I couldn't help but be moved, and the words slipped out of my mouth in a probing manner, "Are you saying that you killed those people?"

Gu Run smiled bitterly and then said, "I did consider killing them, but Zhi Yue didn't agree."

"Why didn't you report it to the police?" I asked.

"Is it useful to report to the police when dealing with these kinds of people, Officer Zhao?" Gu Run tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Will they be sentenced to death?"

The law does ensure justice. If reported, Zhang Mazi and Li Zhi Yue's parents could indeed be imprisoned for the crime of trafficking women, but it wouldn't be the death penalty.

He looked a bit crazed. "I made a meticulous plan. I want these people to disappear forever, even if it means I'll be torn to pieces. Zhi Yue will have a different life."

My thoughts couldn't keep up. "What do you mean?"

"On the day I was ready to take action, Zhi Yue took action as well." He smirked self-deprecatingly.

"She was also fully prepared, just like I was keeping it from her, she was keeping it from me."

"As long as she doesn't speak, no one can find any loopholes. She has more than enough alibi!"

"But... she turned herself in."

I furrowed my brow, not quite understanding what Gu Run was trying to express. "Are you saying that you both planned to kill someone, and the timing of when you were going to act coincided?"

What kind of understanding was this!

He continued:

"On her way back, she received my call. I told her that I would be working overtime tonight and might not be home until dawn."

"With just that one call, she guessed that I was heading towards Li Jia Village."

"But what does that have to do with her turning herself in?" I asked.

He wore a strange smile and remained silent.

As expected, Gu Run knew the whole story of the incident.

I just needed to confirm it with Li Zhi Yue, and the case would be closed.

Seeing Li Zhi Yue again, she hadn't changed, her hair was still impeccable.

Unbelievably calm.

She sat across from me, smiling at me.

I recounted the information I had received from Gu Run to her.

Still, there was no ripple of emotion.

"Impressive, Officer Zhao. You understood the cause and effect in such a short amount of time." She said.

I stared into her eyes. "Is there nothing else you want to say? Why did you turn yourself in?"

She let out a sigh, as if she had let go of something. "Maybe I was just tired of living. Like this, it's fine. I've never felt so relaxed before."

"You were afraid of implicating Gu Run," I said.

"You were worried that he would be suspected as the murderer, and you were afraid that one day you would be exposed, and he would be defined as an accomplice in hiding."

"You had planned everything so that you could live a normal life after returning to the city, but on that night, Gu Run's phone call disrupted your plan. You didn't dare to take the risk, and you couldn't bear to see him implicated in any way."

She still smiled. "You're right, Officer Zhao. I didn't dare to take the risk."