Chapter 16: A Child’s Testimony

Having seen the news report move past the photo, Hao Yang sat on her hospital bed.

She continued to drink her porridge, not dwelling on the matter.

A few minutes later, Hao Yang finally felt full. She had consumed an entire bowl of porridge and two steamed buns, a respectable amount of food for a child.

“Sister, how long until the police officers arrive?” Hao Yang couldn’t help but ask, knowing she had to report such a grave matter as murder to them.

“They should be here soon.”

No sooner had the words left her lips than a stir emanated from the doorway. Two police officers, clad in thick clothing and carrying various items, entered the room.

Upon entering the ward, Wang Jian’s gaze fell upon an incredibly cute little girl. Though she appeared a little thin, her face devoid of the typical baby fat, her charm remained undeniable.

He then cast a curious glance around the rest of the room. To his surprise, there were no other patients besides the young girl before him.

“Where is the child I brought to the hospital yesterday?” Wang Jian inquired, his eyes scanning the surroundings.

“This little girl is the child you brought in from the ATM yesterday,” the Nurse explained. Then, leaning closer to Hao Yang, she softly prompted, “Hao Yang, you should thank the police officers.”

“Thank you, Police Officers,” Hao Yang quickly uttered, having received the gentle reminder.

“Ah, are you the child from yesterday?” Wang Jian exclaimed, a note of surprise in his voice. Gazing at the adorable girl before him, he found it difficult to reconcile her image with the grimy, dishevelled child he had seen yesterday.

“Yes.” Hao Yang nodded.

Wang Jian’s colleague produced a notebook, poised to begin their work and record a statement.

Seeing his colleague prepared, Wang Jian began the interrogation.

“Little one, your fam—”

Before he could complete his sentence, Hao Yang abruptly cut him off.

“Police Officer, I have something incredibly important to tell you! Something truly, exceptionally vital!”

“Don’t rush, little one, take your time. The police officer is here, listening intently,” Wang Jian reassured, gently calming the suddenly agitated Hao Yang.

Hao Yang genuinely felt she had been overly excited moments before. She took several deep breaths, steadying her emotions before she slowly began to speak.

“Someone was murdered.”

As Hao Yang finished speaking, she suddenly sensed an unsettling shift in the surrounding atmosphere. The Nurse was staring at her with wide, incredulous eyes, and both police officers were fixed on her with an unwavering gaze.

“What?!” Wang Jian was the first to break the eerie silence, his voice sharp with disbelief.

Hao Yang was startled by the police officer’s sudden, booming exclamation.

“Little one, this isn’t about your parents fighting, where one of them accidentally killed the other, is it?!”

“Could you please lower your voice? You’re frightening the child,” his colleague interjected, unable to hold back a gentle admonition.

Only then did Wang Jian realize the intensity of his reaction. He quickly composed himself, then repeated his question as calmly and gently as possible.

“It wasn’t my parents,” Hao Yang clarified, a hint of nervousness in her voice. “It was a homeless man.”

“Who was killed? How was he killed? How did you come to know of it?” Wang Jian fired off a rapid series of questions, a classic interrogation technique.

Hao Yang had always possessed a decent command of language. She took a moment to mentally organize her thoughts, carefully formulating her words before she slowly began to speak.

“It was perhaps a few days ago. The weather had turned bitterly cold, and I was desperate to find a warmer place to sleep for the night. I ended up finding an old, abandoned residential complex in the western district, slated for demolition.”

“It was too cold then, so I found a cabinet and lined it with a down jacket to use as a makeshift blanket for sleeping. Once darkness fell, I couldn’t see anything at all; I simply stayed hidden in the cabinet, too afraid to venture anywhere.”

“Then, a homeless man arrived, also searching for shelter. By sheer coincidence, we both ended up choosing the same room. He was very tall, and I felt a little scared, so I remained hidden inside the cabinet.”

“So, you witnessed the homeless man being murdered?” Wang Jian interjected abruptly.

“No, that’s not what happened. I stayed hidden in the cabinet until the next day, when the homeless man went to the restroom. I quickly seized the chance to run away. Later, I suddenly remembered I had forgotten something, so I rushed back to retrieve it. However, the homeless man had gone upstairs, and feeling a little scared, I hid in the cabinet once more.”

“In the middle of the night, I heard someone ascending the stairs. I was terrified, so I stayed hidden in the cabinet and didn’t dare to leave. The cabinet had a small hole, and through it, I watched. I saw the homeless man being strangled to death with a rope by a very tall, thin person.”

“Later, that person called a stout man, and together they dragged the homeless man’s body onto a vehicle and drove away. I overheard his phone call; it sounded like they intended to sell the homeless man’s organs.” Hao Yang concluded her account, relating the entire chilling experience in detail, and even adding her own unsettling conjecture.

As Wang Jian listened to the young girl before him recount her harrowing experience, he couldn’t shake the feeling that she was fabricating a story, perhaps playing a trick on him.

“Little one, are you certain everything you’ve said is true? Please don’t lie to the police officer,” Wang Jian stated, his tone serious.

“I’m not lying to you; everything I’ve said is true,” Hao Yang insisted. “I can take you to that room right now.” With that, she immediately sat up from the bed and, with bare feet, started walking towards the door.

“Hao Yang, you’re still unwell,” the Nurse gently reminded, moving to guide the girl back to bed. “You really should stay in bed and rest.”

“This matter concerns a human life!” Hao Yang declared with intense seriousness. “I personally witnessed that homeless man being murdered. I couldn’t help him then, but now, I must at least ensure he receives justice!”

The homeless man’s death had cast a profound shadow over her heart. Only by seeing those criminals brought to justice could she truly find peace regarding the incident.

Furthermore, if her memory served her right from their previous conversation, those individuals were planning to abduct an unsupervised child. Judging by their fragmented descriptions, that child was most likely herself. She had done nothing to provoke them, yet she had been marked.

Only when all those criminals were apprehended and brought to justice could the heavy burden in Hao Yang’s heart finally be lifted.

“You may lead the way,” Wang Jian said slowly, “but you must put on your clothes and shoes first, lest you fall ill again.”