said: "There is another situation, the darkest moment accompanies eternal life. Judging from your expression, you didn't understand, right? I will be merciful and explain it again. You beat me up, and I have a psychological trauma. If I can get over the psychological trauma, I will be qualified to become the Seven Killers. When you beat me, you broke my finger, and the broken finger has been with me for the rest of my life."

Su Chen said: "Based on the recording of the long-haired woman singing and your description, assuming that the murderer is this woman, then the murderer must be a man."

Li Ran clenched his fists. Su Chen looked at Li Ran with disdain: "What a fool! Have you ever heard of eunuchs?"

Li Ran shook his head.

Castrati are a product of the European Middle Ages, and first appeared in church choirs. They would select little boys with clear voices and correct their pronunciation. They would castrate the boys before they grow up. Since men have greater lung capacity than women, when the boys grow up, their singing voices are far more beautiful than those of ordinary singers.

In the 17th century, castrati became a profession. Ordinary castrati had a good life, and famous castrati could become guests of the rich and powerful. Many master singers emerged, and wars even broke out for castrati.

Su Chen said: "I asked many people about the singing voice, and they all said they had never heard such a beautiful and pure voice, saying it was like holy music that touched their hearts. I played Scarborough Fair to a few people, but I didn't expect that everyone agreed that even if Scarborough Fair had accompaniment, it could not compare with the a cappella songs they heard. That's when I thought of the possibility of castrati."

Su Chen: "Not every eunuch has a good voice. Considering the secular laws and the difficulty of training, the eunuch you met can be called a modern legendary treasure. It is no exaggeration to say that if it were auctioned, the price would not be lower than that of a master's oil painting. How could such a treasure appear here?"

Su Chen: "Fighting Qi Sha explained this problem. I guess someone bought a large number of little boys to make castrati, and he became one of the few, or even the only treasure. After being rescued, he was sent to the Oath Orphanage."

After Su Chen finished speaking, Li Ran said, "In that case, I should be gentler."

"You had already crushed the other party in terms of momentum at that time." Su Chen asked curiously: "I'm curious, how do you feel about facing the masked man who held me hostage?"

Li Ran thought about it for a while and said, "Not so good. They are two different types of people." He wanted to say something but closed his mouth.

The two stood quietly for a while, and then the kitchen door opened. Ellie held two mobile phones in her hands and said with a smile, "You two are really playing tricks. You like to imprison yourselves in the kitchen. Can I join you?"

"Mind your own business." Su Chen took his phone and left.

Li Ran did not answer Ellie's question, but took the phone and left the kitchen. Ellie paced in the kitchen, looking at the dent in the freezer, the boning knife that fell to the ground, and the chopping board on the countertop, without saying a word.

(End of this chapter)