Good and Evil Chapter Twenty The Series of Rape Cases

Summer is the hottest season of the year, especially in the south. As the season arrives, people dress as lightly as possible to escape the heat. Young women in particular wear less and less, parading the streets under parasols with their youthful, pretty faces and shapely figures accentuated by thin, airy clothing, their pale legs drawing the eye. Amidst all these admiring glances, however, there are also sinister stares fixed on these girls.

After the resolution of the "Human Pork Bun" case, Xu Lang hadn’t visited the police station again. During this period, he spent his days at the detective agency he ran with Du Ziqiao. Their office, situated in a commercial building on the main shopping street, was small and usually quiet, staffed by just the two of them. Most of their business involved searching for missing cats and dogs, though occasionally a wealthy client would hire them to investigate a spouse suspected of infidelity. In such cases, they simply tailed the person in question to see if there was any contact with a member of the opposite sex, and if so, what kind of contact it was.

Most of the people they investigated turned out to be innocent, but not everyone was so lucky. Just the other day, the wife of a rich businessman had come to their office and asked Xu Lang to look into her husband, whom she suspected of keeping a mistress. Xu Lang took the case, and that very afternoon he caught the husband and his secretary at a hotel. He immediately phoned the wife with the address, which led to a spectacular and public showdown.

While the businessman was in the midst of a passionate tryst with his young, beautiful secretary, his wife burst in with several relatives and caught them in the act. There was screaming and accusations followed swiftly by flying fists, and the scene became utter chaos. Xu Lang stood in the doorway, hamburger in hand, watching it all unfold.

In the end, the husband and wife reconciled, but the poor secretary was not only beaten but also fired, losing both her job and her dignity, saved only by a sum of money wired to her bank account.

On this particular day, Xu Lang was reading a copy of Playboy in the office when his phone rang. The caller was none other than Ning Yanran. She asked him to come to the Second Criminal Investigation Team. Xu Lang inquired about the case, but Ning Yanran merely replied that he’d find out when he got there.

After hanging up, Xu Lang tossed aside his magazine, grabbed his phone, and left for the station by taxi.

As soon as he entered, Xu Lang sensed the heavy atmosphere, especially since Ning Yanran looked particularly grim. He asked, “What happened?”

At the sound of his voice, everyone looked up at Xu Lang, their faces dark. Ning Yanran slammed the table and said, “If I catch that scumbag, I’ll beat him so badly even his own mother won’t recognize him.”

Xu Lang’s curiosity was piqued by her outburst. He glanced at Zhao Hua, who stood nearby, silently asking what had happened.

Zhao Hua, catching his look, replied with a somber face, “Over the past three days, there have been five rape cases in the outskirts.”

Xu Lang had expected a major homicide, so when he heard it was rape, he remarked, “I thought it was something serious. These are the easiest to solve. Find the victims, get their descriptions, review nearby surveillance footage, and you’ll catch the suspect in no time.”

Zhao Hua gave a bitter smile. “If it were a standard rape case, we wouldn’t have called you in.”

“Oh? What’s unusual about these cases?” Xu Lang asked.

Zhao Hua simply handed him a stack of files. “See for yourself.”

Xu Lang leafed through the documents. At first, he wasn’t concerned; typically, after a rape, if the victim calls the police promptly, a suspect can be identified quickly through descriptions, biological samples, canvassing nearby residents, and camera footage.

But as he read further, his expression changed. These incidents were happening far too frequently, and the victims’ descriptions of the suspect were very peculiar.

On June 18th, at 10:30 p.m., there was an assault on Changxi Road in the outskirts. The victim, Cai Fenfen, 23, a factory worker, was attacked from behind on her way home after her shift, struck hard on the back of the head, dragged into the roadside woods, and raped. Her valuables—phone, jewelry, cash—were stolen. Despite her injuries, she reported the crime at the nearest police station.

According to her statement, the assailant was a young man in his twenties, wearing a T-shirt and baggy shorts. He was strikingly handsome, resembling a movie star.

The local police investigated immediately, finding traces left by the perpetrator, but no useful leads. The forensic team detected no bodily fluids in the victim, implying the attacker used a condom.

On June 18th, at 1:30 a.m., on Changdong Road, a woman returning from a KTV party was attacked. The victim, Cheng Xi, a white-collar worker, had gone out with colleagues for dinner and karaoke. On her way home, she was raped and robbed. She described the perpetrator as a man in his thirties—she couldn’t recall his clothing, but remembered his face: very handsome, reminiscent of a TV actor.

On June 19th, at 3:00 a.m., another victim, Li Xinxin, was raped on Niwa Road in the outskirts. She too glimpsed the perpetrator’s face, which she said resembled a Hollywood movie star. She was also robbed of her possessions.

On June 20th, at 10:30 p.m., not far from where Cai Fenfen had been assaulted, another rape-robbery occurred. This time the victim was a college junior. Panicking, she hadn’t seen the attacker’s face clearly and reported the crime the next day, accompanied by her mother.

On June 20th, at 4:00 a.m., a female DJ named Allen, coming off her shift at a bar, was attacked on Changdong Road. This time the attempt failed; Allen was not only a DJ but also a taekwondo student (yellow belt), enough to fend for herself. She fought back, saw the attacker’s face—a man in his thirties, again resembling a TV star—but he escaped, taking her bag.

After reviewing the files, Xu Lang noted several key patterns.

First, all the attacks occurred between 10:30 p.m. and 4:00 a.m., indicating the perpetrator operated only at night.

Second, all incidents happened in remote, surveillance-free areas on the outskirts. The suspect always fled quickly, suggesting he knew the area well—likely a local, possibly living nearby.

Third, in every case, the attacker not only raped but also robbed the victim. He left no biological samples at the scene, indicating he was experienced and likely not a first-time offender.

Fourth, of the five cases, four victims saw the attacker’s face. Two described an identical man; the other two saw different men, but all described someone strikingly similar to a celebrity.

There was nothing outwardly unusual about these cases, except that only two could definitively be linked to the same offender. The other three, based on the victims' descriptions (excluding the college student who hadn’t seen the attacker clearly), seemed to involve different men.

It was now June 24th. Four days had passed since the last attack. No similar reports had come in. Had the perpetrator been injured? Or was there another reason?

Xu Lang turned to the June 20th file, the attempted assault on Allen. She had fought the attacker but hadn’t injured him. Given the frequency of the earlier attacks, why had there been a sudden pause?

He shared his thoughts with the others in the office.

Everyone nodded in agreement. Then Ning Yanran spoke: “Since all five victims saw the attackers’ faces, and each resembled a celebrity, we should canvass the outskirts. Bring in anyone who looks like these stars for questioning.”

At this, everyone turned instinctively to Xu Lang.

Xu Lang looked up from the file and said, “Why are you all looking at me? She’s your captain—I’m just a consultant.”

At his words, the team dispersed to begin their fieldwork.

Once they’d left, Ning Yanran noticed Xu Lang still poring over the files. “What are you looking at?” she asked.

Xu Lang set down the documents, lit a cigarette, inhaled deeply, and after exhaling a ring of smoke, said, “I’m thinking about these cases. Four out of five victims saw the attacker’s face. Two descriptions match; the other two differ, but all resemble celebrities. So, how many perpetrators are there, really?”

Ning Yanran pondered. “At least three. The college student didn’t see the attacker, so we can’t be sure about hers yet.”

Xu Lang didn’t object, but raised another question. “From June 20th to the 24th, why didn’t the perpetrator act again? Did he stop, or did he attack someone who didn’t report it?”

Ning Yanran shook her head. She didn’t know, and only further investigation would reveal the answer.

Unable to solve the puzzle, she began gathering her things to leave. Xu Lang asked, “Where are you going?”

“To canvass the scene.”

She looked at him quizzically. “Why?”

Xu Lang rolled his eyes. “Zhao Hua and the others can handle that. You’re coming with me.”

“Where? The crime scene?” she asked curiously.

Xu Lang’s lips twitched. He genuinely couldn’t understand how Ning Yanran had ever become captain. He had serious doubts about Lu Ye’s judgment, and seeing his former seat now occupied by someone so clueless filled him with sadness—for himself and for the entire team.

He stubbed out his cigarette and stood up. “We’re going to see the victims.”

“Oh,” Ning Yanran replied, sensing his thoughts and daring not to ask further, quietly following him out of the station.

Their first stop was to visit Cai Fenfen, the victim assaulted on June 18th.

When they found her, she was sitting on her bed in the factory’s women’s dormitory, silently weeping. Two colleagues were with her.

Her dorm was small: one room, one living area, a kitchen and a bathroom. Two bunk beds stood in the bedroom, housing four girls. Cai Fenfen sat on the lower bunk near the door. There was no air conditioning, only a fan swinging side to side, its wind a constant hum.

Xu Lang, upon entering, scanned the room and then retreated to the living area—not out of reluctance to question her, but because, among the three girls, he’d also caught sight of a colorful array of undergarments, which made him slightly embarrassed.

After a while, Cai Fenfen, accompanied by her colleagues, emerged from the bedroom. Xu Lang began his questioning.

“You’re Cai Fenfen?” he asked.

She nodded blankly, her eyes swollen and rimmed with red, clear evidence of sleepless nights and dark circles.

“Can you tell us, in detail, what happened that night?”

At the mention of that night, her tears welled up again, rolling down her cheeks as she tried to wipe them away.

Seeing this, Ning Yanran quickly handed her a tissue. Cai Fenfen dabbed at her eyes, soaking tissue after tissue until half the packet was gone.

Xu Lang watched her closely as she cried.

According to the file, Cai Fenfen was only twenty-three. She wasn’t especially pretty, but not ugly either—an average girl. Working indoors at the factory, her skin had become unhealthily pale, and as she rarely exercised, a slight chubbiness had crept into her figure.

With the comfort of her colleagues and Ning Yanran, she finally managed to control her sobs and began, haltingly, to recount the events of that night.

On June 18th, she had worked overtime until after nine, grabbed a late meal, and then walked home. The four girls in her dorm worked in different departments; only she was on the day shift that week, so she was returning alone.

She hadn’t gotten into college, so she’d attended technical school before being assigned to the factory two years ago. She walked the same route every day and was completely familiar with it, so she hadn’t worried about being alone that night.

But when she was about a mile from the dorm, a figure leapt from the shadows and struck her on the back of the head. She fell hard. The figure dragged her into the bushes and assaulted her.

She regained consciousness briefly to find the man undressing her. She struggled and screamed, but he clamped a hand around her neck until she was gasping for air, then muffled her cries while continuing to undress her. Despite her resistance, he overpowered her.

Afterward, he took her phone, wallet, a silver ring, and a gold necklace, then fled.

During the ordeal, she had seen his face: a man in his twenties, wearing a black T-shirt and baggy shorts, strikingly similar to a popular idol actor she recognized from TV dramas she often watched after work.