"Principal Zhang? What brings you here?"

Zhang Weihua made a gesture and led me to a secluded corner.

"I've come specifically to see you off, 'The Judge'." Zhang Weihua said with a smile.

"The Judge?" I looked around. "You're really joking."

"That day, when escorting Zhao Dabao downstairs, I received a phone call. Do you remember?"

"I remember. The call seemed very important, but you never said what it was about."

"My informant reported that Chen Jiayi had a boyfriend four years ago in the provincial city. They were very much in love and were talking about marriage. There are indications that this boyfriend might be related to the 927 series of cases."

"Chen Jiayi's boyfriend? What’s his name? What does he do? Where is he now?"

"The informant said that Chen Jiayi's boyfriend was transferred to the Binhai Public Security Bureau a year ago, and his name is... Cao Xiaoqi."

"Even if that's so, it doesn't prove that I am 'The Judge'."

"I've investigated. You were once a member of the police academy's swimming team, but later you were eliminated."

He sneered: "Because of you, apart from holding your breath, all your other scores were at the bottom."

I nodded, waiting for him to continue.

"You and Chen Jiayi were very close, and you treated Xiao Ya as your own daughter. During the 926 case, you were on an undercover mission in Myanmar and couldn't get back in time. I suspect that during Zhao Dabao and the others' imprisonment, you colluded with Chen Jiafei, Lin Kexin, Jia Feng, and Lu Junchen to create the 927 case. Your goal wasn't just revenge for Chen Jiayi; you also tried to stir public opinion and call for the lowering of the age of criminal responsibility!"

I neither confirmed nor denied.

"On September 27th, Chen Jiafei covered for you. You didn't need any diving equipment; using your breath-holding skill, you submerged into the water, grabbed Cai Yifan's ankle, causing him to drown, and then swiftly left to bathe in a nearby bathhouse. This is why you arrived at the scene so quickly; the bathhouse was close to the crime scene."

"On October 4th, Chen Jiafei injected rabid dog serum into the Shen family's big yellow dog. You, while stopping Shen Guochang from attacking Chen Jiafei, smeared Thai coconut spice on him. As a result, on October 5th, Shen Guochang was bitten by the big yellow dog, got rabies, and died on October 9th. No matter if it was when Shen Guochang was bitten, when he fell ill, or when he died, you and Chen Jiafei were giving statements at the police station and had alibis."

"On the morning of October 11th, you took advantage of the convenience provided by your personal guard to put paraquat into the Xiao brothers' soup. Then, you used the excuse of investigating Lin Kexin and Jia Yanhua to leave. As for Chen Jiafei's wing-suit flight on the afternoon of October 11th, even a magician's trick couldn't compare to it. Because before he flew, the Xiao brothers were already poisoned."

"In these two cases, you cleverly used the incubation periods of rabies and paraquat to create alibis for yourselves and remove suspicion."

"On October 17th, whether it was Lu Junchen's balloon flight or Jia Feng's reckless act, they were all distractions, just to increase the case's public awareness and make us lower our guard. The real culprit is still you. You tampered with the window glass ahead of time. When I took the call, you tripped Zhao Dabao, causing him to fall to his death."

"An impressive analysis." My palms were already sweating. "But do you have any evidence?"

Zhang Weihua smiled: "According to Locard's exchange principle, evidence of the crime will always be found. Whether it can be realistically found depends on if someone can point in the right direction and if someone earnestly searches."

I looked at Zhang Weihua in astonishment, not understanding his meaning.

He glanced at Xiao Ya, eyes suddenly moist: "Promise me, take good care of Xiao Ya."

"You..."

Zhang Weihua leaned close to my ear: "I believe in your feelings for Jiayi and your guilt; I believe in your care and affection for Xiao Ya; I believe you will give her a happy future; I believe Xiao Ya will one day call you 'Dad'. But remember, I—I am Xiao Ya's real father."

In my stunned state, Zhang Weihua turned and left.

I composed myself and walked into the security check channel, with Lin Kexin and Lu Junchen waving at me from behind.

"Brother-in-law (JF), have a safe trip!"

Afterword

On December 26, 2020, the "Criminal Law Amendment 11" was passed, stipulating that from now on, individuals aged 12 but not yet 14 who commit intentional homicide, intentional injury resulting in death, or cause severe disability through particularly cruel means with severe circumstances, as approved by the Supreme People’s Procuratorate, shall bear criminal responsibility.

Character Prototypes

Zhao Dabao, prototype Zhao Libao, a 13-year-old boy from Heilongjiang, raped a 14-year-old girl, then stabbed her mother 19 times to death in front of the girl, was placed in re-education for one year and six months.

Shen Guochang, prototype Shen Shichang, a 13-year-old boy from Cengxi, Guangxi, killed three Huang family children aged 4-8 and disposed of their bodies, was placed in re-education for three years.

Cai Yifan, prototype Cai Xiaoming, a 13-year-old boy from Dalian, raped and murdered an 11-year-old girl, was placed in re-education for three years.

Xiao Delong, prototype Xiao Bo, a 12-year-old boy from Hunan, killed his aunt and cousins in a family of three.

Xiao Dehu, prototype Wei Jinmu, a 13-year-old boy from Guangxi, killed seven people in two years, three of whom died.